Face it, you’ve had three months of doing largely nothing. You’ve exhausted your streaming back catalogue, played Call of Duty: Warzone to the point that Russian gulags don’t seem so bad any more, and cooked for yourself more than in any other chapter of your life. Time to emerge from your pit and kit up for a socially-distanced outdoor adventure - even if it’s only camping on the common…

Words Kieran Alger

Great escaper

Tents, headlamps, portable purifiers, map apps and more for camp escapades in the countryside when it’s time put several miles between yourself and the nearest urban pigeon.

P40-41

Rusty rebooter

Workout wearables, apparel and accessories for blasting your body under blue skies… just remember nobody wants to see you topless, so put it away.

P42-43

Multisport master

Connected swimming kit, amphibious shoes and other endurance essentials to help you ‘tri’ harder and recover quicker when the competition gets fierce.

P44-45

Happy hiker

Trek tech, gadgets for gradients, gas-powered grillers and a selection of stylish backpacks to store all of your wild walkabout essentials. Who needs civilisation?

P48-49

Sharper shooter

Flights, camera, action with the best drones, snappers and gimbals for capturing your foray into the middle of nowhere with a fancy 4K timelapse video.

P50-51

Stat sifter

Pinpoint-accurate body bands for elite athletes tracking multiple metrics; also useful for those repressed types who like to flick their mates with elastic in changing rooms.

P52-53

Watch watcher

All-day watches and wearables for 24-hour activity tracking… with the added bonus of allowing you to call your mum and buy a Snickers with contactless when you’re hangry.

P54-55

Endless runner

Pavement punishers and marathon must-haves for ripping up city streets and canal towpaths like you’re the next Mo Farah or Paula Radcliffe. Heck, maybe you are!

P46-47

GREAT ESCAPER

Forget clean underpants - make some space in the boot and load up the ultimate kit for a post-lockdown micro-adventure

TENTSILE UNIVERSE 3-ELEMENT TENT

If pitching up on terra firma is too tame for you, Tentsile’s unique multi-purpose tent will take your outdoor overnighters to a whole new level.

This crashpad for all seasons can be set up to sleep five on the ground like a regular tent, or hitched up in the trees away from the damp, the creepies and the crawlies - the ones on the floor at least. But the real killer feature is an inflatable paddleboard-style rigid floor that lets you launch it onto water.

For fairly obvious reasons you can’t sleep in it in float mode, but a tent that doubles as a lake-swim launchpad is pretty neat.

It comes with its own trolley for transport, but with a 50kg pack weight you won’t be moving too far - or too fast - on dry land lugging this around. At least the included car-powered air pump makes for speedier setup on arrival.

Protection from the elements comes courtesy of a removable rain sheet, and bugs are kept at bay with a tear-resistant safari insect mesh. It also comes with a giant three-person hammock for extra kick-back options.

£1999/ tentsile.com

NOW ADD THIS

BioLite Headlamp 330

At 69g with a slimline 9mm bounce-busting strap, this is the most comfortable headlamp you can attach to your dome. It kicks out 3.5 hours of 330-lumen light, so it’s not the brightest beam, but it’s chargeable via USB and has multiple modes, including red light and flash.

£55 / bioliteenergy.com

OUTDOOR ACCESSORIES

Grayl Geopress

Nothing scuppers an adventurous endeavour faster than running out of safe drinking water. This portable purifier transforms 710ml of the murkiest flows into purified aqua in just 8 seconds. It protects from waterborne pathogens (viruses, bacteria, protozoan cysts - urgh!), pesticides and even microplastics. It’ll even work in Dagenham.

£80/ grayl.co.uk

SeaToSummit Spark Spl 5°C

Sleeping bags are usually the enemy of compact packing, but this one squishes down smaller than a 750ml drinks bottle. At just 340g, it also weighs about the same as a can of your favourite fireside craft ale. It’s stuffed with premium goose down, and that ‘mummy’ design will help you sleep sounder than King Tut.

£260 / seatosummit.co.uk

Coros Vertix

Whether you’re camping in Cornwall or cresting Kilimanjaro, when grid access is scarce you want a multisport watch that’ll outlast your adventure… so the Vertix has 60hrs of stamina with full GPS, extendable to 150hrs in low-power mode. It’s waterproof to 150m, packs a mega-tough sapphire glass screen and even tracks your daily altitude acclimatisation.

£495/ coros.com

Vollebak Planet Earth Hoodie Granite Edition

If you’re looking to save space and weight, this merino hoodie offers maximum versatility and minimum fuss. It can be worn in a variety of ways, including as a Covid-combatting face mask, as a regular hoodie, and in the ‘ninja’ configuration pictured. It’s odour-resistant, fast-drying and light enough to use as a base layer.

