Gear Guide: Campsite Conveniences

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These gear picks are useful year-round for road-trips, RVing, chalet and cottage weekends, and for car-camping: that time-worn Canadian tradition of driving right up to a campsite for a family vacation or weekend getaway.

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MotoMaster Eliminator 750 A Lithium-Ion Booster Pack and Power Bank

With its tagline ‘made for driving in Canada,’ heritage brand Motomaster is part of Canadian Tire’s extensive private label product portfolio: everything from long-lasting tires to batteries, engine oils, wipers and auto parts. The MotoMaster Eliminator 750 A Lithium-Ion Booster Pack and Power Bank jump-starts dead batteries in vehicles with engines up to 5.0 L (gas) and 2.5L (diesel). An advanced lithium-ion battery delivers up to 20 jump starts on a single charge – and holds that charge in storage for up to a year. Useful for family road -trips, its 2.1A USB output also enables charging of smartphones, tablets, cameras and wireless speakers, perfect for a site with no power. A built-in multi-mode LED flashlight keeps families prepared for outdoor expeditions.

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MotoMaster Eliminator 750 A Lithium-Ion Booster Pack and Power Bank, $109.99, www.canadiantire.ca

VSSL Flashlight and Build-Your-Own Utility Tools

A darling of magazines like Outside, Men’s Fitness, American Frontiersman and even Time , Vancouver-based VSSL Outdoor Utility Tools makes flashlights whose battery compartments hold tiny, powerful LED lights, leaving their tubular handles to pack with essential outdoor gear. Lightweight and space-saving, these flashlights offer the flexibility of mix-and-match tool inserts. Options – to name but a few – include fishing tackle, four-hour pure Canadian beeswax candle, a razor blade, Aquatabs for water purification, a wire saw (high-tensile, 60-lb working strength with handle straps), a campfire kit with waterproof matches and Tinder Quik fire-starters, marine-grade rope (250-lb breaking strength), reflective trail markers, or a P38 military GI Type can opener. Coming soon is VSSL’s next-generation flashlight , a completely waterproof redesign, backed with a lifetime warranty, and boasting key upgrades such as a new 4-mode LED light and compass.

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VSSL Flashlight and Build-Your-Own Utility Tools, various prices,  www.vsslgear.com

Outdoor Blankets from Kammok and Rumpl

Down or synthetic-filled outdoor blankets are a snuggly, lightweight insulator for different travel needs and outdoor conditions. Try Kammok’s Firebelly Trail Quilt to top your RV’s bed, or have it by the picnic table to cut the evening chill. Firebelly is rated to -34C, and is filled with 750-loft, water-repellent DownTek, which absorbs 30-percent less water and dries 60-percent faster than classic down. It’s redesigned to be 20-percent larger than the original Firebelly, yet barely an ounce heavier. Meanwhile, competitor brand Rumpl has launched its new National Park Collection placing emphasis on stunning designs. Six blankets in this collection depict scenes from different U.S. national parks (like Joshua Tree or the Grand Canyon) and some proceeds go to the National Park Foundation. Curl up in one in the car or layer it over a hammock. Both the Kammok and Rumpl blankets pack easily into space-saving stuff sacs. Plus, it can’t hurt to keep it in the car through the long- cold winter in case of emergencies.

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Kammok’s Firebelly Trail Quilt , $299, kammok.com ; Rumpl’s National Park Collection Puffy Blankets, $129, www.rumpl.com

N-Range and Fusion2Go 3.0 RV Cell Signal Boosters

If you need to stay connected while camping, signal boosters can help eliminate dropped calls and poor reception on the fringes of cellular networks. An RV version of SureCall’s popular cell signal booster , SureCall’s Fusion2Go 3.0 RV uses a high-power antenna to capture the weak signal outside of an RV or motorhome, boosts the signal and transmits it throughout the vehicle for more reliable voice, text and 4G LTE data. Fusion2Go 3.0 RV works with Canadian carriers large and small, including Bell, Rogers, Telus and Videotron. Meanwhile, the company’s latest product, N-Range, delivers reliable cell phone connectivity for a single phone or smartphone in cars, trucks and other vehicles. With N-Range, a driver or passenger can call, text, use data and run applications without even needing to handle their phone, using a technology that amplifies a signal immediately at its strongest point to boost the signal at maximum power before feeding the signal directly to the device. This model works with every cell carrier in the U.S., Canada and Mexico making it a great choice for snowbirds driving south. Find SureCall products at Canadian retailers like Best Buy Canada and Amazon.ca. All models are easy-to-install and don’t require recurring fees.

SureCall’s Fusion2Go 3.0 RV™ , $449.99, and N-Range , $249.99, www.surecall.com