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.

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.

Entomologist and janitor alert! Catch butterflies and other bugs (and errant bats) in this oversized, but very collapsible, critter net. The sturdy aluminum handle extends from 18" up to 30" and the removable 14" dia ring folds down to a 11" x 3-1/2" eyebrow shape. The fine-mesh nylon net is conical and a full 36" long. Very nice.

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.

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.

Another iZoom® twofer. Our each is 150-lumen silver aluminum COB LED flashlight, 4-1/3" x 1" dia, and your bonus is a carabiner key chain with a 3-mode LED light in the center. Push-button switch makes it bright, strobe or really bright. Oh, those COBs!

Including bubbles as big as your grandmother. You get 2 oz of fluid; (4) straws; a mouthpiece; cubical, pyramid, star and round frames, 108" of yarn (for the bubbe-sized bubble); a tray and instructions for (11) kinds of bubble activities. For ages 5 and up.

It’s either the world’s smallest shop vac or the only car vacuum on the planet that will suck up water. Handy, that. Our 7-1/2" x 9" portable wet-dry vacuum has an 9-foot cord with a 12V cigarette lighter/accessory plug, a 3-foot-plus flexible hose, large brush, and crevice cleaner. Great for cars, boats, RV's or camping. Bonus: it reverses and has a nozzle to blow up air mattresses and the like.

This well-made plastic siren/whistle, a touch over 3/4" in diameter and a similar touch under 2" long, has a perforated metal disk that rotates in response to a silent blast from the perpetrator's lungs. This creates a high-pitched, loud and certainly distinctive siren-sound that picks up pitch in relation to the air velocity, sustains it as long as your wind holds out, and winds down quickly thereafter. A fine way to signal your arrival or departure. Probably not loud enough to collect the clan at the beach, but loud enough to get their attention in the classroom! The size makes it hard, but not impossible, to swallow, so please use care in teaching youngsters to sound like a miniature air raid siren.

Our jumbo emergency fire starter is 4" long with a 2-3/4" long x 5/16" dia flint with a handle, on a wrist strap with an attached 2-3/4" long steel striker. Guaranteed never to run out of fuel.

Just how big are your hips? Big enough to handle our 64-oz hip flask? Measures 11-1/2" tall x 6-7/8" wide in the traditional curve x 1-5/8" thick. Holds a party-ready half-gallon, which is 1.89 liters which would be, yes, bigger than those 1.5 liter bottles. In surgical stainless steel with the all-important attached screw cap that won't get lost. Brushed-finish sides, polished top and cap. Suitable for engraving as an extra-special award item.

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!

Drink like your grandfather did when he was in service to Uncle Sam, from this brand new aluminum canteen nested in a cup with folding handles, both inside a padded cotton olive drab cover (suitable for soaking to keep the water cold) with a pistol belt hook on the back. Canteen holds (1) quart, the cup about half that. Includes a black screw cap with a (non-GI) chain and carabiner.

We don't believe we've ever uttered that phrase before, but here it is, the world's lightest non-plastic spork, which matters, campers, when you're toting your flatware, along with your bed, in your backpack. This spork is corrosion-resistant titanium, weighs 1/2 oz, is 6-3/8" long with 3/8" dia hole to hang it from, and sports (4) tines. And you'll never need a plastic spork again.

You say you don't need your foot pumped up? How about your beach ball? Bicycle tire? Air mattress? Attach the quick-connect valve head of the pump and tromp away on the foot pedal. The heavy-duty metal pump has a high-pressure hydraulic air chamber, 100 psi pressure gauge, 24" air hose, and non-slip rubber feet. Comes with (1) universal valve adapter (Attached.) and (1) tapered nozzle. (Inflation needle not included.)

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.

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.

Here's a brand new selection of sealed lead-acid rechargeable batteries, for when you're pushing something a little bigger than a penlight. All batteries are all direct from the manufacturer with current date codes. All of them have (2) 3/16" wide quick-disconnect terminals on top. Click on battery description for a photo.