Living: Small Comforts for the Road

Finance Company Manager Frank La Barba, 30, packs more than his American Express card when he leaves his home in Long Beach, Calif., these days. In his luggage are twelve compact life-style support systems, including a 1/2- in.-thick electric shaver, a book-size radio, an even smaller iron, a collapsible fishing rod and a 5.3-oz. rechargeable power pencil sharpener. "They let me concentrate on the job," he explains, "instead of running around frantically trying to resolve a minor problem that could become a major one."

La Barba has lots of company. A few years ago the only accessories travelers needed were some soft-sided bags to jam under the airplane seat and a voltage converter for foreign trips. These days voyagers are taking off with a cornucopia of helpful little gizmos for grooming, business, sports and safety.

The main reasons for toting the mini-doodads: one-night stays and spotty service, which force many harried transients to become their own concierges. "Most vice presidents of a company would never have carried a travel steamer in the past," says Duane Knapp, former president of the firm that publishes United Airlines' in-flight catalog, "but now they don't have time to send their trousers out to be pressed."

The institutional wake-up call, rarely pleasant and sometimes unreliable, has become a thing of the past for those equipped with tiny travel clocks. One of the latest: Braun's 3 1/8-in. by 2 1/2-in. voice-deactivated quartz model ($40). A crisp "Shut up!" silences the alarm for a satisfying four- minute snooze. Caffeine addicts no longer have to wait for room service if they are willing to lug along Melitta's 4-lb. automatic drip machine ($40), complete with filters, creamer and sugar bowl. The Take-along Desk Drawer ($40) fits tiny office supplies in a lightweight nylon case--a mere 5 1/2 in. by 9 in. Contents include a paper punch, scissors, 6-ft. tape measure, screwdriver and a telescoping presentation pointer for meetings.

After work, the golfer can dispense with a lot of equipment by telescoping Hammacher Schlemmer's 17-In-One-Golf Club ($69.50) out of the briefcase. The . rotating head of the 1-lb. device can be set to iron, wedge and putt positions by manipulating a set of interlocking gears.

Looking good is the most pressing concern of travelers. At Bloomingdale's in New York City, a new tool cannily combines several grooming appliances in one 6-oz. unit. The 4-in. blower of Schildkraut's red plastic and metal gadget ($33) becomes both blow dryer and handle for the iron. Another take-along is Le Dome ($16.50) instant nail dryer. Simply insert fingers or toes into its plastic chamber, and a battery-driven fan dries them in two minutes.