Gps
New Elite program from map partner Trimble Outdoors serves up best-in-class trip planning tools, exclusive map data, and mobile app extras.
Our editors map their favorite trips on custom-centered topos. Order today!
Tips from our experts and readers about traveling in deserts and canyon country
A perfect starter GPS unit, with a great price and minimal drawbacks.
Your electronics will never run out of juice with this portable battery charger.
This GPS is perfect, however you get from A to B.
The sleekest, best GPS watch yet.
Never get lost with these navigation tools.
A point-and-shoot with advanced hiker-centric chops
From GPS data to navigation apps and printed maps, we have you covered and can get you ready for your next adventure.
In this beginner friendly course, BACKPACKER Map Editor Andrew Matranga teaches the essentials of map reading, GPS, and compass, plus how to use today's best digital mapping tools to plan trips, to navigate in the field and to share adventures once you get home.
A giant roll-top and zip-top dry bag in one
Cameras, gadgets, and cases for the trail.
A backpacker-friendly smartphone or GPS case that doesn't block signals
A top-performing GPS unit with photo-location capabilities.
Send and receive with the ultimate backcountry communicator.
We've taken the best trips on backpacker.com and made them even better. Check out updated, interactive PRO trips and PRO bundles on GPS Trails. Use your Android or iPhone to discover these premium guides, or map your own adventures and share them with your friends.
We've teamed up with map partner myTopo to create custom, pre-planned adventures printed on waterproof topo paper. No need to buy and carry multiple maps. Bonus: PRO Maps sync with your handheld GPS, your smartphone, or your tablet for a complete in-field mapping experience. Our archive is over 100 maps strong and growing.
Join a long line of enlightened travelers who have navigated the wilderness–and discover a whole new world that lies beyond well-marked trails and guided trips.
The editors of Backpacker and Climbing weigh in on their favorite pieces of gear and gadgets.
This associate map editor likes to stay well connected.
Gadgets to help you lop off the miles.
Gadgets and gear from our resident map editor.
Three hiking-focused apps - for iPhone, iPad, or Android.
Never get lost again, with these four GPS units and three hiking apps.
This budget-friendly, no-frills device delivers basic safety and positioning without adding weight.
You’ll get in-car voice and off-trail navigation on 1:100K USA topo maps, plus a 5MP camera that snaps crisp, geotagged images.
A compact, durable unit with sophisticated features like barometric altimeter.
An all-in-one unit that captures GPS, photos, 320x240 video, and audio.
Plan hikes and backpacking trips, plus other outdoor adventures like never before on detailed, interactive topo maps and aerial photos.
Learn how to plot your own digital adventures with precision--then print the maps and prep your GPS.
Learn the basics of using GPS devices and watch amazing Google 3D flyovers in our special navigation focused video center.
Learn how to make custom maps, navigate any terrain, and the ins-and-outs of GPS devices and mobile apps in our comprehensive navigation center.
New inReach device from Delorme offers two-way communication and much more.
Don't let iPhone fanatics fool you: There are tons of great outdoor apps for the
other operating system.
Load up your smartphone or iPad with these backpacker-friendly apps.
Welcome to accessory and apparel heaven: puffy jackets, stoves, windpants, knives, iPad apps, solar panels, GPS, hydration, first aid, socks, camp food, baselayers, and more.
Outfit your mama with the perfect overnight gear.
Whether you're shopping for your wife, mom, girlfriend, or BFF we've done the heavy lifting for you with 40 picks that are sure to make her Mother's Day.
Manage your social network from anywhere
Learn everything you need to know to get from point a. to point b.
GPS + Spot + Text Messaging
A compass that floats.
Here's a high-tech trifecta: Navigate the backcountry and call for emergency help and stay connected with those at home.
Attention e-hikers: Upgrade–and power–your gadgets with these five finds.
Able to recharge off of any USB port
Easy to read touch screen with a tough hard-shell
Holds a lot of power, comes with 11 adapter tips, and charges quickly
Clips to your pack for easy access to stats like temperature and altitude
A basic sighting compass that is lightweight, durable, and unsinkable.
Stay on track with the best GPS units. Plus, awesome navigation apps.
Stay on track with these three navigation and hiking apps.
Never go missing with this personal locator beacon.
Geocaching just got easier with this palm-size GPS unit.
The pinpoint accuracy of this GPS system will keep you on track even in the most narrow valleys.
These applications might not qualify as the 10 Essentials, but they're pretty sweet to have on the trail nonetheless.
Navigate across scree, snow, and rivers without getting blocked or lost.
Record your elevation changes, distance, speed, and heart rate all with one (big) watch.
5 ways to embark on your own cartographic adventure
Just because you can't see in front of you doesn't mean you can't navigate.
Skirt forests and mountains with ease with these tips and gear.
Learn how to stay on track and find water safely in the desert and canyons.
Triangulate, forge through wind, and learn the tides with these water-bound navigation tips.
When your route takes you off-trail you can still be on course with these navigation tips.
Field-proven skills for wild weather and terrain.
Starting May 17, we'll give one away every weekday for a month on our
Facebook page--if you can be the first to post the correct answer to our daily map trivia question.
A wristtop altimeter, compass, and accelerometer.
These waterproof maps are unruffled by rain, sleet, and snow.
A groundbreaking GPS that just won't break.
Thirty indestructible gear picks from two decades of hardcore field-testing.
Want to map and share your own adventures with the click of a button? Looking for instant access to thousands of GPS-enabled hikes? Look no further than GPS Trails. Just download the app and turn your phone into the ultimate navigation device and portable trip database.
Want to map and share your own adventures with the click of a button? Looking for instant access to thousands of GPS-enabled hikes? Look no further than GPS Trails. Just download the app and turn your phone into the ultimate navigation device and portable trip database.
If you think you missed the age of exploration and discovery, you haven't tried the latest mapping tools.
The best smartphone for the backcountry
A fully-featured GPS
A bargain GPS
Resurrect electronics that have taken a swim
A versatile body camera that shoots HD video
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.
Welcome to our list of clubs, environmental groups, retail shops, and other groups who are using our map tools to plan and share trips, to save wilderness areas, or to meet other hikers.
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
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.
Whether you're a backpacker, dayhiker, geocacher, runner, or cyclist we have a GPS unit for you.
All our picks weigh less than 8 ounces and cost less than $400.
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.
Four packable, trailworthy camcorders that could launch your YouTube career
A reliable and moderately priced unit with high-end capabilities
A favorite unit for beginners
If cost is no object, this unit is like having an interactive topo map at your fingertips.
Get a mobile phone, data organizer, walkie-talkie, and GPS, all in one device.
This rugged unit will let you call home from the trail
Just throw this unit in the car and go
You'll never lose your partner if you're each carrying a Rino.
Don't fight over where the trailhead starts. Get this handy gadget and you'll find it every time.
Use a map, compass, and GPS unit to plot an ambitious route with this beginner's guide to bushwhacking
Get started--or get simple--with the best GPS deal
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.
Learn this mapping technique for better off-trail travel.
What's GPS, how does it work, and will it help you?
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.
