5 great gadgets to help you crush winter

Can you feel it, friend? The enveloping darkness that swallows your soul. The widespread desolation on the streets, past 4pm. The Big Freeze. Yep, winter’s great, icy winds are a-howling. 

In need of something more than a mere puffer jacket, scarf and beanie? Then tech up and thaw out with these winter warming devices.

Molten ‘za

BioLite’s BaseCamp and PizzaDome bundle; £359.90

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Barbecue season may have withered and died in the fading September sun, but outdoor cooking can be winter-proof. Take BioLite’s BaseCamp and PizzaDome bundle. It burns sticks and fallen branches, and converts them into electricity via an in-built generator. It’s probably intended for an eco-friendly, wood-fired slice of the good stuff on a noble, solo expedition to the West Siberian Plain, but it still works deliciously well on a mid-November evening in your back garden. And if you really can’t stand the cold, you could always just use it to rustle up a margherita – with extra cheese – from the comfort of your kitchen. £359.90; uk.bioliteenergy.com

Warm-up drill

Garmin Vivofit 4; £69.99

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Kill the chill with an intense, chest-pounding workout, logged on this Garmin Vivofit 4 fitness tracker. Savour the beetroot-face and soaked-through tee: it’s the warmest you’re going to be all day, buddy. £69.99; garmin.com

Frost fighter

Zippo hand warmer; £23.95

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Cherish the Zippo hand-warmer. Hold it close. Bathe in its warm glow as you wait for the replacement bus service on a wet, windy Tuesday night. Also works well for drinking al fresco. £23.95; zippo.co.uk 

Hot coff

Cafflano Klassic Coffee Maker; £80

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Lips cracked into fissures, fingers frozen to the bone. Time, then, for a throat-scorching gulp of joe, prepared from burr grinder to drip kettle, in this all-in-one Cafflano Klassic Coffee Maker. £80; whittard.co.uk

Broth bot

Table Top Chinese Hot Pot; £59.50

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Up your dinner game from an out-of-date tin of tomato soup to a true belly-warming, tastebud-tingling, flavoursome meal – forged from the fires of this Table Top Chinese Hot Pot. £59.50; souschef.co.uk

Best apps

Jack’s Flight Club; free

Download

Meet Jack. He scours hidden holiday offers and error air fares to provide you with bargain sunshine, via this member’s club. Jack is what we call a “good guy”. Free; jacksflightclub.co.uk

AllTrails

Download

You could always just embrace the wintry darkness: wrap up, venture out into the icy wilderness, then scatter some digital breadcrumbs with this tracker, so you’re home in time for MasterChef. Free; alltrails.com