New Gear Essentials From Outside and Nat Geo

Now that spring is officially here I'm sure more than a few of you are planning a few adventures of your own. Over the past few days, both Outside magazine and National Geographic Adventure have posted articles sharing essential new gear to take with you on your spring excursions. Each of these articles has some excellent tips on new equipment that can help make your next escape even better.

Outside gets things started with their 5 Best Pieces of Gear for the Road. Among the items that earn a spot on the list are the new Pelican Progear Elite line of luggage, which is built to protect all of your important – and fragile – equipment while traveling. The luggage features a hard external shell to resist impacts, and is fully waterproof as well. Unsurprisingly, the new GoPro Hero 4 Black also makes the list as the "best camera for stick situations," while the Sony Alpha 7 II takes top honors as for making your travel photos look amazing. The new Patagonia Alpine Houdini jacket and the Fugoo Sport Bluetooth speaker round out the list.

Not to be outdone, Nat Geo has provided their list of 8 Spring Gear Essentials which offers their picks for the equipment you need to get you through your upcoming adventures. Some of the items making this list include the Suunto Ambit3 Peak HR GPS watch, which has been a favorite with outdoor enthusiasts for awhile. The new North Face FuseForm Dot Matrix jacket also gets a nod, as do the Teeki Cloud Hot Pants running tights, which can make those early spring runs go much smoother. As the weather gets warmer, you'll want to transition to the Tracksmith Longfellow shorts of course, while Nat Geo recommends running in the Adidas Ultra Boost shoes this spring too.

Spring is the perfect time to get back outside and enjoy the weather, and that is often made easier with some new gear. These suggestions from both publications will get you back to being active, and get you on the road to some new adventures. What more could you ask for with return of warmer weather?