On my recent maiden voyage to the wilderness of Alaska, I was faced with the prospect of no heat, no electricity and no plumbing. Kind of like being stuck in the aftermath of a hurricane.

My creaky old bones need a hot shower in the morning to get moving—how would I hike without one? Thankfully, our no-tech cabin came equipped with a hot water bottle—an old-fashioned tool that suddenly took on new relevance. After filling it with water boiled on the propane-fueled stove, I snuggled up with my hot new friend, placing it under my lower lumbar. To my surprise, it kept me, and the bed, warm and toasty through the 30-degree night.

But forget the Alaskan tundra: You never know when you might be faced with a power outage. (Ask any East Coaster who had to brave Hurricane Sandy this week.) So pick one up: You can find them at some drug stores and pharmacies or online at drugstore.com. And, if you love yours as much as I love mine, you can find cute covers and sweaters for them on Etsy.

(Photo by Peng via Wikimedia Commons.)