Gear of the Year 2024: 10 Everyday Carry and Travel Picks Worth a Look

Introduction

Every year a handful of products genuinely earn their place in the daily rotation. This list pulls together ten that stood out, spanning travel, everyday carry, outdoor kit and a couple of delightfully impractical indulgences. No strict ranking, just gear that proved itself in real use.

Bellroy Venture Ready Pack 20L

The Venture Ready Pack 20L has become an all-time favorite small backpack, and for good reason. At just 850g it is extremely lightweight, yet it uses durable, weather-resistant fabrics and zips throughout. The back panel and shoulder straps carry just the right amount of padding without bulk, and the water bottle pocket sits flat with a strap for longer items.

Organization is minimal but practical: a super useful top pocket, a concealed side pocket for valuables and keys, and a padded laptop sleeve built into the main compartment, which keeps the pack slimmer than designs with a separate laptop bay. The main zip contours around the back for easy top access and can open clamshell style. A luggage pass-through strap and a tough grab handle round things out, and Bellroy has extended its bag warranty from three to six years.

It works as a cabin bag that fits under the seat in front, an EDC or work bag, and with minimal packing even handled a three-day one-bag trip. At around £230 or $250 it is not cheap, but it is seriously versatile and well made.

InCharge X Max 4-in-1 Cable

This updated keyring cable is a perfect get-out-of-trouble gadget for when an exhausted phone battery catches you out. One end offers USB-A and USB-C, the other USB-C and Lightning, covering four connection options in one pocketable unit.

The refresh drops the now nearly extinct micro USB of the original six-in-one version, but gains power delivery up to 240W, more than double before, plus data speeds of up to 480Mbps. The protective cap is now tethered to the cable so it cannot get lost. The price stays the same as the original at just under £30 or dollars, which makes it an easy slot into any everyday carry kit.

DJI Neo

A pocket-sized autonomous flying camera that skips the joystick entirely. Turn it on, pick one of six onboard pre-programmed flight modes, launch it from your hand, and let it do its thing. Follow mode adapts to your exact path, even on narrow woodland trails, and tracks at up to 20km/h on a bike. It can orbit your position with a radius you choose, climb for a bird’s-eye view up to 10 metres, hover like an invisible cameraman, or fly out and back for a cinematic zoom shot.

When the sequence ends it returns and lands back on your hand. Footage transfers wirelessly to your phone or via a plug-in portable drive connection. Its low weight means no registration requirement in many regions, and the guarded rotors and low inertia make it unlikely to cause injury. The DJI Fly app adds parameter adjustments, extra sequences, virtual joystick control, and audio recording to your phone with drone noise filtered out, and pairing with a controller and goggles unlocks full FPV flying. At £170 or $199, and with better image quality and more flight options than the competing Hover X1 at nearly half the price, it is an easy pick.

Nitecore EDC29

The EDC29 earns its spot as the favorite flashlight of the year. The slim form factor sits better in a pocket and a pouch, and the double differentiated metal tail switches fall naturally to the thumb. Battery capacity is 21,600mAh-class and non-replaceable in this format, charging in just over an hour via USB-C.

A multi-LED arrangement with a double lens and a proximity sensor reduces light and heat in case of accidental pocket activation, backed up by a physical lockout switch. The ray switch gives quick access to a 15-lumen low level with an impressive 60-hour runtime, plus three general levels up to 1,200 lumens. A half press of the flush-mounted switch delivers a 3,000-lumen spotlight with a 400-metre range, and a full press fires Nitecore’s Lumen Shield, a combined spot and flood at a blinding 62,000 lumens for short bursts. Best of all, an OLED display shows remaining runtimes at each level. It costs around $110 or £100.

GrapheneX Granar 2 Jacket

The original Granar was a gear of the year pick previously, and this second generation is a serious upgrade of an already excellent mid-layer. Lightweight, warm and practical, it looks as at home on a trek as it does in the office or around town. The padded high neck has been expanded slightly, the quick-access front phone pocket remains and doubles as the pouch the whole jacket packs into, and there is still a large hidden rear pocket, a small inside zip pocket for a wallet and an internal A5 drop pocket.

