Here is another simple but useful gadget from Coleman. Their Key Carabiner with a built-in white LED light & compass. Batteries included, too!

Aside from being used as a key holder one can improvise and also use this product as a campground marker. Now how would one do that? Secure the key carabiner onto something, maybe a small rope attached to your vehicle’s roofrack, or attached to your tent poles, or hang it from a tree on the border of your campsite. Turn on the LED light and leave it hanging. This way your camp buddies will know where the “border” of the campsite is and should stay within the relative safety of the campsite. We all know one of the advantages of LED bulbs is it is highly efficient as compared to traditional incandescent bulbs. Using this key carabiner as a campsite marker and leaving it overnight, or at least until when the camp master deems it safe to take down for the night, it won’t drain your batteries and leave you with drained batteries in the middle of nowhere.

Needless to say the built-in LED light feature works great as a regular flashlight; in the car, in the cinemas, in the tent, outside the tent when one needs to go to the bathroom, etc. Bright enough to give ample light, but not bright enough to disturb other people.

In the city I use this as a regular key holder for my car key. It allows me to easily attach it to my Deuter Nordic 300 Hip Pack or to my belt loop. It also holds some keys that I need to borrow, or keys that are asked to be held onto. As long as it’s attached to my car key there’s very little chance the borrowed/kept key(s) will be misplaced.

The built-in compass serves as a security blanket of some sort. It’s there when you need it but is out of the way when not in use. And who doesn’t want to have a compass when going to the trails? It’s the one simple thing that can help you navigate your way back to civilization when you get lost.

Like I said at the start of this article: it’s a simple yet useful gadget.