GPS Devices
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According to our testers, two new GNSS units from Garmin make it an easy answer
Join Run Intel to have your GPS watch generate ultra-specific email updates based on your running activities and goals
After months of testing, it’s proven to be everything I need for adventuring. And then some.
Sometimes paying for camping is necessary, but Gaia Topo helps you find free alternatives that you won’t find with Google
We’ve all felt that panic when you wander off trail and can’t find your way back. Gaia GPS solves this problem.
It’s one of the lightest, thinnest adventure-sport watches on the market. Here’s what our editor thought.
How to build a system of equipment that will offer direction in wild landscapes
The gear and the skills you need to get home safely
With a new line of premium watches, Garmin aims upmarket
How does the new Mini compare to other satellite messengers—and is it the right backcountry communications device for you?
We've been using the new smartwatch for a week. Here's what we think.
One of the more time-consuming challenges of public-land Airstreaming? Locating good sites. This app helps.
Being able to call for help from his watch helped saved John Zilles, but will wearable tech be a help or burden to search and rescue?
Or, the greatest oversimplified explanation of how to navigate ever written
We break down the differences between various off-the-grid communication devices. Getting the right one could save your life.
Turns out the navigation devices routinely overestimate distance traveled. Why that quirk hasn't—and won't—affect cyclists.
The top accessory picks from Interbike 2015
The $800 Forcite Alpine packs a 4K action cam, GPS, and accelerometer into its shell. You don't need all this tech in a snowsports lid. But do you want it?
New gear for more informed—and more fun—training
A flashlight, a fitness tracker, a GPS...the list goes on.
Pro athletes on the gear they want to unwrap this Saturday
19 essentials designed to keep you alive
Sometimes, technology can actually help you get off the grid.
Oakley partnered with Garmin to make the new Airwave 1.5 HUD goggle. We have to admit, it's pretty cool.
You're overworked, overstressed, and overconnected. But don't worry. We're here to help.
Landing easy money to pay for adventure is a thing of the past. Now athletes must perfect the art of low-cost, high-risk expeditions to access the world’s remotest corners, and young mountaineer Ed Farrelly is leading the charge.
Guess what? The grid is expanding and we predict in the next five years, you won't be able to unplug—even in the backcountry.
Nearly unlimited transit and trail data is coming to an app near you. And whether you're seeking singletrack or chasing a commuter train, that's a very big deal.
This new cycling GPS is so powerful and fully featured that it’s almost ahead of its time.
GPS locator SPOT launched in 2007—and has already notched 3,000 rescues
This titanium-body chronograph is the smallest, sharpest-looking personal beacon we’ve seen.
This traditional, dedicated GPS is user-friendly but fit for serious backcountry navigation
I’ve started using my mobile phone to view topo maps when on the mountain. What app would you recommend to look at them offline?
When it comes to holiday giving, you should never have to choose. This year, our editors have pulled together 68 perfect ideas—priced from $4 to $50,000—guaranteed to make anyone on your list feel like a million bucks.
Sharing powder shots, filming your friend's huck, and keeping in touch have never been easier with gadgets like Fujifilm's XP170 and the DeLorme InReach communicator.
Over the past five years, Google has taken its Street View maps to 43 countries, deploying cars, trikes, snowmobiles, and even a submersible to map 360-degree panoramas of the world around us. In June, the company announced a new initiative to bring the same seamless experience into the backcountry in a bid to create the world’s most amazing trail maps.
Outside reviews the the best gear of Outdoor Retailer, including the Pieps Global Finder.
I'm in the market for a new cell phone that will stand up to some rugged adventuring. Is it possible to find a device that will replace my GPS unit?
Outside reviews the best adventure gear for man’s best friend.
The Garmin GPSMAP 62s is a must-have item for outdoorsy men and women
Our five favorite gadgets for everything from recording splits to rocking out, including the New Balance Tri-Viz with four built-into-the-brim LEDs that can operate in three different settings; the Timex Ironman Run Trainer With GPS; and the Motorola Motoactv, a lightweight wristwatch that packs music and heart-rate tracking.
These six gadgets, from the AT&T Pantech Element, a waterproof, Android-based 8.3-inch tablet, to the Mophie Juice Pack Outdoor Edition, which doubles the battery life of your iPhone 4 or 4S, to the Steripen Freedom, a tiny water purifier, won't revolutionize your life on the road. But we promise they'll make it a lot easier.
