I don’t think I’m particularly vain—I clogged across three continents in Crocs, for goodness’ sake—but I really hope I look a little different in everyday life than I did when I was climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro. You know, just...not dirty?

Maybe, though, the difference between mountain me and city me isn’t as apparent as I would hope. The other night I—wearing a dress, heels, and jewelry—met up with some friends who’d hiked the mountain with me, and we found ourselves in need of a corkscrew. “It’s okay,” one of them said, “Michelle has one on her Swiss Army knife.” I had to explain that I do not, in regular life, hook a Swiss Army knife onto a carabiner and attach it to a daypack before setting off to dinner. And, I added, not only was I not carrying a daypack et al, I didn’t even have pockets, let alone giant stow pockets in which to stuff gadgets.

Photo courtesy of IgoUgo member 80 Ways Tim

Anyway, ever since this incident, I’ve been thinking about how I miss the constant convenience of that darn Swiss Army knife. I also miss my headlamp, which I insisted on wearing the entire time I was in Africa, even when it wasn’t really appropriate anymore and I got weird stares at campsites. In fact, I realized that whenever I’m not traveling, I miss my gear; my travel alarm clock is much cooler than my regular one (all those time zones!), and even my travel hairdryer is better (swear I’m not vain). There are tons of times in “normal” life that I wish I had my camera, binoculars, or money belt on me, but of course, I don’t carry those things when I have errands to run or meetings to attend. I’m not a serious gadget freak, but it would be nice to have some of the comforts of travel at home.

It’s not quite home, but I was excited nonetheless to see Best Buy’s announcement that it will sell gadgets in some airports’ vending machines under the name Best Buy Express. I think it’s a great concept—especially because I usually like Best Buy prices—and I'd love to see these succeed and appear at more airports in the future. Of course, considering how annoying it is when you pay for pretzels and they’re not dispensed, things could get ugly if someone’s new headphones get stuck.

Since travel gear has been on my mind (and in my pockets—when I have them) so often lately, I would love to know what everyone’s single favorite piece of travel gadgetry is. For my part, I’d go with my silk sleeping-bag liner, perfect for those bags and beds that strike you as less than sanitary, and sure to keep you warm or cool. But I need to know about the rest of the best gear before I hit up those Best Buy vending machines!