The Camping Blogger posted a list of the Top 5 Useless camping products and that inspired me to share a list of my own. Though I wouldn’t call any of these products completely useless, I will say that most (if not all) are truly ridiculous.

1. GSI Outdoor Vortex Blender ($79.95 from Backcountry.com).

The GSI Outdoor Vortex is a “portable” blender that’s perfect for all your outdoor adventures (at least, those that don’t require carrying your equipment more than a few yards from the car). The Vortex features a hand crank and a handy vice grip to secure the blender to a picnic table while you wear out your arm grinding ice for margaritas. Thankfully the jar is Lexan so you don’t have to worry about breaking it when the thing goes flying off the table as you crank. Coleman also makes a portable camping blender but thankfully theirs is battery powered.

2. The Love Seat Deluxe by Variety International (currently unavailable from Amazon.com)

Yep, you’ve probably seen those fancy folding camping chairs at your local sporting goods store but you may have missed this one. The Love Seat Deluxe is a two-seater camping chair but we imagine more than a few really fat guys have purchased one of these for themselves. All we need now is a camping sofa and we can recreate our entire living room in the great outdoors!

3. Eureka N!ergy Pillow Dual Speaker ($19.97 from campmor.com)

For those who are completely turned off by the sounds of the outdoors (you know, chirping frogs, rustling leaves, silence), now you can fall asleep to the sounds of Slayer on your iPod with the Eureka N!ergy pillow. We were a little impressed by the whole Eureka N!ergy tent concept a few months back but we’re not quite sure how this fits. The pillow doesn’t even need batteries or an external power source so no need to plug into your N!ergy outlet.

4. GSI Outdoor Adventure Travel Bar ($39.95 from Backcountry.com)

Imagine: on a hike you happen to find some wild mint that would taste great in an ice cold Mojito – but alas, you have no way to mix your drink! Too bad you didn’t bring the GSI Outdoor Adventure Travel Bar along. The 7-piece kit contains two flasks, a couple glasses, and even a cocktail shaker. Refreshing!

5. Portable Urinal and the Lady J (starting at $6.99 from Campmor.com)

As a kid I used to get the Campmor catalog and everytime I saw this thing it cracked me up. No more need to urinate in empty drink bottles on long car trips – just bring along your Portable Urinal or Lady J and you can urinate anywhere you like!

Along the same lines, I also recommend the Bumper Dumper for a more civilized outdoor restroom experience. No more squatting in the bushes – use your car’s bumper to mount a genuine toilet seat! Uncle Booger says you can use the Bumper Dumper with either a bag or a bucket receptacle and for just $69.95 you can get one for your ride!

6. REI Adventure Dog Tent ($40 from REI)

Yep, for $40 you can get your dog his or her own tent to take on your next camping trip. Our dog, Jackson, tends to walk into tent walls – he doesn’t quite grasp the concept of a zippered door for some reason. So, put your dog’s tent near your own – you’ll want to be able to hear your dog when he needs to go outside at night! Suitable for dogs up to 110 pounds.

If you’re looking for a ridiculous product for your camping buddy who has it all this holiday season, this list should at least get you started. Enjoy!

Related posts:

1. Camping as inexpensive family vacation
2. Camping Tip: Leave out the Air Mattress
3. Camping is lost tradition?
4. Top 5 Camping Essentials
5. Take your kids camping

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 20th, 2008 at 5:47 am and is filed under camping. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.