Top products from r/shutupandtakemymoney

Not to be a downer, but good luck with that. I have a Hennessy Hammock and its quality is top notch backed by a reputable company. Which comes with a mosquito net top and a separate rainfly (tarp) to keep dry with. Plus it fits snug in a tiny pouch that I can put in any backpack of my choosing, be it a small daypack or my 90L Kelty week long excursion type of backpack. Which ever I see the need for at that time.

If I were to suggest anything, it's to find a corner of the market to make your own and build from the ground up there. Your idea seems like a good invention for, say, somebody in college who has a couple hours between a class and doesn't want to drive around everywhere. So they can just set up a hammock on/near campus and chill, do some reading, until class time. These guys will be your bread and butter.

What would these people want? What are their needs? Off the top of my head, quick concept. An upper hidden pouch with speakers to plug an iPod into.

Or a side pouch that houses a rechargeable battery, a good sized one. It has a retractable cord to plug into a phone. So people can hammock around and use their phone or tablet without fear of draining away for the day.

Something versatile for your target market. Because if you try and replicate what other companies are already doing and go after their customer base, and you can't do it better than them... then why would I (customer) want to buy yours instead?

I don't know about the Avalon specifically, but its possible in many cars. You'll have to exercise some Google-fu.

A whole bunch of factory head units, especially on nicer cars starting in the early 2000s, have aux inputs on the back of the unit. Before an aux input became a standard equipment expectation, it was often a dealer-installed option (i.e. plugging in and running an aux cable) or used to wire up a CD changer (which you can often unwire and replace with an aux in).

For instance, here's what I installed in my car: http://www.amazon.com/BMW-82-11-149-389/dp/B000PA00XM#productDetails. $36 on Amazon for OEM, or you can hunt around on eBay or other smaller sites and probably find an OEM one for $25 or a knock off for $15. Literally just plugs into the back of the unit, then you run it to wherever you want, but typically the glovebox is easiest.

Optionally, I also discretely mounted a small ~$40 bluetooth/A2DP receiver (this guy, much nicer than OP, gets power from the car and also doubles as a USB power plug) on the dash next to the stereo and ran its wire under the trim into the glovebox to connect to the 3.5mm aux. It works/sounds great and I mostly use the bluetooth since its nice to not have to fiddle with wires every time I get in/out of the car, but I can also unplug the bluetooth and plug straight in to the 3.5mm plug in the glovebox.

I hiked the AT last year and saw some people using these solar battery combo things in the beginning. Never after the first month. They're absolutely useless.

To get any sort of meaningful charge in a decent amount of time, you need something at least this size, and the lightest I found was the Brunton Solaris Series. I personally own the Brunton 4 watt, and have used it occasionally, but it still takes hours of sitting in the sun for any meaningful charge.

The best solution for traveling/hiking/portable power is to just use a rechargeable battery like Anker's 5600mAh. It gives roughly 2.5 full charges on an iphone, weighs less than any of the solar panels (including OP's), can be fully recharged (again, providing multiple charges to your phone) in a couple hours while eating lunch, and even has a backup flashlight if you need it. Or use two, or a larger one like this 13000mAh. That's a solid 5, maybe 6 full iPhone charges for less than 11 ounces.

On the AT, I started with a combo of the brunton panel and the anker battery. The panel was strapped on the back of my pack all day, but mostly not in direct sunlight. That combo worked for the most part (on sunny days), and kept me charged. But then I wanted to cut weight and decided that even the panel could be sent back home, because the battery alone would hold me for the few days between towns (being able to recharge it). So most of the trek was done with a single Anker 5600mAh. As for iphone use, I mostly just took pictures and sent texts. I did not normally use airplane mode, but did turn off wifi/bluetooth. I also just didn't use the phone a lot in general, and certainly not the battery-draining gps. Other than that, there wasn't any special battery management.

tl;dr: Unless you're literally not going to be in contact with civilization for more than several days, use a battery. And if you are off the grid, use a much larger solar panel.

*edit for some clarification

If you like things that project patterns onto walls and ceilings I've got one of these, it's pretty cool. Every time I turn it on it somewhat reminds me of bringing up the galaxy map in Mass Effect. http://www.amazon.com/HPI-5105-Laser-Star/dp/B000VBNIP2
Pictures and video don't really do justice but this one is alright.
http://youtu.be/kG8sFGMKcX4
I did voluntarily replace the fan though since I didn't like the noise it made and it improved operation.

