I have the great pleasure of being in charge of the camping gear purchase for my son this holiday season. He has been begging me for weeks for a compass, and I've been putting him off with the old standby, "It's too close to Christmas for me to buy you anything right now." Meanwhile, I'm as giddy as the proverbial schoolgirl to get him some camping gear that he'll enjoy and will resurrect his joy that started to sprout last Spring.

Obviously, a compass is high on the list. But it has to be a great balance between solid and inexpensive. Let's face it a five-year-old boy can break pretty much anything thrown at him. I have dismantled electronics equipment in my basement, smashed rocks in my driveway, and a collection of various adhesives to prove it. The compass is pretty much a no-brainer... let's move on.

He already has the "basics" -- a sleeping bag, pad, tent (well, he uses my Mountain Hardwear tent).

What about cooking gear? He has my "old" scout-style kit, but I wonder if he would enjoy having his own "stuff" to cook in. Mostly on our camping trips, he just gets excited about getting play in the fire, not actually use it. Unless, of course, you consider creating flaming marshmallow projectiles a valid use of the fire. Maybe something to eat with? It's nearly impossible to get him to use a fork and knife at home during dinner, but it seems that things change when The Boy gets out on a trip. He's a little better behaved, and usually a better listener. I'm not getting him a camping knife... that's something that I'll give him next time we go on an outing together.

The more I think about it, the more I like the idea of a pack. Nothing fancy, just something for him to call his own, and carry his own gear with.

Well, while writing this, I ended up settling with an REI purchase consisting of:

• A youth-sized backpack
• A candle-powered lantern
• Extra candles
  
• Two sets of utensils
• A compass

Now we just have to wait to see how he reacts when the wrapping paper is torn!