This is as tough (and pretty) as a hatchet gets, plus the nigh unbreakable handle features a stow-away saw. gerbergear.com…

Just as Apple polished its Mac over the years, NIKE has perfected the user interface on the OREGON SERIES ALTI-COMPASS ($199). Huge numbers deliver the most critical information, and a clever system of rotating buttons allows you to scroll through barometer, thermometer, weather, and altitude readings.

The TRIPOD DATA SYSTEMS RECON ($1,500) is the ideal PDA for extreme environments. This Windows-based handheld withstands immersion for up to 30 minutes and repeated drops onto rock.

From a forge known for out-standing innovation and design comes this watersport knife, which features a combo blade with a snub nose—lest you poke a hole in your hose or raft—and an antigravity sheath (i.e., you can mount it upside down). crkt.com…

This little Napoleon (think small but powerful) packs high-performance optics into a lightweight, compact package that feels balanced and substantial in hand. 10×25; minox.com…

Made of lightweight carbon fiber, this sturdy probe is long enough for real rescues and thick enough to feel solid in chunky debris. 8 ft extended, 16 in collapsed, 8.7 oz; genuineguidegear.com…

The LX3 has ended up in the pocket of more than a few pros we know. Why? For starters, it has a hi-res 10.1-meg sensor, can shoot RAW files—the best format for creative post-processing—like a DSLR, and features a tack-sharp Leica lens that zooms out to an ultrawide 24mm…

This versatile polycarbonate binoc has an upgraded, open-bridge design, creating a grip more comfortable than on previous Excursion models. The 400-foot-plus field of view is ideal for spotting game out in the wide open. 8×36; bushnell.com…

A titanium body and extreme ease of use made the fast-and-light TG5V our favorite sea-to-summit shooter. Record in full 1920×1080 hi-def, capture four-meg stills, geotag everything with the built-in GPS, and save to an upgradeable 16GB internal flash. sonystyle.com…

Front of the Pack A GPS watch without compromise. The Forerunner 110 measures distance, heart rate (with $50 strap), and real-time pace. The interface is intuitive, uploading to a computer is easy, and the watch itself is smaller than a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup. Add it up and you’ve got…

Pocket Philharmonic We’re all iPod junkies, but Micro­soft’s Zune HD was a nice surprise. As a video player, it’s comparable to the iPod Touch, and for pure audiophile pleasure we daresay it’s better, with warmer tones and sharper high notes. What’s missing? Non-Windows functionality, a camera, and easy navigability. The…

It has a date window, military-time markers, rotating bezel, 100-meter water resistance, and not much else—except for the great Swiss Army design that spawned a thousand imitators. This time with a cool European black-on-black feel, antiglare crystal, and comfy rubber strap. TAGS: classic, cool…

Why They’re CoolWhat do you get when you shell out a few more shekels than you would for the Olympus? A sharper image (thanks to phase-coated prisms), better low-light viewing (credit a slightly larger objective lens), and a broader field of view. » You also get a close-focus distance of…

These nimble, pocket-friendly field glasses delivered surprisingly crisp images for their size (and bargain-basement price), and they also performed well in the wet. 8×26; carsonoptical.com…

This classy timepiece, which pairs well with both suit and parka, steps beyond the usual analog chronograph with an altimeter. www.st-moritz.com…

Finally, an excuse to have a bottle opener on your key chain without having to go back to college. www.buckknives.com…

SEASONED PROBy relocating the bulky GPS antenna to a separate arm-mounted pod, Timex kept the watch relatively svelte and undeniably light on the wrist. For gram-shaving racers, this is big; they can train with the GPS and the chest strap, then leave both at home when they step up to…

TRES HERMESSpice up your morning five-miler with 125 of your favorite songs. With its pack-of-gum-size wireless sensor clipped to your laces, the MP3 Run tracks your speed, distance, and pace. Hit a button and the unit will cut into “Eye of the Tiger” with a progress report (“Time, three minutes;…

Is it safe to skip that water break? The ACUMEN EON-202TRT PYR ($269), a heart-rate monitor with an internal dehydration calculator, will let you know. Before you head out, program the outside temperature and humidity into the wrist unit via a key-chain gauge, then follow its advice on how much…

Wait, you’re not using those earbuds that came attached like a crummy little toady to another device, right? Good. But you should still upgrade to the deep, rich sound of these noise-isolating, dual-driver numbers. ultimateears.com…

Ditch the tool belt; just stick this crafty gizmo in your back pocket and roll. And if you’re not drinking wine, the hammer opens beer bottles. (No joke; look closely.) spyderco.com…

