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.

Not just a snowman anymore. This Frost bottle is from Alpha Outpost™, the outdoor gear geeks, and despite its name, its double-wall construction will keep your soup hot as easily as it keeps your margaritas cold. Measures 10” tall x 3” dia in black with the Frost logo and a stainless steel screw cap. Holds 16 oz, and includes a rubber infinity loop for your belt.

Nothing screams HANDY! like Cotton PopUp wipes, little 3/4" diameter tablets that turn into 9" x 10" towelettes when submersed in water. Equally handy for campers, Navy Seals, toddler parents or anybody who slobbers a lot. They come in easy to take and store tubes, (8) per tube. so go out there and get dirty. They are made of cotton so they are perfect for cleaning in and around the home.

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!

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.

Emergency underpants in a can. Says it all, doesn't it? Quite stretchable in a Tyvekish white fabric, "one pair fits most adults." They're hip-hugger, semi-bikini, translucent type drawers, so despite the smiling man wearing them and a red bow-tie on the can, some (insecure) guys might find these just a touch jeune fille-ish. "Safe, Sanitary, Secure." Says so right on the 3" x 1-1/2" x 2/3" flip-top metal can. Better buy (3) in case of a long weekend.

Once upon a time, tweeting is what birds did, and also what people calling birds did. Return with us now to those trilling days of yesteryear with this little hand-held Audubon bird call. Measures 2-1/4" long with a cast-aluminum shaft inside a birch barrel. Twist it to tweet, and there’s no limit to how long you go on.

Nobody would dare vote you off the island if you have this stainless steel survival tool. Smaller than a credit card at 2-3/4" x 1-3/4", it has (11) functions: can opener, knife edge, flathead screwdriver, small ruler, bottle opener, 4-position wrench, saw blade, 2-position wrench and a couple more. Slip it into your wallet or hang it on your keychain, then go get lost.

This isn't a book, but it's definitely book-ish. Looks like a leather-bound volume from the Bodleian but it's just a little wooden box, approx 8-1/2" x 5" x 2" (7" x 3-7/8" x 1-5/8" inside) that's perfect for stashing the jewels, cash, or whatever you need to stash in plain sight on the shelves.

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.

Using a word like “beautiful” to describe our newly arrived First Aid Kits seems wrong. But it’s right. They’re beautiful, and useful. Come in (3) sizes, with a sturdy, lightweight red nylon case that proclaims them “Paramedic Approved.”

You pick: the Small kit, which measures 6” x 8” x 3”, with (19) different items and (53) pieces total;

the Medium kit, 7-1/2” x 9” x 3”, including (28) items and (103) pieces total; or

the Large kit, 8-1/2” x 10-1/2” x 5”, including (37) items and (156) pieces total.

All contain the requisite First Aid booklet, bandages, cotton, antiseptic wipe, tape, shears, tweezers, gloves, saline, splinter probes and an emergency blanket (among other essentials), but the Medium and Large kits contain more specialized items, such as burn gel and fever scan strips. The Large also includes things like iodine swabs, high elastic bandages, wound dressings and an ice pack. Any size is great to have at home, and anywhere you’re on

Certainly not. It's 4” long stainless steel spork with a set of little hex wrenches on it, along with a screwdriver slot and bottle opener, and it comes with a carabiner so you can hang it on your belt or backpack. Dork. No, no, we didn't mean it. Just lost our head there for a minute. You're a person who likes multi-purpose tools. And camping. And sporks. Just like us.

It's a 10-tool Swissesque military survival knife, but without those red plastic handles to break and fall off. Includes stainless steel 2-1/2" knife blade, flathead driver/bottle opener, saw blade, scissors, can opener, fish scaler/nail set, corkscrew, Phillips driver, awl, nail file and the needle-like thing for making buckskin clothes in case you're lost for years. Has a split ring to hang your keys from.

Put your silverware on your belt. This 4-1/4" camping implement separates into a fold-out fork and spoon, and the spoon has a fold-out knife at the other end so you can use it with the fork to cut your pork chops. Also includes a corkscrew (we recommend a nice Grenache or Tempranillo with pork chops), a can/bottle opener and the ubiquitous awl. In brushed steel with a black canvas belt pouch that you should put the thing into fork-down or the tines might catch on the fabric and make you crazy.

Travel size umbrella in shades of Santa Claus Red and Traffic Cone Orange (we'll pick), measuring 11” collapsed and opening to a 41” dia canopy. It has a little black handle with a pop-open trigger button, as they often do. The real beauty of this umbrella comes when you press the button a second time and the top of the umbrella collapses saving you the trouble of messing with that little metal tab. You'll still have to push the body back together to reload it, however. Needless to say we are impressed with this innovation in umbrella technology. Added Bonus: They’re easy to spot in a lost and found drawer.

"Laser" safety lights each with super bright LEDs run by (2) "AA" batteries that you supply. It's square and has a flashing or steady LED lamp visible up to 2500 feet (distance may be exaggerated). A 2" x 2-1/2" red plastic reflecting lens covers (3) lamps. Hook it on your belt or pack with the belt clip, use the included elastic strap for arm or leg mounting, or the included aluminum flange to attach it to your bike. It's great for general use as a warning device or as an emergency signal for roadside breakdowns.

This black canvas pouch has belt loops and a cornucopia of compact construction tools inside, including a small combo hatchet/hammer/tent-stake puller; entrenching tool (that’s a shovel to you) with a compass in the handle, and pickaxe and saw attachments for the shovel handle. Belt measures 9-3/4” x 4” x 1-1/4” overall. Don't go into the woods without it. Also, take snacks.