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.

The manufacturer calls this a SWAT Survival Kit and it’s a wonder of emergency compactness at 4” x 6” x 2-1/2”. Tucked inside the heavy-duty black plastic case is a bright LED flashlight, multifunction leatherguyish tool, survival compass, whistle, emergency foil blanket, credit-card size multitool with (10) functions, flint fire starter and steel wire saw.

Put these on your feet, and stay on your feet. We use these here in the frozen heartland, and so should you if you’re anywhere where the snow flies and ice coats the sidewalks. Measure 9” long in black silicone rubber, and they stretch over the toe and heel of pretty much any size shoe, men’s or women’s, with rubber pads that have (5) 5-pointed steel cleats on each sole. Easy on, easy off for your winter-walking convenience. For you folks in the warmer climes, you can use them to turn any pair of shoes into cleats for pick-up games of football.

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. 

Outdoorsy brides-to-be all across America are registering for this BPA-free modular plastic knife/fork/spoon combo. The fork and spoon snap together like a molle buckle, hiding the surprisingly sharp serrated knife inside. Measure 6-1/2” long when together. Our each is a service for (4) in red, blue, orange and green. Camping utensils don’t get any utensiler.

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!

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.

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.

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, green, blue, silver or purple version for you.

If you fly to where you hike, you absolutely need this three-piece bianbai wood walking stick. Like in portable pool cues, the pieces are threaded together via steel inserts. Measures 55” long assembled, with a metal tip covered by a removable rubber foot, wrist strap and water-resistant nylon carrying pouch. Pieces are approx 21” long.

An exhausted physicist. Also this 3-1/4" dia camping lantern. Stands 5” tall with fold-down handles, but pull up those handles and reveal the super-bright, a whopping 600 lumen COB LED light inside. Turns on when you open it, and has a small compass on top so you can see where you’re going. Measures approx 7” open and will shine for approx (6) hours with a trio of “AA” batteries, which are included. In utilitarian gray ABS plastic.

Avoid those hip-cracking amateur sidewalk double-axels with TREX™ slip-ons, extra-aggressive traction spikes. It regularly ices up here at the home office, and we stay on our feet with these. The chains and spikes are stainless steel, with both sole and heel coverage, and the stretchable rubber tops are high-visibility orange for added safety. You pick small (men’s 5-7, women’s 6-1/2 to 8-1/2 ); Medium (men’s 7-9,women’s 8-1/2 to 10-1/2 ); or large (men’s 9 to 11,women’s 10-1/2 to 12-1/2 ). The rubber uppers are uber-flexible, so they’re likely to fit larger sizes than suggested. (Pat stretched the small over his size 11 boots!)

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.

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.

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.

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".

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.

We feel your pain. Nothing says first-world tragedy like camping with no way to make kale/bacon/acai berry smoothies. You’ll need this rechargeable travel blender. Holds 16 oz and has a 4-blade rotor on an eye popping, 15K rpm, ice-crushing motor. Recharging is easy via an included USB/Micro USB cord. Measures 2-3/4" dia x 9-1/4" tall, and includes a safety cap for the blades, and top and bottom caps for the bottle. BPA-free and dishwasher safe, and runs for (3) hours on a charge. Non-smoothie drinkers can use it for making brandy alexanders.