CASIO packed the SOLAR TRIPLE SENSOR ($250) with a compass, a barometer, a thermometer, a depth gauge, five alarms, and a rotating bezel—then tucked in a solar cell. Not only will the battery stay juiced on the power of daylight, but big digits and the included backlight make it your…

Thanks to the popularity of two-way radios, it’s getting harder to find a quiet channel in some of our nation’s more popular national parks. MOTOROLA solves this chatter glut by offering 99 subcodes in its TALKABOUT T6500 ($79 per pair). The rechargeable NiCad-powered handsets have one watt of power, good…

A do-it-all multitool that shaves weight down to five ounces without sacrificing utility. The standard fare (pliers/wire snips, blade, screwdriver set) is augmented by a carabiner-like clip that’s good for cracking open a bottle of beer. leatherman.com…

APPLE’S Lilliputian IPOD MINI ($249) is the new standard for hauling music. At four ounces, the hard-drive-based device is lighter than previous Pods yet still delivers up to 50 hours of sound. Its tough anodized-aluminum case and an optional neoprene armband ($29) clinches it as the most trail-worthy of the…

Colltex’s supple, smooth-gliding mohair skins use a pressure-sensitive glue that binds tighter when weighted but is still a breeze to peel. We received these in late spring, so we can’t speak to durability. But first impression? Wow. colltex.com…

Like the podium-topping Canon, the D90 shoots photos and HD video, but at less than one-third the price. Consider it the Corvette to Canon’s Lamborghini—i.e., it’s not the most luxurious, but it’s still one very sweet machine: 4.5-frames-per-second shooting, a 12.3-meg sensor, and a best-in-the-industry, super-hi-res three-inch LCD screen.

Ideal for birdwatchers—but great for anyone who prefers seeing things afar in high definition—these palm-size Leicas fold down compactly. And at 9.6 ounces, they’re the lightest binocs we tested. 10×25; leica-camera.com…

This shock- and waterproof videocam, which features a 170-degree lens and five-meg sensor, is easily attached to your person, ski, snowboard, helmet, bike, or surfboard via mount kits ($20–$40). Shoot 30-frames-per-second video or set it to take a still every two or five seconds.

Heart Matters A heart-rate monitor should be both intuitive and powerful. This affordable one does well on both counts, automatically telling you what heart-rate zone you should be aiming for and uploading your workouts to training software with an optional $55 FlowLink cradle. polarusa.com…

Slick Amphibian A unique mix of racing style and military fatigue, the new “khaki” Formula 1 is, at less than $1,000, a really good deal from TAG. Water-resistant to 200 meters, with a scratch-resistant crystal, it’s built to handle field duty, but the hipster look suits any urban setting.

We like this American watchmaker for its unique designs that hold up to the elements while looking great with a suit. This patriotic, red-black-and-blue number has a soft calf-leather strap, 100-meter water resistance, and dials for date, seconds, and 60-minute timing. TAGS: urban, sporty…

If you care about visual perfection (price be damned!), move up to this deluxe unit. The Golden Ring offers superior crispness, images brighter than those in other models, and a smart focus lock that keeps sharpness immune to clumsy fingers so that you can, well, focus. 8×32; www.leupold.com…

Good for Backcountry Because both the head and shaft are made out of aluminum (with steel tips), the Corsa weighs half as much as normal axes (just 8.8 ounces). Of course, that lack of heft also makes getting purchase in blue ice more difficult. Think of it…

This genius watch measures your resting heart rate (collected while you take a five-minute break) and automatically builds a weekly training regimen. Then it tracks your progress and updates your workouts accordingly. www.polarusa.com…

Updated with an elegant new ergonomic case, the classic traveler’s tool kit still includes nearly every widget you could wish for—even a wrench. www.wengerna.com…

GEEK’S DELIGHTPaging all data whores! The S625X, which ships with a wireless speed sensor that mounts on a shoe, lets you program and track a seemingly infinite combination of complex workouts. (Wireless bike cadence and speed sensors are sold separately, $40 each.) Forty bucks also buys you an infrared PC…

BOLD STATEMENTIt felt good to be the only guy running the trails of Boulder, Colorado, sans flapping headphone wires. In a wild science project, Oakley pimped out a pair of its Half Jacket sunglasses by tucking a 256MB flash-memory-based player in the stems and adding flip-up lenses. Phones slide directly…

You know your VO2 max and resting heart rate, but what about your “excess post-exercise oxygen consumption” value? Maybe it’s time to spring for SUUNTO’s new T6 ($449). After measuring millisecond differences between your individual heartbeats, the wrist computer will indicate how quickly you bounce back from a tough training…

Whether you’re playing preloaded tunes or the radio, that built-in speaker sounds a helluva lot better than you might expect. And when you’re ready to plug in earbuds, just slide the speaker back behind and watch the display shift from horizontal to vertical. PC only; samsung.com…

There’s nothing quite like a beautiful, badass blade, especially when it’s a one-handed, mechanism-assisted opener like this pocket sword. $382 with pictured handle inlays; benchmade.com…

TIMEX took the heavy metal out of its Ironman. Sure, the MEGA-LAP SLEEK ($70) has an ultraslim design and svelte resin band. But with its 200-workout memory and calendar reminder with text memos (“Get ass in gear for half-marathon!”), the features are as phat as ever.

