GARMIN eTrex

Garmin's hand-held GPS units have helped many outdoor sports enthusiasts whose internal compasses just don't work -- and we all know most guys never stop for directions! Five more handhelds have recently joined the company's original eTrex, which has the most-basic features of the group, including a 12 parallel channel GPS receiver, the ability to store up to 500 waypoints and a back-track feature that reverses your route so you can find your way back home. The latest additions come in an array of colors, each with an increasing level of features, ranging from the Venture's (in translucent blue) ability to accept downloaded waypoints to the Vista's (in shining silver) basemap of North and South America, barometric altimeter and electronic compass.

Stephanie Oakes is a fitness correspondent for Discovery Health Channel, a contributing editor for USA Weekend Magazine and the LA Times, and appears on NBC's 'Today in New York'. She can be reached at soakes@beststuff.com.