8 Totally Genius Road Trip Gadgets
October 7, 2015
Planning a road trip adventure? Make like a scout and be prepared. With these eight awesome road trip tools, you can do everything from keeping your devices charged to pulling your own espresso shots, all on the go. Seriously—who needs an apartment anyway?
1. MINIPRESSO: If charred gas station coffee isn’t quite your, err, cup of tea, then you may want to throw a Minipresso into your cup holder. Lightweight, ergonomic, and super easy to use, the genius device lets you measure and tamp your espresso before hand-pumping to pull a steaming shot—no plugs required (apart from a hot water source).
Image courtesy of Wacaco Ltd.
Image courtesy of Wacaco Ltd.
2. MOPHIE SPACESTATION: This one’s for the back-seat crew. If admiring the scenery is starting to get a little old by day two, you’ve got entertainment on lock with the mophie spacestation. An external hard drive with 128 GB of space plus a companion app that can sync with your devices, it was made to store your TV shows, movies, and tunes. It’s pretty much like having a pocket full of unlimited fun.
Image courtesy of Mophie.
Image courtesy of Mophie.
3. BROOKSTONE POCKET PROJECTOR: All right, so we’re definitely not complaining about all those movies. But if your phone screen is starting to look, well, a little bit small, take the petite but powerful Pocket Projector along for the ride. Compatible with most phones and tablets, it lets you turn almost everywhere into your own personal movie theater (or even a drive-in).
Image courtesy of Brookstone.
Image courtesy of Brookstone.
4. NETGEAR AROUND TOWN: Let’s face it: as much as we like getting off the grid, having back-up Wi-Fi is important—especially when you’re zipping off into otherwise unconnected nature. Netgear Around Town to the rescue. Unlike most mobile routers, this hotspot doesn’t require a contract, lets you connect up to 10 devices, and lasts on one charge for as many hours. How else are you gonna Instagram those mountain views?
Image courtesy of Peter Chernaev/iStock.
Image courtesy of Peter Chernaev/iStock.
5. BAUBAX TRAVEL JACKET: File this one under “how did this not already exist?” The BauBax Travel Jacket is basically like a Swiss army knife in clothing form. It’s got a hidden neck pillow and eye mask for mid-ride snoozes. It’s got pockets tailor-made for all of your electronics (not to mention drinks, earphones, and sunglasses). It comes with its own pair of hidden gloves. And it looks just like a regular sweatshirt or blazer. No wonder it was the top clothing crowdfunding project, oh, ever.
Image courtesy of Baubax.
Image courtesy of Baubax.
6. LUMOPACK CHARGER: On days when the open road is all that’s ahead, a portable charger is essential to keeping you connected (especially important, given that you’ve got all those apps to help guide your travels). Enter the Lumopack. Billed as the fastest portable battery pack in the market, it charges fully in 30 minutes—and takes as little as six minutes to build up enough juice to power up your phone. Basically, it’s the gadget behind your gadgets. Essential is an understatement.
Image courtesy of Lyte Systems.
Image courtesy of Lyte Systems.
7. USB HEATING GLOVES: You know what’s not fun? A freezing cold steering wheel—or frosty digits after a winter hike. You know what is? Super toasty mittens that are enhanced by USB heating. Yup: plug these bad boys into the closest USB jack and you’ve got coziness on tap, no matter where you are on your journey. Give these gloves a (warm) hand.
Image courtesy of cassinga/iStock.
Image courtesy of cassinga/iStock.
8. THE COOLEST: This product isn’t just one of the coolest road trip gadgets out there. It’s, well, actually called the Coolest. Meet your new favorite cooler. Not only is this model spacious enough to store your food and drink haul, it also comes equipped with a USB plug, an outdoor Bluetooth speaker, and built-in plates and a cutting board. But will it blend? Yup—it’s also got a blender, perfect for morning smoothies on the go, or something a little bit harder in the evenings (once you’ve comfortably settled into your campground, of course).
