9 Mini Gadgets You Can Find At Bass Pro Shops

For anyone who wants to enjoy the outdoors, Bass Pro Shops is a great place to find all the equipment you could want. Whether you need fishing supplies or practical camping gadgets, Bass Pro Shops should have what you need, so you can enjoy the outdoors, whatever activity you choose. Johnny Morris founded the company in 1972, devising the idea in the back of his father's liquor store. More than 50 years later, Bass Pro Shops' massive popularity in the United States speaks for itself. In an independent Newsweek survey, voters have named the company America's best outdoor retailer four years in a row.

You don't have to stick to run-of-the-mill gear and apparel when you shop here. If you want nifty outdoor gadgets that make life outdoors easier, Bass Pro Shops has a solid selection. You don't have to buy massive contraptions that are hard to lug around, either—people looking for mini gadgets will be more than satisfied with what this retailer offers. After all, people who've already bought these products have left glowing reviews praising them.

A compact flashlight for everyday use, the Streamlight Polytac ProTac 1L-1AA Tactical Flashlight is easy to use and carry. The large tail switch is easy to press, and Swift | Silent | Deadly found it quite durable. Three protective ears around the switch add durability and double as a convenient rear stand. The double-fuel design lets you power it with either standard AA batteries or CR123s. At 4.25 inches long and 2.5 ounces, this light is light enough to carry around without issue. It also comes with a nifty clip-on design that makes it pocket-friendly. Swift | Silent | Deadly even used this clip to fasten the light to their cap, turning it into a great makeshift headlamp.

You can operate this light in one of three modes. High mode delivers a maximum brightness of 350 lumens, Strobe mode does what you'd expect, and Low mode is for when you don't need a very bright flashlight. For people who often misplace their flashlights, the anti-roll flats are very useful. Streamlight says the flashlight is built for heavy use, with an IPX7 water-resistance rating and impact resistance up to 2 meters. This durability comes from an anodized-aluminum body and an impact-resistant tempered-glass lens.

If you're a beginner angler and want equipment that makes life easier, the Garmin Striker 4 Sonar Fishfinder and GPS Plotter is a solid option. Just mount the transducer on your boat and connect it to power. Following this, the powerful CHIRP (Compressed High-Intensity Radiated Pulse) sonar does the work for you. Sure, the screen may be a bit small, but that's not a huge problem for people who want a portable mini fishing radar. For what it's worth, the high-resolution screen makes the information it conveys as legible as possible.

According to FishFinderLab, this gadget is perfect for people who occasionally fish from small boats, kayaks, and canoes. It can even work well enough for ice fishing, too. The Striker 4 not only shows your speed, but also lets you set up to 5,000 waypoints. This is great for people who have found spots ripe for the picking and don't want to forget where they are the next time they come out fishing.

As relaxing as it may be to tune out the city and enjoy the outdoors, not everyone is as enthralled by silence. There's nothing wrong with carrying a small gadget for entertainment while you're out and about. The JBL Live Beam 3 is a great way to enjoy your favorite music, audiobooks, and podcasts on the go. Audio quality is the most important metric for any pair of earbuds, and multiple critics agree that the Live Beam 3 is pretty satisfactory on this front. What Hi-Fi? noted the impressive detail in this device's soundscape, which sounded rich and impactful.

These headphones also include ANC, which most reviewers found decent. However, SoundGuys didn't share that view, finding the overall noise cancellation a bit weak. That said, for people who want to stay aware of their surroundings outdoors with earbuds in, this may not be the worst thing. More worrying are issues with a loose fit due to its short nozzles, something multiple critics noted. The smart case is a neat touch that lets you switch between functions, audio playback, noise-canceling modes, spatial sound, and equalizer presets, without opening the JBL app on your phone.

If you prefer spending time outdoors with family and friends, a portable Bluetooth speaker that isn't too large and plays your favorite tunes without a fuss is a great idea. The JBL Go 4 fits the bill and is one of the best Bluetooth speakers to buy. What Hi-Fi? praised its sound output. However, given its compact build and 6.7-ounce weight, it makes some sacrifices to prioritize portability. 

TechRadar found the audio quite average, and a 7-hour battery life isn't anything to write home about. Sure, you can extend runtime by two hours with Playtime Boost, but reviewers noted it comes at the cost of audio fidelity. If you use Auracast to connect the Go 4 to other JBL speakers, then you won't be able to adjust the equalizer.

Still, it's hard to complain about these issues when you can get this compact speaker for just $49.95. At this price, it also has an IP67 rating for dust and water protection. To further protect this Bluetooth speaker, you can also use the included loop attachment to securely fasten it to something, such as your boat's railing or your belt. All of this makes it clear why the JBL Go 4 is one of the highest-rated Bluetooth speakers under $60 on Amazon.

Any outdoorsy person knows the importance of staying up to date on the weather. If you want a dedicated gadget that keeps you informed about weather conditions without taking up much space, the Midland S.A.M.E. WR400 Weather Alert Radio is a good option. In fact, user reviews call it one of the best emergency radios for the home. During setup, choose your state and county to get the weather updates you need.

