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Kickstarter

Five coolest travel products currently on Kickstarter

Jelisa Castrodale
Special for USA TODAY
The Emery & Oak Travel Duffle.

Career punkers Green Day had a hit with Wake Me Up When September Ends, and every time the calendar rolls around to this month, I wonder when someone will nudge singer Billie Joe Armstrong. Hopefully, they’ll shake him awake before these Kickstarter campaigns time out because, as always, there are some fantastic travel products available on the crowdfunding site. This month’s collection includes a hoodie that prepares you for just about any situation, a sleek duffle with a built-in battery charger and two things that should help you arrive at your destination looking and feeling well-rested and ready. Here goes.     

The Emery & Oak Travel Duffle is an elegant looking carry-on, with leather accents and gleaming stainless-steel hardware. But it’s not just a pretty face: it has a built-in 10,000mAh battery that is capable of charging an iPhone three full times (or 2.5 times for Samsung users). When you’ve run all of the juice out of your bag — perhaps during one marathon flight delay — it can be recharged with a micro USB cable, which is included. The travel duffle is available in two colors, slate black and heather gray, and can be pre-ordered through Kickstarter with a pledge of $109 or more.

The FaceCradle travel pillow.

OK, let’s be honest: You might look like a doofus when you use the FaceCradle Travel Pillow. If you’re suspended by its straps with your face smashed against it, the guy on the other side of the aisle is at best going to stare, at worst going to post you on Snapchat. But none of that matters, because you’ll be sound asleep, completely oblivious to whatever hashtag is accompanying a grainy photo of you and your unorthodox pillow. According to Scott Ledingham, a FaceCradle spokesperson, this is the most-funded travel pillow to ever appear on Kickstarter — raising over $975,000 and counting — and for good reason. The FaceCradle can be configured in five different ways: two positions are familiar to anyone who’s used a travel pillow, one lets you go facedown on your tray table and two involve attaching it to the headrest so you can lean against it. If you’re ready to upgrade to sleeping class (as the FaceCradle people put it), you can pre-order one for $30 (plus $9 shipping from Australia) for delivery in November.

The Adv3nture Hoodie.

When it comes to features that are integrated into a piece of apparel, it’s hard to beat the Baubax travel jacket. But the creator of the Adv3nture Hoodie has taken more than a dozen of those features, added a few more and put them all into one piece of smart-looking casualwear. I like that the hoodie has a dedicated passport pocket, a pocket on the left sleeve that is easily accessible and a waterproof internal pocket, which will keep your non-iPhone 7 dry even in a downpour. It’s also equipped with a neoprene-lined Koozie pocket to keep your drink cold — or to keep it off your tray table when you’re trying to work during a flight. It also has an oversized hood that doubles as an eye mask when the cabin lights dim, and the entire hoodie can be converted into a pillow. The Adv3nture Hoodie can be pre-ordered through Kickstarter for either $79 or $89, depending on whether you want to spring for the more expensive black camo or herringbone options. There is also an all-weather, waterproof jacket version for $129.

The PRVKE 21 backpack.

If you’re a minimalist traveler who can get by with a backpack and a laptop, then you might want to check out WANDRD’s PRVKE 21. (And in true minimalist style, WANDRD has even decided that it can get by without vowels). The backpack has a clamshell-style opening to make it easy to pack — and to access your gear without pulling everything out. The design allows it to be rolled down like a lunch bag if you only have 21 liters of stuff (or less) but if you need every bit of space, it can be expanded to hold 25 liters of gear. It also has dedicated pockets for your passport, laptop and assorted chargers and comes with some optional add-ons for photography buffs. The PRVKE 21 is available through Kickstarter for a pledge of $159 or more.

The LVL hydration monitor.

I spend a good percentage of my time on long flights feeling dehydrated and wishing I’d bought a $7 bottle of water at the airport. Dehydration can certainly affect how you feel when you land, both physically and mentally. That’s where the LVL hydration monitor comes in. It’s a familiar-looking wearable, but in addition to tracking your activity, calories and heart rate, this one also tells you when it’s time to stop and drink some water. According to LVL’s research, staying well-hydrated can help you sleep and improve your cognitive performance. So pack that collapsible water bottle before you head to the airport and use it when the monitor tells you. One LVL band is available with a Kickstarter pledge of $119 or more.

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