TORONTO -- Anyone who has ventured into Canada's wilderness knows the serene calm that comes from gazing into the night sky after a hard day of hiking or portaging, then setting up camp in the middle of nowhere. But the farther one travels from civilization, the more cutting-edge the equipment needs to be if you want to stay connected to the world at large.

"I think the minimum you want is a map and a compass," says Jonathon Wong of outdoor gear and clothing retailer Mountain Equipment Co-op.

"If you're doing any serious off-trail exploration where you might not have any visual references to where you are, you might look at a GPS."

A GPS (global positioning system) is a handheld navigation device that taps into a network of U.S. military satellites to determine your location, within 10 metres, anywhere on the planet.

"They're pretty simple to use. They (just) require a couple of set-up stages to match them with the map you're using," says Wong of the devices, which sell for $250 and up.

He advises travellers to get acquainted with their GPS before they embark on their trip.

"Go to a place you know and play with the GPS, the map and the compass," says Wong. "Learn how to trust the GPS."

The unit can also mark points along the journey so travellers can retrace their steps with satellite precision if need be.

"If you have maps calibrated with the GPS, you can download the route on top of that and look at it later on a laptop (computer)," says Wong.

It's a feature often used by travel writers who want to keep a record of wilderness routes.

While a GPS covers the navigation aspect of the journey, it's not designed for communication with the outside world in case of emergency.

Personal locator beacons -- which transmit a GPS position -- are available, but they don't send information about your situation. They are a one-shot emergency device that alerts search and rescue teams to your location and are therefore only to be used in dire situations.

"Any kind of phone thing is probably better, because people can ascertain urgency," says Wong.

Hikers relying on their cellphones might be disappointed. Many large parks, like Algonquin in Ontario, don't have cell coverage. No towers, no signal. That's where a satellite phone comes into play.

Purchase price for a basic unit is around $1,000, but companies like HelloAnywhere.com offer rentals starting at $100 a week.

Emergencies aside, a satellite phone can provide that extra level of security. Adventurers can wander confident in the knowledge that the outside world can contact them or vice versa, no matter how urgent or trivial the concern.

The phones don't use the same satellite network as a GPS and it's not uncommon to lose the connection after about five minutes -- just enough time to relay an urgent message.

Satellite phones have been used effectively in numerous emergency situations, including an avalanche last winter in B.C.'s back-country that claimed the lives of seven Calgary-area teens.

But as advanced as the technology is, Wong says it's not ideal to rely on digital gadgets alone when navigating the Canadian wilderness.

Heavy leaf coverage, or travelling through a valley bordered by steep cliffs of sheer rock, can limit a traveller's sky view, leaving hikers without a satellite signal.

And some GPS units don't have a built-in compass.

"They won't tell you north unless you're actually moving," says Wong.

"They're vector-related, so you actually have to be moving a sort of brisk, walking pace so it can tell you're going from one position to another."

The solution to that problem is simple. Pack a traditional compass. A good one costs about $30.

"I advocate a very integrated approach to all this stuff," says Wong.

"Use all the tools."