Subscribe to Outside Magazine
advertisement
2009 Winter Buyer's Guide
View the entire 300-plus collection of must-have gear items tailor-made for your adventurous lifestyle. PLUS: A special section on womens gear.
Gear Guy

Today's Question
I'm looking for the lightest breatheable bivy sack out there, any suggestions? answer

What is the best way to carry water on a hike? answer

Gear Girl

Today's Question
What's a good women's analog watch for under $200? answer

What equipment should a new mountain biker buy? answer

Workbench

Skin Care

Gear Upgrade

Make a Ski Sling

User Reviews

User Reviews

Browse Outdoor Gear

Online Favorites

Special Issues

Photo Galleries


August 27, 2002


What's the best heart-rate monitor?

I'm dumbfounded by all the choices with regard to heart rate monitors. Should I stick with the well-respected Polar or try other brands?

— Tracy
Los Angeles, California



Got your own gear question?
Heart-rate monitors have, in my view, entered a realm already occupied by multi-tools, hydration packs, and Gore-Tex parkas: the Land of We Have Enough Already. OK, maybe it's good to be able to download 12 hours of workouts and chart your heart rate during six workouts. But unless you're training for the Tour de France—and training to win—is it really necessary?

I'm convinced that for 90 percent of the people out there—even those who are serious enough about training to watch their heart rate to ensure they don't over or under train—a monitor with the bare minimum of functions is fine. And no, it doesn't have to be Polar, although that brand makes excellent monitors. An exceedingly good bargain monitor, in fact, is the Polar A1—just $50. It has current heart rate, average rate, and time exercised. For the same price, Performance Axiom's HR-150 adds full watch functions, plus programmable target levels and memory recall of time spent in the targeted zone. Peformance's electronics are all pretty good, so I should think that would be a reliable buy.

If you want to go with a luxe monitor, Polar's S210 ($175) is a great one—it has a wide range of options for setting and recording maximum heart rate, shows calories burned, has full watch functions, and is water-resistant. A great monitor.





RECENT QUESTIONS

I'm looking for the lightest breatheable bivy sack out there, any suggestions?

What is the best way to carry water on a hike?

Are there any high-def cameras that can zoom into a six-foot square—from 60,000 feet?

What’s the best pair of winter running shoes?

What shoes provide light-and-fast performance and support?


Search the Gear Guy

GEAR GUY FEATURES

Check out the bio of Douglas Gantenbein, aka the Gear Guy.

Readers' Mailbag: The Gear Guy digs into some of your more bizarre, obscure (and let’s face it, downright weird) posts from years gone by to see if he can make sense of it all, or if it’s just time to run up the white flag. Previous column: Beat the Cost of Gear.

The Gear Guy reports from the 2005 Outdoor Retailer summer trade fair, with his rundown of ten products to watch in 2006, plus the inside scoop on what shook down at the bi-annual gearapalooza.


MORE GEAR

The Outside Gear Blog

2005 Buyer's Guide

State of the Art: 2005 Bikes



Many of the items reviewed by the Gear Guy can be found at REI.com. Click here to find the internet's biggest selection of outdoor gear and apparel.