It looks like your basic hoodie, yet, it’s built specifically for travel comfort with features including a removable inflatable neck pillow, stash pocket with ear plugs, zippered internal passport/ticket pocket and a light shield built into the hood. Genius.

Out for sushi with some friends the other night and Yuko whipped out this bamboo utensil set. “I’m saving a tree,” she said, forgoing the disposable paper-wrapped wooden chopsticks in favor of her personal re-usable pair. Great for skipping to-go plasticware on the road, too.

The only way to charge this soda can-sized lantern/flashlight/spotlight is with the solar panel. One hour’s worth of direct sunlight means two hours of operation on low, or one hour on high, and the lantern can reportedly hold a charge for eight months. The LED lights and internal rechargeable NiMH battery mean no bulb- or battery-buying, ever, making this ostensibly a lifetime lantern for fifty bucks. Developed by doctors after mission trips to Africa, where they saw first-hand how about three-quarters of folks live without electricity. Portions of each sale go toward replacing the standard in African villages—expensive, unhealthy and greenhouse gas-emitting kerosene lanterns—with K-Lights.

Jimi forces you to travel light. It’s slim and rigid, made of tough recycled plastic that snaps tightly shut around five cards and three folded bills, period. The “Wallet For People Who Hate Wallets” appeals to design-minded travelers and adventurists for its simplicity, water resistancy and durability (check out this story about a mountain biker who claims it saved her life). Priced at just fifteen bucks, with one percent of profits invested in the environment.

Also: Congrats to Angie for winning the Juice Pouch Tote! Quick reminder that tonight, the National Geographic Channel’s debuting Garbage Moguls about Terracycle, the company that makes the tote. What better time than Earth Day to learn more about production practices that go easy on our planet and all its destinations?

See that little oval thing attached to the backpack strap? That’s a four-ounce speaker, which connects wirelessly to your iPod within a range of 30 feet. The speaker comes with mounts that help attach it to places like your backpack, stroller or bike (in some cities, it’s illegal to use headphones on bikes). You can control the track, volume and playlist directly from the speaker, too.

‘Tis the season for openers—what a perfect time to feature these city maps printed on handmade professional-standard baseballs. So far, there’s Boston, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Jerusalem and “Ballparks of America,” which features some of our most famous parks.

Slippers that can be worn outside—great for plane rides, lobby dashes and shuffling around the campsite. In my experience, Keen does footwear right.

(Via New York magazine)

The well organized urbanite’s answer to the Swiss Army knife: a mini screwdriver, file, scissors, toothpick, knife, tweezers, pin, pen and ruler, all swiftly pluckable from their thick credit card-like home. As with the aforementioned knife, don’t try to carry this on, kids.

Key addition to any adult train ride activity pack.

I’ve been neglecting you, and for that, I apologize. But I’m back in time to alert you to the FINAL DAY of the latest gear contest over at The Gear Junkie, where the unstoppable Mr. Regenold is giving away some of his favorite outdoor gear of 2008. Check out the prizes and enter the contest here. Among the goodies: Rite in the Rain pens and notebooks, special rain-defying products that allow you to successfully jot thoughts, plans, sketches and such in inclement weather and adventurous water-oriented situations. The Gear Junkie even ran the paper under a faucet, without so much as a smudge of the ink resulting.

Enter away—good luck!