TECH BYTE: Gadgets Enhance Outdoor Experience

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — Most people used to leave their cell phones and other gadgets behind when taking that big camping or boating trip, but there’s no reason for that now.

Bringing them with you will only enhance your outdoor experience.

“A lot of people still like to go the traditional way of don’t bring anything with me, I just want to bring a tent and a chair, and I’m just going to relax,” said Tyler Jacobs, Bass Pro Shops. “But you get out, you bring your phone with you, you can take pictures of the scenery. You can take it because you may not bring your friends or your family with you. It’s really good to have your technology for proof of what you see, keeping track of what you see.”

Jacobs says you’ll want to have a solar charger panel to keep all of your devices like your phone or lantern charged up.

“It will charge in all weather conditions, things like that,” he said. “These are shatter proof. If you’re out camping, if you’re out hunting, if you’re doing things like that, you gotta have maybe your range finder, you can set them on there, let them charge. These are perfect for boating. They’re perfect for going out in your camper. Perfect for going out in your truck.”

If you’re camping, but have your boat with you, Jacobs says you’ll want to use a depth finder to see how deep the water is in certain areas.

“You can go 50 feet deep in some spots, up to a shallow area that’s just about a foot-and-a-half,” Jacobs said. “If you’re just sitting out there, you want to trim your motor, and know where you’re driving through, you need to know your depths, so that way you have your technology that has your speed that you’re going, your direction. You can get lost on waterways as well, so you have that direction, that compass on that unit too.”

If you run out of drinking water, no need to worry if you have a Steri Pen, which acts like a water filter.

“You put this inside of your bottled water, inside of your glass, and you’re going to want to stir that for 48 seconds. So what this does is it essentially purifies your water,” Jacobs said.

And of course there are plenty of other cool outdoor tech products on the market, and new ones are always coming out.

They’re just another way to make your outdoor adventure safer, and more fun.