The shell is now a tougher, more sustainable biobased ripstop nylon, the lining feels smoother and softer, and the front zip pockets gain hand-warming linings. New stretchable side panels, a concealed cinch cord at the base and stretchable wrist cuffs improve fit and warmth retention. The biggest change is hidden: the jacket now incorporates GrapheneX’s weather-adaptive insulation, which forms rigid insulating tubes in freezing conditions and self-regulates with temperature, letting the Granar 2 cope with greater extremes. It comes with a compression pack and costs $289.

Lautie Shuffle KK Fidget Slider

The Shuffle KK lives on the desk or in the pocket and earns its place simply by how often it gets picked up. Repetitive fidgeting can help reduce distractions, manage stress and support focus, and this is a standout among premium fidget gear. Lautie leads that market, and this version is machined from black zirconium, an alloy stronger and lighter than steel, with strong magnets, a double slider rail, a copper inlay and precision detailing.

At just over 50g it has a satisfying heft, it can run loud or quiet, and it even works as a simple clicker. Limited editions use different materials and designs, which is easy to understand once you handle one. The exotic finish here costs $217, which is fidget-inducing in itself, but with daily use over years it starts to make sense.

Orbitkey A5 Compendium

This leather A5 compendium has become a daily desk pad. Made from leather and recycled materials with a premium feel, it opens flat, which matters for desk use. One side has a flap holding a couple of cards plus a pocket for loose notes; the other holds an A5 notebook, side-bound or top-bound. The leather pen loop uses hidden elastic to securely hold pens of almost any thickness, and a tensioned leather fastening keeps everything closed without a zipper in sight.

An A4 version also exists, and fans were treated to two Star Wars editions, one in brown and blue for the light side and one in red and black for the dark side, with embossed emblems on the front. The basic compendium comes in at around £15 or $13, with the Star Wars versions about £10 or dollars more.

Nitecore NW5000 Power Bank

Nitecore are masters of the lightweight power bank, and the NW5000 is now the daily-carry pick. The 5,000mAh capacity is not huge, but it is more than enough to save the day when a phone unexpectedly dies, and at 120g it is noticeably lighter and more compact than a 10K alternative.

The forged carbon fiber shell is super tough, and MagSafe compatibility offers 15W wireless charging, with 20W available from the single USB-C wired output. There is a low-current mode for charging earbuds, the bank itself fast charges for when you are on the move, and it includes power level indicators and plenty of built-in safety protections. The price reflects the quality at around £70 or dollars.

Kangol Fin 507 Cap

Worn pretty much every day since it arrived earlier in the year, the Fin 507 from the famous original British brand Kangol, now based in the US, is a great option for anyone without hair to keep warm. It is a slimmer take on the classic 504, makes less of a statement, and suits day-to-day wearing well.

The wool construction keeps things cooler in summer and warmer in winter, and there are no visible seams, which is a nice touch. Expect to pay in the region of £50 or dollars.

Petromax Pressure Lantern

The Petromax pressure lantern is used rarely but loved completely, and when it is not in use it sits on display as a work of art. Invented in 1910, it took over from the kerosene lamp and spread worldwide in the steam-power era, later serving the armed forces, adventurers and fishermen. Today it still appeals to campers, preppers and off-grid living enthusiasts, and it remains a genuinely practical and reliable light source, with a single tank lasting around eight hours. It doubles as a heat source too.

Still hand assembled from 200 individual parts in Germany, as it has been for over a century, it is a piece of history you can buy today that works brilliantly and looks beautiful. That helps justify the cost: £279 in the UK or $300 or dollars.

Conclusion

Great gear is not always about specs. A backpack that makes travel simpler, a flying camera anyone can use, a flashlight with an honest battery readout, and a lantern unchanged in 115 years all earn their place by being genuinely good at what they do. Pick the ones that match how you actually live, and each of these can quietly improve a daily routine.