GPS
Map a route. Predict the weather . Record altitude data. Track your speed and heart rate. Today's outdoor watches do it all–and then they send it to your computer.
This one-glance watch was built with the input of renowned alpinist Conrad Anker.
This compact piece packs all the technology and none of the size.
This durable and accurate timepiece is also a bargain.
This watch boasts all the bells and whistles of a great training watch and GPS device.
Map your route and much more with this high-tech wrist watch.
Never get, or stay, lost with these navigation devices.
Learn to figure out where you are (even in a whiteout) and prevent, or stop, a snowy fall.
The Lowrance Endura Sierra comes chalk full of street and topo maps.
This top-shelf GPS can pinch hit as a digital camera.
This wrist-ready, weather-resistant GPS device is only 2.2 ounces.
This sturdy GPS device is only $300 and comes loaded with topos.
Go wireless, get dialed in, and navigate like a pro with these gadgets.
This map case is the best way to tote your map into the backcountry since the Ziploc bag.
Kelly Bastone hiked a long-forgotten trail through Yosemite's North Rim and documented the trek on video, in photographs, and using GPS.
The best new gear. That's what earns our seal of approval, and only after months of hardcore testing. This year, we subjected dozens of products to heinous trail conditions from Alaska to Wales. In the end, 18 survived to take our top honor.
Backpackers get a made-to-order digital camera with the first affordable GPS-enabled shooter.
Meet the ultimate GPS: simple enough for beginners, wonky enough for experts, powerful enough for all.
We tested more than 500 products–stoves, clothes, cameras, filters, tech tools, knives, and meals–to find these proven performers.
No need for a pile of paperback in your pack, this e-reader stores over 100 novels
Got juice? Here are energy solutions for everything from weekend hikes to an Everest expedition.
Forget your daddy's compass: Today's navigation instruments do everything but cook dinner.
The HyMini solar-powered fan does way more then just keep you cool
Need power? The Brunton Solaris charges any device you've got using included solar panels or a battery pack for low light conditions.
The compact PowerSource Mini gives a power boost to just about anything, including your USB-compatible devices.
Outsmart mother nature with Pieps iProbe, an avalanche probe with potential for faster rescue times.
The Petzl Ultra uses LED's for brightest, and most costly, headlamp.
AirDrives Interactive Earphones stay put on bumpiest trails and helps you rock out safely.
Lightweight and durable, the low cost Oregon Scientific ATC3K camcorder is practically outdoor-proof.
Sony HandyCam HDR-TG1 packs face detection, a touch screen and HD quality into lightweight camcorder.
Small and compact, Canon's Vixia HF10 produces great HD-quality video and easy-to-use interfaces for any budding outdoors filmmaker.
If you want to save time, weight, or money when buying a video camera, we found the best options.
Sony's H50 camera is packed with features like a infrared night mode, movable screen and easy-to-use slide shows.
The sturdy Olympus Stylus could be a backpacker's best point-and-shoot yet, with it's smash-proof LCD and a high 10-megapixel image sensor.
Canon's PowerShot A590 delivers some adjustable manual-like features in a bulky device too big for most front pockets.
Sony's W300 packs a massive 13.2 megapixel sensor and trail-friendly scratch-resistant body.
Simple and thin, Sony's W130 features crisp pictures and web-ready video.
Protected against small amounts of water, this sturdy camera is for the klutz in all of us.
Nixon's budget-priced point and shoot camera runs on AAs
A perfect, pocket-sized digital camera for any weekend warrior.
The Garmin Oregon 400t GPS is a fast, simple and full-featured GPS device well worth the extra bucks
The Magellan Triton 2000 GPS is packed full of outdoor-worthy features.
Capture your trail memories with the 5-megapixel camera and light-duty GPS of the Nokia N95 cell phone.
Experience fewer lost signals with the Magellan Triton 200, a basic GPS for a bargain price.
Apple iPhone 3G brings maps and downloadable GPS software to your fingertips.
With a quad-helix antenna and preloaded topo maps, the Garmin Colorado 400t is the fastest of GPS units.
Rain, snow, cold, hard knocks–the backcountry can be tough on trail gadgets. You can either upgrade your devices, or learn how to protect them.
Beat wind, rain, and snow with 5 tips from an expert outdoor cameraman.
Solar charge all your outdoor electronics with Mediastreet's MP3 Player.
Solar panels and hand crank keep Eton Microlink FR150 weather radio going and going.
This hearty camera bag has plenty of room, and padding, to haul picture-taking paraphernalia plus hiking gear.
One small step for our stair-obsessed man, one giant leap for fitness freaks everywhere.
Finding total Southwest solitude
Exploring a high, wild corner of the North Cascades
Floating a liquid maze in the Northeast's lake-riddled forests
Rambling a granite redoubt
Ready to dial up the adventure meter? Try out your digital skills–and go places most people can't–on these life-list journeys.
