The Best Outdoor Gear to Invest In, According to a Professional Hiker

Escobar recommends that any hiker, regardless of their experience level, has a couple hiking safety tools on hand whenever they hit the trail. She likes to keep a whistle-compass like this SE 5-in-1 Orange Survival Whistle with Compass ($6) clipped onto her backpack at all times, and for more of an investment option, swears by this Garmin GPS Map ($600). "With that product, you can literally send out tech messages or SOS calls in areas with no service. Last year I actually got the opportunity to do a backpacking trip into Havasupai. There's no service down there, but I went with a girlfriend and I was using the GPS tool to send out texts to my husband like, 'Yep, still here, still good,'" she says.