23 Awesome Gadgets You'll Want For Your Adventures This Summer

The sun is shining, the grill is heating up, the music’s on and the water’s fine. You have everything you think you need for a great summer, right? Well, not exactly.

Do you have a waterproof speaker that also charges your phone? How about a smart mower or a self-cleaning grill? Think of these 26 gadgets as summer hacks. You don’t want to wait to get these. Don't forget about where you'll store your new gadgets, and the coolest room in your house! The garage! Make your life easier with these tips to prepare your garage for the hot summer season!

Grillbot

The grease, the gristle, the caked-on charcoal: Sure, cooking on the grill is a blast, but cleaning up? Not so much.

Let the Grillbot take care of that stuff this summer. This robot comes with wire brushes that give the grill a thorough cleaning. But how does the Grillbot know what to do with the brushes? Its CPU chip, which the creators call a smart brain, change cleaning direction and speed. You can even set the Grillbot on a timer.

Mathmos Aduki ni Light

UK company Mathmos has a waterproof, teardrop-shaped light called the Aduki ni that can display all the colors of the rainbow (or just a single color; it’s up to you). Handheld and portable, when not in use, these lights are an appealing silver. It only takes about six hours for the battery to be fully ready for a day or night at the pool.

IVATION Waterproof Bluetooth Swimming Pool Floating Speaker

Ever have a neighbor who blasts music across his backyard from a single pair of speakers? Don’t be that neighbor. The IVATION floating speaker lets you soundtrack your pool party without deafening everyone on the deck. Its Bluetooth wireless streaming range is 33 feet, so forget about crackles and static.

The iGrill

The iGrill by iDevices is so beloved that Weber bought it from them earlier this year. A great companion to the Grillbot, this tiny device comes with a smartphone app that lets you constantly monitor food temperatures right on the grill. This way, if you’re the designated grillmaster, you can spend more time with your guests than with your steaks.

Power Practical PowerPot 5

Taking the family camping this summer? Power Practical has both your cooking and phone-charging needs covered. The PowerPot 5 acts as a charging hub, so it can keep tablets, phones and other devices running, even on a campsite.

Mosquito Magnet Patriot Plus Mosquito Trap

The Patriot Plus Mosquito Trap looks more like an imposing blender than a bug catcher, but that’s exactly what it is. Mosquito Magnet put 20-plus years into designing this trap, which is powerful enough to lure all the mosquitos hovering around within an acre.

Wilderness Solutions FireStar Fire Piston

Love spending cooler summer nights outside sitting around the fire pit? The FireStar Fire Piston from Wilderness Solutions cuts a lot of busy work out of getting a fire started. These fire pistons have pressure relief mechanisms for a quick-starting fire every time.

“With a single push, tinder placed in the end of the piston is spontaneously ignited by the heat of compression, instantly becoming a glowing ember with no more effort than lighting a match,” Wilderness Solutions explains.

Peter Wachtel’s Grill Wrangler

From steaks to hot dogs to burgers to veggies, food cooked on the grill is always delicious. However, your technique for picking up grilled veggies differs from grabbing a juicy steak. Well, it did before the Grill Wrangler, by designer Peter Wachtel. This multi-tool can swap from tongs to a fork to a spatula with the press of a button. Cooking at large gatherings just became a whole lot easier.

Mipow Global PLAYBULB Garden

From the garden to the pool and beyond, the PLAYBULB Garden from Mipow Global is another unique, waterproof LED light. What makes this stand out is its energy-saving qualities. Its lithium-ion battery is powered by sunlight, so by keeping the PLAYBULB Garden outside all day, it’s powered up and ready to go for 20 hours. Included monopods make this light easy to stake into the ground.

Goal Zero Lighthouse Mini Lantern

Why use a traditional lantern this summer when there’s the Ground Zero Lighthouse Mini Lantern? Taking its power from solar energy or a USB port, this lantern can provide light anywhere from four to 500 hours, depending on how brightly it’s running. Magnets and hooks make assembly a breeze, and its long legs are collapsible.

BioLite CampStove

Another gadget that takes advantage of USB power is the CampStove by BioLite. Whether you’re camping in the backyard or in the woods, this stove uses wood power instead of gas to be more environmentally friendly. Heat up water for bathing or cooking, and make a delicious meal out in nature. The CampStove can also power up dying smartphone batteries.

