Bivystick

Pros: 

Notifying loved ones that you’re going camping in the thick of winter can cause understandable concern. But with the Bivystick, you can assuage anxiety in an instant. The Bivystick converts a run-of-the-mill smartphone into a remarkably capable satellite communication device, enabling you to connect with friends and family from deep in the backcountry. Simply download the Bivy app, link your phone to the Bivystick, and send and receive messages from anywhere in the world. You can also track and share your location, send SOS messages to call in an evacuation team, look up weather forecasts, and even charge your phone via the backup battery. The genuinely game-changing aspect of the Bivystick, though, is the fact that it doesn’t require any crazy contracts. We hate when satellite devices charge annually, and the Bivystick allows you to pay as you go for as little as $17.99 per month. 

Cons:

The Bivystick is bulkier than we’d like it to be, although one benefit of the device’s large battery is that you can use it to charge your cell phone. 

Tester Comments: 

“Communication is key when winter camping—hell, camping in general. Having a device like the Bivystick gives both me and my loved ones peace of mind.”

Best For: Bringing along on any outdoor adventure as an insurance policy.