Want rugged portability? Then this sound system in a suitcase is a no-brainer. The weather-resistant i-F3 features iPod charging and storage, auxiliary input, FM, and alarm and puts out respectable sound for 20 hours per charge. si5.com…

A pivot fin along the back, assisted by an internal tension rod, lets you open this utility knife like a switchblade, fast and with a flick of the finger. kershawknives.com…

CREATIVE’s 3.1-ounce NOMAD MUVO² X-TRAINER 512MB ($269) is built for rough handling, with a half-gig of fixed flash memory wrapped in a protective rubbery case. The rugged X-Trainer gets about twice the battery life (16 hours) of most hard-drive-based spinners.

This compass weighs just 1.2 ounces, and its smash-proof housing also contains an inclinometer. brunton.com…

When it first emerged last year, face-recognition technology seemed hokey and didn’t even work that well. The F60fd changes all that. When we passed it around among amateurs and pros alike, it easily recognized multiple faces, even in full profile, nailing exposure, focus, and color balance every time.

The single-hinge design makes for a comfortable grip on these backcountry-ready binocs. And with a wide field of view and excellent clarity at dawn or dusk, they’re ideal for viewing wildlife. 10.5×45; leupold.com…

This relatively svelte, Windows-based smartphone is a pure traveler, with a great navigation system (geotagging and U.S. maps built in), a 2.8-inch touchscreen, an intuitive interface, and a 3.2-meg camera that delivered decent shots in a variety of conditions. htc.com…

General Scoping Acquired by elite optics company Leupold & Stevens in 2009, Redfield is back this year with the Rebel, an ergonomic and economical binocular that’s a great all-around choice. The fully multi­coated lenses stood up well to repeated stream drops and didn’t fog up in cold-weather testing, plus an…

Swimming Elegance We can’t get enough of Suunto’s Elementum line. The dive version, a.k.a. Aqua, automatically logs depth, dive time, max depth, surface time, and water temp—and stores it all for up to 14 dives. But it’s the superclear, handsome reverse-LCD display on this iF Design Award–winning model that we…

Freestyle takes a step back from its usual designer impulses, leaving in the 100-meter water resistance, stainless-steel case, and fumble-proof nylon strap. Best of all, though, is the popsicle-blue backlight, like something you’d see in a sea cave at dusk. TAGS: simple, casual…

These bargain binos are priced to move but still tough enough for hard use. They’re protected against falls and klutzy friends and come with a lifetime prism-alignment guarantee. 10×25; www.carson-optical.com…

Is there a heart rate monitor watch that doesn't look like a HR monitor/watch. I am in the market for a new everyday watch and HR monitor and was wondering if I could kill two birds? –Craig (Pittsburgh, PA)

From game-changing new materials (like moisture-wicking cotton) to evolutionary leaps in engineering (like a rotating helmet for extreme crashes), the avant-garde of 21st-century gear has just one thing in common: a total disregard for the status quo.

I love going to Burning Man but the environment just destroys all my point-and-shoot cameras. Dust gets in there and after a few days the pictures start getting blurry and a few days after that the moving parts stop moving. The reason I have sacrificed these point-and-shoot cameras is because the best shots are at night, turning on the flash just lights up the dust in the air and not the environment, and I like keeping the camera in a pocket so if I'm running around its not flying all over the place. Do you know of an indestructible camera that takes awesome night shots, if not a moderately priced sacrificial camera that takes great night shots where fire and glow sticks are the main source of light? -Daniel Long Beach, CA

Eight watches that go from work to adventure with style.

These cameras can handle being dropped, wet or frozen—and still take great shots.

The Solar Impulse completed its first night flight at 7:00 A.M. GMT, Reuters reports. Andre Borschberg, the pilot, kept the solar-powered aircraft aloft for just over 26 hours before landing at an air base in Vaud, Switzerland.