Your adventure is ready for primetime. Here are 19 ways to reach the audience in your living room–or around the world. Web-based photo sites aren't all created equal. Here are our top 5.
Learn how to save your photos, print them, get published, and produce an audio visual slideshow.
Learn how to upload your video to YouTube and tap a social network like Facebook or MySpace to post links to your movie.
Your adventure is ready for primetime. Here are 19 ways to reach the audience in your living room–or around the world.
Your adventure is ready for primetime. Here are 19 ways to reach the audience in your living room–or around the world.
Your adventure is ready for primetime. Here are 19 ways to reach the audience in your living room--or around the world.
Here's how to turn raw data into finished files that will wow your friends and preserve trip memories better than any photo album.
Here's how to turn raw data into finished files that will wow your friends and preserve trip memories better than any photo album.
Here's how to turn raw data into finished files that will wow your friends and preserve trip memories better than any photo album.
Here's how to turn raw data into finished files that will wow your friends and preserve trip memories better than any photo album.
Here's how to turn raw data into finished files that will wow your friends and preserve trip memories better than any photo album.
Take your new tools to the trail to master the skills you'll need to navigate, record, and share your best adventures. The best new digital tools for every budget and skill level.
Take your new tools to the trail to master the skills you'll need to navigate, record, and share your best adventures.
Take your new tools to the trail to master the skills you'll need to navigate, record, and share your best adventures.
Take your new tools to the trail to master the skills you'll need to navigate, record, and share your best adventures.
Take your new tools to the trail to master the skills you'll need to navigate, record, and share your best adventures.
Every great trip boils down to this: Picking an ideal location, capturing memorable moments, and bragging about it.
Every great trip boils down to this: Picking an ideal location, capturing memorable moments, and bragging about it.
Every great trip boils down to this: Picking an ideal location, capturing memorable moments, and bragging about it. Here's how to get started the high-tech way.
Every great trip boils down to this: Picking an ideal location, capturing memorable moments, and bragging about it.
A Complete Guide to the Digital Revolution–and How to Join It
The year's best packs, boots, tents, jackets, and sleeping bags. Period. Plus, a never-die headlamp, a life-saving beacon, a back-saving ultralight chair, and more innovative, trail-tested gear.
By loading your backpack properly you protect your gear and prevent back issues--plus it's easy to find the gear you need.
Dotted, dashed, and curvy. Red, blue, and brown. All these colors and styles criss-cross a topo map. Learn what they mean.
By understanding your terrain, knowing your pace, and reading the map regularly you can stay on course wherever you are.
If you don't know what triangulation is, read this article.
Topo maps just look like a children's drawing if you don't know what contour lines are.
While you're cozy in your waterproof jacket, your map has to face the rain, or snow, or mud, alone. Learn how to protect this precious piece of paper.
Learn how to orient your map with a few basic compass skills
Four packable, trailworthy camcorders that could launch your YouTube career
Don't be daunted by a thick owner's manual. Unlocking your unit's advanced navigational tools is easier than you think.
Cameras, camcorders, and GPS–our testers pick the best for the trail.
The Backpacker testers try out some ingenious products for photo taking, map making, screen cleaning, and portable recharging.
All our picks weigh less than 8 ounces and cost less than $400.
Whether you're a backpacker, dayhiker, geocacher, runner, or cyclist we have a GPS unit for you.
Rechargeable batteries are better for the environment and can save you money. Learn about the pros and cons of the different types of rechargeable batteries.
A reliable and moderately priced unit with high-end capabilities
This rugged unit will let you call home from the trail
Get a mobile phone, data organizer, walkie-talkie, and GPS, all in one device.
Just throw this unit in the car and go
If cost is no object, this unit is like having an interactive topo map at your fingertips.
You'll never lose your partner if you're each carrying a Rino.
A favorite unit for beginners
Don't fight over where the trailhead starts. Get this handy gadget and you'll find it every time.
Get started--or get simple--with the best GPS deal
Use a map, compass, and GPS unit to plot an ambitious route with this beginner's guide to bushwhacking
Satellite broadcasting gets light, cheap, and trailworthy
Your complete guide to the latest in outdoor electronics, including a smart watch, a weatherproof MP3 player, and the best in GPS.
New tools for water navigation: Strap one to your thwart, and you'll never paddle in circles again.
What's GPS, how does it work, and will it help you?
Learn this mapping technique for better off-trail travel.
Don't let your GPS unit stump you. Try one of these suggestions to get your unit trail ready.
The latest GPS receivers take the mystery out of high-tech route finding. We powered up four models to find the best for backpackers.
Using your GPS is easier than you think.
Common GPS terms you should know.