£230/ vollebak.com

NOW APP THESE

Komoot

Komoot is ideal for discovering new routes and Insta-worthy vistas, on and off the beaten track. You can sync to smartwatches and sportwatches for turn-by-turn nav on the wrist.

£free/ komoot.com

OS Maps

Access 607 maps and thousands of readymade downloadable routes. The OS app includes 3D aerial route fly-throughs and an AR viewer that brings the landscape to life.

£2.99/month/ ordnancesurvey.co.uk

AllTrails

Explore more than 100,000 trail routes, hand-curated by a community of hikers, bikers and runners. It comes with offline mapping and alerts if you wander off-route. from £free/ alltrails.com

BOOK AN ADVENTURE

Micro Adventures

£13.59

Alastair Humphreys’ original bible explains the magic behind escaping your own backyard and provides the tools you need to unlock adventures on your doorstep.

Go!

£16.99

If a bit of competition is your key to motivation, seasoned escape artist Tobias Mews tells you how to turn your local landscape into a series of challenging but inspiring games.

The Adventurer’s Guide to Britain

£11.99

Not keen to make overseas travel plans in the current situation? It might pay to bag this guide to Blighty’s greatest escapes.

Dadventures

£9.36

Alex Gregory is a double Olympic gold medallist. He’s also an annoyingly good dad when it comes to taking kids on outdoor adventures that are a tad more daring than the park.

GAMIFY YOUR PAIN

Myzone

£free / Android, iOS

First, the hardware: Myzone’s MZ-3 heart monitor (£130) turns effort into points and rewards your workrate, not your current fitness, so you can compete on a level playing field with friends, family and other users.

Fire up the free companion app and the new MZ-Remote feature allows you to join live coached sessions through an integrated Zoom video. You’ll see everyone’s heart rate and points in real time.

Just like at your local gym, classes are listed on a weekly timetable and signing up for a session takes a few taps. Notifications remind you when it’s time to put down the Monster Munch and get sweaty, while integration with most music streaming services takes care of the playlist.

DAPPER STRAPPERS

Wahoo Tickr X

The smartest chest strap going, the 2020 Tickr X keeps tabs on your pump but also tracks running analytics. It’ll connect to ANT+ plus three Bluetooth devices including watches, apps and bike computers.

£65/ wahoofitness.com

Polar H9

One of the best budget monitors, the H9 packs fewer frills than the gold-standard H10 but delivers reliable tracking accuracy, decent comfort and 400 hours of training on a single button battery.

£53/ polar.com

Garmin HRM-Dual

Another wallet-friendly workhorse, Garmin’s cheapest chest strap copes well with the rush-and-rest format of HIIT-style workouts. It’ll do two simultaneous Bluetooth connections and last 1000 hours.

£60/ garmin.com

Hardcore heart-rate straps p52

OUTDOOR ACCESSORIES

Under Armour Breeze

Sweat-soaked shirts aren’t just uncomfortable and stinky - they’re bad for recovery too. This rapid-dry T-shirt takes mid-training moisture control to the next level. It features Gore-Tex Infinium, a fast-drying technical fibre that goes from dripping wet to virtually dry in just six minutes. So you can sweat hard and cool down without getting cold.

£50/ underarmour.co.uk

JBL Clip 3

Humans train harder with music. Science fact. This portable tweeter is ideal for adding motivational backing tracks to your burpee fests. At 22g, it weighs less than your recommended dose of post-workout protein powder and comes with a handy carabiner clip that attaches to anything. It’s waterproof and, perhaps more importantly, salty-tears-proof.

£43/ jbl.com

Beats Powerbeats

If you can cope with a cable, the Powerbeats are a fine half-price alternative to the true wireless Powerbeats Pro. Wires aside, you get the same design, same sound and same Apple H1 chip for reliable connectivity. They pack 15 of hours workout time on one charge, and a five-minute fast charge juices you up for a good hour of suffering.

£130/ beatsbydre.com

Larq Bottle Movement

Dehydration is the enemy of every six-pack hunter - and there’s nothing like a stinky bottle to put you off glugging the water you need. The solution: the world’s first ultra-light self-cleaning water bottle and purification system. It uses sterilising UV-C LED light to eliminate up to 99.9% of bio-contaminants from your water and bottle.

£78/ livelarq.com

RUSTY REBOOTER

In case all your New Year fitness resolutions have been undone, this train-anywhere fitness gear will help you get back to your sprightly self

GARMIN VIVOACTIVE 4

If lockdown has proved anything it’s that some people can get fit using only household objects and self-loathing. But most of us need more help than that.