Still fumbling around with wires and a prehistoric bike computer? It's time for a performance boost. Here are six ways to enhance your next ride, from the headlight-taillight combo Light & Motion Urban 500 to the data-collecting Garmin Edge 200 to the iBike Sports iDash Phone Booth, which you can buy as an all-in-one bike computer.
Outside picks the best hiking gear of June 2012, including the Helly Hansen Odin Fastpack.
Two-way radios might seem absurdly retro, but having an open channel of communication can be priceless on a multipitch climb or when trekking through rainforest in Costa Rica.
I spend a lot of time exercising outdoors and I need a new heart rate monitor. What should I look for?
Outside picks the essentials for March, including the Arc'teryx Motus Crew.
A combined heart-rate monitor and GPS watch will supercharge your training. Motorola's Motoactv is one of the best on the market.
Outside picks the essential tech tools, including the OtterBox Defenders Series case.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2012 Winter Buyer's Guide, including the Moving Comfort Rebound Racer Bra.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2012 Winter Buyer's Guide, including the Casio ProTrek PRW-5000Y-1 watch.
A satellite-based text-messaging and tracking device
Cooling Agents: Our favorite ultralight gear for sweltering summer runs, including the Garmin Forerunner 610 watch.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Garmin Forerunner 210 Watch.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Garmin Edge 800 GPS bike computer.
Good physiological data helps you make the most of shorter training sessions, because you know exactly how hard you're working.
I'm looking for a GPS unit for the backcountry but it would also be nice if I can use it on the roads sometimes. Does such a combo exist? What are the top three? MJ Arvada, CO
In a tech-assisted misadventure, our man finds the most difficult line between two points
The MAGELLAN SPORTRAK TOPO ($269) is the first GPS sold with pre-installed elevation maps of the entire country. The six-ounce waterproof unit holds 108 megabytes of contours and elevations (along with 16 megs of memory for personalized mapping), and renders them sharply on the gray-scale screen.
FOLLOW THAT VOICE Calling HP’s Travel Companion a GPS unit just isn’t fair. The 4.3-inch screen is huge, and 3-D technology means maps can be viewed topographically or at street level—making for foolproof (and fun) navigation. On the road, mate it with a Bluetooth cell phone and it doubles…
This wrist-top GPS manages a knife-edge feat: It’s equal parts cool and geeky. Sporting the X9i, I launched out on a run from my hotel room in downtown Buenos Aires. Within minutes, the 12-channel GPS receiver had locked on to satellites and was displaying my speed and distance. When…
TOUGH ON THE TRAIL The rubberized 400t was born for serious backcountry time, and you won’t find a more user-friendly or durable handheld GPS. A funky, do-it-all wheel replaces the usual array, making for easy one-hand navigation (nonexistent in most handhelds). It’s also tricked out with a three-inch, backlit color…
If you thought real GPS navigation was beyond your budget, you haven’t seen the cell-phone-size 210. It’s not the only player in its price range, but it stands out for its internal 22MB memory—essential for digital mapping. The 210 ships with a built-in North American base map that shows…
Unlike many of its juice-sucking peers, GARMIN’S 5.4-ounce GPSMAP 60C ($482) keeps its brilliant 256-color screen powered for an impressive 30 hours. With its fast processor, flipping through the brilliant, high-resolution screens is as easy as cruising around your Mac, and the USB simplifies connections.
The great communicator gets better in 2006, with a radio range extended to 14 miles. In case you missed the earlier versions, the Rino is a fully functioning GPS and a two-way radio in one unit. While hiking in the Grand Canyon, we could split up on a whim…
Call SUUNTO’S X9 ($699), the first GPS watch that’s more serious navigation tool than cyborg fashion statement. The integrated satellite receiver shows lat/long coordinates, stores waypoints, and delivers ETA and distance predictions for your destination.
With unlimited expandable memory (through an SD-card reader/writer slot) and a market-leading 3.5-inch full-color screen, the XL’s raison d’être is onscreen mapping. After a road trip through the interior of British Columbia—with detailed maps uploaded—it was demoralizing to go back to a smaller screen. When I traveled by bike,…
A safe bet for ocean adventurers, LOWRANCE’S IFINDER PRO ($209) accepts marine charts made by market leader Navionics. The huge three-inch diagonal gray-scale screen looks sharp—even when viewed in bright sunlight. Minor bummer: It’s waterproof, but only when stuffed into the included plastic pouch.
The Atlas MNS is the quickest responder of the bunch. Flip it on and, before you can say “lost,” it locks on to satellites and starts kicking out coordinates. Scroll between pages and the dual processor pulls up weather, altitude, and navigational data almost instantly. Signal acquisition also shines…