Portable hot tub?  That heats the water with wood?  I guess I haven’t seen it all.  The Portable Wood Burning Hot Tub is a handmade, relatively light weight, portable hot tub that requires no electricity,  hot water, or plumbing.  The polyester tub has a stainless steel heat coil that uses wood to provide hot water. While fire heats the water in the coil, the hot water will rise and be pushed into the top of the tube.  Natural circulation occurring for 2 and a half hours will get the temp over 100 degrees in the tube!  Not bad.  Just a few issues to overcome.  One, it weighs about 165 lbs.  Not something you want to drag around on a regular basis.  Two, you need wood.  Something else to carry and if it takes up to 3 hours to warm the water, you are going to need a decent amount of wood.  Three, and this is my favorite obstacle, you need 200 gallons of water!  I’d like to know how the two love birds above filled it up?

$6,000 gets you portable bliss: Portable Wood Burning Hot Tub
(via Incredible Things)

Auh yes, the days of carrying that snow saucer sled up the hill are over.  Just slip these SnowShorts over your winter gear and get an instant saucer sled ass to fly down the hill.  Need some control?  No problem, just shift your new ass from side to side to steer your way down.  Once the ride is over, just stand up, walk up, and repeat.  The snow is coming…  Are you ready?

$35 – Orvis Pull–on SnowShorts (via Kid Crave)

The baby mobile has migrated outside to help birds all over the world.  The FLENSTED Birdfeeder Mobile is a handcrafted work of art that can be hung outside to feed the overcrowded bird population in your area.  Watch as multiple birds feast on seeds and bob up and down on the mobile.  One word of advice, don’t put the pack and play under it.

$54 (includes shipping) – FLENSTED Birdfeeder Mobile (via Outblush)

I recently had a chance to review the Cooler Light from Coghlan’s – a single LED light that attaches to the underside of your cooler’s lid and illuminates the contents when open.

Pretty neat, huh? I mean, how many times have you sat around the campfire, gone to the cooler to grab a drink and suddenly realized you can’t see what’s inside? Ya, we’ve all been there.

Anyway, the Cooler Light is really easy to set-up:

That’s it. From there, the simple motion achieved by opening the lid will cause the light to come on. The light is soft but focused and shuts off after 20 seconds (even if the lid is still open) to help preserve the batteries – which are included, a definite plus.

The Experiment:
I enlisted 5 of my closest male friends (who all thought it was a cool gadget, btw) and all the beer we could carry for a full weekend of boating and testing.

Over the course of the weekend, the cooler was opened over 80 times, I kept count as much as I could. There were a few instances where the light flickered a bit, but the majority of the time it worked without incident – providing just enough light to see the contents, without being overly harsh on the eyes. It’s also water-resistant and you can use it on coolers with hinged or flat lids.

The Verdict:
I can’t vouch for how long the batteries would last with prolonged use, or what the effects of constant motion (walking with the cooler, having it move around in a boat, etc) would do to the battery life – I’d probably need a full summer of testing to get a true idea.

But for the few days we tested it, and for just under $10, it’s a great little gadget, works well, and adds some convenience to your life when partying at night.

Coghlan’s Cooler Light

The Coleman 36-Quart Electronic Cooler is a cooler and portable entertainment center in one!

Featuring a built-in AM/FM radio and weather band, the cooler is also equipped with a digital clock, 1/2-watt speakers and jacks for your MP3 player and headphones.

Coleman Electronic Cooler

Get ready for football season and tailgate parties with the Margaritaville Ride-Behind Tailgating Grill. This propane grill comes with a patented swing-out traveling arm so you can hitch the grill to your vehicle and take the party with you anywhere, anytime!

The arm attaches to any auto with a standard 2″ hitch receiver. When you arrive at your favorite sporting event or camping spot, simply swing out the grill from your vehicle and use the built-in push-button electric starter to fire up the grill in minutes. Portable, convenient, and one less thing to take up room inside the car!

Margaritaville Tailgating Grill via Auto Motto

I guess geeking out by the grill is becoming the norm these days.  The Digital Barbecue Tongs brings yet another gadget to the outdoor manly sanctuary, known as the grill.  Though it kinda takes away from the caveman aspect of cooking on the grill, it is a useful gadget if you are looking to cook your food to a desired temperature.  Just give that hunk of meat a squeeze and the internal sensor measures the foods temp.  Alarms will sound when it’s ready to consume.  There are seven preset meat types and one custom option.  It’s marketed for the outdoor grill but, I could see its use for in the kitchen as well…   Oh, by the way, it also has a build in LED flashlight!

Highlights:

Backyard birds need a drink year round and come winter, the bird baths freeze over.  Enter the Happy Bird Solar Sipper.  No, it’s not a spa for birds.  It’s a solar heated, portable drinking water station for birds.  The insulated chamber, using it’s dark cover, is designed to draw warmth from the sun and keep water from freezing down to 15 degree Fahrenheit (assuming the sun is out).   The included mounting bracket and flat bottom allow for use just about anywhere.  So, while you are inside by the fire, drinking your hot coco… give the birds a drink too…

Highlights: