16 Amazing Pocket Products
Take a load off just about anywhere – path, beach, garden, campsite or field – with this Amazing Pocket Chair from 3Cera. Supports (surprisingly) up to 250 pounds. $10.99.
3Cera
This lightweight ‘Basic House,’ made of a metallic polyester, expands to a cube when it interacts with the sun’s heat - or a warm body. The material is reversible: It can be flipped to deflect heat and stay cool inside. By Spanish artist Martin Azua, it’s part of the Museum of Modern Art’s permanent collection in New York.
Idea Connection
This folding stove from Coghlan’s is 6.5" x 6.5" x 5", folds flat for easy carrying, burns canned fuel or solidified alcohol, and has a coated steel construction. A front “door” and sides protect the flame from the elements. About 16 ounces. $10.95.
Coghlan's
Don’t you just hate dealing with clumps of cold, uneven butter? This sleek and heated butter knife, Spread That, weighs just one pound and in 20 seconds starts melting butter without batteries or hot water. Its inner tube of copper alloy draws heat from your palm – and works on cheese, chocolate, jam and more. On Amazon at $19.99.
Spread That
Print a wide range of 3D objects by hand with this product. Weighs a little over a pound and “extrudes heated plastic, which quickly cools and solidifies into a strong, stable structure.” For the 3Doodler plus supplies, $99.
3Doodler
The Jawbone Mini Jambox consists of a Bluetooth speaker that pairs up with an iOS app so you can consolidate your music playlists across audio sources like Spotify and iTunes. On Amazon for $105.
Jawbone
Convert any flat opaque surface into a laser projection keyboard with this mini wireless projector from Sunworld. The virtual keyboard connects via Bluetooth wireless technology to your smartphone, laptop or tablet. On Amazon for $95.
SunWorld
If you’re traveling in Africa where the Ebola virus is devastating thousands of people, a microscope might come in handy. The Foldscope project from Prakash Lab, a research group in Stanford University’s bioengineering department, aims to cut the complexity of diagnostics. While not yet available commercially, the origami-based print-and-fold ‘scope can accommodate standard glass slides – and the lab is open to queries from seriously interested parties.
Prakash Lab
Steal away at lunchtime and catch something. This device from Ronco comes with two bonus lures and includes line, sinkers, hooks and a swivel to get started. Also has a practice weight, and clips to a belt. On Amazon, about $15.
Ronco
Take this on the open road and “share the Internet,” says TP-LINK, the manufacturer. “Just plug the network cable into the TL-WR702N and enter the default password to enjoy the convenience of wireless networking.” $39.99.
TP-Link
The high-tech Matador pocket blanket is “small enough to fold in your pocket but big enough to seat four” for a picnic. It’s also water repellent and puncture resistant. $24.99, or, for the Matador Mini, more of a throw, seats two, $19.99.
Matador
Mobile printers have never looked so good (or been so small). This Zuta Labs creation passes over a sheet of paper, receives your digital documents over Bluetooth, and prints a hard copy onto paper. Reserve through Kickstarter for $180.
Zuta Labs
The Scrubba bag allows you to wash clothes in a hurry. Weighs less than five ounces and has “hundreds of internal Scrubba nodules that efficiently clean your clothes.” Just add water (and a little muscle) to the task. $55.
Scrubba
For a quick visual presentation on the go, the easy-to-use PocketCinema V50 from Aiptek has a two-hour battery life and displays images up to 85 inches. $380.
Aiptek
Tired of eating yet another can of beans during your camping trip? Get inspired by Robyn Davidson, the woman who walked across the Australian outback for nine months with four camels and a dog – and whose story is now a film, Tracks. Watch the whole thing on your phone under the stars – or download the smartphone app, point your phone at photos in the book, and watch clips.
Amazon.com
Available in four lengths – 25 feet, 50 feet, 75 feet and 100 feet – this lightweight and stretchable As Seen on TV Pocket Hose for gardens and landscaping is easy to handle and contracts for storage. Kinkproof, too. At Walmart for $19.99.
As Seen on TV