OUT & ABOUT

They don’t give them away in bars anymore, so you’d better buy this Matchstick Fire Starter. Has a 1-1/2" x 1-1/8" x 3/8" flint housing and a 1” striker with a small cotton wick around the end. Fill it with a little lighter fluid and you’re ready to start something. Includes a 1/2” clip to hang it on something. A must for camping.

This 300 Lumen LED light is a mighty mite. Just under 4-1/2" long x 1" dia, you slide the sleeve and the beam zooms from a flood to a don't-stare-into-this focused spot. In black or gun metal anodized aluminum, it's weatherproof and shockproof with a latching button switch and a pocket clip. Depress the button halfway when it's on and it goes into a rapid-flash mode for emergency signaling. Visible for 275 meters. Five hour life with the included 1-"AA" battery and a 110K+ hour bulb life.

The Cybertrek watch, in appropriately heavy metal, has no numbers on its diamond-patterned face, but uses a series of blue and red lights to tell time. From Gadgets and Gizmos, who do this sort of thing. Uses (2) CR2016 batteries that will need replacing (inter-dimensional travel is tough on batteries) and contrary to the instructions they do not come with an extra set. We look at this watch and wonder if Neo himself delivered it. Time will tell. Integrated chain-link wristband band is 8” long. Replacement batteries available from us right here on this very website. CR2016

And what do you get? A trunk organizer! Ours is a practical beige color, measures 23” x 11-1/2” x 9-1/2” in polyester with a (3) large compartments, each with multiple slit pockets. Also comes with a separate, matching cooler, thoughtfully designed to hold a six-pack, with a heat-sealed lining to prevent leaks. Folds down to 10” x 10” x 5” thick. Get two and you could store one folded up inside the other. It's what Marie would do.

This sleek stainless steel water bottle from Callaway Golf holds (25) oz, which should keep you hydrated until the turn, when you can switch to beer. No logo, thank you, and non-insulated, it measures 10-1/4” x 2-7/8” dia with a screw cap that has a hanging loop. Comes in a black velvet bag (with a logo), which you can use to hold tees. Pro shop price is $27.95. Our price is like a double eagle compared to that.

The worst part of grilling? Having to cut into your meat to check doneness, or continually stab it with a thermometer. Those days are over with our super-useful “leave-in” thermometers from Char-Broil®. Measuring 2” long with 3/4” dia faces, these stainless steel temp monitors go into your meat before it goes on the grill and come out when the meat’s done. You’ll get (4) reusable thermometers with easy-to-read displays that indicate rare, medium and well (with corresponding temperatures). You’ll also get a nice little storage holster, and all of it will fit into your pocket while you’re walking to the grill with your platter of meat, utensils and cold beverage.

Daytime, too, or whenever you need to start a fire, especially outdoors. These pressed resinous-pine tinder sticks measure 4" long x 1/2" square, and our each is a box of a dozen. Marked as being from the “Survivor Series,” they’re water-resistant and slow burning, lasting approx five minutes each. 

Newly manufactured P-38 Can Opener from the same folks who supply them to Uncle. It folds! into 1-1/2" x 5/8" flat piece which is easily carried and lost. Reportedly works much better than the Asian knockoffs for those who really want to gain entry to the Spam!

Or just stop worrying about the line breaking. Battlecord is skinny but megatough stuff. And this one is a 50-foot length of black cord rated for 2,650 lb test. Measures 1/4” dia with a 7-strand core and is rot, mildew and UV resistant. Made in the USA for Atwood Rope.

Walking sticks have moved into the space age! This walker's/hiker's friend has futuristic features and the look of an inter-galactic weapon. The high-quality collapsible aluminum stick extends from a packable 27" to a full 43", and has a carbide tip with a rubber cover, a removable 2" dia disk to keep the stick from sinking into soft ground, and an internal shock absorber that can be turned on or off. At the top, a 5-LED flashlight with a 90° pivot is embedded in a molded-plastic cane-style handle to light your way. For mountain trekking, lengthen the stick, slip the adjustable canvas wrist strap over your hand, and clutch the stick by the padded foam section below the cane handle. Directions, diagrams, and 1100mm to 1350mm gradations are marked clearly on the 3-draw pole. We'll pick a black or anodized red, blue, or silver version for you.

Our squishable silicone coffee cup looks like the takeaway cups you get at coffee shops, complete with the slide-up cuff that keeps your fingers from burning or freezing. Now you can drink your frappalattes or milkshakes out of reusable silicone instead of paper and save the planet. Our cup handles freezer temps down to -40F, and hot temps up to 446F. Squash the cup when you’re done, and put it in your pocket to use again later. Holds 10 oz and stands 5” tall x 3-1/4” dia at the top. Push on its head and watch it sink to just half its size. We’ll send you one in white and aqua, navy, red or lime green to match your eyes.

Special for bottlesquashers. This collapsible, non-toxic silicone water bottle (In assorted colors) is easily the cutest thing that ever held H2O. Starts out like a little squat barrel approx 5-1/2” x 2-3/4” dia, but pull up on the top and it rises to a full 9” tall. Flip cap has a screw-down lock, and there’s a carabiner near the neck to hang it from. Holds approx 17 oz, comes in four assorted water friendly colors and is rated for -40 to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Great for camping, hiking, mom-ing and kid-ing. 

The boys in the back room called this IZoom Pro™ flashlight ludicrously bright, and they’re usually right. Rated at 300, 1200, and 2500 lumens with a strobe setting, light is through a reticular COB LED element with an adjustable focus lens. Takes (6) “AA” batteries, and they’re included. Measures 7” long x 1-1/2” dia in black aluminum alloy body. Has up to a 4-hour life, depending on the beam strength you use.

You can only carry so much bottled water in the woods. Campers and preppers alike will want this water purification tube, eminently backpackable at 9" long x 1" dia x an ultralight (2) ounces. Called the Water Washer, its microfiltration membrane is good for 1,000 liters. Meets EPA and U.S. Food and Drug Administration standards, and filters out 99.9% of waterborne protozoa and 99.9999% of bacteria, including E. coli and salmonella. No batteries, no BPA, no chemicals, no aftertaste, and no reason to go into the wild without one. Or two.

It's easier to see. Our each is (100) feet of 3/32" dia high visibility neon-green type-III paracord. Made of 7-strand, 550-lb test nylon, it's color-fast and resistant to rot, UV light and mildew. A camper's dream! Also makes really snazzy bootlaces.

You will survive with this Survival Candle, a 3-wick burner made of soy and palm wax in a 3-1/8" dia 2-3/8" tin can with a lid. Rated to last up to 36 hours.

And you’ll get found again, and you’ll also know what time it is. This 1-3/4” dia x 1/2” thick device has a pull-up pointer flap that makes it a working sundial positioned above a compass. Folds flat and has a ring that’s attached to a lobster clip, so you can hang it on your belt or pocket clip. A handy companion for traveling through time and space, if that’s your thing.

They have the look of something designed for the space program. They're mylar, a paper-thin shiny metallic sheet, that comes in handy when your car breaks down in winter, or when you're separated from your climbing group on the slopes of Mt. McKinley. Barring that, they're also a perfect material for a do-it-yourself cold-climate Halloween costume-near impossible to rip by hand, but cut easily with scissors. There's no padding, so they wouldn't be too comfy on your bed, but they sure are warm. They both come folded about the size of a wallet. The Blanket is 52" x 82", the Sleeping Bag is 34" x 84".