Peak Performance

If your resolution this year is to spend more time enjoying Southern California’s great outdoors, there’s no reason not to do it with some whiz-bang gadgetry. At the top of our rugged geek list is Garmin’s eTrex Summit, a $250 Global Positioning System receiver that’s durable, reliable and absolutely tiny.

Although roughly twice the price of Garmin’s standard eTrex receiver, Summit includes a barometric altimeter that allows users to keep an eye on the weather and double-check elevation readings from the GPS satellites. It also generates a nice-looking hill profile that records gains and losses in elevation over time.

Summit’s big selling point is its size--just 4.4 inches long, 2 inches across and 1.2 inches deep. That’s plenty small enough to clip onto a pack. And because Summit is water- and shock-resistant, there’s no reason not to play hard.