The Vivoactive 4 delivers the training basics, including optical heart-rate and GPS, but its fitness powers extend way beyond the regular run-bike cardio capabilities. You get 20 pre-loaded sports profiles - including strength training with reliable-ish auto-rep and rest counting. You can also create custom workouts and sync them to the watch, with move-by-move animations for full gym sessions.

The ‘body battery’ feature monitors your energy levels so you can spot when it’s time to go hard or just go home. You also get stress and hydration tracking to help you spot whether you need to drink or just, y’know, need a drink.

The six-hour GPS battery life isn’t the best but that’s offset by music storage, contactless payments and smart notifications. It’s also waterproof to 50 metres, so you can keep it on while you relax your wrecked muscles in the Jacuzzi.

£240/ garmin.com

NOW ADD THIS

Freetrain V1 Vest

For quick and easy access to your phone mid-workout, ditch the dodgy armband and invest in this water-resistant vest. It fits any phone, has separate key storage for scratch avoidance and turns you into a gym-selfie-slaying smartphone gunslinger. £30 / freetrain.co.uk

MULTISPORT MASTER

Of course making yourself suffer in one way just isn’t enough… so here are some swim-bike-run essentials that will help with the Ironing

FORM SMART SWIM GOGGLES

Watches, cycle computers, power meters and footpods flood you with stats on the bike and on the run… but what happens when you hit the water?

GPS watches can track swim stats but it’s hard to check your vitals mid-crawl without messing up your flow. Bluetooth doesn’t play nice in water so audio updates over earphones aren’t an option either. So the moment you dive in, you’re essentially swimming blind.

Not any more. Form’s AR eyewear tracks your efforts in the pool while waveguide display tech, specially designed to work underwater, puts simple dot-matrix metrics readouts right where you can see them, overlaying up to 12 real-time stats on the lenses. Metrics monitored include distance and duration, split time, length count, pace per 50 or 100m, interval time, rest time, stroke rate and count, distance per stroke and calories burned.

You get 18 hours of swim time from a single charge, and open-water swimmers can pair them with an Apple Watch, Garmin Fenix 6 Pro or Forerunner 945 for enhanced stats and heart-rate monitoring.

£199 / formswim.com

NOW ADD THESE

Vivobarefoot Esc Tempest

Designed for swim-run athletes and wannabe frogs, these specialist shoes let you swap land for sea and back without changing. They feature quick-draining mesh uppers, speed toggles for quick lacing, bio-based EVA midsoles for buoyancy and grippy Michelin rubber outsoles.

£170 / vivobarefoot.com

OUTDOOR ACCESSORIES

Tacx Neo 2T Smart

If triple-discipline training means you’ll spend time pumping the pedals attached to a turbo trainer in the spare room, the Neo 2T Smart is quieter than some, fits most axles and needs no calibration. It also offers pedal stroke analysis and road feel features that mimic the lumps and bumps of stones and gravel, and is compatible with the likes of Zwift. £1199/tacx.com

Wahoo Elemnt Bolt

That triathlete obsession with being aero doesn’t have to stop at your bike computer. The Bolt and its mount have been designed using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) testing to be 50% more slippery than other tracker setups. It offers multiple simultaneous connections and you can pair an ANT+ radar to get alerts for approaching vehicles.

£185/ wahoofitness.com

AfterShokz Xtrainerz

Bluetooth and water get along like chocolate and fish fingers - so if you want some music to ease the monotony of incessantly lapping the pool, these water-resistant bone-conduction headphones are your best bet. They feature a built in mp3 player with 4GB storage (around 1000 songs) and eight hours of swimtime battery life.

£140/aftershokz.co.uk

Zone3 Aeroforce-X

The tri-suit for obsessive marginal gainers, the Aeroforce-X is made to measure from no fewer than five different drag-reducing fabrics. Depending on your desire for victory (and how deep your pockets are), your suit can be made either from 22 measurements taken by you, or from a full 3D body map in a digital studio. Oh, and you can customise the design.

from £400/zone3.com

MUSCLE MOLLIFIERS

Theragun Elite

This reassuringly quiet next-gen massage gun serves up real-time move-by-move app guides for everything from easing tight hamstrings to loosening up stiff shoulders. Aaaaand relax…

£375/theragun.com

PowerDot 2.0 Duo

This portable muscle stimulation system features a wide range of programmes, accessed via an app, to soothe aching tissues and work out knots for quicker recovery.

£325/powerdot.com

JaxJox Foam RollerConnect

The smartest foam roller in town comes with five vibration levels and seven sport-specific guided recovery routines that you can follow in the partner app.