I have this one http://www.amazon.com/Kinivo-BTC450-Bluetooth-Hands-Free-Input/dp/B009NLTW60 and it's easily the best thing I've ever bought for my car.

It works perfectly

If you're looking for one of those, I've been pleased with this. It auto-tunes to available frequencies really well. The one con for me is the end of the cigarette adapter plug is very fragile. Mine broke after about a month and they sent me new parts, but they are just as fragile. If you change vehicles often you have to be mindful of the end and make sure it doesn't come unscrewed. Still happy with it.

And $110 for a hammock, backpack, and some paracord is a bit much.

Hammock that folds into a little backpack type thing and has ties built into it $20

+

Eagle Creek Hiking Backpack $27.50

=

$47.50! You can buy one for yourself, and for your friend, and some McDonalds to eat together and still have a few pennies leftover! How nice!

But on the not being a dick side of things, cool backpack, but like most things on kickstarter, it's overpriced.

So it's a standard bluetooth speaker? The only feature is that it can be mounted in a corner?

Bluetooth speakers (like the X-Mini) cost a lot less than $175 and still have amazing sound quality. A wired one is even cheaper and it's great, I've been using it for about two years now.

In terms of brand I personally have an Anker first gen 10000mah that does charge my phone but no way I'd carry it with me all the time. It actually does 2xUSB but also 9V and 12V DC which I use to power my DSLR camera for like 8+ hours.

They do have an Anker Mini which is the small round size in 3200mah.

Another popular brand is Intocircuit known for their Powercastle, but again they have a mini tube as well.

Prices can range from $3-$30 for those small ones, with varying capacity. They are all just various 18650 cells (ranging in quality probably), a plastic shell, and a usb thing that lets you charge it.

Amazon will have many, reviews will most likely be telling of quality.

I highly recommend this instead. I've had mine for 2 years and use the knife at least thrice a week. No the blade doesn't have a handle, but I think of it more as a utility knife. It's great in a pinch and the construction is very sturdy.

I currently use this Belkin, but I think this one that came out more recently is better.

With the Belkin, I get in the car press the button and it will connect in about 1-2 seconds. I then press it again and it will launch whatever I used last to play audio (Google Music or PocketCast for me). I use it everyday. Really nice to not have to take your phone out of your pocket, take your gloves off, and mess with the phone before driving.

It also leaves the phone "wireless" so I can put it on the magnetic car dock without messing with cables, especially since the phone jack on my phone is on the top.

I just bought this one and I really love it. But you likely will need to purchase a ground loop noise isolater to prevent that high-pitched wheeze you get when you plug something into your car.

Here you go. I used this EL wire and just glued it around the edges. I also covered the remaining wire leading to the battery pack in electrical tape which ended up being kind of crappy, but still worked. I would recommend something else to cover it unless you're really good with the tape.

Amazon Link. Only $16.99. Free two day shipping with Amazon Prime!

Here's a link to Amazon Smile for the product page. Always helps to support charity when you buy things like this.

Amazon to the rescue. Even cheaper.

https://www.amazon.com/Outdoor-Travel-Shelter-Storage-Explorer/dp/B001B2KWP4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1466814598&sr=8-1&keywords=mini+tent

Came here to say that.

They're sold on Amazon; 2 of em for $10.03. Plus free shipping if you have Prime.

Just get a pair of comfortable sunglasses, buy some cheap el wire, glue the el wire along the rim in a way that's functional and clean, then just cut off the excess wire and you're set.

http://www.amazon.com/GOgroove-FlexSMART-Bluetooth-Transmitter-Hands-Free/dp/B003PPGOC0

Sends your phone's bluetooth to the car speakers via FM transmitter. Used this particular model on our older cars with few issues. Obviously not going to compare to AUX-IN or native bluetooth, but better than nothing.

here, and for less than half the price... Don't worry, it also has the heartwarming "natural" label, albeit with a less nauseating design

Roughly $1.17 a can with free 2-day shipping for Prime members.

To be fair you can buy the stuff for $5 on amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Repel-Eucalyptus-Natural-Repellent-4-Ounce/dp/B004N59OFU

https://www.amazon.com/Cutter-Eucalyptus-Insect-Repellent-HG-96014/dp/B00860Y3DQ/

https://www.amazon.com/Natural-Repellent-Eucalyptus-Bug-Shield/dp/B01GQSKTPK

http://www.amazon.com/Anker%C2%AE-Dual-Port-Charger-PowerIQ-Technology/dp/B00E3OL5U8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1419822616&sr=8-1&keywords=anker+solar+charger

cheaper and better than most posted here.

