BEST FOR BEGINNERS
Never used a GPS before? Check out the refreshingly straightforward Venture. On day hikes and quick overnighters around British Columbia’s southern Coast Mountains, testers with limited GPS knowledge found the cell-phone-size Venture’s simple menu system the most intuitive to operate. Its relatively big (1.3-by-1.7-inch), bright color screen is also one of the easiest to read, especially in harsh sunlight. 6 oz; garmin.com
Bonus: With 32 hours of battery life, the Venture dusts the competition—at any price.
Bummer: It lacks an electronic compass and barometric altimeter.