A Solar Impulse model HB-SIA  airplane took off from Switzerland Wednesday morning in an attempt to be the first solar-powered plane to fly for 24 hours, according to CNET news. The plane is designed to fly at night with solar power stored…

WHERE TO USE IT: One glimpse of Longs Peak’s 1,500-foot vertical east face and you’ll know why you came: This 14,259-foot Colorado mountain is no mellow slag heap. The 15-mile round-trip hike gains 5,000 feet and demands an alpine start; afternoon lightning storms are a given. You can also tackle…

WHERE TO USE IT: Lake Winni­pesaukee, near New Hampshire’s White Mountains, is 72 square miles of tree-lined coves and some 300 sprawling islands—not to mentionwaterfront cabins with long wooden docks. Rent one on the quieter northor east side of the lake (from $1,000 per week; preferredrentals.com), then…

“Not just different. Better.” That tester’s observation sums up this 15-degree bag from Montbell, whose major tech innovation—spiraled baffles—made it the most comfortable and best-functioning bag we tested this year. Far from a gimmick, the spiral baffles drape more evenly over the body, creating…

Advice on finding the best gear—and tried-n-true methods for maintaining your gear for years to come.

Sleeping Bags Twenty-seven testers fanned out across the Pacific Northwest, bedding down for an accumulated 88 nights in 25 different sleeping bags. Trail Shoes Over five months, Jason Stevenson and his team of three testers evaluated 70 pairs of light hikers in six states—from Arizona…

The best new adventure-ready timepieces.

Proof that comfortable, travel-ready clothing need not scream, "I'm going on safari"? You're looking at it.

Five brilliant new devices for playing at home and traveling abroad.

Hardware to get you out of all kinds of jams.

Laptops and cell phones are merging. Here's the new range of options for connected travelers.

By Mary Catherine O'Connor Headed for the hills this weekend? Feeling bad about wheeling up in your A4 Wagon with nothing but your gear and Learn Cantonese audio books? You're in luck: new ride-share and resort-bound bus services have been cropping up, connecting drivers with…

I need a camera tough enough for whitewater kayaking and canyoneering (i.e., water- and shock-resistant), one that can handle expedition trips off the grid (i.e., takes AA batteries). Last year we did an 18-day trip down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon, and my boyfriend brought along a 12-pound solar power pack for recharging camera and camccorder batteries?no kidding! Problem is, it didn't work (long story). Oh, and if I could ask for one more thing, it would be a viewfinder in addition to the usual LCD screen. I've been looking in vain for this camera since my very old beloved Pentax Optio died. Does this camera exist, or I doomed to having only my memories to remember my adventures? Sharon Notre De, IN

Can you recommend a heart rate monitor? I'm looking for a do-it-all model, that a ten year old or adult can use. I want a model that constantly monitors heart rate, downloads to a computer, and doesn't cost a mint. Dave Sierra Vista, AZ

I’m planning a three-month trip to the Big Island and wanted to have some way to keep in contact with my travel companions. We are thinking about buying a set of walkie talkies. If we purchase these in Ontario will they work in Hawaii? Or do we need to purchase them in Hawaii? Can you suggest the best model to buy? Diane Ontario, Canada

Hello, I'm looking to make a winter ascent of Mount Rainier. I need an altimeter. I'm not sure if I should get an altimeter watch (like the Casio Pathfinder) or a GPS (Garmin Oregon 400T, Oregon 300, or Dakota 20). I don't have to worry about the battery problem with the watch. Then again, it's nice to have a GPS, but they only get 14 hours of battery life. The Dakota gets 20. In sub-zero temps, I would need to carry everything in my pockets. Any ideas? Brett Highland Lakes, NJ

Not exactly. But your iPhone can get you halfway there. Mariah Power, which creates residential wind turbines, has teamed up with the software developer Create with Context for an app that will measure…

I was wondering if you knew of any high-def cameras that can zoom in to a six-foot-by-six-foot square on earth's surface from 60,000 feet and attached to a UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle)? Paul Long Beach, CA

I will be spending time hiking in Patagonia, climbing Mt. Vinson, and cross-country skiing in Antarctica. It seems a valuable piece of gear would be a satellite phone, but I don't see any reviews on Outside Online. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Chuck Sonoma, CA

I have been trying to find a good pack for packing camera gear. Although there are camera backpacks out there, they do not allow me to carry personal stuff, and they don't seem to be that well made. My question is...without hiring a sherpa, what company makes a "real" backpack that would allow me to carry both. I have looked at the Deuter Futura Pro 42, and would make the bottom compartment into the camera storage. I will go out for a day, maybe a day and night. Thanks a lot! Daryl Wheat Ridge, CO

The tools and gadgets that made the cut for our second annual celebration of the best in design and technology.