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This year’s lineup of electronics made the outdoors more accessible, comfortable and enjoyable for testers who took it deep into the countryside from the Pacific Northwest to the New England coast. We looked through dozens of wacky products that broke, got lost or added bulk to our backpacks, leaving us with only the gadgets we’d want to keep in our backpacks forever.
At a glance
All gear featured in this guide has been tested by multiple reviewers. If you buy through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission, which supports our mission to get more people outdoors and active. We do not accept payment for our editorial gear reviews. Learn more here.
(Photo: Heat It)
Editor’s Choice
Heat it up
$40 at REI $40 at Amazon
Weight: 4g
Pros and Cons
⊕ Virtually weightless
⊕ Almost instant relief from itching
⊕ Easy to use app
⊕ Low energy consumption
⊗ A smartphone is required
For American trekkers, the only solution to itchy bug bites is often a questionable remedy. Imported from Germany, Heat It is the first anti-itch product we’ve tried that actually works. While these types of products are popular throughout Europe, Heat It is the first to become popular in the US, especially in such a compact design.
The thumb-drive-sized device plugs into the power port of your iPhone or Android phone and is controlled by a super-easy-to-use app, which delivers a concentrated pulse of heat between 117 and 126 degrees directly to the sting to neutralize the reaction. The phone app lets you tweak settings for children or adults, heat intensity, skin sensitivity, and more.
“I think we’ve treated six hikers,” one field tester said after lending the device to hikers bitten by mosquitoes on a hike to Lonesome Lake in Franconia State Park, New Hampshire. “There are a lot of bugs around the lake, and in each case… [the hikers’] “The itch was gone within minutes,” he says. Category manager Brian McElwee saw similar results during a month of hiking in the Northeast. “I’ve used it on myself a lot, and on others, too. It’s amazingly effective.”
Importantly, everyone who tested it didn’t notice a noticeable drop in their phone’s battery life, even after multiple uses. A device that consumes almost no power, weighs just four grams, and can be easily slipped into a hipbelt pocket, the Heat It is perfect for easing that inevitable summer itch.
Thermacell MR450 (Photo: Thermacell)
Thermacell MR450
$35 at REI $35 at Amazon
Weight: 6.3 oz.
Pros and Cons
⊕ Lightweight
⊕ Multiple carrying options
⊕ Effective against black flies and gnats
⊗ You can’t fly if there’s fuel left
In recent years, Thermacell, a leader in bug repellent technology, has made a big shift from butane-gas-powered devices to battery-powered ones. These mosquito-repellent powerhouses have a lot of great things about them: they’re compact, rechargeable, and, of course, fuel-free. (We gave the EX90 our Editors’ Choice award in 2022.) The biggest downside is that they only work on mosquitoes.
For backpacking where things more aggressive than mosquitoes are on the hunt, the MR450 is the answer. This rugged new butane-powered unit provides a 15-foot zone of protection, and multiple units can be combined to keep a larger area bug-free. An anomaly in Thermacell lineup, it’s fuel-powered and lighter than its rechargeable cousins, lasting longer, more portable, and packing a punch.
This brand new multi-repellent is a synthetic version of a substance found in chrysanthemum flowers that is effective against blackflies and gnats (Indian meal mosquitoes) as well as mosquitoes, and is (almost) odorless. The MR450 provides 12 hours of insect protection before the fuel cell needs replacing – 3 hours more than the EX90 – which is plenty for a 2-3 day backpacking trip (the spare fuel cell weighs less than an ounce).
One tester, notorious for the black flies of New Hampshire’s White Mountains, gave it high praise: “I had to hike with a head net because of the black flies, but 10 minutes after arriving at my tent site at Mount Pierce I was able to take it off and relax.” And it’s not just lakes and trails where this invisible force field shines. After a day hike on Mort Mountain in Conway, New Hampshire, our lead tester headed to Tuckerman Brewery for an outdoor concert and a treat drink. “The mosquitoes came as the sun went down. They should have charged an admission fee for the bug zone.”
