There’s nothing quite like the great outdoors, whether it’s a beautifully hot and sunny day or the slopes are ready during a frigid winter morning. If you know someone who loves the outdoors and going on adventures, they’ll love these tech gifts.
Apple Watch Ultra 2 Smartwatch
The best smartwatch for someone who loves extreme outdoor sports, especially an activity like scuba diving, is the Apple Watch Ultra 2. As the second generation of Apple’s popular watch for outdoor adventurers and serious athletes, it has all the same features as the Apple Watch Series 9 and carries over all the popular features from the first-gen model as well as upcoming ones in watchOS 10. But there are some additional features as well. You can now set a waypoint using voice with Siri and enjoy precision finding thanks to the second-gen chip. It goes up to 3,000 nits brightness making it more readable in harsh sunlight. The ambient sensor also automatically activates in the dark, switching the watch to night mode. There’s a new Modular Ultra watch face that uses the outermost edge of the display to show data like depth, altitude, and even the passing seconds. You get more information overall at-a-glance. Along with advanced metrics for runners, a customizable action button, and precision dual frequency GPS, the watch has been tested across the largest range of altitudes, as high as 9,000 metres. The depth app, meanwhile, for divers now saves a log of each session so you can view data both in the Health app and on the watch face itself. Offering the same up to 36 hours of battery life (72 in low power mode), it uses more recycled content as well. It starts at $1,099.
Huupe Smart Basketball Hoop
If they love playing basketball but they’re trying to improve their skills or want to get in extra training at home, the huupe is an interesting option to consider. Pronounced “hoop,” it has a waterproof backboard that doubles as a video screen showing training videos from coaches, trainers, and players. Meanwhile, it has shot-tracking sensors and an integrated webcam to track your shot accuracy and location on the court. The training content, which includes live TV, is designed to help you improve your knowledge and skills. There’s also a peer-to-peer connectivity option so you can compete in real-time shooting contests remotely, great for players who can’t get together because of young kids at home, for example. But this is also a fun way to connect with other lovers of the game from all around the world. Huupe was started by Paul Anton and Lyth Saeed and secured funding from NBA players and owners. Keep in mind Huupe won’t be shipping until January 2024, but for those serious about the sport, the IOU will be worth the wait. Pricing starts at US$4,995 (US$10,000 for the model with all the analytics) and the optional monthly subscription is US$30/mo. This isn’t a small investment. But if someone is really hoping to go pro, they’ll appreciate having the virtual assistance.
Urbanista Phoenix Solar True Wireless Earbuds
The Urbanista Phoenix true wireless earbuds come in a solar-powered case, which means an outdoorsy person can enjoy virtually infinite use, as long as they keep it consistently charged by the sun. Seriously, they may never have to actually plug them in. Wear them around the neck or clipped to a backpack and the case will naturally gain a charge from the sun or recharging the buds inside using an artificial light source. I reviewed these $200 earbuds earlier this fall and you can read all about my experience to decide if they’re worth it. Hint: a month later and I still haven’t charged them outside of the initial charge when I took them out of the box.
Solo Stove Mesa Heat Deflector
If they already have a Solo Stove outdoor fire pit, or maybe you want to get one for them (or your own outdoors-loving family), there’s a new accessory that works with the Mesa or Mesa XL models. The Mesa Heat Deflector magnifies the fire pit’s heat radius to make room for extra company and enhance outdoor comfort. As hot air rises and scatters, the Mesa Heat Deflector captures and sends the thermal radiation outwards, so you can stay cozy around the table on chilly nights. It has perforated grates that allows the fire to breathe along with three easy-access windows for easy refilling. It comes with a carry bar as well and is made from 304 stainless steel. It even includes a lifetime warranty. Grab one for from $35. The Mesa Solo Stove models start at $110 on sale and can burn pellets or traditional firewood without generating any smoke.
JBL Clip 4 Portable Bluetooth Speaker
This tiny portable Bluetooth speaker packs a punch with its sound and it’s small enough to bring just about anywhere. At $100, this speaker comes in a variety of colour options and is IP67 water- and dustproof. You’ll get an impressive up to 10 hours of use per charge and the oval shape is easy to fit into the hand while you go for a hike. But it’s also small enough and comes with a carabiner clip to hook to a bag, belt, purse, buckle, or other item. It’s the ultimate adventurer’s speaker for some tunes around the fire at night or while you scale a hill or enjoy some fishing.
Ride1Up Portola Folding eBike
Get into the eBike trend with the Ride1Up Portola folding eBike, which has an innovative folding mechanism that makes it easy to fold and unfold for easy storage. This eBike is perfect for apartment or city dwellers with limited space, or for those who want to travel with the bike on public transportation or to pack it in the trunk of a small car.
