When you're on the mailing lists for the gear companies, you get some very odd things pitched your way as "perfect for travelers!" Sometimes the pitch is spot on, and you think, yeah, I would totally recommend that. But other times ... uh, no – just no. Here are three strange ideas that came my way recently – you decide for yourself, but I'll pass.

The Utilibrush: This project, funded through Kickstarter (why doesn't this surprise me) solves a problem you didn't know you had. It combines toothpaste, a reel of floss, a mirror, a cap you can use as a cup to rinse with, and, of course, a toothbrush. This all-in-one, handy device is good for approximately 40 uses (if you floss every day, I guess). The campaign is kind of amusing and the device is only 12 bucks, but you know what? I'm good with throwing those little tubes of toothpaste the dentist gives me into my carry-on.

The Sash Bag: "A modern take on the fanny pack." I'm going to confess something – I own and still sometimes travel with a fanny pack. It's earned its place in travel. I find a money belt about the most awkward piece of travel gear ever invented and my ancient fanny pack, sourced somewhere in the depths of the '80s, fills that role if the type of traveling I'm doing requires it. Beyond that, I just carry a shoulder bag or a day pack. Dudes put the kind of stuff the Sash Bag is supposed to hold in their pockets. I'm taking a cue from the dudes.

The Earbud YoYo: Apparently, there's an epidemic of accidents on the slopes caused by the annoying tangle of earbud cables. Now, don't get me wrong, the annoyance of tangled earbuds is a legit, albeit first world, complaint. But what I do not need is an additional do-dad attached to the high-speed shred metal loving denizens of the slopes. What I need is for them to pay attention to what's around them, not to focus on their own personal sound tracks. Yes, I'm old. Get off my (snow covered) lawn.

[Photo credit: Avrene via Flickr (Creative Commons)]

Imagine knowing where your bag is even when the airline doesn't. That's the idea behind TrakDot, a new tech gadget that combines a $50 device, a $12 subscription and a cellular data plan. Switch the gadget on, pack it in your luggage, and if your checked bag doesn't appear, you can find it more quickly than the airlines can using GloboTrac's website.

Via ArsTechnica:

If a bag doesn't reach its intended destination, "the airlines don't know where it is," GlobaTrac CTO Joseph Morgan told Ars at the CES Unveiled event Sunday night. "If it ain't where it's supposed to be, they've lost it, they don't know where it is. They will eventually find it, but that doesn't give you peace of mind."

A simple question remains unanswered: how do you recover your bag once you know where it is? You've still got to navigate the airlines recovery process, but perhaps you'll sleep better (in your borrowed T-shirt) when you're able to see exactly where your precious stuff is.

TrakDot goes to market in March. This traveler is sticking with traveling light enough to go carry on only.

[Photo Credit: TrakDot]

When you see the baggage handlers hurling your suitcase on the car or you watch a fellow passenger trying to crush their carry-on to the already packed overhead bin, you start to ask yourself: is it time to switch to hard-sided luggage? Pelican makes super rugged packs that are something of a compromise. Your heart won't lurch in your throat as you remember that you left your tablet in your pack at the same moment that the bus driver hurls it up on to the luggage rack, but there are some tradeoffs.

The U140 Urban Elite Tablet backpack is built around hauling your tablet from A to B and getting in there in one piece. It's got a hard-shell, a plastic case built right in. There's a divider to keep it separate from your keyboard, if you've got one – it's removable or you can keep it as a little extra padding. The compartment clamps shut – it is not going to fall open, but you could add a cable tie or a padlock, if you're feeling extra security conscious. Your iPad or netbook will be well secured; that's for sure.

The rest of the pack has your typical daypack features. The front pocket has lots of compartments and sleeves for your phone, your business cards, the kind of stuff we all carry around. There's a sleeve-like middle pocket where you could stow any paperwork or a sweater, but it's a little shallow – you're not going to get a lot of bulky stuff in there. If you pack carefully, you might be able to stow a change of clothes, but it's going to be tight and you'll have to be a master folder. You can strap your jacket (or beach towel) on to the bottom of the pack and there are lash hooks on the side that do not feature a water-bottle pocket.

Can I get a show of hands from people who are still irritated by the need to game their packing to deal with the TSA's three-ounce requirements? I thought so. There are still a lot of us out there. I'm both aggravated and pleased that there are new brands making solid cosmetics that I can get past the screeners. There's a new-to-me brand out there called SkinFare; they're making solid moisturizer sticks that give you more room for shampoo and sunscreen in your carry-on luggage.

