OUT & ABOUT

Call it the collapse-a-seat, a portable place to park your carcass without having to tote a folding chair around. Measures 10” dia x 2-1/2” thick when collapsed, like a canister of film on its way to a movie theater. But give it a twist and pull it out like an accordion, and it opens and locks at 18” tall, or anywhere in between for tots. Great for camping, back yarding, fishing, gardening, museum-ing and cow-milking. Manufacturer says it holds big lads up to 330 pounds, but weighs in at a totable 2.5 lbs. Also has a little fabric carrying handle.

The worst part of grilling? Having to cut into your meat to check doneness, or continually stab it with a thermometer. Those days are over with our super-useful “leave-in” thermometers from Char-Broil®. Measuring 2” long with 3/4” dia faces, these stainless steel temp monitors go into your meat before it goes on the grill and come out when the meat’s done. You’ll get (4) reusable thermometers with easy-to-read displays that indicate rare, medium and well (with corresponding temperatures). You’ll also get a nice little storage holster, and all of it will fit into your pocket while you’re walking to the grill with your platter of meat, utensils and cold beverage.

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, blue, or silver version for you.

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.

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!

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. Flashlight is powered by (3) "AAA" batteries (not included).

Get off the grid and forget the batteries with this nice little dynamo flashlight with wrist strap. Measures a scant 3” x 1-7/8” x 1-1/4” with a folding crank. Has (3) white LEDs with single, triple and flashing modes. One minute of cranking translates to one hour of single-LED light or a half-hour of triple LED brightness. Toss it into the emergency drawer and forget about it. Almost makes buying batteries seem silly.

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. 

You can only carry so much bottled water in the woods. Campers and preppers alike will want this water purification tube, eminently backpackable at 9" long x 1" dia x an ultralight (2) ounces. Called the Water Washer, its microfiltration membrane is good for 1,000 liters. Meets EPA and U.S. Food and Drug Administration standards, and filters out 99.9% of waterborne protozoa and 99.9999% of bacteria, including E. coli and salmonella. No batteries, no BPA, no chemicals, no aftertaste, and no reason to go into the wild without one. Or two.

And now two heads can be brighter with this (2)-pack of rechargeable headlamps. Settings for 120 and 350 lumens in low spot and flood beam modes. Has a head strap with a snap-in mount for the light so it can be removed to charge via a Micro-USB jack. Light swivels 90-degrees and has a magnet on one end for your magnetic convenience. Stretchy headbands fit the largest noggins and the lamps are water- and impact-resistant.

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.

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 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.

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.

The ground is hard and wet, and you’re usually soft and dry, so next time you’re in the woods, try this nylon parachute-cloth camping hammock. Measures 100" x 57" with (5) feet of paracord at each end with carabiners. The math says look for trees less than 18-1/3 feet apart, although for comfort’s sake, give yourself a little slack. Folds into an attached pouch and is rated for up to 275 lbs. We’ll pick one in black or camo for you. 

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".

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.

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.