Can-do canoe: The Wilderness Systems Ripper (€399, Exposure, Cavendish Lane, Castlebar, Co Mayo) is a versatile sit-on-top kayak with a hinged backrest, designed with all sorts of water in mind: surf, river or pond.
The entry-level kayak is the smallest on offer from Wilderness Systems, and at about 20kg and 240cm it’s small enough to heft fairly easily on to the roof rack. The manufacturer boasts that it’s stable and buoyant. You’re in trouble if it isn’t.
* The Canon Ixus 110 IS (€399, www.canon.ie) is easy to use out of the box and has a sophisticated auto focus that can get you out of trouble when you’re trying to squeeze in that extra friend in a group shot. It will take 12.1 mexapixel images – but only if you remember to change the settings, which default to a size suitable only for using on your computer screen. It comes with some useless features, such as shaking the camera body to scroll through your images, and some useful ones, such as having a slideshow.
* The Fleurville Fiesta Flower sling tote (€125, www.cleverclogs.ie) might seem like a pretty bag with a girlie name, but that’s just a disguise. In reality it’s a hard-wearing baby bag, crying out to be jammed full of stuff that could destroy an expensive leather handbag – nappies, creams, tubs of mushy baby food and more. There are fleece-lined, elastic-topped pockets, a changing pad, a see-through wipe case and an insulated bottle holder. The bag is water-resistant, ready to embrace the thrills and spills of child-rearing.
aharvey@irishtimes.com