Travel Gadgets

Would you use this? A bra with pockets.

I know someone who stores her mobile phone in her bra cup and I have to admit it’s a bit odd to be out in public with her and have her reach in there to answer a call.

But for those who like to travel light and keep a close watch on cash, credit cards, keys and passports, the idea of jackets, skirts and shirts with hidden pockets and underwear with hidden pouches seems like a great idea.

That is, if you can remember where you’ve put things and – with the underwear – if you don’t store things in there that you’ll need to access often when you’re on the go.

I saw a fair number of products with secret pockets at the Travel Goods show in Las Vegas last February, but only recently heard from the team that came up with the JoeyBra right here in Seattle.

The concept: it’s a bra with side pockets large enough to store a smartphone, a credit card, an iPod and a car key and comes in both fashion and sports models in real bra sizes.

JoeyBraSports

I’ve got one to test out, but would like to know if you’d use this and, if so, how and when?

JoeyBraFashion Coral Dress and Phone

Paper showers and other ways to stay fresh on the road

Staying shower-fresh and stain-free when you’re on the road can be challenging.

Especially for air travelers who must snooze sitting up and squeeze a week’s worth of cleansing lotions and cosmetic potions into those tiny, zippered, see-through baggies.

Sponge-baths in public restroom sinks can be awkward so, for a story on msnbc.com, I rounded up an assortment of travel-sized products that may come in handy next time you or your favorite road warrior is creased, crinkled or stinky and away from home.

Paper showers and public restroom survival kits

Moist towelettes can be lifesavers when your hands – or the tray table and the armrests on the airplane – are sticky and full of germs. For bigger jobs, there’s the Paper Shower, a two-part packet with a wet side containing a paper towel dipped in alcohol-free soap and skin moisturizers and a second, super-absorbent towel on the dry side to remove what the wet portion leaves behind.

These days you can find all manner of travel-sized soaps, shampoos, toothpastes and hand sanitizers in drugstores but “at the request of several self-proclaimed germaphobes,” Paul Shrater said his company, Minimus.biz,  put together the Public Restroom Survival Kit,, which is stocked with travel-sized packets of toilet seat covers, disinfecting wipes, surface cleaners and toilet paper.

In the on-line cleaning supplies aisle Minimus.biz offers travel-sized odor eliminators and bed bug spray and, elsewhere on the site, Shrater finds that “Travel-sized Febreze and Lysol tend to be very popular.”

Lip-stick sized deodorants and no-brush tooth polish

Over at 3Floz.com (“For those who travel, those who are curious and those who can’t commit”) bestsellers among the personal care travel items include Beze Deodorettes, which are lipstick-sized mini-deodorants that fit into a purse or a pocket, and Supersmile Quikee, a pocket-sized no brush/no rinse tooth polish.

And for those who like to kick off their shoes on the airplane, but are self-conscious about the smell, there are Silver Linings, ultra-thin shoe inserts made with silver to absorb bacterial odor.

Of course, out on the road it’s not just people who get grimy. “For well-traveled smartphones we have cellphone cleaning wipes,” said Minimus.biz’s Shrater. “They’re called Celly Smellys and are a popular and interesting curiosity.”