Yeah, $185 Canadian for an aluminum version of this.

No thanks.

Also 10 bucks, except you get two. Not a motherfucking death star, though.

http://www.amazon.com/Tovolo-Sphere-Ice-Molds-Set/dp/B007ACTN54/ref=reg_hu-rd_add_1_dp

Depends on the phone. I can use PS3 controller on Galaxy Note II unrooted via an OTG cable and usb cable connected to the controller. Xbox 360 controller (Wired) works as well also.

But if I want to use PS3 controller via Bluetooth, then I need to use the sixaxis app.

Isn't this sort of thing why they pass your wallet through the x-ray machine? It's still a metal blade, it will be easily seen.

This particular wallet knife actually looks somewhat impractical. Doesn't seem like it would hold up to regular use, and it's also only a knife. I've been carrying around one of these for a while now, and it's seen a lot of use.

First google result i got for ice sphere -

http://www.amazon.com/Tovolo-Sphere-Ice-Molds-Set/dp/B007ACTN54

~$10 for 2 without a death star (if that isnt your thing).

or you can get one that is more portable for 18 bucks on amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Grand-Trunk-Ultralight-Hammock-Forrest/dp/B001AIHB76/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1375983548&sr=8-1&keywords=hammock

$17 on Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Tactical-Christmas-Stocking-Molle-Black/dp/B00GIXY9W8/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1416149973&sr=8-2&keywords=tactical+stocking

It's on amazon with prime shipping

http://www.amazon.com/Tactical-Christmas-Stocking-Molle-Black/dp/B00GIXY9W8

Not the same one, but I just got this: http://www.amazon.com/Anker-Ultra-Compact-Lipstick-Sized-ThunderBolt-Blackberry/dp/B005NF5NTK/ref=sr_1_5?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1380909980&sr=1-5&keywords=anker

Hijacking this comment to say that it is back in stock as of this post.

http://www.amazon.com/Surge-12-16-FL-Cans/dp/B00M2OGS08/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1410787359&sr=8-2&keywords=surge+soda

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005NF5NTK/ref=oh_details_o08_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

$7.70 with shipping SUP!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005FUNYSA/ref=gno_cart_title_1

Ask and you shall receive. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00M2OGS08/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1410787421&sr=8-2&pi=SX200_QL40

Here is a non mobile website link: Laser Star

Here you go!!!

amazon

curved shower rod($18)+Shower curtain($5)=$23

http://www.amazon.com/Merry-Garden-Interchangeable-Picnic-Table/dp/B000MITWM2/ref=pd_sim_sbs_lg_2

Cheaper, well-rated and in-stock.

http://www.amazon.com/Curved-shower-rod-Adjustable-inches-66/dp/B0035QA99I

Sorry, I'm on my phone but I think this is the link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000VBNIP2/ref=aw_ls__1?coliid=I2A8YN68RO1TB1&colid=UZ33WMB6EBLR

Not sure if it's exactly the same one, but: http://www.amazon.com/Merry-Garden-Interchangeable-Picnic-Table/dp/B000MITWM2

A ground loop isolator fixes the noise issue from your alternator.

http://www.amazon.com/PAC-SNI-1-3-5-3-5-mm-Isolator/dp/B001EAQTRI/ref=pd_sim_e_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=1TJPHM76XW402XRVBWP9

http://www.amazon.com/Stanley-Classic-Stainless-Steel-Flask/dp/B004E7NYAS

Amazon.

Stanley is widely available, no reason to order from inflated shipping scammers.

Just in case you missed it another commenter posted this link

still 19.99 Canadian.
http://www.amazon.ca/Neewer-Electronics-Accessories-BALL-LIGHTNING/dp/B004HFKZAY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1342096755&sr=8-1
damn you Amazon.ca! Shenanigans!

4 watts and a 3aH battery seems like a bad deal to me.

Here is a 8 watt solar panel for $29 or here is a 14 watt solar panel for $60.

Then throw in a 10ah usb battery for $25.

I have a similar usb battery to that and it charges my nexus 5 about 4 times on one charge.

Yes, but you can buy a "ground loop isolator" for $10 that is made to eliminate that sort of problem.