Make Sure Your Loved Ones Never Get Lost…
Depending on what types of outdoor activities your outdoor enthusiast likes to do, communication between the party members in the outdoors is usually pretty important. Sometimes you just want to hear your self talk on the radio, and other times you really need to call for help! A few years ago the FRS/GMRS two way radios by Motorola were really popular amongst general consumers. Heading back to Garmin again, we see that they’ve taken this popular two way radio technology and have blended this with a GPS device.
Thee Garmin Rino as it is called combines GPS and FRS/GMRS into one slick package. If you have two or more Garmin Rino radios, you can physically see where the other radios (ie: your friends) are on your screen. What does this mean? With the true GPS functionality and the communication of the FRS/GMRS radio people with Rino’s always know where each other are and will never get lost. As long as your buddy keeps his Rino on, you can literally set a course and walk right up to him by following the directions on the LCD screen. Remarkable isn’t it?
The entry level Rino will run you about $195 USD with the most expensive being about $535 USD (this is the price per Rino mind you). Differences in price are determined by features and functions such as transmition power (1 watt vs 5 watts), battery capacity (lithum ion vs regular AA) , memory capacities (on board memory vs memory cards), transmition range (14miles vs 5miles), LCD options (color vs grayscale LCDs), on board compasses, barometers, altimeters and many more useful outdoors funtions all factor into the price hikes.
I have a couple friends that are avid hunters. These guys usually go wandering off into the woods separated while looking for animals. They swear by these radios as they can always keep tabs on what locations each person is at.
Capture the Adventure!
It just makes sense that people doing “Outdoor Activities” are exposed to all sorts of “weather”; you know things like water, rain, hail, wind, dirt, snow, ice, blazing heat, humidity, sand, mud etc. Being exposed to Mother Nature’s finest is usually not too good for electronics, especially digital cameras!
I know from experience that point and shoot cameras gets seriously trashed on outside. The outer body gets scratched to no end, I have had my lens stuck a couple times due to sand, and of course, I’ve dropped it many times. The list goes on and on. Well there is no more need to worry anymore, as Olympus has continued spending lots of money developing their Waterproof, Shock Proof , Dirt Proof, Temperature Proof series of point and shoot digital cameras called the Stylus.
The Olympus Stylus 770 SW is a 7.1 MP digital camera that has the ability to record video. The reasons I like this camera so much is besides having the standard “digital camera” functions, it is also shock proof from a height of 5 feet and I can freeze the unit to a temperature of -10 Celsius. I can even go diving with it and take pictures and videos of fish and other underwater things to a depth of 33 feet with audio. If that’s not enough toughness, the camera is even squish proof, withstanding up to 220lbs of force. You can also drop it in the sand, drag it through the sand and bury it in the sand and it will still be OK! Heck you could even give it a mud bath overnight and it will still work! Try doing that with a regular digital camera!
Would I want this to be my only “digital camera”? Probably not as being housed in such a case does have its performance limitations. The lens is all internal and the size of the glass is only so big. However, the durability and what it can do for you while on adventure is second to none! For those that like to pack light while being outside, the Olmpus Stylus 770 SW is small enough to fit in your pant and jacket pocket and if you wear super tight clothing, it can even be attached via a clip to your backpack strap.
At a suggested retail price of $349USD I think you are getting a lot of bang for your buck.