Brunton power knife
The first thing to know about Brunton's power knife is that it's not a knife but a somewhat lame piece of Swiss Army coat-tailing. It's actually a compact set of four charging adapters for your electronics. The design has merit as a neat way to stay tangle-free, with USB, micro-USB and a pair of Apple plugs – the older 30-pin and current Lightning connectors. All fold back into the casing. You will need a USB charging point to work off, but that's in the other pocket no doubt. $25 from brunton.com
Patagonia nano-air jacket
Nano is another of those suffixes that is often slapped on a product name to give it a cutting edge vibe. Not sure how properly "nano" Patagonia's new range is, but it is innovative. With lots of Primaloft-type lightweight down jackets around as insulating mid-layers, this offers a really warm, very stretchy alternative. But the key is it is also one that's highly breathable. Thanks to the DWR water-repellent finish it can be worn as an outer layer on reasonable days or paired with a fully waterproof shell if it's bucketing. Either way, a 60gm insulated lining will keep you toasty. At a nano level. $249, see patagonia.com
X-1 Surge mini waterproof earphones
These have lots of fans among regular swimmers yet anyone who loves outdoors activities might find them a useful earful. Their makers, the aptly-named H2O Audio, have inserted balanced armature drivers in the earbuds for decent sonics. The earphones themselves are IP8-rated, which means they're waterproof down to 3.6m . And to keep your playlist securely in place the X-1 comes with five sizes of Elastomer earplugs for a custom snug fit. £40 from swimmer.co.uk
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