Easing your way

1. Why shouldn't the dog get a well-stocked overnight bag just like the rest of the family? He or she will with Arf Dog's Overnight Suitcase. Inside a reusable, corrugated cardboard "suitcase" are a plush, white terry-cloth robe in sizes teacup to X-large; an 8-inch tan-and-blue ceramic bowl; a soft, washable throw blanket; bone-shaped turkey-Parmesan doggie treats; and two stuffed squeaky toys - a "Bark Street Journal" and your choice of a yellow New York taxicab or a blue passport.

Arf Dog Overnight Suitcase is $150; additional squeaky toy, $10.95; at www.arfdog.com; 1-877-769-7656.

2. There's nothing like the feel of real silk to soothe the stresses of travel. Silk 'N Dreams' Luxury Lounging and Travel Set is an 11-by-16-inch soft, minklike pile travel bag containing an 11-by-15-inch travel pillow and a 40-by-60-inch blanket, each covered with charmeuse silk on one side and the minklike fabric on the other.

Also included are a silk eye mask and comfortable, ergonomically designed earplugs. The set comes in a selection of colors and patterns, from muted earth tones to wild zebra stripes with hot-pink linings. This may make you want to take a nap even before you've left home.

Luxury Lounging and Travel Set is $260 at www.silkndreams.com; 1-877-770-7455.

3. Standard GPS devices can guide you to a location. But when you are in an emergency situation, without cell phone access or reception, how can rescuers find you?

With the push of a button, the ACR Electronics MicroFix 406 Personal Locator Beacon with GPS transmits a digitally coded distress signal, preregistered specifically to you, that provides your GPS coordinates via the internationally operative COSPAS-SARSAT search-and-rescue satellite system. The device's built-in 12-channel, parallel GPS transmits on 406 MHz to provide coordinates to within about 110 yards, making it helpful for rescuing wilderness hikers and climbers. It simultaneously transmits a signal on the 121.5 MHz SAR homing frequency to help rescuers zero in on your exact location. The 6-inch-by-2-inch-by-1.5-inch unit weighs less than one pound, is waterproof down to 16 feet for one hour, and uses a lithium battery pack that will run for 24 hours.

ACR MicroFix 406 Personal Locator Beacon with GPS is $600 at www.rei.com; 1-800-426-4840.

4. Ogio's tough and talented new four-wheeled Mammoth Golf Bag makes traveling with clubs a lot safer - for the clubs. The heavy-duty nylon bag has an oversized, padded top compartment for extra protection around fragile clubheads. There are internal straps, padded pockets for hats and other accessories, a removable shoe pocket with a carry handle, multiple grab handles, and four swiveling wheels for stability when rolling upright or tilted in any direction. The Mammoth won't help your score, but it should make for smoother rounds off the fairways.

Ogio Mammoth Travel Golf Bag is $349.99 at www.ebags.com; 1-800-820-6126.

5. Let others go tenting the old-fashioned way, with only a battery-operated flashlight. In these high-tech times, there's the Eureka 1310 N!ergy Tent - a family-sized dome tent (sleeps 10) that comes with three pre-wired 12-volt outlets powered by an optional rechargeable 12-volt Power Pak. The Power Pak has a 12-volt outlet and two 110-volt AC wall outlets for powering cell phones, reading lights, and small electronic devices. It can be recharged using an AC wall outlet or a car's cigarette-lighter socket.

Eureka also makes a 12-volt reading light, a fan/light, a wet/dry vacuum, and a 12-volt adapter cord meant to work with the "electric" tent, which glows blue in the dark at the connection points when activated.

Eureka 1310 N!ergy Tent is $369.90; Power Pak 2, $214; reading light, $18; fan/light, $40; wet/dry vacuum, $34; 12v adapter cord, $14; at www.eurekatent.com. Info: Johnson Outdoors, 1-800-572-8822.