Mission EnduraCool Instant Cooling Towel

After a run or working up a sweat at the gym, you could dry off with a traditional cotton towel, or you can try the EnduraCool Instant Cooling Towel. Mission designed this towel so it’s cold when you sweat. “The thermoregulating technology works by absorbing moisture and perspiration into the fabric where the unique radiator-like fiber construction circulates water molecules and regulates the rate of evaporation to create a prolonged cooling effect,” Mission explains.

Plantronics BackBeat FIT Wireless Headphones

Created for swimmers, athletes or anyone who spends time in the water, the BackBeat FIT wireless headphones run for eight hours before needing a recharge. Download the BackBeat FIT Updater app to get new features or track the headphones if misplaced. These Plantronics headphones curve naturally around the ear for a comfortable, secure fit.

The Coolest Cooler

Available in multiple colors, the retro look of the Coolest Cooler is enough to make you the envy of everyone on the beach. To sweeten the deal, this cooler is also a stereo (with extra speaker attachments available) and a blender. It’s no wonder people flocked to Kickstarter to fund the Coolest Cooler.

Intova DUO Camera

Going scuba diving or snorkeling this summer and want to take breathtaking photos? The DUO Camera from Hawaiian company Intova is an affordable option for families on a budget. With appealing colors and a simple look, this camera can sink 100 feet into water without damage. All photos are five megapixels for crystal clear snapshots. Video can be shot in 720p. When the day is done, just charge up the Duo’s Li-ion battery for next time.

Hammacher Schlemmer Cool Mist Umbrella

A patio umbrella provides plenty of shade, but what if the air is sticky and humid? The Cool Mist Umbrella will keep the whole family comfortable with its light water spray. The two-layer canopy of the umbrella hides nozzles and conduits that spritz water as needed.

Eton Soulra

Tired of draining your phone’s battery when using it to play music on the beach? You don’t have to with the Soulra solar-powered sound system by Eton. Simply plug your phone into this waterproof speaker and enjoy hours of music. No outlets? Don’t stress. The Soulra’s lithium ion battery pack runs on sunlight.

The 2C Solar Light Cap

Whether you want the kids to be safe when playing outside after dark or you’re the type who appreciates a good adventure once the sun goes down, the 2C Solar Light Cap is a necessary addition to your summer preparedness list. Two LEDs are hidden beneath the hat’s bill. These run on sunlight so they can be recharged. You can even dim the lights to preserve their lifespan.

Frontgate Outdoor Misting Fan

Frontgate’s outdoor misting fan works in much the same way as the Hammacher Schlemmer Cool Mist Umbrella. Simply connect it to a hose or another source of water, and the four jets hidden inside the fan start spraying gentle streams of water. The fan’s blades spread the water so it can travel farther.

Bird Photo Booth

Know a birdwatcher? Introduce them to the Bird Photo Booth. As the name suggests, this camera can snap photos of birds in real time. You simply hang it where you would place a bird feeder. It includes a spot for a bowl of fresh food and a perch for birds to hang out. As they linger, the Bird Photo Booth snaps one-of-a-kind images without a distracting flash that scares the animals away.

Husqvarna Automower

Is your grill-cleaning robot a little lonely? Get him a friend. The Husqvarna Automower can handle hills and dips in the front or backyard. Watch its progress with the accompanying smartphone app. If you need the Automower to stop, you can let it know through the app. Otherwise, it knows when to wind down if it’s running out of battery. Energy-efficient and theft-proof, the Automower is designed to make less noise than a traditional mower. Make sure you've cleaned your garage for storage of your new toy, or you'll come to regret it later! See why.

Jaavan Patio LED Furniture

Light up the night with LED furniture from Miami company Jaavan Patio. Pick and choose which pieces you want or get the whole glowing set, including a circular dining table, chairs, small tables, planters, ice buckets, floating waterproof pool balls and cube seats. With an included remote, switch from one color to the next. Enjoy up to eight hours of use before the furniture batteries need to be replaced.

Anker PowerPort Solar Lite USB Charger

No matter where your adventures take you this summer, never worry about your phone battery dying with the PowerPort Solar Lite. This foldable carry-along comes with its own solar panels built right in. “PowerIQ discovers and replicates your device’s original charging protocol to provide its fastest possible charging speed up to 2.1 amps overall (with enough direct sunlight),” the company says.