The MR450 also outperforms similar battery-powered units in terms of accessibility and functionality. A clip on the back makes it easy to attach to a backpack or belt. And it’s relatively lightweight, weighing just 6.25 ounces, so it’s barely noticeable when clipped to a backpack strap. The only downside is that the unit’s fuel cell cannot be carried on an airplane.
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TORRAS COOLiFY Cyber
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Air conditioning comes to the backcountry. The COOLiFY Cyber ($279) is a personal neck air conditioner perfect for hiking or traveling in hot weather, giving you an ice-cool feeling in just seconds. With three speed settings and seven air outlets, this lightweight, go-anywhere tool delivers fast airflow and customizable temperature control for a personalized cooling experience. If you’re looking for warmth on a cold day, use the TORRAS app to adjust your comfort settings and turn up the heat. Integrated temperature control also controls the cooling or heating process based on the ambient temperature. Charges from 0-80 percent in just one hour, easily powering the COOLiFY Cyber for up to 15.5 hours of adventure.
Natural Atlas App (Photo: Courtesy of Natural Atlas)
Natural Atlas App
$40/year for iPhone, $40/year for Android
Pros and Cons
⊕ Robust Features
⊕ Intuitive
⊗ A relatively small trail database
⊗ Expensive
If, like many hikers, you end your trip with a list of questions to ask Google, like “What flower is that?” or “What animal makes that sound?”, Natural Atlas is your gateway to instant gratification. It’s like having a naturalist in your pocket to answer your questions about flora and fauna, geology, tides, and more.
“It’s great for parents or anyone introducing their kids to nature,” said one tester. “My daughter had fun exploring Shishi Beach in Olympic National Park, taking photos and stargazing with the help of tide, lighting and sunset information.” Downloading offline data for a region allows hikers to get a deeper look into the local ecosystem with information from a variety of sources, from Wikipedia to the EPA. You can also search for specific species, such as lobster mushrooms, to get distribution maps. In addition to the local information provided by the app, users can post field notes and photos, which can help others find areas of interest and avoid possible hazards. Field notes are also incorporated into the app’s aggregated data, which is kept as up to date as possible.
But not all the information lives in a vacuum: it’s connected to trip planning and mapping tools (users loved the Snap-to-Trail feature for route planning) and easy-to-use navigation features, with layers that show weather, temperature, smoke, and more. There’s also a social media component, allowing users to post and follow other users, many of whom add helpful notes about the trail and its surroundings.
This app is for backpackers and hikers who are interested in more than just getting from “point A” to “point B”. It is perfect for anyone who wants to explore the nature around them, explore and learn for themselves, share it with others, and ultimately get to their destination safely.
How we tested
Number of testers: 8 States tested: Washington, Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, North Carolina Backpacking trips: 28 miles Hikes: 300+ Bug bite prevention: Too many to count Treating bug bites: Dozens
To test backpacking gadgets, we took this year’s devices and apps to the places they were needed most: for the mosquito repellent devices and anti-itch widgets, we headed to lakes and swamps in the spring when mosquitoes, black flies, and midges are most prevalent, and for navigation-related devices, we sought out remote areas where cell service is poor and terrain is difficult to navigate.
We eliminated devices that consumed more battery power than was worth carrying, devices that lacked basic functionality, or devices that were simply broken. Of the products that remained, we selected only the apps and electronics that we would happily carry in our backpacks and install on our phones.
To test the Heat It device, we hiked through Franconia Notch State Park, an area off the AT that’s known for its insect population.
Introducing the Lead Tester
Backpacking Gadgets Category Manager Brian McElwee has been blasting electronics into the backcountry for Backpacker and Outside magazine since 2020. Living in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, he and his wife (and tester) Quinn McElwee spend as much time as possible on the trails, hiking, horseback riding, trying on shoes and skiing.
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