Presenting the Alphabet: 14 Gifts that Start with Z

Don't you worry, Zens Liberty Glass Edition Wireless Charger, I see you. I do. I see you on the outside and, thanks to your transparent tempered glass surface, I see the 16 copper charging coils you got on the inside too. And, from the inside out, I am telling you, you are beautiful. Don't ever let school bullies or Instagram trolls say any different.

Good looks and style aren't all Zens blessed their Liberty Glass Edition Wireless Charger with either. The fetching pattern of internal coils has a functional duty too - eliminating the lil' center "sweet spot" many wireless chargers require you to hit to charge your devices successfully. Ever woken up to you phone sitting on its "charger" with a dead battery? This is what Zens hopes to help you avoid.

Ahhh, nothing better than getting out of the city in the summer. Nothing more relaxing than a few days in the mountains, a trip to a national park, an RV adventure to wherever the winding road takes you. These days, as the Zero Breeze Mark 2 AC brings to mind, nothing hotter than those better and more relaxing activities either. I used to think tents made the perfect dutch ovens only in the farting sense, but now, yeesh. Every time I go to sleep in one I worry I'll wake up a pile of slow-roasted meat falling off the bone.

Zero Breeze's Mark 2 is a portable air conditioner made especially for off-grid encounters with excessive heat. The unit is battery-powered, and can operate with your own 24V battery supply, or one of Zero Breeze's (no generator required) to cool surrounding spaces by up to 30 degrees F for 3 to 5 hours.

The Zoom Tube Monocular Telescope weighs just 9.5 ounces, so you can pack it up and take it along on any adventure. Non-creepy adventures only, please, peeping toms and stalkers! Sporting events. Hiking and mountaineering trips. Sighting and watching all the dumb birds of North America.

In addition to its portability, the Zoom Tube Monocular Telescope distinguishes itself with a colorful ribbed housing that both absorbs impact if jostled or dropped, and provides grip during use. The latter is especially helpful if your hands get sweaty during big plays, tough climbs, and awaiting the White-Breasted Nuthatch, or if you have my wife's fingers, and they freeze and become nonfunctional when the temperature drops below 55.

Zojirushi's Micom comes in 2 sizes; the smaller can cook up to 5-1/2 cups of raw white rice, and the larger up to 10 cups. One of the best things about this rice cooker, though, is that it can also cook brown rice and other grains, including hot cereal, plus steam vegetables and make steamed cakes, which, in consecutive order, I don't eat, and spans beyond my culinary talents. I have used the rice cooker to make quinoa, farro, and wild rice though, using the white rice setting for the former and the brown rice for the latter two.

Every single time it comes out perfectly. Every. Single. Time. Even if I leave it to warm for 4 hours after the "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" tune it plays to tell me my grains are done goes off.

The Zenbivy Bed helps campers get the quality zzzzs they need with a Zenbevy of sleeping position and location options. A freestyle, 2-piece sleeping bag, the Zenbivy Bed secures your favorite Therm-A-Rest or other camping pad inside its mummy-bag-style base, while a separate, oversized quilt zips on top. The result: a sleeping bag that never slides off its mattress, never gets twisted or traps you when you roll at night, and accommodates side, stomach, and back sleepers alike.

ZipChips help make spontaneous acts of recreation part of your EDC. Slip one of these mini flying discs in your pocket and, according to ZipChip, you'll be able to "Zip your Chip for long throws and fast paced action any time, anywhere." Along Food Truck row at lunchtime. In the park after work. And at any field, beach, or backyard on the weekends.

ZipChips measure 2.5" in diameter and weigh 0.7 ounces. While they look like downsized frisbees, ZipChip says your throwing motion should be more like skipping a stone to achieve the best potential flight.

Who wants to pop a squat on a Minion? The Zenergy Ball Chair attempts to maintain the supposed posture, balance, and core strength benefits of sitting on an exercise ball, while adding wheels and a mesh slipcover that I guess they think makes the chair blend in better, and look like a real piece of furniture. But to me, this ball of Zenergy is one giant eye and a pair of overalls away from making a Stuart statement, and sticking out way more than it could have in any past life.

And maybe that's part of its appeal.

Zyp-Zyp is the first tape dispenser that doubles as a self defense tool. Just slide the spool over a finger or two, bear its bronze teeth, and...just kidding. German artist Pascal Heiler didn't design the Zyp-Zyp to bite, gnaw, or slash anything but your favorite brand of adhesive.

But how simply and elegantly the minimalist dispenser gets its lone job done.

A Zippo in the hand is worth two in the bush (particularly because the latter is a fire hazard, kids). It's true if you need a light, and especially true if your fingers are so frozen they can't even flick one. Zippo's Hand Warmers bring the same Zippo durability, portability, and burn strength of the company's lighters to the arena of flameless radiation. A catalytic burner powered by Zippo (or other comparable) lighter fluid provides safe wrist-down heating during cold weather outdoor pursuits, cold weather outdoor sporting events, and cold weather trips to the homes of people who refuse to set their thermostat above 64.

Panama Jack left the neon zinc oxide sunscreen game too early. Now that fluorescent orange, yellow, and pink are back - in a full-on, legitimate, non-humorous, non-ironic sort of way no less - I have to give a shout out to the SPF warpaint of 80s fame as well. Zinka claims it is "the original action sports sunscreen company, credited with introducing the first ever colored zinc oxide sunblock!" KCCFZO, dudes.

That's Keep Calm, Cancer-Free, and Zinka On.