Take a Drive: Road Trip Essentials

You don't even need a back seat if you've got a Seatback. Roadtrip Luggage has developed this clever use of space for travelers who want to make the most of the limited storage in their cars. Roadster Seatback Luggage is a tri-fold garment bag with a hidden "hoodie" that slides over a front headrest to turn the area just behind your seats into an extra bit of hanging storage.

It's large enough to hold a couple of suits, folded shirts, toiletries, and a pair of shoes, and needs just 3" of clearance behind the front seat to settle in. When not driving, the Roadster folds to airline carry-on size, and can be latched over the handle of a roller bag.

I've had this jump starter / USB charger / flashlight combo for 3 years now - and have probably charged it twice in that time - but only just had the "opportunity" to use it when I came home from a trip to a dead battery last week. Dead, dead. I couldn't even open my doors. I was going to have my friend Cornelius come over to give me a jump, but cars were parked on either side of me in the garage and there was no way to get to my battery with the jumper cables he had.

Long story short, this little brick, having sat untouched in my trunk for at least 2 years, jumped my battery in 2 tries. Try 1, the engine turned, turned, turned, but no go. Then, per the directions, I waited a minute. Try 2, it turned, turned, and fired up. No problems since. (Left on a dome light that killed the battery in the first place.)

Imagine yourself in a similar situation on a road trip. Not only might you be blocked it by other parked cars, but your friend Cornelius most likely would not be available to drive over to Wall Drug in South Dakota give you a jump. According to Cyntur, this JumperPack has a 12,000 mAh battery that will get 4, 6, and even 8-cylinder engines going again. A fully charged device has enough power for 25 back-to-back jump starts.

I don't need to tell you you need snacks for the road. I probably don't need to tell you to be careful not to spill those snacks in the gaps between your car seats while you're munching on them. But I think I do need to tell you about the Drop Stop, a potential mess- and rot- and decaying-fry-stench-saver that will fill the gaps.

Drop Stops have built-in slots that attach to the seatbelt catch and create a solid plane between the door and the edge of the cushion. In addition to fast food and Skittles, they're also good for catching runaway coins and phones. The fillers are made of high-grade neoprene with expansion / contraction properties to enable them to fit most vehicles and gap sizes currently sucking up your belongings. Once in place, Drop Stops should require no readjustment or reinstallation, even when you need to move your seat.

TRACK Trailer is an Australian company, so they're not (just) about pimpin' out your road trippin' ride, they're about the practicality of road trippin' in the outback.

The Tvan MK5 is the latest Tvan Camper Trailer release. Originally launched in 2000, the Tvan's off-road power and wicked look put it on the RV map, and it's been rolling through dirt, rock, and potholes, picking up various performance awards along the way, ever since. The MK5 stays true to the rugged, compact, easy-to-use foundation of the design, but adds a slew of upgrades to the MK4's body panels, electrics, sleeping quarters, and kitchen variants.

One of the Tvan's primary bragging points is its sleeping space. The Camper Trailer allows for sleeping on a queen-size mattress, and under a hard roof with walls - no flapping canvas - that provide protection from weather and bugs, plus noise insulation. You can also double your living space by deploying the stored tent, which adds some "flapping canvas" but is attached to a fold-out hard floor to keep you dry and off the ground.