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What's New, What's Hot is Travel Weekly's look at useful and fun travel gadgets, edited by Joe Rosen. First up, the first of three all-purpose, portable lanterns designed to be life-savers whether you are on the road or caught in a power outage at home or away. The Bracketron Smart Lantern gives off enough light while used in its lantern mode to illuminate a small room; when the lantern globe is retracted into its housing, it turns into a flashlight for more focused lighting.

Not only does this compact lantern feature strobe and SOS modes as well as directional lighting with three brightness levels, it also offers a USB charging portal that, in a pinch, can be used to power cameras and other devices and an integrated emergency glass breaker for automobile emergencies almost too frightening to contemplate. The Satechi LightMate Emergency LED Flashlight is built to withstand heavy rain, submersion and, according to the manufacturer, its aluminum/steel body can withstand the weight of an average car.

No, you can't use it to light up a cigarette or cigar, but the Zippo Rugged Lantern with its metal support cage and rubberized corners will provide you with a lot of dependable light when you need it most. Designed to be so waterproof that it will float if knocked into the water and able to withstand a 5-foot drop, the lantern is powered by a rechargeable lithium-ion battery that will keep the thing bright for 10 hours on its brightness setting or 40 hours on low. The lantern also incorporates a flashing SOS feature.

The Lipault Ladies Vertical Wheeled Brief offers almost 1,500 cubic inches of space yet tips the scales at a mere 5.4 pounds. Designed, I gather from its label, for the female road warrior, it has a large main compartment, three separate zippered compartments, elastic shoe pockets and a padded laptop compartment. A water-resistant nylon twill fabric, two carrying handles and a mono tube retractable handle complete the picture.

Designed and developed in Norway for the rugged mountain conditions there, this waterproof, windproof and breathable military-style jacket should be in every outdoor adventurer's wardrobe. The Helly Hansen Splittail Coat has all the necessary accouterments necessary to keep you comfortable and protected in adverse weather. Those include a front storm flap, a detachable hood, a buttoned backdrop, a bottom-hem cinch cord, adjustable cuffs and hand pockets with storm flaps. Remember, it won't stay summer forever (not counting global warming).