Gift shopping can be tough for the fussiest among us. The popular trendy gifts are boring, and often times our friends end up just asking for a gift card so they can pick something out themselves anyway.
But crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo have revolutionized the process of picking out that truly unique gift while also helping small companies flourish. Plus, these early campaigns usually offer significant pricing deals over retail as a reward for helping boost the products early on.
So it’s this love of all things crowdfunded and unique that led me to compile a list of my own favorite tech-savvy gifts for the survivalist, prepper, RVer, or camper in your life.
This list is current for the month of April 2021, but many campaigns only last 30-45 days. I plan to do these lists more regularly each month so keep an eye out for more soon!
Off-Grid Power Supplies
Sungzu 2500Wh Portable Power Station
End Date: April 27, 2021 (Indiegogo)
The Sungzu’s key features include its lightweight portability in a durable aluminum case with wheels. Bundles available that include a portable solar panel.
Bluetti EP500 and EP500Pro Home Backup Power Station
End Date: May 22, 2021 (Kickstarter)
Bluetti is a trusted name in portable power and these are some of their biggest stations yet offering up to 5100Wh in high quality MPPT solar controller capability. These are mostly advertised as a backup battery power source for on-grid homes, but it can also be used as a solar station for an off-grid home.
ElecHive 2500Wh Portable Power Station
End Date: Ongoing (Indiegogo InDemand)
The company that brought you the portable AC unit ZeroBreeze is now producing portable power stations that are ultra lightweight (34 lbs) and tiny (12.6in x 9.8in) but still pack an impressive power capacity (2500Wh). A ZeroBreeze Bundle is also available.
Pecron S1500 Portable Power Station
End Date: May 16, 2021 (Indiegogo)
Another one that focuses on portability, this one is only 25lbs but has a smaller capacity than the ElecHive and Sungzu at 1500Wh. It also has an option for a portable solar panel bundle, too.
ScoutPro 24000mAh Portable Power Bank
End Date: May 6, 2021 (Kickstarter)
This power bank features an impressive capacity for something that can fit in your back pocket. It features pass-through charging (so you can input and output power at the same time), Lithium Graphene batteries (as used by Tesla), and it has a lifetime warranty!
PowerBen 40200mAh Portable Power Bank
End Date: May 9, 2021 (Indiegogo)
This one is a bit larger than the ScoutPro but packs almost twice the power capacity. The PowerBen Lite is also available through this campaign at a much smaller size and still 24000mAh capacity.
Camping Gear
Genstove- The Gas Stove Powered Generator
End Date: May 5, 2021 (Kickstarter)
This little stove hooks up to a small gas canister (both propane and butane models available) to work as both a camp stove and a device charger that harvests electricity from the stove itself. Some bundles include a light, firestarter, and pouch.
Seedtime: The Fastest Way to Plan Your Garden Ever
End Time: Ongoing (Indiegogo InDemand)
For those of us into growing our own food, Seedtime is a great app for planning everything from planting, transplanting, harvesting, and more. It includes full garden and farm organization tools catered to your specific growing season and area — all in one app.
ROTO-Q 360 : The Non-Electric Rotisserie Cooking Machine
End Time: Ongoing (Indiegogo InDemand)
I’m in love with this tiny (5.5lb) foldable gadget that allows you to rotisserie a chicken over a campfire with no electricity. There are also a ton of accessories that you can get, including baskets, cages, skewers, and even a foldable grill attachment. This one is definitely made with campers in mind and it fits easily into a bug-out-bag.
Manoli Cast Iron Skillet with Removable Handle
End Time: May 6, 2021 (Kickstarter)
Cast iron cookware is all the rage these days, and for good reason. Cast iron is especially great to use while camping, and this skillet features an easy-to-remove handle that allows you to cook your meal without cooking the handle. It’s also handy for packing away easily.
Survival Tools
PYK – The Multi-Tool Designed To Make A Difference
End Time: April 19, 2021 (Kickstarter)
The PYK is a clever little multi-tool that not only features several useful tools in one small, efficient tool, but it is also made of antimicrobial brass that allows you to use it to open and touch surfaces that you might not ordinarily want to touch.
WOWSTICK: The Metal One-Piece Mini Electric Hand Drill
End Time: April 27, 2021 (Kickstarter)
The Wowstick is a tiny, portable battery-powered drill that is the size of a pen but still packs some impressive drilling torque. It’s fully rechargeable through its USB-C port and comes with 8 high quality drill bits. You just never know when you’ll need a small drill when you’re in a survival situation, and this one is small enough to fit in your front shirt pocket.
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