There are a bunch of things I like about this product line. The moisturizers smell delicious – there are five different scents and one is sure to work for you. They come in recyclable cardboard packaging so there's no plastic to throw away (take that, tiny hotel bottles of shampoo!). The moisturizer itself is made from organic stuff so you're not putting toxic chemistry on your skin. It's all good stuff. And yes, travel friendly, so you can carry a stick on the plane and use it as an all purpose moisturizer in the dry zone at 20,000 feet.

I find the product itself a little heavy, a little waxy, on application. I really like it as a lip balm or for my chapped and/or sunburned nose. But it doesn't quite work for me – your mileage may vary – as an overall skin moisturizer. It's easy enough to apply, you just rub it on your skin., but I want it to melt a little bit more on contact so it gets absorbed.

It's worth a try, though. Everyone has different skin, so it might work really well for you. And I find that while it doesn't suit my needs as an overall moisturizer, I'm putting the little container in my coat pocket instead of Carmex, and using it on my face and hands where I don't have anything else on hand. And it's perfect for on the plane – not just because of the solid product, but because the refreshing natural scents are nice for clearing that airplane funk out of your head.

SkinFare is $9.99 per stick. Give it a try or get some for your nearest traveler.

[Image by SkinFare]

Sometimes I think about it before I step into the ocean with minimal belongings behind me on the beach. I have no ID on me. What if I'm knocked out by a rogue wave? There are lots of awful "what if" scenarios for solo travelers that involve being separated from our belongings and left to roam without identity. It's a paranoia play, sure, but also a practical one that makes the Road ID tag a good idea.

Road ID makes tags for travelers (or any outdoor adventurers) that will help should you need to be identified. There are a couple of different styles: dog tags, bracelets, shoe tags and a neoprene ankle strap. (You can also get dog tags for your ... dog.) The tag has enough space on it for your name, nationality, home city, and a few lines of critical information – contact numbers, medical conditions or allergies.

It's simple enough to order these things, and they come in the mail a few days later. The basic model, the wrist strap, will set you back $15.99; on the higher end, the FIXX ID (military style dog tag) will cost you $24.99. With that you get a chain and a design on the back of the tag.

You don't want to need to have this thing on you. But travelers with medical conditions have been wearing Medic Alert tags for eons now. An ID tag of some flavor is a nice, sensible addition to any traveler's gear – and makes a great gift for the adventure traveler in your life.

[Photo by Road ID]

I like traveling in cold weather but you've got to make the sacrifice of checking a bag and bulking up your gear. Good footwear is critical year round, but you'll be downright miserable if you have cold feet while stomping around a twee alpine village or a dirty snow urban landscape.

Moon-boot styling is kind of back, isn't it? But they're a lot lighter than they were the first time around, and they're made out of considerably better materials. Adidas Choleah Laceup is a surprisingly lightweight, warm and weatherproof boot.

I have one minor skepticism about the way the boot is pitched but that's because I didn't have icy conditions in which to give it a try. The sole on the shoe is supposed to offer great traction – I can't confirm or deny that. The tread looks a little shallow – but I could be wrong. If you're really going to be on the ice, you might want some ice cleats.

Unknown traction issues aside, these are darned cute boots and who doesn't like a pair of cute winter boots that keep you warm and dry? They're about mid-calf height and have a fluffy fake fur lining around the uppers. That makes them a little bulky up top; you're not going to be able to pull your skinny jeans over the outside but you can tuck them in and lace them up.

They're also very warm and dry. They have a light synthetic fill as insulation and the shoe is lined with fabric that holds heat. They're made of all kinds of technically named stuff – PrimaLoft, ClimaProof, Adiprene – which may not mean much on a brand name basis, but it actually does make a boot that keeps your feet warm in cold, wet weather.

I have a photo, printed from film, old school ... my husband and I are standing in a snowstorm in the Austrian alps. The flash from the camera reflects off giant fluffy flakes. The sky behind us is black – it's early evening, but an alpine evening, so it is dark. We are wearing big coats and big hats and big snow boots. We are surrounded by a group of Krampus, the alpine monster of the season, big shaggy horned devils who strike fear into the hearts of small children, who chase taunting teenagers down the streets of snow-globe villages, who torment tourists and locals alike.

Only we don't look the least bit rattled. We are smiling big holiday smiles. It looks like a family portrait with our pets.

