outdoors

A map to light lost hikers' way

You're lost in the woods and it's getting darker. Wouldn't it be nice if the two items most essential to you finding your way out before night falls (not counting a GPS unit) were rolled into one convenient little package? Boston-based designer Owen Song has come up with just such a contraption. The Light is a map that can double as a flashlight.

The concept device consists of two sheets of paper, one with a map printed on it, the other a cover sheet with two electrodes on the back. Between the papers is a thin battery … Read more

Perfect thin-crust pizza, right in your back yard

Here's one way to weather the economic downturn: Stop paying restaurant prices for wood-fired pizza and artisanal bread, and instead invest that money in a Kalamazoo Outdoor Artisan Pizza Oven.

Made of stainless steel for safe outdoor use, the Kalamazoo oven echoes the classic dome shape of Italian wood-fired ovens. The cooking surface is a crust-friendly professional composite baking stone, while the low, arched top reflects heat back at your food for even cooking. Using your choice of liquid propane or natural gas, the oven heats to temperatures ranging from 250 degrees to 800 degrees Fahrenheit; an integrated wood … Read more

Dacor's outdoor refrigerator keeps the party going

Summer is fading away and turning into fall. Baseball pennant races are heating up and the football season is just getting underway. Some teams have hope, while others look forward to next year. However, just because the seasons are changing, doesn't mean the end of outdoor get-togethers.

This Epicure 24-inch Outdoor Refrigerator from Dacor can keep your party supplied all the way through to winter. The stainless-steel finish protects a surprisingly large capacity. With the ability to hold up to 124 cans or 50 bottles (750 ml), there's no reason to pry yourself away from the fun to … Read more

Mosaic fire pit looks nicer than a hole in the ground

Like fire? Have a backyard? Would you like to have a fire in your backyard? Well, you could dig a pit deep enough to safely contain a large conflagration, but that could get messy, not to mention deep--like deep in the ground. And you'd have to bend down to clean out ashes, and it is a hole in the ground after all. I don't know about you, but holes in the ground tend to sneak up on me.

Fear not, my fire pit friends. The Slate-and-marble Mosaic-top Gas Fire Pit from Frontgate takes all your pyromaniacal urges into … Read more

Bring your indoor kitchen out

Who says good style can only be achieved with the help of an interior designer? Creators of the Luxius outdoor kitchen from Newtrend beg to differ, showing us that sometimes, the key to great interior design is a good exterior.

The kitchen combines contemporary style with top-end materials to create a model-home-worthy kitchen in front of an unconventional background. The kitchen is customizable, so you can add or subtract cabinets and cooking equipment to suit your specific outdoor cooking needs.

The kitchen pictured has a Boretti Black Mezzo cooktop with a cast-iron hotplate and six burners (four burners plus a … Read more

A table that thinks it's a storage shed

The summer months are waning, but if you're anything like me, you'll continue eating outside until the evening frost calls for winter coats. Whether I'm on vacation, on my day off, or on my lunch break, it's tough to find anything as instantaneously liberating and relaxing as eating outdoors.

If you have a deck or patio and you share my sentiments about al fresco dining, then, chances are, you own deck furniture. But, what happens to your blessed table and chairs in the winter months?

I don't have a deck, or a patio, or a … Read more

Oxygen-making backpack a breath of fresh air

Out of Japan comes word of a backpack containing a battery-powered oxygen generator. It's doubtful that you'll need the O2 Bag if you're going for a Sunday afternoon stroll in the park near your house (unless the park near your house happens to be Yosemite). But if you're ascending to higher elevations, it could prove a nice alternative to bottled oxygen supplements.

The backpack's maker, Japanese adventure supply company Ymup, is touting the product as a first. It can even be operated via remote control, potentially helpful if you find yourself climbing, biking, or trekking … Read more

Waterproof tech: Gadgets that like to swim

Summer's in full swing here in the Northern Hemisphere. People have warmed up the grills, busted out the bug spray, and taken the covers off the pools. Swimming is the ultimate summer luxury in my book, but what to do about all those tech toys with water phobia? Most of them should stay far from the pool, unless of course one happens to be an iPod, which has a variety of waterproof cases made just for it. There's even one with a speaker built right in. And while I don't suggest trading in all your gadgets based … Read more

Dacor's outdoor fridge serves a big BBQ

If you are like me, your patio has more in common with a dirty playground than the "indoor living room with complete kitchen amenities," that appliance maker Dacor envisions.

That's a nice vision. If it's your vision...and a big ol' cooler on the patio or porch doesn't cut it during backyard parties, and a full-size fridge is totally out of the question (next to the garden is rather excessive), this refrigerator from Dacor might be the thing for you.

The Epicure outdoor refrigerator is designed to match nicely with Dacor's outdoor grills, which … Read more