£69/jaxjox.com

EXPERT TIPS

Nick Rose, 20 times Ironman finisher and a coach at totaltritraining.com, on how to become a better triathlete

Get a bike fit

Having a professional bike fit can improve your position for better balance between comfort and power output. It can also prevent injury from overuse in the incorrect position: any pain on the bike will only get worse, so get it right first time.

Seek some help

Coaching isn’t just for elites. Whether you’re a young beginner or a top-age-grouper, having someone working with you can push you to the next level. It’s no different to having a spotter or personal trainer in the gym.

Recover harder

It’s easy to focus on pushing harder and longer, but good recovery can really boost your training. Sleep is an area where most athletes can improve, and it’s also a key factor for boosting immune function. Rest days are also important; elites might go 21 days on then two days off, but for beginners it’s more like one day on, one day off.

EXPERT TIPS

Michael Sawh, chief watch tester from TheRunTesters.com, gives us some pointers on choosing the right running tracker

Live long and prosper

Think about the amount of time you spend running and pay close attention to GPS battery life. Shoot for a watch you won’t need to charge as regularly as your phone.

Go sensor-friendly

Heart-rate monitors on watches are getting better, but a chest strap is still the gold standard for accuracy. If you train by heart, make sure you can pair one up to your chosen watch.

Don’t over-spend

Cheaper doesn’t always mean inferior. Even Garmin’s budget options, such as the £150 Forerunner 45 (see p54), offer excellent tracking with extras like adaptive training plans.

POCKET FUEL

Maurten Drink Mix 320

This unique energy drink changes consistency in the stomach for speedy absorption. Eliud Kipchoge used it to smash the sub-2hr marathon.

maurten.com

Vala Citrus Energy Gel

Stomach-friendly and frankly delicious, these all-natural energy gels are made from just five real-food ingredients including maple syrup, date paste and chia seeds.

valaenergy.com

33Fuel Amore Energy Bar

With 43g of carbs in every one, these panforte-inspired energy bars make a brilliant substitute breakfast and are great for stashing on long-haul runs.

33fuel.com

OUTDOOR ACCESSORIES

Nike Alphafly Next%

This is the fastest marathon shoe known to man: Eliud Kipchoge wore prototype Alphaflies to run the world’s first sub-2hr marathon. In fact, the combination of responsive ZoomX foam cushioning, full-length carbon-fibre plates and Zoom Air pods performed so well that the WAA had to rethink the rules on what elite runners are allowed to wear for races. £260/nike.com

New Balance FuelCell TC

Carbon-plate and superfoam shoes tend to be built for full-on racing, but the FuelCell TC women’s training shoe actually excels on any run where speed is on the agenda. You get the best energy return of any New Balance shoe, a lightweight synthetic upper, and plenty of durable outsole rubber for you to burn underfoot.

£180/newbalance.co.uk

Allbirds Tree Dashers

Most pro running shoes are made from nasty petro-chemicals. These may be great for setting parkrun PBs but they’re also pretty bad for the planet. Allbirds’ eco-friendly Dashers switch out plastics for sustainable alternatives like eucalyptus fibre uppers and sugarcane-derived midsoles, and come with a carbon footprint score printed on the inside.

£120/allbirds.co.uk

Hoka One One Rincon

If you’re looking for one shoe to handle most runs, the Hoka Rincon is a superbly versatile all-rounder. At 218g (179g for the women’s version), it’s lightweight with a roomy mesh upper and cushioned midsole. A built-in ‘meta-rocker’ assists your natural motion and keeps things comfy at slower clips but also kicks in if you want to up the pace.

£105/hokaoneone.eu

ENDLESS RUNNER

You’ve got really good at sprinting to the fridge and back - but here are the shoes, tools and fuels you need to go further, faster

More wrist-worn trackers p54

GARMIN FENIX 6X PRO SOLAR EDITION

There aren’t many more capable running watches than the Fenix 6 series - and the standout 6X Pro Solar model has some unique skills. At the top of the list is a 1.4in screen that converts the sun’s rays into extra runtime, taking battery life up to a whopping potential 128hrs.

Built for adventures beyond the city streets, the Fenix 6’s running tools are certainly comprehensive: this thing will track more performance metrics than you can shake a sweaty vest at. That includes grade-adjusted guidance to help you pace races perfectly, no matter how many hills the course throws at you.

Its navigation skills are on point too, with round-trip routing, turn-by-turn navigation and a feature that lets you locate the most popular routes nearby.

