Holiday gift guides

By Pete Zimowsky and Roger Phillips - 12/17/2008

COLEMAN PORTABLE OVEN

PRIMUS ETAPOWER STOVE This is a stove that bridges the gap between car camping and backpacking. The stove nests into the pot and the lid works as a frying pan. It comes with a case to keep it all together and to separate cooking items from other gear. It runs on isobutane/propane canisters.

Cost: $75 Seen at: Sierra Trading Post (www.sierratradingpost.com) SLEEPING PAD Therm-a-Rest's Fast and Light Series Women's Prolite sleeping pad is the perfect gift for a backpacker or for regular camping.

Cost: From $74 to $84 Seen at: REI (www.REI.com) LIGHTWEIGHT COOKING GEAR Duralite's hard-anodized, nonstick cookware is 20.6 ounces and made for backpacking. It includes 1.5- and 2-liter pots, a pot holder, a dish towel and a stuff sack.

Cost: $79.99 Seen at: Idaho Mountain Touring (www.idahomountaintouring.com) SEA TO SUMMIT KITCHEN SINK Now you can have it all on your camping trip, including the kitchen sink, but this one weighs only a few ounces and takes up a lot less space. This fabric sink folds into a carrying case about 7 inches in diameter, but holds 20 liters and works for washing dishes, a wash basin, dog bowl, or whatever else you need.

Cost: $19.95 Seen at: REI YAMAHA 1,000 WATT GENERATOR Generators are great for charging the batteries on your RV or for other times you need juice outdoors, but they have a reputation for being heavy and loud. Not this one. It weighs 27 pounds, runs as quiet as a purr, and charges an RV battery in about an hour. It runs for 12 hours on one tank of gas.

Cost: $699.99 Seen at: Cabela's (www.cabelas.com) FOLDING STOVE Coleman's Fold ‘N Go two-burner propane camp stove is compact, but offers an extra-large cooking area.

Cost: $99 Seen at: REI WIGGLE YOUR TOES Vibram's Five Fingers shoes are lightweight and make an ideal camp shoe, especially for backpacking. They are being worn by river runners and trail runners.

Cost: From $70 to $90, depending on the style Seen at: VibramFiveFingers.com SEATTLE SPORT SOLAR RADIO This small, lightweight AM/FM radio powers up as soon as the sun hits it. It also has a hand-crank charger for evenings or days when the sun's rays aren't powerful enough to run it. What's really cool is a USB auxiliary outlet that lets you use the hand crank to charge your iPod.

Cost: $36 Seen at: Cascade Outfitters (www.cascadeoutfitters.com) CAMP PILLOW Therm-a-Rest's compressible pillow will make it easy to get a good night's sleep while camping. It only weighs 12 ounces. Perfect for backpacking.

Cost: $27.95 Seen at: REI COLEMAN PORTABLE OVEN Camping ovens have been around a long time, but most of them are aluminum boxes with a burner. Leave it Coleman to come up with one that is usable. It takes a standard green propane bottle and has an instant-start switch. It heats up to 500 degrees and is large enough to accommodate a 13-by-9-inch pan. In simpler terms, it can toast six slices of bread at one time. It is bulky and can't be used inside an RV, but otherwise it works like a real oven.

Cost: $99.99 Seen at: Joe's (www.joessports.com) STERIPEN CLASSICWATER PURIFIER This purifier kills viruses, bacteria and protozoa with ultraviolet light. It disrupts the DNA in the bad stuff so it can't reproduce and make you sick. Lightweight and portable.

Cost: $59.95 (sale) Seen at: Backcountry Edge (www.backcountryedge.com) SUPER-BRIGHT HEADLAMP The Mammut TX1 headlamp is super bright and has super focus. It is great for backpacking, camping, or even biking.

Cost: $79.95 Seen at: REI HANDY CAMP LIGHT The Black Diamond Orbit one-watt LED lantern can be used in full-light mode or reading mode for camping. It operates on four AAA batteries.

Cost: $29.95 Seen at: REI Editor's note: Check your local retailers for similiar products