Phablet

What do you get when you combine a mobile phone with a tablet? A phablet, of course, and as hybrids go they don’t come any better equipped, or pocketable than Samsung’s amazing Galaxy Note 3. At its heart is a powerful 2.3 GHz Quad-core Qualcomm processor, which is tech speak for this thing flies. It’s got a huge 5.7 inch screen, a great camera, a slot in ‘S Pen’ for writing and navigating the screen, and it comes pre-installed with all you’ll need to work or stay in touch wherever you are.

£462 at amazon.co.uk or £19 on Vodafone (vodafone.co.uk) with 4G-ready price plan from £47 per month, (including unlimited calls, unlimited texts, 2GB of data and 6 months free access to Spotify or Sky Sports Mobile TV)

Under Seat Cabin Bag

The Flylite range may not be the coolest luggage to turn up at check-in with, but it will outflank even the most stringent budget airline weight restriction. The newest Flylite is the Foldaway Wheeled Cabin Holdall - is compliant with all airlines, including Easyjet’s new underseat storage guidelines - perfect if all the overhead lockers are full. Measuring 45x35x20, with wheels and a collapsible handle, it weighs just 1.8kgs - and will go anywhere you want to go.

£40; flylite.uk.com

Backup Power

If you’re planning on spending a lot of time up a mountain, on the piste, or on a beach, on your back, heavy smartphone usage could drop you out of the social loop faster than you can switch to energy save mode. That’s when you need the newest addition to the Powertraveller range, the Powerchimp 4A. The size of a pack of cards - 98x65x22mm - this little monkey carries enough juice to recharge most phones and MP3s twice. And it doesn’t stop there, Powerchimp also recharges AA and AAA batteries, nine hours to fully charged from the mains or laptop.

£45; powertraveller.com

Monovid

Wherever I have been in 2013 my Leica Monovid has been there: beaches, cliff walks, festivals, sailing… the pocket size Monovid is just as powerful as a decent pair of binoculars, but half the size, and ten times brighter and sharper. The precision milled Leica lens reveals everything, no matter far, in dazzling clarity. The macro attachment for plants, and the flip-top leather case, are icing on a delicious traveller’s cake.

£350; leica-storemayfair.co.uk

Earmuff Headphones

Keep your ears warm and the music cool with these Subzero headphones that allow you to make and receive calls - while staying snug with your gloves on. The headset jack can be connected to one of two different supplied, cables, ad the music/mobile phone cable has an answer/control button suitable for iPhone with play, pause and skip buttons for. In white, pink, yellow black and red and cammo.

£12.95; amazon.co.uk

Solar DAB

Robert’s SolarDAB is the no-brainer way to enjoy the radio wherever we are - for nothing. The entire top of the Solar DAB is dominated by a solar panel, that only require a few hours of daylight to provide enough juice to run it for around 24 hours. Batteries or the mains are an alternative - but that’s not the point. This baby is in its element by the tent or on the beach - free as the air. With an FM option if you’re out of DAB range.

£80; robertsradio.co.uk