Image courtesy of The Coolest.
Image courtesy of The Coolest.
1. MINIPRESSO: If charred gas station coffee isn’t quite your, err, cup of tea, then you may want to throw a Minipresso into your cup holder. Lightweight, ergonomic, and super easy to use, the genius device lets you measure and tamp your espresso before hand-pumping to pull a steaming shot—no plugs required (apart from a hot water source).
Image courtesy of Wacaco Ltd.
Image courtesy of Wacaco Ltd.
2. MOPHIE SPACESTATION: This one’s for the back-seat crew. If admiring the scenery is starting to get a little old by day two, you’ve got entertainment on lock with the mophie spacestation. An external hard drive with 128 GB of space plus a companion app that can sync with your devices, it was made to store your TV shows, movies, and tunes. It’s pretty much like having a pocket full of unlimited fun.
Image courtesy of Mophie.
Image courtesy of Mophie.
3. BROOKSTONE POCKET PROJECTOR: All right, so we’re definitely not complaining about all those movies. But if your phone screen is starting to look, well, a little bit small, take the petite but powerful Pocket Projector along for the ride. Compatible with most phones and tablets, it lets you turn almost everywhere into your own personal movie theater (or even a drive-in).
Image courtesy of Brookstone.
Image courtesy of Brookstone.
4. NETGEAR AROUND TOWN: Let’s face it: as much as we like getting off the grid, having back-up Wi-Fi is important—especially when you’re zipping off into otherwise unconnected nature. Netgear Around Town to the rescue. Unlike most mobile routers, this hotspot doesn’t require a contract, lets you connect up to 10 devices, and lasts on one charge for as many hours. How else are you gonna Instagram those mountain views?
Image courtesy of Peter Chernaev/iStock.
Image courtesy of Peter Chernaev/iStock.
5. BAUBAX TRAVEL JACKET: File this one under “how did this not already exist?” The BauBax Travel Jacket is basically like a Swiss army knife in clothing form. It’s got a hidden neck pillow and eye mask for mid-ride snoozes. It’s got pockets tailor-made for all of your electronics (not to mention drinks, earphones, and sunglasses). It comes with its own pair of hidden gloves. And it looks just like a regular sweatshirt or blazer. No wonder it was the top clothing crowdfunding project, oh, ever.
Image courtesy of Baubax.
Image courtesy of Baubax.
6. LUMOPACK CHARGER: On days when the open road is all that’s ahead, a portable charger is essential to keeping you connected (especially important, given that you’ve got all those apps to help guide your travels). Enter the Lumopack. Billed as the fastest portable battery pack in the market, it charges fully in 30 minutes—and takes as little as six minutes to build up enough juice to power up your phone. Basically, it’s the gadget behind your gadgets. Essential is an understatement.
Image courtesy of Lyte Systems.
Image courtesy of Lyte Systems.
7. USB HEATING GLOVES: You know what’s not fun? A freezing cold steering wheel—or frosty digits after a winter hike. You know what is? Super toasty mittens that are enhanced by USB heating. Yup: plug these bad boys into the closest USB jack and you’ve got coziness on tap, no matter where you are on your journey. Give these gloves a (warm) hand.
Image courtesy of cassinga/iStock.
Image courtesy of cassinga/iStock.
8. THE COOLEST: This product isn’t just one of the coolest road trip gadgets out there. It’s, well, actually called the Coolest. Meet your new favorite cooler. Not only is this model spacious enough to store your food and drink haul, it also comes equipped with a USB plug, an outdoor Bluetooth speaker, and built-in plates and a cutting board. But will it blend? Yup—it’s also got a blender, perfect for morning smoothies on the go, or something a little bit harder in the evenings (once you’ve comfortably settled into your campground, of course).
Image courtesy of The Coolest.
Image courtesy of The Coolest.
