Tools & Tech
Archive
Design and Technology Special: The world's most streamlined and innovative new gear, gadgets, tools and toys, including Timberland's Lite Trace Mid boot.
Design and Technology Special: The world's most streamlined and innovative new gear, gadgets, tools and toys, including Quirky's Switch Modular Pocket Knife.
Design and Technology Special: The world's most streamlined and innovative new gear, gadgets, tools and toys, including Look's Keo Power pedal.
Design and Technology Special: The world's most streamlined and innovative new gear, gadgets, tools and toys, including Stanley's Nineteen13 Lunchcase.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Benchmade Mini-Onslaught knife.
I like to backpack with my iPod when I alone in the wilderness. After setting cp it would be ideal to have speakers instead of headphones to enjoy my music. Are there any lightweight, portable speakers good for backpacking? David Vancouver, Washington
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Nuun U Tablet.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Waterbox Water Bottle.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Timex Global Trainer GPS Watch.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Fossil Big Tic Orange Silicone Negative Display watch.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the V.I.O. POV.HD Camera System.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Victorinox Swiss Army Dive Master 500 Mechanical watch.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the GE DV1 Mini Camcorder.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Canon EOS 60D camera.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Yurbuds Ironman Performance Raising Earphones.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Olympus E-5 camera.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Suunto M5 watch.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Pentax WG-1 camera.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Highgear Axio HR watch.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Panasonic DMC-LX5 camera.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Brunton Solaris 4 USB solar charger.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Leupold BX-3 Mojave 10x42 binoculars.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Motorola Brute i680 cell phone.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Carson 3D Series 8x42 binoculars.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the SuperTooth Disco Speakers.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Pentax DCF BC 9x32 binoculars.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Timex Ironman Race Trainer Pro Kit watch.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Leica V-LUX-2 camera.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Tech4o Discover watch.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Nikon EDG 8x32 binoculars.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Garmin Forerunner 410 watch.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the MTM Special Ops Silverair Stryk watch.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Rudy Project Steelium Full Metal watch.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the St. Morits Momentum Atlas Limited Edition watch.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Casio Ediface EFA-132 watch.
Last month, our SAR team responded to lost hikers in Warren Creek, a steep, thickly-wooded, snow-covered canyon that terminates in a cliff. In the past, Warren Creek rescues were all-nighters, sometimes spilling into the next day. But for this mission, smart phones helped us rapidly find the lost. We…
Good physiological data helps you make the most of shorter training sessions, because you know exactly how hard you're working.
I'm going to Nepal to trek the Annapurna Circuit and would like to send a message home letting family know I'm okay. Will the Spot or ACR personal locator beacons work, and, if so, which do you recommend? Steve Apple Valley, CA
BD athlete Kyle Dempster makes first ascent of Mount Edgar's east face—PART TWO from Black Diamond Equipment on Vimeo. –Joe Spring@joespring…
I am planning to participate in a knife-only survival course in the summer. What is the best survival knife on the market? Thank you in advance for your guidance.JuanMoreno Valley, CA
What would be the best digital camcorder for filming ski footage of my students on the slopes? Compact, optical zoom, easy buttons, a viewfinder or great screen that works in bright light, internal memory or flash memory, etc. Thanks! MarkToronto, Ontario
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
Whether you need to capture, connect, or just sit back and relax, the newest portable gadgets are ready to serve.
What's the best multi-tool for hiking? Josh Omaha, NE
Which sporty watch would you recommend for someone that bikes, snowboards, hikes, and surfs? I am not so concerned with tide info, but I do want something that would keep him from getting lost when snowboarding or mountain biking in the backcountry! Shannon Temecula, CA
What camera tripod would you recommend for backpacking travel through Europe? Haven't decided on taking the Canon Powershot or the Rebel. Robin Tucson, AZ
I've used knives for various outdoor activities for years but realized I don't know how to effectively sharpen a knife (aside from tossing it and buying a new one). Can you recommend a sharpener or good resources to learn to sharpen a knife? -Doug Minneapolis, MN
What is the best multipurpose digital camera that can take a beating and can be mounted on a helmet. BryanMedford, NY
Is global positioning contributing to our general sense of lostness? One British navigation nerd thinks so.
