Photo: Katja Kircher (Getty).
You may believe that if you’re venturing into the great outdoors, you should only have Mother Nature to keep you company. Perhaps you believe that camping trips and other such adventurous activities are at their best when they’re just you versus the elements. However, if these are your beliefs, then you are wrong – technology has actively been improving the outdoors for years now, and it’s time you jumped on board.
There are plenty of instances in which technology can amplify this whole “outside” thing, from camping and hiking to even pool parties and BBQs, but there are those select few gadgets that, once you own them, you’ll forget a time before you ever lived without them. These are gadgets that are so useful when it comes to enhancing all of your adventures, be they in the middle of a forest or in your own back garden, that you’ll question why on Earth you hadn’t taken the plunge and purchased them sooner.
Fortunately, we’ve created a list of 10 of our personal favorite gadgets for the outdoors, highlighting the best technology money can buy for both the intrepid explorers and the BBQ/beers by the pool enthusiasts among you.
The Top 10 Coolest Tech Gadgets for the Outdoors:
Cool Tech Gadgets for the Outdoors
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Char-Broil Electric Smoker
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There's something inherently empowering about manually cooking meat over a fire, but sometimes you just don't have the time nor the patience to stage a BBQ. For those occasions, the Char-Broil Electric Smoker is an innovative outdoor cooking appliance that cooks your food for you, while still retaining that smokey flavor.
Along with allowing you to rustle up some mouth-watering food without having to slave over a fire all evening, the Char-Broil Electric Smoker also boasts a removable and washable temperature probe, in order to ensure that all of your meat is fully cooked and ready to serve to your guests. Accompanied by a generously sized wood chip box that allows you to cook continuously for up to 8 hours, and this is the perfect device for the time-strapped host.
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Heimplanet's The Cave Tent
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For frequent campers there aren't many other features of a tent that are more valued than its durability. Heimplanet's innovative design, branded The Cave, takes full marks in this particular category.
Sleeping up to 3 people, The Cave's geodesic shape and inflatable frame is able to withstand serious weather conditions, including heavy wind and rain, with it also boasting isolated air chambers which ensure that even if it springs a leak during a particularly rigorous expedition, the entire tent won't deflate as a result. With its wear-resistant polyester cover, dual layer-construction and TPU inner air bladder, come rain or shine The Cave will keep you safe in the great outdoors.
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Fugoo
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Fugoo is one of the best Bluetooth speakers money can buy. Along with possessing a stylish design with interchangeable sleeves to accommodate for your own personal touch, the speaker also boasts crisp and powerful 360 degree sound and a whopping 40-hour battery life.
The Fugoo is also impervious to a variety of different weather conditions, too, with it being water-resistant, dust-proof and snow-proof, along with possessing a shock-proof frame that ensures it won't smash into tiny pieces should you drop it. If you're looking to stage an outdoor party and want a speaker that both sounds great and is durable enough to survive when things get rowdy, then the Fugoo is for you... goo.
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GRAYL Ultralight Water Purifier
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If you're the adventurous type who may, at some point in the near future, find yourself stuck somewhere without any clean, drinkable water nearby, then the GRAYL Ultralight Water Purifier has you covered.
Perfect for frequent campers, hikers or any other modern explorer, the Ultralight Water Purifier doesn't require any batteries, UV bulbs, chemicals or even any effort on your part, with it instead able to purify any water you seal inside it within 15 seconds, removing 99.9999% of viruses and disease-causing bacteria. For the risk-takers among you, this water bottle could be your new best friend.
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Grillbot Automatic Grill Cleaner
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Everybody loves a good BBQ, but no one enjoys cleaning the grill afterwards. The Grillbot Automatic Grill Cleaner is a minor miracle, then, with it able to clean up after your mess both quickly and efficiently.
The Grillboat features three cleaning cycles, with it able to spend 10, 20 or 30 minutes cleaning your grill depending upon just how much food you've cooked on it. This will allow you the time to sit back and relax after a lengthy grilling session, or even afford you the opportunity to clean up your grill before rounds in order to ensure that each piece of BBQ food is cooked to perfection. A useful companion for the serious BBQ enthusiast.
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Fitbit Charge 2
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It's often difficult to work up the motivation to exercise. Along with it requiring, y'know, physical effort, the lack of constant tangible evidence that your workout routine is having a demonstrable impact can often prove to be off-putting for the less motivated among us. This is where fitness trackers have come in, offering us a constant stream of information throughout the day pertaining to the number of calories we've shed, and the effectiveness of our exercise routine.
The Fitbit Charge 2 is one of the leaders of the pack in this regard, which makes use of its PurePulse Heart Rate feature to accurately track all-day calorie burn, along with a pedometer and a sleep tracker that allows you to see just how much shut-eye you're getting per evening. It also boasts a multi-sport feature, monitoring your progress across a variety of different exercises from weight-lifting through to cardio, while its connected GPS pairs with your smartphone in order for you to track your run.
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Nemo Helio Pressure Shower
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If you're playing on spending some time in the great outdoors with your family and friends but are worried about your personal hygiene, then the Nemo Helio Pressure Shower provides an excellent way of keeping yourself clean away from home.
With its 11 liter tank, the Helio Pressure Shower provides plenty of water for you to cool yourself down while on the road, though it can also be used to wash your dog after a particularly muddy run around the park, or even swiftly clean dishes. A multi-purpose tool with a variety of helpful functions.
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Worx Landroid Robotic Lawnmower
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If there's one household chore we can't stand, it's mowing the lawn. Along with working up a considerable sweat depending upon the size of your garden, ensuring that your grass looks neatly maintained can be an arduous task that requires frequent maintenance and, if you own pets, a fair share of stumbling upon the little "presents" they've left for you to clean up.
Kudos to Worx, then, for developing the Landroid Robotic Lawnmower, which allows us to safely leave this particularly trying job to the droids. With it able to evenly mow inclines of up to 20 degrees, navigate narrow passages and avoid obstacles with its shock sensor technology, the Landroid deserves to be your new gardening best friend.
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Goal Zero Lighthouse Mini
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This portable "lighthouse" is capable of providing light for up to 500 hours, with its dimmable, dual LEDs allowing you to see in the dark no matter where you are in the world.
Capable of being recharges anywhere thanks to its Goal Zero Nomad solar panels, the Lighthouse Mini can also plug into any USB port with its built-in charging cable, with it also able to be used to charge other phones or USB devices. An excellent tool for campers who don't want to spend their evenings looking at one another by torchlight.
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Igloo Party Bar Cooler
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If you're hosting a big outdoor party and therefore need a cooler that will keep your beer nice and cold throughout the day, you can't get much better than the Igloo Party Bar Cooler. The Igloo is a sizable cooler that also allows you to keep your beverages organized, with it featuring dividers that allow you to keep your drinks or food separate alongside an easy draining system for cleaning.