Not every NOAA update requires that you listen to the loud, 85-decibel siren. Instead, you can choose which weather alerts are severe enough to trigger the alarm. The only exception is severe weather alerts. You'll see three labels, "Warning," "Watch," and "Advisory," above the backlit screen that give you a clear idea of what to expect when a weather alert is issued. These options show why NY Times considers Midland S.A.M.E. WR400 the best emergency alert radio for people with special accessibility needs. If you plug the WR400 into an outlet instead of running it on battery power, you can also use the USB port on its side to charge your devices.

As convenient as services like Google Maps and Waze are, it's foolish to rely on them when you're out in the wild. Network connections are notoriously unreliable in these situations, which is why most people prefer a dedicated navigation unit. The Garmin GPSMAP 65s is one such device, with an advanced GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver that impressed reviewers with its mapping capabilities. It comes with a huge range of pre-loaded maps and strong smartphone connectivity, letting you connect this mini gadget to your phone for features like live tracking and sharing optimal routes with others.

The GNSS receiver uses the device's multi-band technology to gather data from sources beyond GPS satellites, like GLONASS and Galileo. If you're planning a trip in the Asia-Pacific region, this receiver can also read data from the QZSS and IRNSS satellite systems. This means mapping is fast, and a GPS fix is quick enough that you won't get lost as long as the device has charge. With Garmin claiming 16 hours of battery life in GPS mode, you shouldn't run into issues during your travels as long as you charge it at least once a day. One thing to note: it doesn't support USB-C and uses a mini USB port instead.

As useful as the GPSMAP 65s may be, they lack satellite communication. Finding a route is great, but you also need a way to contact friends and loved ones if you end up stranded on the trail. In that situation, the Garmin inReach Mini 2 lets you use sat comms to keep people updated and request an SOS if needed. It's one of the most useful mini gadgets for any camping trip. Keep in mind this device can't make voice calls — you'll have to use texts only, and those can take a while on the inReach Mini 2. Thankfully, the SOS button lets you contact Garmin's 24x7 emergency response center when you can't send a text message. You can also connect this device to your phone with the Garmin Messenger app to make things easier if this small device is a pain to type on.

Its compact size makes it a great mini gadget to take on the go, and its 3.5-ounce weight further underscores its portability. Garmin says this device can stay active for up to a full month on a single charge, which is great for a sat comm device that may need to stay on for a long time when you're stuck and need help. Unfortunately, to ensure your safety and maintain communication at all times, you'll have to pay a hefty amount. $349.99 is already eye-watering, but you'll also need to pay at least $7.99 per month to activate the device and use a few of its features. If you want to expand this suite of options, subscription costs can reach as high as $49.99 per month.

Who says that the Flip 7 is the only portable Bluetooth speaker worth buying from JBL? If you want to stick with this brand but pay less, the JBL Grip is an affordable alternative to the JBL Flip 7. For outdoorsy people, the slightly smaller design and IP68 rating make the Grip a solid Bluetooth speaker for taking into the wild. JBL says this speaker can last 14 hours at 50% volume, another reason this mini gadget is such a cost-effective purchase. This portable speaker weighs just 13.6 ounces, and the LED can also serve as a nightlight, not just add flair when the music is blaring.

Sound-wise, the JBL Grip does just enough to impress critics. However, a few caveats remain. TechRadar noted that the sound was too compressed at higher volumes, and Trusted Reviews felt the speaker walked a fine line: energetic at its best, but awfully thin otherwise. Finally, PCMag felt the audio lacked bass and high-end detail. Other issues with the JBL Grip are pretty minor, in comparison. Because the speaker lacks a mic, you can't make hands-free calls. It also lacks a USB-C cable in the box, which is a bit inconvenient but not a dealbreaker.

For people who don't want to spare any expense to keep an eye on their dog at all times, the $429.99 Dogtra Pathfinder2 is an advanced collar that might be up to the task. It weighs 6.6 ounces and fits dogs with necks 10 inches and up. Dogtra recommends using this collar on dogs weighing at least 15 pounds. Keep in mind this isn't a standalone device — you will need the companion app on your phone to access all its advertised features. Beyond GPS location tracking, you can set up a geofence to get alerts if your dog goes beyond these digital boundaries. This dog collar has an IPX9K waterproof rating, so your dog can jump into pools and mud puddles without worrying about the collar malfunctioning.

The 9-mile range is excellent and should cover any distance your dog might head off to. However, critics didn't give the battery life the same plaudits, finding its 8- to 10-hour lifespan somewhat lacking. Critics also noted that the smartphone app can be a bit of a pain to set up for non-tech-savvy people, given the sheer number of features to mess around with. On top of that, Lion Country Supply noted that the app can start hanging after updates, which only adds to the frustration.

All these gadgets at Bass Pro Shops have a compact, lightweight form factor. To ensure high-quality recommendations, all these products have an aggregate user rating of at least 4 stars from 100 reviews, if not more.