Conquering the Great Outdoors, From Bugs to Baseball

New York Times:

" BRUNTON SOLARPORT CHARGER

When closed, the Brunton SolarPort 4.4 charger ($120; www.brunton.com) is about the size of a case that holds two CD's, and it weighs just 19 ounces, making it among the smallest of solar panels. But its rigid solar cell has enough power to recharge most hand-held electronic devices or four AA or AAA batteries.

Devices can be linked directly to the panel with a standard U.S.B. cable, or connected to the panel's 12-volt socket with cables designed to be used in car cigarette lighters.


MIOX PURIFIER

More vital than keeping gadgets charged on long trips, however, is having clean water. Back-country travelers have long relied on tablets that are either costly or give purified water an unpleasant metallic flavor and an unappealing yellow tinge.

Mountain Safety Research, a division of Cascade Designs, and better known as M.S.R., has a battery-powered way around those issues: the Miox Purifier ($130; www.msrgear.com). This pocket-size water purification device, which was developed in conjunction with the United States military, uses a small amount of your unpotable water at hand and common salt to create a purifying solution within an electrolytic cell. That solution is then poured into a container of unpotable water (up to four liters can be treated). The treatment time varies, from about 15 minutes for bacteria and viruses to 30 minutes for cryptosporidium.


THERAPIK INSECT-BITE RELIEVER

Insects are, of course, the bane of anyone who spends time outdoors. The Therapik insect-bite reliever ($25; www.leevalley.com; click on Item Search) uses electronics rather than chemicals to relieve the itching and pain that follows.

Developed in France, the device works on the principle that most insect venoms can be neutralized with heat. In this case, the heat is 120 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit and generated from a standard nine-volt battery. The Therapik works best if applied soon after the insect bites.