Track Star

Because every man needs gear, and no man likes comparison shopping, we present That’ll Hunt: a series that reveals the best tools, gadgets or sundries for the job.

Chances are, within the next two months, you’re going to have an occasion to be outside without a shirt on.

In the spirit of preparation, we humbly suggest you buy a fitness tracker — i.e., those wearable bands that ostensibly help you lose weight.

But which one? We rounded up several different models to find the best. Time to get a move on.

FOR INTERVAL TRAINING:
MIO Alpha
A durable and EKG-accurate, real-time heart rate monitor that doesn’t require a chest strap, the Mio lets you program your target upper- and lower-heart rate limits to stay in your preferred training range.

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FOR THE BUDGET-MINDED: Withings Pulse
About the size of a pack of Listerine Breath Strips, the Withings can be clipped anywhere and records metrics for walking, climbing steps or running (but not biking). Bonus: of all the fitness trackers reviewed, it’s lowest in price ($100).

FOR THE MINIMALIST:
Misfit Shine
About the size of a quarter, the Shine marks your progress via a series of 12 miniature LED lights and doesn’t require re-charging. Downside: double-tapping the device for progress reports was spotty, especially in cold weather.

FOR THE PATIENT FITBIT OWNER: Jaybird Reign
Reign works as both a detailed sleep tracker (including suggested resting periods or optimal workout times) and multidisciplinary activity monitor (it can tell when you’re swimming, walking or cycling). We got a little time with it last week, and first impression: it’s a new benchmark. You’ll just need to wait until summer to try it.

THAT’LL HUNT: Basis Carbon Steel
Interestingly, the clunkiest of the trackers proved to be the friendliest (maybe that’s why Intel bought it yesterday). While it’s not waterproof and looks a bit like an ’80s calculator watch, the Carbon Steel is accurate and sturdy on the wrist. During our workouts, it tracked a few unique indicators (like skin temp and perspiration). Plus, it was highly intuitive: there was only a one-minute learning curve from opening the box to getting started in full. Bonus: the “habit points” you earn to unlock more training plans should be familiar to any Call of Duty/Halo player.