C'mon baby, light someone's fire with this magnesium and flint fire-starter kit. The 3" steel hack-saw-type blade and a 3-1/8" x 3/8" x 1-1/8" hunk of magnesium, with a rod of flint embedded in one long side, are on a keychain for carrying but are easily removed from it. With the serrated edge of the blade, shave some Mg into a small pile of tinder. Strike the flint with the opposite edge to spark the tinder-Mg's interest, and you're Prometheus.

Veterans will know this as an entrenching tool, but to everyone else it's a folding camp shovel. Our hardened steel version is 22-1/2" long when open, folds to a measly 9-1/2", and weighs just over 2-1/2 lbs. Blade is 8-1/4" long x 6" wide, serrated on one side. Fits into the light canvas pouch, which you can carry on your belt because you never know when you'll need to dig a hole.

Next time you hang an air freshener from your rear-view mirror, make it something your passengers will remember. These are all approx 4” to 5” long and bring a little something to the party that a paper pine tree can only dream of. You pick the creepy hairless cat in a Buddha pose, smelling of sandalwood; the bubblegum-scented rubber chicken; or the largest tardigrade (aka moss bear or water piglet) in the universe, redolent of green apples.

You will survive, too, just like Gloria Gaynor, and in the woods, even. But only if you have this U.S. Army manual, cleverly titled: SURVIVAL, Department of the Army Field Manual FM21-76. It's 287 heavily illustrated pages of techniques for staying alive (add your own BeeGee jokes here) including orientation, food & cooking, fire- and shelter-making, rafts, animal, insect and plant recognition, and much more. This is the 1970 edition, but staying alive in the woods hasn't changed a whole lot since then. In soft-cover.

Or turn this versatile pivoting headlamp instead. From i-Zoom®, this lamp is a serious piece of equipment, not some disposable cheapo. Has high/low/flashing modes, precise slide focus and a max of a super-bright 350 lumens. Comes with (3) “AAA” batteries in a separate rubber-covered compartment at the back of (3) adjustable elastic straps. Will pivot down (4) clicks from straight ahead to straight down. Mfr says it’s good for a 5-hour cycle on fresh batteries. Fear not the darkness with this beauty.

Stocking cap, actually, or (Navy) watch cap, but the hip kids call them beanies now, so we’ll try our darnedest to stay “with it.” This black acrylic knit beanie lights up with removable LEDs that fit into 2” x 1” black rubber ports on the front and back. Front has (4) white lights with hi/med/low/off modes; back has (4) red lights with on/flashing modes. Take them out when you get where you’re going so you don’t look like a doofus. They’re weather-resistant, and come with CR2032 button-cell batteries.

This one's easier to toss, cuz it folds in half. Johnny Appleseed would have carried one of these if he'd had our web address. Our folding garden trowel is a 5-3/4" x 2-1/8" when inside its black canvas belt carrier, but opens and locks to 8-7/8" long. All stainless steel, so there are no rust problems for you itinerant gardeners.

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.

Our classic bike accessory is LED-free, battery-free, and happily wireless. The retro bike horn has two tones (one while squeezing, the other while the bulb inhales). The tone is much more a Clarabellian quack (search the Web for Howdy Doody if you're too young to remember Clarabell) than a deep Harpo Marxian (ditto) honk. Measures 8" long with a 2-3/8" bell and a rubber bulb that will be either red, black, or purple. Includes a removable handlebar mount.

Go ahead. If you've got your glow-in-the-dark compass with you, you can find your way back without having to grope around trying to feel the moss on the north side of the trees. In brass, 2" dia x 1/2" thick, with a bezel with 2-degree increments and a 13/16" dia hook on top.

Just toss this little pack, unopened, into a wood fire and watch all the pretty colors. (For you chem majors, it contains 25 grams of cupric sulfate, cupric chloride and PVC crystals.) And do we have to tell you not to eat or inhale it? OK, don’t eat it or inhale it. Just watch it blow your mind.

It doesn't get much more economical in the whistle game. You get a pair of (non-chrome) steel referee whistles already hung on 20" lanyards in blue, green, pink or orange, which are guaranteed to be someone's school colors.

You don't have to smell like a polecat just because you're camping. Our 5-gallon PVC solar shower bag measures 23" x 16" with an in-line valve, 25" hose, 1-1/2" shower head and mounting hook. Mfr says 2 hours in the sun on a 70-degree day gets you 95-degree water.

Just ax yourself if you really need a big hatchet when this excellent, and extremely cute, stainless steel mini hand ax is available. Blade is 4-1/2” wide on a 5” molded handle, so the whole shebang is just 9” long. Comes with a canvas sheath with a belt loop for easy carrying.

This Stansport product is called the Finger-Tip Saw (although all you really need to cut off fingertips is a good garden pruner). This is actually a survival/hunter's wire saw, a 20" long, thin and sharp serrated wire with a 1-1/8" slip-ring at each end (for your fingertips). Coil it up and you can store it in a shirt pocket. Cuts "wood, plastic, bone, etc." and includes instructions for making a one-handed saw with a short tree branch.

How to shoot an azimuth for fun and profit: Get the ultimate direction finder, a lensatic compass. It has a 2-1/8" dia face marked in 5-degree increments, a 1/4" dia sight lens, 9/16" dia bubble level, and a 1-1/2" sight with crosshairs. Measures 3-1/4" x 2-1/2" x 1-1/8" when folded and comes with an 18" long cord and an olive drab belt pouch. For instructions, go to www.armystudyguide.com, click on "prep for basic" then "land navigation," then click on "determine a magnetic azimuth using a lensatic compass." Piece o' cake.

Have a blast at the family picnic or your next traffic jam -- or when boating, coaching the soccer team, or calling the kids for dinner. This lightweight megaphone is only 8-1/2" long, with a 5-1/2" dia horn and a fold-down handle, but its 5-watt power output lets you project up to 165 yards. Volume control, on/off switch, voice/siren option, hi-impact ABS body that's shock and weather resistant. Use the nylon strap to hang it from your wrist or around your neck. Uses (4) "C" batteries (not included).

It’s faux hurricane season here in Chicago, and time to break out our faux hurricane lantern. Regardless of the season, though, it’s great as an accent light in any room, back yard or camper. Stands approx 10” tall x 5” wide, in steel with an antiquey copper finish. Has a carrying/hanging handle, and a push-button turns on both a 25-lumen flickering LED flame and an 80-lumen bright-white LED. Comes with (4) “AAA” batteries.