Travel Gear: Travel smartphones, inflatable camping and wireless car audio

OnePlus 3 Smartphone

Sticking with carrier-locked smartphones to avail of upgrade subsidies means still being locked-in abroad, with no option to use a local SIM for lower costs. The OnePlus 3 is unlocked to work on any network. It is dual SIM, so you can run your home number and a local SIM simultaneously. It’s also got Dash Charge, where 30 minutes charging returns some 60 per cent of a full battery. It comes in an aluminium unibody, with 16MB camera, 4K video and running Android. It’s not necessarily the cheapest smartphone, but it has flexibility. €399 from oneplus.net/ie

Heimplanet Nias

Heimplanet has championed the inflatable tent for years. The tunnel-like Nias is its new model for up to six. The entrance area in the middle connects two cabins, each of which can take two-three bodies or perhaps use one for storage. The geodesic construction gives the tent more stability, supported by what they call the IDG (inflatable diamond grid, don’t you know). It comes with a pump adapter, but the pump itself is separate. You wouldn’t really want to have to puff this baby up with lung power. €990 from heimplanet.com

iTrip Aux Bluetooth Adapter

With lots of cars including an auxiliary port to connect their stereos with your phone or MP3 player (for many, an increasingly rare piece of tech), the iTrip from Griffin does away with the need to keep plugging in and out each journey. Just stick one end into the aux, plug the other end in the cigarette lighter, and pair up with Bluetooth. Subsequently, it will pair up automatically for wireless access to stored playlists or streaming apps such as Spotify. €40 from griffintechnology.com