It is powered by an electric motor with multiple pedal assist levels so you can choose how much assistance you need based on where you’re riding, from flat ground to tough inclines. It comes with integrated lights and a responsive digital display along with fenders and even a passenger seat. It comes in turquoise, indigo blue, or gloss black and ships as a class 2 but can be changed to a class 3 (check the regulations in your area). It has a front suspension and integrated rear rack, 20×3-inch tires, and a 48V 10.4 ah or 48V 13.4ah battery. Pricing starts at US$995.
GoSun Power 110 Charger Power Bank
For camping and other outdoor activities, the gosun Power 1100 charger power bank is a compact solar generator that can help run and charge everything from your camera to lights, laptops, coffee maker, portable fridge, TV, or even CPAP machines. It offers 1,100 watts of lithium-ion energy with advanced charging from solar as well as 12V or AC and 10 outputs in all, including two AC, two 12V DC, one 12V car port, two USB-A, one USB-C, and two 18W QC3.0 ports (one of which is built into the SolarPanel). Temperature control ensures nothing overheats with the built-in 450 lumen LED can illuminate the campsite or even your home during a power outage. It has a real-time display that shows battery status and battery percentage remaining. To charge it from the sun, you need to use the SolarPanel 100. The unit will recharge your phone up to 40 times per charge, a laptop up to nine times, and even get a TV to run for about five hours. It weighs 25 lbs. and it’s compact at 12 inches long, yet can still power things like power tools, fridges, and fans. The unit itself takes about 11 hours to fully charge. Get it for about US$950.
GoSun Chill No Powerbank Electric Cooler
Another device from GoSun that will appeal to outdoorsy folks is the Chill No Powerbank electric cooler. At US$369, it’s designed to keep food cold, dry, and even frozen without needing ice. It doesn’t come with the standard Power 144 but does include a 12-inch power cord and AC power cord for wired charging. Weighing 28 lbs., it isn’t something you’ll take hiking with you. But you can bring it with you to the kids’ soccer game for drinks and snacks, on a camping trip or on a boat to enjoy cold beers while you fish. It has a 40L capacity and is insulated with closed cell polyurethane foam. The DC brushless compressor runs on 12 or 24 volts and draws 35-45W of power. Combined with the aforementioned power bank, you’ll have everything you need for an outdoor adventure.
Nocs Provisions Standard Issue 10X25 Waterproof Binoculars
Whether you’re using these on the golf course to see where your ball landed or to look out on the horizon after you’ve scaled a massive mountain, the Nocs Provisions binoculars are handy to keep in an adventurer’s backpack. At $125 and in bright colour options like sunset orange, they are compact and rugged, perfect for travel. They are designed for maximum grip and to withstand just about anything, including water and fog thanks to the IPX7 rating and nitrogen sealed O-rings, respectively. They feature a wide field-of-view and multi-coated lenses with BaK4 roof prisms. They come in a rugged impact-absorbing housing with scratch-resistant lenses. The eyecups twist up and you can wear them comfortably, even with your eyeglasses. With the “no matter what” lifetime warranty, these are binoculars they’ll keep forever.
DJI Osmo Pocket 3 Pocket-Sized Gimbal Camera
Record your outdoor adventures with the DJI Osmo Pocket 3 gimbal camera, especially when paired with a variety of available accessories. It has features to help improve recording in low light and offers 10-bit D-Log M and 10-bit HLG colour modes that record landscapes with detail, presenting accurate colours and vivid highlights. The 2-inch full-colour OLED touchscreen rotates and the full-pixel fast focusing ensures sharp focus, even with quick-moving subjects. ActiveTrack 6.0 offers multiple follow modes, including Face Auto-Detect and Dynamic Framing, for cinematic-level footage. The built-in three-mic array reduces wind noise and captures omnidirectional stereo sound, providing immersive audio. Osmo Pocket 3 can be charged to 80% in just 16 minutes and when fully charged, it can record up to 116 minutes of 4K/60fps footage or up to 166 minutes of 1080p/24fps footage, making it perfect for capturing all types of outdoor adventures. It even has neat creative modes and features like SpinShot for 180° smooth camera movements with one hand; motion lapse for capturing the flow of time; digital zoom up to 4x to get closer in any shot; and panorama. Connect the LightCut app for a one-tap edit feature for simple content creation. Using AI intelligent recognition, it highlights moments from your footage and instantly generates shareable 4K videos. There are also video templates catering to various themes like vlogs, travel adventures, parties, family gatherings, pet moments, food experiences, daily life, and more. There are a variety of accessories you can use with the Osmo Pocket 3, including a Black Mist Filter, Wide-Angle Lens, Mini Tripod, Battery Handle, Mic 2 Transmitter, Magnetic ND Filters Set, Expansion Adapter, and Carrying Bag. Get it for $699 or $899 or the Creator Combo that adds a DJI Mic 2 Transmitter (Shadow Black), a DJI Mic 2 Windscreen, a DJI Mic 2 Clip Magnet, an Osmo Pocket 3 Battery Handle, a Osmo Mini Tripod, and Osmo Pocket 3 Carrying Bag.