Great Gear to Lure Kids to the Great Outdoors

Regardless of the good and bad news, innovation has not slowed. The outdoor business continues to develop terrific new products. Here is what jumped out at me at the show as worthy of taking along on stylish urban or outback adventures:

The Zigo Leader Carrier Bicycle, $1,349

If there is one end of the technosphere screaming for a makeover, it is the high-tech baby stroller. For my money, never has so much been spent making so many look so foolish. "Excuse me madam, is that a lunar lander you are carrying your child in?"

But Delaware-based SOMA Cycle is seeking to change that. The company has created what it claims is the first bicycle-mounted kids carrier.

Obviously, you do not want to do the Tour de France with this thing -- a high-speed collision is not how you want to expose your children to cycling. But for getting around while on vacation, the Zigo offers some tantalizing upside: The unit goes from two-wheel bike mode to three-wheel "child pusher" mode in about a minute. (I tried it and it works.) Child mode is essentially a rideable tricycle carriage where kids can sit up front in a rolling, protected enclosure. You bike. They sit. You travel around town. Not bad.

Fozzils Solo Pac Flat dish set, starting at $15

If the events of 9/11 had a sleeper casualty, it is the travel pot and pan. Once easy to stuff in your bag, metallic cooking items -- while not expressly illegal -- almost ensure you a trip to the extended search line at your airport's security screen. So, dragging the things you need to eat in some semblance of decency while camping has become one of travel's big issues.