Spare One phone

Paranoia makes for great business. Ask any twister-chasing, alien-routing, end-of-the-world-foretelling Hollywood producer. Or ask the makers of Spare One &mdash an emergency phone that works without a sim card and claims to retain its charge for fifteen years or offers ten hours of talk-time powered by a single AA battery. All this, so you can make that crucial call for help from under an avalanche (it can withstand up to -30&degC) or sub-Saharan Africa (till 60&degC). It also has a built-in torch, pre-programming options for nine numbers and talk-through waterproof packaging. And when you&rsquore not on a sinking ship, Spare One doubles up as a back-up for your charge-guzzling smartphone.

($99.99 amazon.com, spareone.com)