June 01, 2006|By COX NEWS SERVICE
Glo-Toob Fx
$29.99 from lapolicegear.com
This virtually indestructible miniature glowlight is tough enough for Navy SEALs to use in combat situations, so parties on the patio or your favorite campsite should be a breeze. It features seven modes, including flash, beacon strobe, SOS and constant illumination. Solidly constructed of aluminum and clear epoxy, this 3-inch wonder has been proven to work at submerged depths of 11,500 feet. A single 12-volt battery is included and provides up to 30 hours of constant use. Replacement batteries cost about $3.
Grilliput
$29.99 from Amazon.com
This tiny barbecue grill features a compact, self-storing design, making it small enough to fit in any hiker's backpack. Stainless steel and weighing just over a pound, the easy-to-assemble grill measures 9 inches by 11 inches and can be stored in a tube roughly the size of a flute when the cooking is done.
Swedish FireSteel
$15.99 at Thinkgeek.com
Forget rubbing sticks together and turn to Swedish FireSteel to get a fire started. By moving a thin metal blade across the FireSteel rod, outdoorsmen and backyard grillmeisters can create thousands of 5,500-degree sparks that handily light gas grills, coals or, with a bit of patience, a campfire. It even works wet.
Dah-1500i mobiBLU Cube 1GB MP3 Flash Player
$129.99 from target.com
A built-in FM radio and enough memory to play back hundreds of songs make the mobiBLU Cube too hip to be square. It's small enough to wear as jewelry (but please don't). The miniature cube plays radio tunes or MP3s. A USB cable connection recharges the built-in lithium battery and makes it a snap to transfer files into the 1 gigabyte flash memory. Blue LEDs display song information and the time.
