12 Best Deals: Portable Grills, Coolers, and Fitness Trackers
Need an excuse to get outside and enjoy the sunshine? Some of our favorite outdoor gear is on sale right now….
We haven’t reached the summer solstice yet, but the first week of June always feels like the start of the season anyway. You might be all dealed out from last weekend’s Memorial Day sales, but in case you need an excuse to get outside and enjoy the warmer weather, some of our favorite outdoor gear, like portable grills and coolers, are discounted right now.
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Outdoor Deals
This pricey cooler is one of our favorites for its ability to keep drinks and food cold with very little ice. This is thanks to its double-walled vacuum insulation, like you’d see in a travel mug. It’s also much more compact than other coolers, with more usable space—5 gallons—thanks to the walls that are about an inch thick. If you have this kind of cash to spend, you’ll have many cold drinks ahead of you.
If you don’t want to spend $500 on a cooler, go for this Igloo. It’s not in our Best Coolers guide, but it’s a classic simple cooler you can grab from your local Target in a pinch. It has wheels so you don’t have to carry it. Sadly, the pink color is not included in this sale, which feels like a crime.
None of our favorite portable grills are discounted right now, but several of our alternative picks are, including the Primus Kamoto. (Stock is dwindling.) It’s pretty affordable and big enough to cook for a family of five. It doubles as a fire pit once dinner is over too.
Coleman’s Roadtrip 285 has wheels for easy maneuvering and collapses down once you’re done, so portability isn’t an issue (just be careful as you might pinch your fingers). For cooking, there are dual burners for different heat zones.
Fitness Tracker and Smartwatch Deals
If you need a fitness tracker but don’t want to give in to a phone-specific option like an Apple Watch, go with a Fitbit. Our favorite, the Charge 5 (8/10, WIRED Recommends) has a bright AMOLED screen and is FDA-cleared to detect atrial fibrillation. The downside is that you’ll need to subscribe to Fitbit’s Premium subscription for $80 a year to get most of the best features.
Samsung’s Galaxy Watch5 (7/10, WIRED Recommends) is our favorite smartwatch for Android users. This price is for the larger 44-mm size, but it’s also available in a smaller size for $30 less. Besides being able to check your texts, get turn-by-turn directions, and call up Google Assistant when you need it, you’ll get Samsung’s health features too for tracking workouts and measuring your blood oxygen level (some health features are limited to Samsung phones).
The Fenix 7S Sapphire Solar (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is our favorite watch for outdoor adventuring, but even on sale, it’s quite expensive. In our testing, we got weeks of use on a single charge and found that the multiple GPS systems pinpointed our location quickly and accurately even while surrounded by trees. The sale price is limited to black and bronze colors.
Backpack and Tote Bag Deals
Herschel’s Heritage bag is usually $65 from Amazon, a price that already makes it our favorite budget backpack. I’ve been using my Heritage since college for lugging school books and a 15-inch laptop, commuting to work, and on weekend trips. It has held up with only a little wear and tear, thanks to the 600-denier polyester. It comes in a bunch of nice colors too. It just drives me nuts that there’s no dedicated water bottle pocket.
Moment makes our favorite traditional tote. The interior is expertly designed with a pocket for every little thing you need in a day, including housing your 16-inch laptop. There are also two (!) water bottle pockets. Plus, it’s one of our favorite recycled bags, because it’s made from weatherproof recycled nylon.
The Hanover 2 also makes two of our favorite bag lists, thanks to its versatility and its construction of water-resistant polyester made from 22 recycled plastic bottles. Inside is a removable insert with four pockets, including two for drinks. If you need more uninterrupted space, detach the pouch and fill the main compartment up—or do as our tester did, and replace it with a diaper-changing station.
Headphone Deals
The Jabra Elite 7 Active Earbuds are our favorites for working out. They have an IP57 rating for dust and water resistance, so sweaty workouts won’t stand in the way of excellent sound. Plus you’ll get eight hours of battery out of a single charge.
Lots of people prefer wireless buds, but some of us are wired (ahem, WIRED) loyalists, and these buds from Sennheiser are our favorites. You get a taste of Sennheiser’s high-end capabilities for much less than usual. As our reviewer Simon Lucas says, the 7-mm full-range dynamic drivers deliver hard-hitting, controlled, and brilliantly spacious sound that’s alive with fine detail.
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