Chuck in effortlessly customisable screens, phone-free Spotify music with built-in storage for up to 2000 tracks, automatic Wi-Fi syncing and a design that’s built to go the distance, and you’ve got the ultimate running watch whether you’re tackling a trail ultra or training for a tilt at your marathon PB.

£820/ garmin.com

NOW ADD THIS

Stryd

This tiny running tool attaches to your laces and delivers big data, including top-level accuracy for distance and pace, running power, detailed technique analysis and training load insights. If only it could tie our laces for us, it’d be just about perfect.

£199 / stryd.com

HAPPY HIKER

For those who refuse to believe a hill exists until they’ve stood on top of it, these are the beaten-track-shunning essentials for multi-day rambles

GSI HALULITE MINIMALIST COMPLETE COOKSET

So you’re going on a multi-day walkabout and don’t fancy foraging raw food from the land? At some point you will need to cook… and that means fire. You could go all Ray Mears and start rubbing sticks together, but we think you’ve evolved a bit further from early man than that.

Well, why not spark up this ultra-lightweight one-person cooking solution? The 27g setup has a canister-top stove, a windshield, a 600ml cooking-pot-cum-mug, an insulated sleeve to avoid burnt fingers, a silicone gripper and even a telescoping foon (which is the same thing as a spork, as far as we can tell) that won’t melt and go floppy while you’re stirring your mountain goat stew.

All those elements - plus a 110g nesting fuel canister - fit neatly into the 12cm-high cooking pot, taking up little more space in your pack than a tin of beans. That small pot means you won’t be rustling up triple servings of chilli, but it’s perfect for a fuss-free speedy solo feed.

Just make sure you keep it away from your tent, or you might find the flames leave you homeless for the night.

$80/ gsioutdoors.com

NOW ADD THIS

GoalZero Venture 30

With dual 2.4A USB ports for juicing two devices simultaneously, enough oomph for three phone charges on a full tank and optional solar recharging, this rugged 7800mAh power bank is perfect for multi-day adventures.

£90 / goalzero.com

OUTDOOR ACCESSORIES

ProteGear A* Live

For more serious off-grid escapades, think safety first - particularly if you’re going solo. This 130g multi-purpose live tracker and satellite messenger is the Swiss Army knife of location beacons. It offers second-by-second real-time GPS with full global coverage and no dead zones, plus global 2-way comms via email and SMS and 100hr runtime on a single charge.

€498/protegear.de

Garmin Tactix Delta

The Tactix Delta does everything your civilian sports watch does… but this Black Ops bad boy is tooled up for more serious missions too. You get military-grade durability, a display that’s night-vision-compatible and a stealth mode that stops storing and sharing your GPS position, disabling wireless comms. It even has a kill switch that wipes it clean of data. £800/garmin.com

Contigo Ashland Chill Bottle

There’s not much worse than slurping pack-warm water when you’ve just schlepped three hours up a mountain. This 590ml bottle uses vacuum insulation to keep your chosen hydration chilled for 24 hours. Other handy smarts include one-handed opening and a lock to avoid spills should you stash it in your pack.

£28/mycontigo.com

Inov-8 Oroc 270

If your off-road adventures often switch gears from trekking to trail running, these crossover shoes are designed to let you move fast over tricky terrain in comfort. Their twin-spiked outsoles are tailored for orienteering and off-trail running: they’ll dig into frozen terrain, hold firm on rock and deliver reliable traction through mud.

£150/inov-8.com

BABY GOT BACKPACK

Ultimate Direction SCRAM

This 20-litre pack caters for ‘skiing, climbing, running and more’ - thus the name. It comes with hooks for skis, ice axes and other essentials.

£94/ ultimate direction.com

Hyperlite 2400 Junction

Ideal for weekend treks into changeable weather, this 40-litre pack is made of 100% waterproof fabric and has ample storage for multi-day hacks.

$310/ hyperlite mountaingear.com

Adidas Terrex Agravic Backpack

The compact Agravic is built for travelling fast and light. You get 100% nylon ripstop for durability and gear protection, and it’s compatible with hydration bladders.

£110/ adidas.co.uk

EXPERT TIPS

Will Renwick (@willwalkswales), president of Ramblers Cymru, points us in the right direction for smarter hikes

Embrace the tech

It’s unwise to venture into the mountains without a map, but phone-based navigational aids shouldn’t be totally shunned. I use my phone for most of my nav, if not all of it, along with a paper map and compass for backup.

Stick with it

Think trekking poles are for old people? Think again. Poles speed you up on climbs, save your knees on long descents, help you over unstable terrain and can even be used for a more reliable tent pitch. Try Komperdell’s Carbon FXP4s for size.