This updated classic has multi-position eyecups that fit well with glasses or without, ergonomic thumb grooves, and excellent clarity in all light. 10×42; bushnell.com…
Why They’re CoolThe Magellans are hermetically sealed and nitrogen-filled, thus dirtproof, waterproof, and ideal for, say, river-trip camping, where they’re likely to get dunked and gunked. » Sub-$300 binos usually guarantee a degree of eyestrain, but these embody optical features such as BaK4 prisms—fine, high-density glass that minimizes light scattering—and…
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…
Never miss a shot again. With virtually no shutter lag—a luxury previously found only on high-end SLRs—and an almost instantaneous startup, the 6.3-megapixel F10 is ready before you can say “cheese.” This lightning-fast responsiveness, combined with the F10’s small size (slightly larger than a deck of cards, it’s perfect…
SPORTSTERAt a paltry 23 ounces, the Pinnacles are three to six ounces lighter than many full-size binocs, making them delightfully quick on the draw when chasing down skittish scrub birds. At 5.5 inches long, they’re also a little smaller than many competitors, and thus easier to pack. Light transmission and…
The God Bless America entry in this group, HP plays to our bigger-is-better leanings with this tote-bag equivalent of Imax. Multiple headphone jacks, Harmon Kardon speakers, BrightView widescreen, and a handheld remote (obviating the long reach from your first-class seat to the tray table) re-create the cinema experience. And because…
LUXURY FOR LUDDITES Why go back to manual controls in an age of whiz-bang do-everything automatics? Two words: speed and creativity. The 7.5-megapixel Digilux 3 is pricey, but after a few days of street shooting, we found the perfectly-placed controls let us manually frame and expose shots just as fast…
The Pro’s aircraft-grade aluminum housing was unfazed by snow and a stream dunk. And the slick “fast, close” focusing system makes it easier to find—and follow—your subject. 8.5×26; steiner-binoculars.com…
BEST FOR BEGINNERS Never used a GPS before? Check out the refreshingly straightforward Venture. On day hikes and quick overnighters around British Columbia’s southern Coast Mountains, testers with limited GPS knowledge found the cell-phone-size Venture’s simple menu system the most intuitive to operate. Its relatively big (1.3-by-1.7-inch), bright color screen…
Feeling competitive with no partner in sight? This featherweight plastic training watch has a Shadow Racer feature that lets you compete against your previous runs to check your progress en route. adidas.com …
We love the Zen’s 2.5-inch screen and crisp sound. Music, photos, video, FM, and voice recording are standard, and a card slot lets you boost storage. PC only; creative.com…
Elegant enough for a five-star dinner but ready for anything, this brushed-steel, sapphire-crystal chronograph is rated to a depth of 100 meters and sports a tachymeter, date window, and luminous hands and numerals. swissarmy.com…
SMALLER AND SMARTER This is BlackBerry’s finest model to date. Svelte and ultralight, it’s more like a cell phone—and less like a paperweight—than its predecessors. But despite the diminutive scale, the Curve is endowed with a full qwerty keyboard we found to be unbeatable among smartphones for fast, accurate typing.
Not only is the Pro Elite the most stable portable stand we’ve ever tested, it’s also the easiest to use. The smart spring-loaded head allows for one-handed clamping and releases with the push of a button. feedbacksports.com…
For the Cousteau in you, the Sea-Touch records data for up to 220 dives. It’s also outfitted with compass, alarm, thermometer, and chronograph, but the shockproof construction, 200-meter depth rating, and sapphire crystal are what inspire confidence. tissot.ch…
The Bold is more than just a business phone. With a smoother, more intuitive operating system, it’s way more user-friendly than previous BlackBerrys. And it’s ideal for international travelers who want to stay in touch—with Wi-Fi to avoid roaming charges, cellular-assisted GPS, long battery life, and quad-band accessibility. For…
Flying south for the winter? The island-friendly Navigator 2.0 has a compass, 30-lap memory, three alarms, and 100-meter water resistance. The cool innovation is the free-form mesh band, which does away with set holes—great for between-size wrists. freestyleusa.com…
Giant Killer The long-awaited prosumer follow-up to last year’s GOY-winning EOS 5D Mark II, the 7D is $1,000 cheaper than that top-shelf DSLR but in many respects a better camera. While it lacks the pro version’s full-frame sensor, the 18MP 7D more than makes up for it with a responsive…
You’ll often leave before sunrise to make a summit push. Pack this small, light LED headlamp, which has two settings: a floodlight for illuminating the trail and a beam for long-distance (150 feet) spotting. princetontec.com…
Most snow saws rely on puny teeth better suited for cutting crusty bread. This 14-inch (seven when folded) igloo saw uses quarter-inch shark teeth to rip through even the most consolidated snow. Use it for pit work or carving the perfect shelter blocks. Attaches easily to just about anything—ski…
Whether you’re cutting blocks to build a snow shelter or testing slope stability, this light and compact (12-inch) metal saw won’t let you down—it’s durable enough to cut through wood or ice. bcaccess.com…
BELIEVE THE HYPE Yes, actually, the iPhone is all that. First off, it’s sexy. The aluminum-and-glass build gives a nice solid feel, the 3.5-inch touchscreen and Mac OS X make operation fast and intuitive (despite the typing learning curve), and it’s a breeze on the Web. Thanks to its…
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,…
The 3x-optical-zoom-equipped SP-350 has all the trappings of an SLR—manual exposure controls, an ergonomic grip, and external-flash hot shoe—but without the bulk. During a late-summer trip through Jasper National Park, I tucked this 9.6-ounce black beauty into my jacket pocket and carried it everywhere, even on fast-and-light hikes. The…
Along with having every other feature you can imagine (PC connectivity, workout logs, and more), the t3 can detect over- or under-training and help you adjust on the fly. It’s the sleekest model here, but its chrono settings can be tough to read midlap. suunto.com/training…