10 Great Outdoor Gadgets

July 08, 2010, By Bruce Tyson 7 comments

Warm weather draws more people outdoors as people participate in a variety of sports and hobby activities. Often this means that gadget lovers have to “rough it” away from the beloved treasures that make life inside comfortable. Here are 10 outdoor gadgets that will help make outside more civilized.

Portable Power Generators

A variety of high tech mini wind turbines, hydroelectric packs, and solar chargers are available that can keep your batteries charged without needing an AC outlet. Those who think of technology as a toy will have to eat their words when they see you watching movies, playing games, and charging your gadgets while they sit in darkness with nothing to do. These are great backup devices for storms or power outages (or at least you can justify the cost that way). Price: $140 and up depending on the size and power.

Solar Tents

Far from being a toy, solar tents are gadgets you can live in. Whether camping out in the mountains or in the backyard, this tent will store up power to produce a pleasant glow, creating a beautiful spectacle for others to enjoy while you enjoy some of the best outdoor amenities available. You might want to camp near a road, however, because some solar tents are heavy.

Price: $60 - $250 or more depending on the manufacturer and size.

Inflatable Spa

Outdoor gadgets can bring some of the amenities of home with you outside. Whether you're in the yard or at a campsite, as long as you have power, you can "rough it" in style with an inflatable hot tub. Perfect for all sorts of outside get-togethers, these handy gadgets with built-in filtration have room for six.

Price: $500 and up.

Water Weapons

Gadget lovers will enjoy the blend of excessive fire power and electronic targeting controls as high tech merges with brute force in the great outdoors. No gadget lover should do without when it comes to Special Forces operations. From sniper operations to “shock and awe,” water weapons are out there to give you the tactical advantage over an enemy armed with toys.

Price: $8 and up.

Flying Toys

Some outdoor gadgets really are toys. Who says you need batteries and remote controls to have fun outside, especially when you have science on your side? Toys that feature gyroscopic flight aids launch saucers, cups, and a variety of other designs into the air for amazing and entertaining flights.

Price: Starting at $10.

Water Purifiers

So you like the outdoors, but you don’t like the idea of sharing waterholes with deer, frogs, and other critters? You need a water purifier. These handy devices come in a variety of sizes, some small enough to fit inside a pocket. Use ultraviolet models to eliminate messy chemicals and add a healthy dose of technology into your water supply.

Price: $25 and up.

Solar Coffee/Tea Makers

While many gadgets for outdoor survival focus on generating power to operate some of the comforts of home while living outside, others – like solar coffee and tea makers – harness the power of the sun to make delicious hot coffee and tea.

Price: Starting at $20.

Mobile Lighting

Everyone needs light while outside in the dark – how else do you read, navigate trails, and make your way to the outhouse? From high tech head-mounted lighting to LED space lighting, gadget lovers can find a variety of exciting gizmos that relieve the boredom of regular flashlights.

Price: $14 and up.

Bruce Tyson is an expert on everything gadget. He provides contract IT consulting along with freelance writing and is a contributor to Six Apart Media.

Comments (7):

Mark H. I agree with Dennis... this is a terrible article and a waste of time. I clicked here on a link from CNN.com because the title was interesting/promising, but turned out to be simply misleading. - 09/15/2010

Dennis C. What, exactly, was the purpose of this? All that Bruce Tyson did was list 10 generic items, for instance portable spa. Without giving us any specific examples of this item, or comparing and contrasting different manufacturer's products, what we are left with is a waste of time and space. A shopping list that read 1) meat 2) vegetable 3) fruit 4) beverage 5) snack food wouldn't really be a shopping list now would it? So my question is why would this, (let's call it a note for lack of a better term) be considered a worth while item for your readers, and it also brings to question Bruce Tyson's credentials, or lack thereof, for writing such a piece. A simple web search would have brought a number of items for each number in this list, giving your readers specific starting points in their quest for great outdoor gadgets, so either Mr. Tyson was too lazy too look for these items (I am guessing that as and IT Consultant he has heard of Google), or your standard of journalism is "don't print it if they don't pay for it", meaning that you won't list any manufacturer or product that isn't directly supported by advertising and that Mr. Tyson is perfectly fine attaching his name and reputation to such a policy. The only other possible reason for this note would be that Mr. Tyson turned in this piece and the editor thought "Eh, no one is going to read this anyway". I LOVE gadgets, in fact I have a solar tent company in my bookmarks, as well as two inflatable kayak companies (I didn't see inflatable watercraft listed did I?), and so I look for articles in the genre all the time. What really bothers me is when I waste my time reading what turns out to be little more than a "half-baked" list of words, with no supporting data. Solar Tents were said to be $60 and up? Really? Who makes a $60 solar tent, and what are it's specs? I understand that the internet holds content to a MUCH different standard than print journalism, or the standard print journalism carried in the past, but this is little more than a poorly thought out excuse for a paper that even a Junior High School teacher would have failed. I am not sure if I am more angered by the waste of my time in reading this, or that it is more evidence of a world striving to reach mediocrity with it's efforts and failing miserably in the attempt. - 09/12/2010

Zee Voo V. OH wow, OK thats some pretty cool stuff. www.anon-surf.at.tc - 09/04/2010

Mike B. This is a weak article, It just sounds like fluffer. What about the mobile hammock? What about the true outdoor articles every man brings? Like the multiple spatula/meat-cutter/bottle opener? This sounds like an article written by a city-boy and that's why I'm the only one to respond a month later. - 08/26/2010

Doug S. How is this an article? Its as if the writer is just coming up with stuff off the top of his head. Clearly filler here. Also, who gets "bored" of flashlights? - 08/21/2010

Steve S. This list is utterly useless. At least provide an amazon link for examples of each product listed. Derp. - 08/04/2010

Ariston Servisi A. thanx for text :) - 07/31/2010