Give ’em the boot

If you want to hike lighter, don’t just think about the weight on your back - think about what your feet are having to constantly lift as well. Big clomping leather hiking boots might serve you well on technical routes but they can be overkill on well-worn trails, particularly in warm and dry conditions.

EXPERT TIPS

Award-winning adventure filmmaker Patrick Bowyer (patrickbowyer.com) shares his outdoor shooting wisdom

Turn off auto mode

Play with your camera’s full capabilities to get a better shot. Manually adjust the colour space, shutter speed and ISO; experiment and find settings that work for you. And definitely use ND filters.

See the light

Think about how the available light affects your image. Dawn and dusk: softer, richer, for filmic-ish shots. Midday: strong, contrasty, for a documentary feel. Artificial lighting: a whole other world of possibilities.

Respect your kit

Rinse water housings, clean off grit and always protect the lens in transit - even if that just means sticking the camera in a sock.

Get a new perspective

Don’t simply snap away at eye level. Introduce additional story and context by playing with the position you shoot from. And think about including foreground: shoot through trees or a crowd of people to give images depth.

THE LENSWEAR DEPARTMENT

ShiftCam

These phone cases house up to six selectable lenses so you can switch shooting setups in seconds, moving between wide-angle, telephoto and macro to nail perfect shots.

from £80/ shiftcam.uk

Olloclip Filmer’s Kit

The multi-device version of Olloclip’s set of five interchangeable lenses will fit most front and rear phone cams, bringing a bit of extra pro styling to your smartphone photos.

£171/ olloclip.com

MacTrem Lens Kit

If you’re just starting out in bear-wrestling photography, this budget-friendly 4-in-1 kit comes with macro, wide-angle, fisheye and telephoto lenses, the latter providing up to 20x magnification.

£21/ amazon.co.uk

OUTDOOR ACCESSORIES

GoPro Max

This waterproof 3-in-1 shoots stabilised single-lens footage like a regular GoPro, but its multiple lenses also let you capture immersive 360° clips and log your adventures from all angles. Its vlogging skills are also top-drawer thanks to that front cam, a front-facing screen and six microphones that deliver shotgun-mic performance.

£459/gopro.com

Pivo

The Pivo puts you centre-stage at all times in your adventure storytelling. Its full 360° auto-tracking follows you wherever you go, swivelling to keep you in shot like some sinister surveillance bot. You can also use it to stream live to YouTube, Twitch and Instagram, while Bluetooth remote and gesture controls are great for hands-free footage.

$109/getpivo.com

FreeFly Movi Cinema Robot

Regular gimbals can smooth out phone footage but this dual-motor stabiliser goes way beyond, helping you shoot a range of Hollywood-style hero shots including automatic pan and moving timelapse that speeds up the world as you move through it. You can set it down without a tripod and one charge powers 8hrs’ shooting.

$299/freeflysystems.com

Zhiyun Smooth-X

This versatile hybrid video tool is half foldable smartphone gimbal, half selfie stick. At 246g, it’s nicely packable and combines a smartphone clamp with a two-axis gimbal and a 260mm extendable arm, opening up more interesting angles. The ZY Cami app also offers a range of built-in shot-by-shot templates for simplified storytelling.

£50/zhiyun-tech.com

SHARPER SHOOTER

They’ll never believe you really wrestled that bear… so take the finest compact phone and drone kit to record the highlights of your next jaunt

DJI MAVIC MINI

Nothing screams ‘epic adventure’ louder than a sweeping cinematic drone shot of you on a clifftop or a top-down view as you stride through a glorious landscape - but most airborne cams are too bulky to carry into the wilderness.

The DJI Mavic Mini solves that. At under 250g, it’s the lightest drone DJI makes and is small enough to squeeze into even a modest running, hiking or biking pack. And because it’s so light you don’t need a licence to fly it in the UK, so there’s no need to register it with the CAA.

While the excellent Mavic Air 2 appears to be a balance of just about everything DJI has to offer, the Mini does inevitably sacrifice some features for that saving in space and weight - notably obstacle detection tech - but you still get a very capable three-axis gimbal and camera that shoots super-smooth 2.7K video at 30fps, 1080p at 60fps and 12MP stills. That’s all with a 30-minute flight time, before the automatic return kicks in and sends it safely home to you.

The partner app features a range of presets for capturing killer hero shots, including the classic dronie, rocket, circle and helix, plus you can use your smartphone as a monitor to see what you’re shooting with a range up to 4km.

£369/dji.com

NOW ADD THIS

Pgytech Carrying Case

Packing your Mavic Mini into this hard-shell case makes it a bit less portable, but if you’ve got the room in your pack, the extra protection is worth the added luggage.

