Travel goods that go the extra mile

TREND ONE: GOING GREEN

Act2 GreenSmart 100 Percent Recycled Laptop Jackets by Shoreline, $40

Whether we're talking hybrid cars, bamboo flooring or recycled cotton T-shirts, all things eco-friendly earn growing chunks of any given market share. Travel goods prove no exception. Act2, a green company committed to sustainable production, scored with its laptop jackets, made entirely from recycled plastic water and soda bottles. Act2 estimates the manufacturing energy saved would fuel your laptop for 149 hours. With holes for power cords and exterior handles, the jacket remains attached to your computer while you use it, so you're always ready to close, zip up and go. Totes and other act2 recycled bags debut late spring.

Available online at laptopjacketstore.com.

TREND TWO: AIRPORT SECURITY-SCREENING HELP

MySmartPac Personal Care Travel Pack, $10

Look for more items and bags designed to ease you through airport security -- think regulation 3-ounce bottle sets and clear quart-sized bags that clip to your luggage. MySmartPac's solution? Prepacked disposable toiletry kits for men and women. Just buy and toss, as is, into your carry-on, as opposed to spending time filling little bottles with your own personal-care products, or money on an array of travel-sized versions, to cram into a plastic baggie. The kits skip shampoo, found in most hotels, in favor of items including hair gel, face cleanser and toothpaste, all packaged in hard-paper pouches intended for up to six uses. Both include a razor and a toothbrush, too. One caveat: I'd rather pack my own solid deodorant than use the included liquid nonaerosol spray.

Available at mysmartpac.com.

TREND THREE: LUGGAGE -- LIGHTWEIGHT, HARD-SIDED, EYE-CATCHING & FOUR-WHEELED

LOW END: 4WD Spinner Carry-On by Heys, $100

HIGH END: X2 4W International Carry-On by Titan, $436

Buzzwords abound in luggage. You'll see lots of light (as airline weight restrictions tighten), hard-sided (as materials lighten), and eye-catching (as travelers strive to stand apart from the black-dominated crowd at baggage claim). Also, the multiwheel trend takes better hold -- fans say once you roll with four, you stay with four. These two pieces represent all cutting-edge examples beautifully. Heys, a relatively new luggage company out of Canada that's gaining a reputation for basic, affordable extra-light polycarbonate composite luggage, weighs in with its popular 6-pound, 20-inch 4WD. On the other end of the spectrum we have upscale Titan, a longtime German company new to the U.S. market, with its splurge-worthy 22-inch, 8.2-pound virgin polycarbonate X2 4W, covered by an impressive "no matter what" warranty.

Available at Luggage 'N Leather in Minnetonka and online at sites including luggagepros.com (Titan) and travelpro luggagediscount.com (Heys).

TREND FOUR: STEPPED-UP SECURITY

DataSafe RFID-Blocking Embossed Italian Leather Passport Wallet by Kena Kai, $120

Purse straps reinforced with cables, luggage alarms and baggage locks afford travelers extra levels of safety. Among the newest in high-tech security measures: wallets that block radio frequency identification (RFID). Some passports, credit cards and drivers' licenses are embedded with radio chips that continuously transmit your information. As they grow in popularity, so does the threat of someone reading that information, wirelessly, without your knowledge. With DataSafe, Kena Kai debuts the first line of government-tested and -approved wallets lined with RFID-blocking material. They're not only safe, but they're luxurious and smart, like this passport wallet with slots that keep all essential travel documents at the ready.

Available online at www.kenakai.com.

TREND FIVE: PERSONALIZED ORGANIZATION

Coast & Cruise Lightweight Tote by Anne McAlpin, $39

It's not about more organization; it's about the right organization. Luggage, daypacks and travel purses offer well-thought-out organizational features way beyond key clips. And many are targeted to specific users, with doodads such as skateboard straps, lipstick pockets and personal DVD compartments that keep Dora at the ready. Every pocket, slot and strap of this ballistic-nylon tote developed by expert packer Anne McAlpin seems geared toward the practical female traveler. My favorite: the patented Ten Second Pocket, designed to briefly hold keys or cell phone when you suddenly need both hands. Testers quickly discovered the pocket's use without being told it existed.

Available via packitup.com and in Minnetonka at AAA Minneapolis.

Berit Thorkelson is a St. Paul-based freelance writer who tests travel products for this column and her travel goods website, trustypony.com.