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.

Small enough to fit into the belt-mounted black canvas carrying case (4-3/8" x 3" x 1" thick), but they open up to be plenty big for most binocular needs. These 10X25 binocs have glare-reducing coated lenses, a thin neck-strap, adjustable focus, water-resistant and easy-to-hold rubber skin, rubber eyecups and fine-tuning for the right eye.

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.

What a bright idea! Our emergency blanket is reflective silver Mylar on both sides. Measures 68" long x 23" wide x a heat-sealing 1/16" thick. Comes with attached straps to roll it up and store it, plus a little carabiner to clip it to a pack. Keep it in the car and it might save your life. Or use it as a slim 21st century bedspread if you have a stainless steel bedroom.

This digital stopwatch includes a clock, alarm clock and lap modes. Reading appears in a 7/8" x 7/16" tall LCD display, graduated down to 1/100th of a second. Includes a 16" neck cord. From United Scientific. In assorted, but dignified, coach-appropriate colors.

Nifty device that takes maxi air and squeezes it down into a mini condition. The device is roughly 6-1/2"" long x 6" tall x 4" wide. It has a 10 ft. cord that plugs into an auto lighter socket: i.e. it runs on 12VDC @ 10 amps. Air output is via a 12" hose with a variety of valve adapters for tires, soccer balls, rubber rafts, and just dusting off the environment. Complete with a 0-250 psi gauge. Which should be plenty of pressure to explode a weak bike tire or flimsy beach ball, so please be careful!

It will be if you buy this bright-as-a-Phi-Beta-Kappa COB LED 3W flashlight, with a bonus red laser. Measures a mere 4-3/4" x 1-1/8" dia and comes with (3) “AAA” batteries inside, where they belong. In a knurled aluminum body of a color that we’ll pick for you (gray, black, red or blue) because who cares what color a flashlight is. (Note: flashlight and pointer can't be on at the same time.)

Camper alert: nothing says temporary water storage like this collapsible translucent PVC water jug. Holds 3-3/4 gallons (15L) and measures 11-1/2” x 10” x 9” when full, but flattens to cargo-pants-pocket size when empty. Includes a 3-3/8” handle, and a screw-on cap/spigot. Would also hold about a case-and-a-half of pinot grigio for bachelorette parties in the woods.

Konvenient for kamping! And kramped kitchen kabinets! These nesting, collapsible silicone and plastic bowls are made for campers but they work great at home, too, particularly for apartment-dwellers, whose space is precious. In gray and powder blue. You’ll get an 8” dia x 5” deep bowl, a 7” dia x 3-3/4” deep bowl, and a 7-1/2” x 4-1/2” deep colander. Smoosh them down and they turn into one 11” wide (counting handles) x 2-1/2” deep nest. Pay no attention to the temperature misprint on the package; these bowls are good for up to 160 degrees Fahrenheit.

In nylon digital camo, this military radio bag measures 11" x 12" x 6" with adjustable straps on the side panels to pull them in, another to close the top, and a pair of female molle buckles to attach it to something else. Sew it all together, add a strap and you’ve got a great carry-all. Note openings at bottom corners. For you collectors, it’s marked  "APB03 RADIO POUCH SPM1C1-09-F-C002 8465015158636 F190686393 TAMCN NO. C54402F"

Orienteerer alert. This compass has (3) scales and a 4X magnifier. Can be used to read topographical and tourist maps, and to determine azimuthal locations. Perfect for use with overhead projectors. The 2” dia compass is graduated from 0-360 degrees in 2-degree increments, has a liquid-filled capsule, declination correction scale and luminous points, and hangs on a yellow lanyard. Meridian lines help with accurate plotting of angles. Scales are in mm 1:25K, 1:50K. Measures 2.5" (60mm) x 5.5" (140mm).

Or on your pack, or wherever. This single-walled stainless steel mug holds approx 8 oz (not the 10 on the package) and has a 3/4” ID x a 3” long working red carabiner for a handle. Measures 3-1/8” tall x 2-7/8” including the carabiner. Safe for use over an open flame, but watch your fingers.

Always be prepared. Even if it's not raining, toss one of these one-size-fits-pretty-much-everybody (they're 61" x 65") assorted colored polyethylene hooded ponchos in the car, another in your backpack, a third in your coat pocket or purse. They're thin, emergency-type protection and come folded up in a packet about 3" x 5" x 1/2" thick. You get (3) because you just can't be too prepared.

Looks like an antacid tablet, a white disc 13/16" dia x 3/8" thick, but drop it in water and the rayon instantly expands into a 9" x 13" reusable wipe. Can you say handy? No mother should ever leave the house without a few in her purse and no glove compartment is complete without a handful. Click here and watch the magic! 

It’s a black mesh minnow (and frog?) net, 8” deep x 8-1/2” wide, but the best part is that it’s on a sturdy 7-draw handle that will extend from an easily stored and carried 8” long to a tad under 39” from handle to tip. That makes it especially good for snaring foul balls, so you could be on TV and get thrown out of major league stadiums from coast to coast.

The Survival Bottle itself is an acrylic, 27-ounce water bottle with a screwcap and keeper. Inside is a compressed towel that magically expands to 23" x 11-1/2", a 52" x 82" Mylar blanket, a 3" x 1" magnesium fire-starting block with a 3" saw blade, a 5-function pen-knife/tool, and a whistle/thermometer/compass/mirror/magnifier/LED flashlight combo (phew!) powered by a couple of included coin cell batteries.

These mighty handy wipes start at 3/4" dia x 1/2" thick and come alive (in a manner of speaking) when you drop them into a glass of water. Unfold one to 9" x 10" and use it to clean up the kids--or yourself--and you'll never leave home without them. Each pack is a plastic tube of  (8) wipes, which makes them great for purses, glove compartments and campsites.

Tube tents are tubes in the sense that they're one piece, with floors, and can be used as shelters, ground cover or or blankets in emergencies or disasters. This one is bright orange nylon with an aluminized coating on the inside for insulation. Measures 82" x 36". Includes 23 feet of nylon rope for hanging between trees or posts and (4) 9" zinc-plated steel stakes.