Seven top eco gadgets for your next outdoor adventure

Enjoy the great outdoors without leaving a footprint.

Whether it’s a day’s hiking or a week-long camping adventure, getting outdoors is great fun and it’s good for the soul. And thanks to some pretty nifty tech you don’t need to rough it, either (unless you want to!).

These clever gadgets and gizmos mean you can delve into the wilderness without giving up modern conveniences – and as they’re all eco-friendly, you’ll be showing Mother Nature even more appreciation.

1. A smokeless stove that turns heat into electricity

Cooking outdoors doesn’t have to be a chore. BioLite’s compact camping stove starts up instantly and only needs a handful of kindling to get going – no propane or gas canisters required. As an added bonus, it comes with a thermoelectric element which converts waste heat from your cooking fire into electricity, which can be used to charge any USB device.

Get it from gooutdoors.co.uk for £129.99

2. Organic firelighters

Or, if you’re keen on campfire cooking the old school way, try these eco-friendly organic firelighters from Green Olive instead. They’re easy to light, give off no chemical aromas and are made from wood biomass and vegetable oil.

Get them from campingworld.co.uk for £2.99

3. A super-efficient solar power bank

Unless you’re planning on going totally off-grid – which isn’t advisable unless you’re a pro outdoorsman – then you’ll need to keep your devices juiced up. There are loads of solar-powered chargers on the market, but this waterproof battery pack from ADDTOP offers a lot of specs for a decent price. The device has enough capacity to charge a smartphone up to 10 times, and will charge up to six times faster than other solar power packs – it also includes a built-in LED flashlight that supports SOS signalling.

Get it from amazon.co.uk for £38.99

4. Compostable plates

Forget lugging around clunky metal plates or relying on dreaded plastic, these 100% natural and chemical-free plates are made from naturally fallen Areca leaves. They’re strong and sturdy, and even fridge- and microwave-safe. Once you’re finished with them, simply bury them in the ground or pop them in the compost – they’re completely biodegradable and will eventually turn into nutrient-rich material.

Get a pack of 25 from disposablegreen.co.uk for £7.99

5. A water filtering bottle

Get the taste and convenience of bottled water without the plastic – and without having to carry heavy bottles along on your outdoor adventure – with a clever water filtration bottle from Water-to-Go. Its filters combine traditional and nano technologies to produce clean, safe drinking water from any fresh or saltwater source, so you can enjoy crisp, cool water straight from a river or the sea.

Get a 50cl bottle from watertogo.eu for £14.99

6. A multifunctional buff

Who’d have thought a tubular piece of microfiber material could be so versatile? Buff’s multifunctional headwear can be worn as a cap, a scarf, a headband, a balaclava… you name it. And now many of the company’s products are made from recycled plastic bottles. This is an outdoor accessory that’ll prove its mettle come wind, hail or sun, while doing its bit for the planet.

Get it from buff.com, from £16.34

7. A solar shower

Need to freshen up? Why would you waste handfuls of wet wipes when you could have an actual shower, instead? This solar-powered shower from Decathlon holds eight litres of water, comes with an on/off switch to avoid wastage and only needs to be left in the sun for a couple of hours to warm up to a very pleasant temperature. It’s pressurised, too, so you don’t even need to hang it up!

Get it from decathlon.co.uk for £34.99

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The information in this article was correct at the time of writing and is provided for guidance only. Please see the full disclaimer in our terms and conditions.

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