Category: Gear | Sporting Goods

GPS can literally save your skin if you're the outdoor adventure type. But, you don't always need a huge GPS rig to guide your way. The Backtrack Point>5 lets you store up to five locations in latitude and longitude coordinates. The simple interface is impossible to screw up when navigating and the weather-resistant body can take a beating from mother nature without giving up the ghost. The high-sensitivity uBLOX GPS receiver gets strong, consistent signals and the whole thing runs on 2 AAA batteries that you can swap out on the fly. You can also keep track of time, temperature and altitude, which will still be handy even if you're not an adventurer, but rather a guy who often fogets where he parked his car.

If you're the type who doesn't mind shelling out for the best balls, even when there's a good chance you're going to whack a few of them into the woods, then more power to you. But, for those of us who cringe at the thought of blasting a $6 sphere into the void, there are still plenty of good options. Top Flite's Strata TL Distance balls are huge off the tee, and offer plenty of feel. But, they won't drive you into the poor house if you haven't quite worked out that slice yet. Plus, if you win them from us, they'll be free so you can feel free to pull out the drive and swing away.

The weather has been awesome for golf this year, which means you have already probably put a sack full of balls into the water hazards. We want to reload your bag for you, and we're doing it with a dozen of Top Flite's Strata TL-Distance balls. These dimply spheres are engineered to maximize your length from the tee box while still leaving you enough control to keep you out of the woods. The outside cover is incredibly resillient, so if you do manage to hang onto the same ball for a while, you won't have to worry about it going dead or getting cut. Just make sure to mark your ball well, otherwise your buddies will try and swipe them from you afer hitting theirs into the jungle.

If you're used to department store bikes, you may not be familiar with Santa Cruz, a company that resides at the top of the proverbial heap when it comes to producing amazing mountain bikes. Their newest creation is a twist on one of their most popular and versatile bikes, the Nomad. The frame is made from carbon fiber, which sheds lots of weight from the aluminum version, while providing a ride that's stiffer and more responsive. The rear wheel still gets 160mm of travel from an air-sprung Fox shock, making it nimble enough to climb, but squishy enough to blast over rocks the size of that guy from <em>Twilight</em>'s huge head. Just the frame will set you back $2700 (shock included), but you'll have the satisfaction of knowing that you'll pretty much never need another mountain bike ever again.

In case you were too distracted by Tiger's sexy text message to notice, Phil Mickelson was the big winner at this year's Masters tournament. To celebrate, Callaway is releasing 164 individually numbered putters with green highlights on the bottom for $500 apiece. Half are for righties and half are for lefties, but all of them will certainly be collectible material as soon as they sell out, which will be quick. Each putter comes with a limited edition headcover and a Black Series grip that make it exactly the same as the stick that Phil used this year at Augusta. If you're not the type for collectibles, it's still a great putter to put in your bag thanks to the White Ice insert and tungsten weight for maximum consistency and stability. Take it to the course and drop some strokes or take it to the mini golf course and dominate.

If you're into bikes, graffiti or charity, you might want to check out this eBay auction. They tapped artist Mike Giant to customize an already-sweet SuperSix HI MOD bike with totally custom graphics. Not only does it work as a piece of art, but the build on it is race-ready, including top-of-the-line everything. 100% of the proceeds go to The Bahati Foundation, which was started by national cycling champion Rahasan Bahati and encourages inner-city kids to get on the pedals and go. If you don't have the big bucks in your charity budget (Buy It Now price is $30,000), you can still learn more about the foundation at their website. Also, it's worth noting that just because you bought a super fancy bike does not mean that you've earned the right to wear Spandex. Keep that in mind.

It's day two at the Masters, which means you probably have golf on the brain like we do. But, if you're still hitting the course with a clapped out set of hand-me-down irons, you're pretty much wasting your greens fees. Callaway has been number 1 in the irons game for 13 years running and they have a solution for your green-missing woes. The Diablo Edge irons have dropped the center of gravity and cranked up the size on the sweetspot to make your shots longer and, more importantly for your ball budget, more consistent. The sole is fattened up, too to help negate the horrible effects fat and thin shots have on your score and your hands. The set we have to give away comes with 4-PW, AW irons with steel shafts, but there are a ton of available options, including hybrid clubs in case your relationship with the 3-iron is a rocky one. {Note: The prize doesn't include a bag, so either buy one or just pay some local kid in Pokemon cards to carry them around the course.}

Just in case you haven't seen a TV, website or newspaper in the past couple of weeks, The Masters starts today, wich means golf seasons is offially back in full-swing. But, before you get out on the course and start three-putting again, consider a new stick for use on the green. Odyssey's White Ice 2-Ball putter has an extended mallet head and a double-bend shaft. Using weight chips, you can actually change the feel of the putter to match your own personal stroke. The real star of the show, though, is the White Ice face insert. Its firmer, stiffer and the face has a rough surface to make it more accurate and responsive and to give it a better sound on impact, even with softer balls. Take it to the course and improve your scores or take it to the mini golf course and absolutely dominate.

Titleists DT balls have been going for par fives in two since before you were old enough to carry your own bag nine holes, but they have certainly come a long way. The solid core and Polybutadiene coating make them incredibly durable, which means they'll play like brand new until to slice them into the lake. The 252 dimple design is optimized to provide a higher ball flight for more carry and softer landings. Just because you're not buying to $75 dozens at the pro shop doesn't mean you shouldn't be bombing from the blue tees now that all the snow has finally melted.

Golf clubs are all about science these days and Callaway's new fairway splitter is no exception. The expertly-shaped head is made entirely of titanium and has a chemically milled hyperbolic face cup to help increase ball speed and decrease the number of times you mis-hit the ball and annihilate your hands. The head has an improved, aerodynamic shape that helps increase headspeed and a range of lofts from 9 to 13-degrees. After all of those fancy-sounding words, what you're left with is a driver that's as reliable as it is huge when you're hitting from the big boy tees. It'll make a great addition to your regular game, or you can just take it to the range and look like a big shot as you plow them into the far net.

We have been running on Reebok's newest cushioning system for about a week now and so far, we're pretty impressed. The synthetic upper is extremely lightweight and conforms immediately to your foot so it requires almost no break-in period. With material that light, durability may be an issue much further down the road, but they have been doing fine both on the road and in the gym so far. The cushioning is the real star of the show, though and it seems to live up to the hype. It feels softer to the touch than a normal sneaker bottom and when you step down, you definitely get a little forgiving squish. The whole, "energy drink for your feet," action comes into play more on the road than it does on the treadmill. The sole's shape definitely helps your foot transition from heel to toe in a very smooth motion. So, on the plus side we have awesome ventilation and fantastic cushioning. On the downside, we're not entirely sure how long they'll last (only time will tell) and you should be ready for people to notice them thanks to their bright colorways and their close resemblance to a puffy lasagna noodle.