A GPS runs on batteries; a compass runs on the planet. When the electronics die or the sky closes in, a map and a good compass are what get you home — which is exactly why “map & compass, not just GPS” is one of the ten essentials. The Suunto MC-2 is the compass we recommend to hikers who want a real navigation instrument.

When your life is on the line in a remote place, you want the most dependable way to summon rescue, one with no monthly fee to lapse, no messaging to fumble, just a single button wired to the world’s government search-and-rescue satellites. That is exactly what a personal locator beacon is, and the ACR ResQLink…

Multi-band accuracy that holds in the worst terrain, a 3-inch (7.6 cm) screen, topo maps, and days of battery. Our field review of the Garmin GPSMAP 67, the flagship handheld GPS.