The weather's getting warmer, and that means more outdoor activities, like mountain biking, camping, riding out hurricanes, watching the search for lost hikers on the news...

Whenever I see those searches I'm thinking: "Where's this idiot's compass? Didn't he figure a flashlight might come in handy when he set out into the woods?" I've never hiked in the woods and even I know that. So here's a quick tip from Captain Obvious: If you're planning on spending any time away from civilization or in the path of a hurricane, make sure you've got some safety gear, something that tells you what direction you're going in, and something to light up your way at night. And that's at the very least.

Here are a couple of products from Life+Gear you might want to keep in your backpack or glove compartment. Just to keep you from being the lead story on the evening news.

Their 6-in-1 Personal Safety Device (left in the pic) packs a bunch of essential gear into a small, battery-less, crank-powered package. Thirty seconds of cranking will power the 5 LED flashlight for over an hour. Hopefully long enough to guide you back to camp after wandering off to answer nature's call. If you do get in trouble, the light can be set as a signal flasher, while a 130 Db siren calls for help, or scares off that bear whose den you just wandered into. A compass is built into the crank handle and an FM radio lets you listen to emergency reports, or just some tunes. If your cell phone, or other electronic device, has a dead battery, you can use the 6-in-1 to charge it.

For more serious camping, the slightly larger and heavier LifeLight lantern has the same features as the 6-in-1, and adds a few more. Its 15 LEDs give it enough light to brighten the whole campsite (just be prepared to wind one full minute for every 45 of light), with red LEDs added to its flashing signal. There's also a night light in case your girl is afraid of the dark. And it can act as an external speaker for your iPod or other MP3 player. If the campsite has a power source, and you're tired of cranking, you can run the LifeLite on three AAA batteries, or DC power with the included adapter.

Or you can hope Search and Rescue finds you in time.

$34.95 6-in-1
$69.95 LifeLight
www.lifegearcompany.com