Before fishing got all modern with high-tech reels and rods, and lines and hooks, our ancestors caught seafood dinners with pointy things. Return to those simpler days with this 9” Fishing Spear Head from Crate Club by Martin Brothers. Technically it’s a tactical survival tool, but that just means it’s super-high quality and durable. Made of 3/16” thick stainless steel, you can use it as a (2)- or (4)-point spear. Assembles easily and folds flat for storage. All you supply is the stick that the spear attaches to, and the hunting spirit. The fish will respect you more with a spear—trust us.

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.

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!

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. 

Call this one the “Glam Bottle,” a 17-oz stainless steel vacuum-insulated tumbler with a gold flake ice-design exterior. Measures 10” tall with a 3” dia base, tapered shoulders and a silver cap. Keeps beverage cold for 24 hours and hot for 12 hours. Keeps you looking cool for as long as you’re holding it.

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.

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.

Try a reusable heat pack. This little 3-1/2” x 2” Soma Care™ heat pack has a metal disc inside—flex it and feel the pack magically heat up to 130F for up to an hour. Made for use with a Soma Care™ belt, but it’ll work fine wrapped in a soft cloth. Directions are on the side, including instructions on how to re-activate it. Jarvis says: it may take several clicks to activate the gel inside the pack but at this price what's a few extra clicks. 

Certainly not. It's 4” long stainless steel spork with a set of little hex wrenches on it, along with a screwdriver slot and bottle opener, and it comes with a carabiner so you can hang it on your belt or backpack. Dork. No, no, we didn't mean it. Just lost our head there for a minute. You're a person who likes multi-purpose tools. And camping. And sporks. Just like us.

Or would have, had you hung one of these yellow glow sticks around your neck. You’ll get a dozen of them at 6” long with both a small hole and a carabiner-ish slotted opening for hanging. Includes a 24” plastic cord to hang them from. Surplus factor: packaging shows rainbow colors, but all are, in fact, yellow, which is fine because who wants to glow green or blue? Bend or shake to activate. (Duh.)