£30 / amazon.co.uk

STAT SIFTER

For greater accuracy and tracking multiple metrics, when the going gets tough the tough turn to a pro-standard heart-rate strap

POLAR H10

If you’re really serious about heart-rate training and recovery, reliable accuracy is essential. Just one or two beats per minute can tip you into the wrong intensity zone or give you a bad read on your rhythms and next-day recovery.

While wrist-based optical sensors have improved, the chest strap is still the go-to for elite coaches and athletes - and the ECG-based Polar H10 is the gold standard. The H10 offers better comfort than most chest-worn trackers, with a combination of a small and lightweight (39g) tracking unit along with a soft fabric strap, studded with silicone grip dots that help to keep it in place. The sensor responds rapidly and reliably, in real time, to changes in your workout intensity, and your data can be fired simultaneously to two Bluetooth and ANT+ devices, including most sports watches, bike computers and gym cardio machines. It also plays nice with top performance-tracking apps like Strava and Zwift, and you can connect it to your phone and unlock a selection of free workouts in the Polar Beat app.

If you’re a swimmer or a triathlete, it’s waterproof to 30m and tracks in the pool, although it’s worth noting that chest straps don’t tend to be 100% reliable in the water. You can train phone-free, though you’ll need to start your workout in the Polar Beat app first. The built-in memory stores one workout between syncs and you’ll get up to 400hrs’ training time on a single battery. Not only does that translate into months of training, but a coin cell battery means no need to worry about losing a charger.

One final smart touch: the H10 updates over the air - so just like you, it can actually improve with age.

£80/ polar.com

Garmin HRM-Tri

Designed for swim-bike-runners, this ECG chest strap works in the pool and open water, storing workouts on the small sensor and beaming them via ANT+ to connected devices. In addition to zone training, training-load feedback and recovery powered by heart-rate variability, motion sensors also track torso movement for running insights including cadence and ground contact time. You’ll get 10 months from one replaceable battery.

£99/ garmin.com

Whoop Strap 3.0

Essentially a screenless optical heart monitor, the Whoop is designed to be worn 24/7. It tracks five heart-rate metrics at high frequency, including resting rate and variability, and recommends how hard you should train based on your recovery. There’s a monthly subscription for those insights, but it has a five-day battery life and broadcasts to Peloton, Strava and TrainerRoad.

€25/month/ whoop.com

Scosche Rhythm24

If you find wrapping a strap around your chest too restrictive, Scosche’s heart-rate tracker is an armband that sits on your forearm to track beats per minute. The argument here is that there are fewer motions to muddy the results compared to a wrist-worn device. Waterproof and able to store workouts to sync later, the armband is compatible with lots of third-party apps and includes Bluetooth and ANT+ connectivity.

€100/ scosche.eu

Polar OH1+

The brilliantly versatile OH1+ is an optical heart-rate sensor you can wear on your forearm, your biceps or even your temple. It’s not quite as accurate as the H10 on dry land but it’s perfect for events where you need your tracker out of the way and strapped to your goggles during pool workouts. It’s ANT+ and Bluetooth compatible, with 12hrs of continuous tracking and a 200hr memory.

£70/ polar.com

NOW APP THIS

Instant Heart Rate

If you’re too strapped to strap, IHR is a clever little app that uses the lens on your phone camera to take an instant heart-rate reading by calculating blood circulation in your finger. The developers claim it’s accurate enough for cardiology research at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), no doubt ruining everyone’s Freshers’ Week memories with accidental pictures of fingers in the process.

More than just a medical tool, though, the app is good for cardio workout monitoring to improve your training and track progress. There are heart-rate zones for rest, fat burn, cardio and peak, plus it’ll work with Apple and Google’s respective in-house fitness apps too.

£free (IAPs)/ iOS, Android

(UN)FIT BUT YOU KNOW IT

1 Listen to your heart

Aside from being a top indicator for cardiovascular fitness, heart-rate tracking shows what zone you’re in, how long you can sustain it, and how quickly you can recover to a resting rate after exercise. If you’re training for something specific, it’s a great way to measure and track improvements.

2 My heart will go on

While things like speed and power can be affected by external factors, such as the weather, your heart rate is a consistent force to be measured. So when you come to compare data from multiple sessions, there’s no denying you may have worked harder in one than the other.

3 The heart never lies

Your resting heart rate is linked to lifestyle and it rarely lies. If you’ve been on the sauce consistently for a couple of weeks it’s likely to be reflected in the cold, hard data. Seeing the numbers push up might be enough to motivate you to train harder or simply cut out some bad habits.