The Krampusspiel – or, as I like to call it, The Running of the Krampus – takes place every year on December 6. It's part of a series of deep winter alpine traditions around Christmas and the solstice that acknowledge the change of the season. Three Kings come to your house and chalk your doorways, and there are little sprites that rattle around in your fireplace until you give them candy to go away, and there are runners in all white who carry beautiful lanterns and ring bells to scare away the bad spirits of the previous year.

But the Krampus has taken the spotlight. His shaggy coat, his massive size, his devil's face, and his swinging broomstick, have captured the collective imagination, perhaps targeting the same people that like slasher movies. Krampus parades take over the streets of popular ski villages in Austria (and some parts of Bavaria) in a pageant of Alien meets Satan. Removed from the context of all those winter traditions, the Krampus is now the star in a winter nightmare of swinging chains, of orcs set free from Middle Earth, of underworld creatures released from the pits of hell.

What is this stuff, anyway? It's a mix of melatonin, GABA, 5HTP and a few other things, in a 3-ounce serving that you can slurp down before you go to bed (or if you can't sleep on the flight).

Here's how I tested it, giving up my innards for science. I slugged back one dose the night before I had a dawn flight and the other in my hotel room in L.A. where I had a one-night stay. I typically sleep badly in both those scenarios. Early morning flights have me waking up repeatedly the night before I fly. And I need three or four days on the road before my inner security system mellows enough to let me sleep well in strange places.

It's winter in North America; is that going to keep an intrepid adventure from leaving the house and getting out for some urban adventures? No, no it is not. Because we know that if we bundle up good, we will be rewarded with hot chocolate in cozy cafes, sparkling conversation while looking at art in uncrowded galleries, and a certain self satisfaction for not caving in and staying home when it's 36 and raining (or worse) in our favorite cities. All that's ours because we have wrapped up in a very good coat.

Nau's Radiant Trench fits the bill for winter travel and sightseeing. This trench style coat with a full (zip-off) hood and down fill works great for fighting the weather as you go about your city touring. You'll stay dry and warm and look good in even a Seattle December squall. (I know, that's the weather I tested this thing in.)

The coat has your classic trench coat styling – knee length, belted waist – but the fabric has a nice subtle gray on gray plaid pattern. It's got a slightly narrow fit so you don't look like nothing but giant coat when you're wearing it. It's got a skirt slash in the back that snaps shut (if you're that kind of skinny) and a two-way zipper with a snap over flap in the front to keep the weather out. The hood – it zips off – is adjustable for fit and holds its shape so you can see out. And you can snap the cuffs to a slightly more narrow fit to keep the wind out of your sleeves, too. Pair it with some excellent winter boots, you'll look great and be weatherproofed, big time.

I've been reviewing gear for a few years now. I wrote for a snowshoeing magazine and a site focused on gear for travelers before I joined the Gadling crew. That means I'm kind of a tough sell when it comes to new outdoor and travel clothing, bags and accessories. And I test everything, I ride my bike in the rain to see if that jacket is really waterproof, I wrangle that roller bag into the overhead bin, I wear those noise-canceling headsets on a long-haul flight. I pay attention to what always makes it into the bag, to what gets used more than once, to what works. Here are six things that really worked from this year's gear.

Birki's Skipper Slides: You could not have told me that a shoe from Birkenstock would become a (fair weather) travel favorite, but they're great for long-haul flights, easy to get in and out of at the airport, they do double duty as slippers or flip-flops when you're running down the hall to the ice machine and, though they may not suit your style – they're very casual – I love these things and think they're great if you've got room for a second pair of shoes in your bag.

Ozone Ultralight Roller from Osprey: Just about perfect as a weekender, at its smallest size, this super light bag holds everything you need for a three-day getaway. What's causing it to miss the 100% mark? It needs a shoulder strap for when it's not appropriate to roll it. That aside, this is an extremely well designed bag with lots of pockets in sensible places – there's even a place for your netbook or tablet – and it looks cool.

Gregory's Border Laptop Backpack: Everyone's got a system for getting you through the TSA checkpoint with your laptop pack; most of them are fine. They all seem to use the same open flat configuration, but that doesn't mean they also make a great day pack. The Border pack is full of sensible pockets that are exactly the right size and shape for whatever it is you're carrying. If you can't find the right place for it in this pack, you don't need to be carrying it. (Ok, one exception: it's not built to carry a DSLR.) This is, hands down, the best laptop pack I've tested.