Duluth Trading Company joins high-flying travel-gear catalogs

I freely admit that I am a travel gear junky.

Give me a hefty SkyMall catalog on a flight to southern California and I won't put it back in the seat pocket until the last vestiges of the Grand Canyon have faded from sight far below.

Strand me at the Detroit Airport (or Minneapolis or Austin, Texas) and I'll head to a Gadgets-to-Go shop to see what's new among the sometimes useful, occasionally insignificant or just plain worthless gizmos and geegaws.

The postman on my rural route regularly stuffs my mailbox with travel gear catalogs that offer a mind-boggling array of things I don't need. Magellan's, well-known to travelers, ranks close to the top of my list of favorites.

The direct mail company has been offering sometimes practical, sometimes obscure, sometimes over-the-top-indulgent travel gadgets since 1989. Magellan's Santa Barbara, Calif.,-based staff is available to talk with customers (live!) about their planned destination, specific gadgets and the best product to meet their travel needs (call them at 800-962-4943 or log on to "Live Help" on the Web site).

The Magellan Web site is a great resource for destination-specific information too. If you're traveling to a foreign country, for example, and need to know what kind of connectors and converters you'll need for your electronic equipment, you'll find the answer at the Magellan Web site.

Brookstone, TravelSmith, Sharper Image, Travel Essentials and SkyMall all are well-known names in the travel gadget-and-gear arena. It's not uncommon to see the same items offered in each catalog because they buy at least some of their products from the same suppliers, but it's fun to flip through the pages in search of that unique treasure declared "the latest must-have for the business traveler."

New catalog on market

There's an intriguing new travel gear catalog on the market and based on early reviews, it will give longtime travel catalog retailers strong competition. Titled "Travelogue," it's the latest offering from Dane County's own Duluth Trading Company, a catalog retailer of highly regarded no-nonsense work clothing and gear for tradesmen, outdoorsmen (and more recently, women) and professional contractors. The segue into the travel arena is the brainchild of owner Steve Schlecht, a longtime business traveler in his own right.

"We know that our loyal Duluth Trading catalog customers are baby-boomers who travel a lot," explained Schlecht, "and we have a strong competence in performance work clothing, so the expansion move into travel clothing and gear made sense."

Not only does Schlecht know his customers, he is a 30-year veteran road warrior whose own business travels have afforded him the ideal opportunity to test products and, working with his staff designers, tweak and adjust those that need it. His wife Marianne, also a veteran traveler, has personally tested the women's products.

"We have several staff who travel regularly too," he adds, "and they routinely travel-test our products."

Fully Evolved Briefcase

Ask Steve Schlecht about his personal favorites and he'll talk enthusiastically about The Fully Evolved Briefcase that has been with him on every trip, for three years, 150,000 miles, across four continents.

"It's like having a 300-pound bodyguard for expensive high-tech gadgets that no one will know you're carrying," he said, "because it looks a lot more like a middle-of-the-road polyester briefcase than a traditional laptop bag." (There's a version for women too, called The Fully Evolved Tote.)

Next, he'll show off his Presentation Jacket (available in Fire Hose canvas, twill and lightweight Zephyr twill) with 13 inside pockets including - here he demonstrates - two with hidden zippers for passport, credit cards and other valuables. "It's great for air travel too - just roll it up and shove it in your suitcase and it'll look good when you get to that meeting - it's handsome enough to handle the suits." (There's also a women's version.)

Longtime Duluth Trading customers and suppliers have had a hand in product development too. Take Richard, for example. He suggested that Duluth Trading create a sleek document holder that could carry his passport, boarding pass, ID and credit cards. Plus currency, itinerary, receipts and a pen - and he wanted it to be trim enough to fit in the pocket of his travel jacket. For good measure, he built and sent the company a prototype made out of cardboard and they translated it into oiled leather.

Wrinkle-free travel pants

Mr. Lee's Ultimate Travel Pants came to the catalog by way of an Asian acquaintance who practically lives on airplanes and personally swears by the wash-and-wear-no-ironing-needed comfortable stretch nylon garment. Duluth Trading constructs them with a nylon web belt that won't set off metal detectors.

Part of the fun of perusing the latest Travelogue is the artful color sketches accompanied by Steve Schlecht's folksy comments about the product and how it will make your on-the-road life cooler/warmer/drier and all-around better. He weaves in reminiscences about his and Marianne's personal travel too, and occasionally he'll toss in commentary about safety and security on the road:

"... I wear muted colors, neutrals and a business casual look when I travel. Blending in is just more comfortable; it can even be a matter of security, as you're less likely to attract the wrong kind of attention," Schlecht writes.

We all know that the life of the road warrior isn't going to get easier anytime soon, but with the vast selection of travel gear and gadgets out there, there is no reason to stoically endure the nagging, irritating, annoying discomforts of business travel. So gather up those catalogs and choose your own personal favorites. Finding them is half the fun!

Betty Stark is a Madison travel industry consultant and business travel writer with 25 years' experience.