TIPS FOR TRACKING

1 Weight for it

Smartwatches and trackers allow you to set up a body profile, and it’s really worth doing. Basic info like age, gender, height and weight will improve accuracy with metrics like stride length and calories burned. Trackers estimate calorie burn by using your heart rate, weight and activity levels to determine your basal metabolic rate (BMR); skip the basics and your data is rendered useless.

2 Wrist in peace

A top tip people often overlook is to wear your tracker on your non-dominant wrist. This might feel weird at first, but you’ll soon get used to it. The reason? Moving your dominant hand a lot during the day (oh, the jokes…) will skew step data. Some trackers allow you to input which wrist you’re using and which is your dominant hand; many don’t.

3 Smarten app

Don’t forget to connect with the apps included in this feature. Plenty of them have features tailored to your needs and will work in sync with your wearable. Food tracking, calorie counting, guided workouts - all are likely to be handled better by a dedicated app.

NOW APP THIS

One You Couch to 5K

An app from Public Health England worth downloading, and one that didn’t cause £12m to be flushed down the lavvy, Couch to 5K is designed to be an introduction to running. Not as in when you’re a toddler and learning how to hurry to the toilet, but more a kind of beginner programme for couch potatoes to finally get up and do some post-lockdown exercise.

You’re motivated along the way by your pick from five coaches: Olympic legend Michael Johnson, comedians Sarah Millican and Sanjeev Kohli, radio presenter Jo Whiley (who presumably ruins your rhythm with Mumford & Sons records every couple of minutes), and someone called Laura. It takes about 3 months and works alongside your preferred music player.

£free/ iOS, Android

Garmin Forerunner 45

This entry-level watch is tailored for running but packs plenty of other sport modes. It’s great for zone and interval training, with reliable optical BPM tracking on the wrist, an easy-to-read colour screen and a lightweight, comfortable design. Heart rate is used to generate VO2 Max fitness estimates; they aren’t as accurate as a full lab test, but still offer a simple (and painless) way to benchmark your progress.

£150/ garmin.com

Polar Ignite

A training watch tailored to general fitness, the Ignite offers zone training for a range of activities but also uses its built-in optical sensor to get deep into recovery. It tracks your autonomic nervous system to reveal how well your body has bounced back from your last gut-buster, then uses this data to generate tailored workout recommendations with duration, intensity and walkthroughs.

£175/ polar.com

Coros Apex

If going long and getting a bit more wild is your preferred way to raise your heart rate, the Apex packs up to 35hrs of training time with BPM and GPS fully firing. You get interval and zone training, and sport modes for everything from trail running to cross-country skiing. It’s waterproof to 10m and offers heart-rate-based VO2 Max estimates, plus recovery time recommendations so you can monitor your improvement.

£300/ coros.com

Fitbit Charge 4

This fitness band’s sensor tends to read a little high and suffers some lag, so if accuracy is critical there are better options - but if you’re after some general motivation, it’s great. It encourages you to move with intent, converting effort into Active Zone Minutes and setting daily targets. You get one point each time you hit the fat-burn zone and two for shifting gears into the cardio or peak zone.

£130/ fitbit.com

WATCH WATCHER

Wrist-based trackers are designed to be worn all the time, so buy one of these and you have to do every single activity in the rest of this feature

APPLE WATCH SERIES 5

Smashing out loads of mid-intensity running is a guaranteed way to plateau your progress. If you’re hoping to shift body shape or improve fitness, and running is your cardio fitness weapon of choice, investing in a heart-rate tracker to guide your workout intensity is a smart step.

Other than the fact that it appears to do everything we want from a wearable, and offers a myriad of personalisation options to ensure it looks the business, if you want a smartwatch with solid heart-rate tracking, good fitness skills and plenty of all-day appeal, the Apple Watch Series 5 is it.

First, it tracks BPM continuously during training and for three minutes after, to show how well you recover. But you also get 24/7 readings beyond workouts, revealing resting heart-rate patterns and any underlying rhythmic abnormalities. You can also take ECG-standard heart readings.

One of the Apple Watch’s biggest strengths is its access to an enormous App Store. That means all manner of third-party fitness platforms are supported, including Strava, MyFitnessPal, Myzone and more.

You could even opt for the fitness-centric Apple Watch Nike Series 5. Apart from a sporty strap and some special watch faces, it comes with access to the Nike Run Club and Nike Training Club. The former stocks a growing library of audio-guided runs from guest coaches and detailed stats to analyse your performance; the latter is all about high-intensity and strength training, featuring over 185 workouts combined with heart-rate and calorie tracking, plus ‘show off’ stats to confirm how shattered you really are.

from £399/apple.com