16 Outdoor Gadgets that Work

Capture your family's late-night outdoor activities: marshmallow roasting, dinner party hosting, Freddie Krueger impersonating (ah, older brothers) with the Night Vision/Trail Camera from Tasco. This point-and-shoot camera is small enough for pockets and captures short video or still pictures thanks to a fast-picture trigger, 5-megapixel night vision, and extra-long battery life. Missing great nighttime shots would be a total nightmare (on Elm Street or otherwise).

Spend a little, get a lot. Use a little, use a lot. The choices are up to you, but reusing rainwater is one of the smarter decisions you'll make all summer (next to summer camp enrollment). These rain barrels made of recycled plastic will prevent pesky mosquitoes from gathering, and allow you to reuse the cloud droppings for garden watering, car washing, pressure washing and more. Turn off the tap, and roll out the barrel.

Do sweet summer sandals belong on your durable footwear list? Yes, if you're talking Salt Water Sandals, the venerable US company recently launched in Canada. Salt Water Sandals have been kicking around for 60 years, and their winning formula hasn't changed. From babies to adults, they offer sandals in four stylish styles meant to be worn in and out of water. They won't lose their shape, colour or quality. Finally, something in the house that can easily handle transitions.

What's bugging you these days? If flesh-eating insects make your skin crawl, you'll probably get some satisfaction from iTouchless' Power Bug Swatter/Zapper. Although it's designed like a racquet for better range and range-of-motion, and weighs under a half pound, the manufacturer stresses that it is not a toy. Still, you can witness adult enthusiasm over insect electrocution with a bug removal plan that is chemical-free and, dare we say, fun?

We've never met an actual card-playing shark, but land lubbers who want to shuffle the deck on the deck (or dock, or boat or towel), can now be secure that their game won't blow away. This simple, magnetic card set and board keeps everything together. The cards are made of steel and finished with a paper backing to feel similar, and won't fly off the magnetic board. Whether you're playing solitaire, Crazy Eights or, more appropriately, of course, Go Fish.

Granted, you can't bring money into the afterlife, but you can bring P Diddy's “Mo Money, More Problems” on any excursion with Grace Audio's Eco-Extreme Waterproof MP3 Holder. Play the Kinks in the kayak, City and Colour in the canoe, the Doors on the dock (ok, we're done now). You don't have to worry about splashes or sprays thanks to this well-reviewed audio case meant for the great, wet, outdoors.

Charge it, guilt free. Unlimited credit is now available, if you're a USB device being charged on Kodak's Solar Charger. This compact charger harnesses the power of the sun to power up laptops, DVD players, cameras and more (they also offer an AA-battery charger too). Assuming the clouds stay away, you'll have an endless supply of working devices, even if the nearest power outlet is miles away. This is one case you don't want to save for a rainy day.

The kids will have fun flicking it open and closed over and over, but the Lucky Strike Pocket Net has real uses besides being portable and extremely lightweight. Intended for anglers who need to be ready to net their catch at anytime, the pocket net is also great when exploring nature areas with kids. We're pretty sure they'll end up scaring away any butterflies, tadpoles, or fish with their less-than-coordinated opening moves, but sometimes the fun is all in the anticipation.

We're forever fans of anything from the Finnish textile company, Marimekko. Now Fatboy, another Finnish design firm, has covered their sturdy ‘Flowerpowersol' with Marimekko's eye catching fabric making it the perfect outdoor umbrella for style-savvy homeowners. Fatboy's beautiful, large parasol will brighten up any outdoor space this summer (black base sold separately).

Maybe for you, getting away from it all means taking your laptop, cell phone, portable fax machine, shredder, and mini-photocopier on the road. Relax. We have you covered with the ironically named Goal Zero Escape 150 Power Pack which offers portable plug-in power on the go. Offering up to 150 watt-hours of rechargeable power replenished by solar power or a regular outlet, it'll keep you constantly connected, giving you one less thing to stress about while you're on vacation. That's what you wanted, right?

Looking to light a little fire this summer? Swedish-made FireSteel's Spark Starter can light pretty much anything at any altitude. You can trust us, or you can trust the Swedish Department of Defense, which the FireSteel was originally developed for. Approved also by the International Survival Instructors Association, we're confident it can handle any Canadian campfire this summer.

Whether it's an itsy-bitsy fear or a huge paranoia, spider removal can make many of us squeamish. Take the long arm of the law into your hands with the Long-Handled Spider Catcher from Lee Valley. A quick squeeze grip and soft bristles make this a win-win for you and the spider. You eliminate the spider from the tent, chair, deck, and the spider gets safety relocated—perhaps up the water spout?

For the inevitable scrapes, splinters and sores, consider the Pocket Medic, an outdoor adventure-packing necessity. Containing everything from bandages to splinter pickers to antiseptic towelettes and folding scissors, it'll offer sterile solutions for whatever the kids or adults get into while being out there. Did we mention the Tick Remover Forceps? Happy camping!

Always putting your foot in it? Nothing stinks more than a foot full of feces. Since there's a solution for everything these days, give your doggie droppings a place to go that'll keep the lawn clean for the kids. The Doggy Dooley Enzyme Waste Management System is a backyard canine waste disposal unit that reduces pet wastes to a ground absorbing liquid, harmless to pets, wildlife, trees, shrubs and bushes. It'll keep your lawn from looking like a big dump, too.

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