Image stabilized binoculars
These handy devices feature optics that adjust many times a second to counteract your unsteady hands, effectively transforming such devices into small telescopes without the need to pack a tripod. Though early versions of these binocs ranged up to $1,900, new 10×30 models are selling for around $300 (shop…)
SkyScout personal GPS planetarium
Quite honestly the most important invention in amateur astronomy since the telescope, this GPS-based device allows you to point at any object in the sky, press a button and learn what that object is via text or – in many cases – audio description. Already know what you want to see? Select the space object from a menu (i.e. Sky tonight > Planets > Jupiter) and a series of LED arrows in the viewfinder will “point” you in the direction to move until you arrive at your destination and all the arrows flash in a circle. The device single-handedly solves the astro-newbie quandary “we saw the most amazing things in the sky but we wish we knew what we were looking at.” Semi-shock-proof and worth a hundred guidebooks on the trails, the device fits in most backpack and cargo pant pockets (shop…)
iPhone/iPad augmented reality apps for stargazing
Even as the Sky Scout was being trumped as the next big thing by everyone from National Geographic to Backpacker Magazine to Popular Science, a number of software companies were hard at work on the game-changing next-generation. Star Map – for example – allows you to turn your iPad or iPhone into a living, breathing window on the universe. Hold your device in front of the Big Dipper and a labelled version that moves as you move glides across your screen. Though your iPad may crack in half on a portage, the technology is absolutely revolutionary and definitely makes campsite astronomy appealing (more app reviews here) for those who can’t tear themselves away from Facebook or their game console. Heck, if you’re already on your iPhone, why not use it to enjoy nature? (shop…)
Camping-friendly telescopes
From the tiny no-assembly-required First Scope (it literally just pops out of the box) to Sky Watcher’s Black Diamond refractors and their huge collapsible truss-tube reflector scope (which can fit in a Smart Car) featuring jumbo foot-wide prime optics, good quality telescopes today are cheaper, better-made, and easier-to-find than ever (shop…)
Solar-powered backpacks
With new technology comes a new need for power, even in the bush. Voltaic’s 4-watt backpack helps carry the rest of the gear for your trip and uses two solar cells with a bevy of universal adapters to recharge most small consumer electronics anywhere the sun shines (shop…)