You might not think taking your expensive portable technology into rugged terrain, but there’s no reason to use the excuse that your MacBook or iPod are too delicate to take outside as to eschew the great outdoors—or an opportunity to exercise and breathe fresh air. With the proper gear, your tunes can venture outside with you and go back inside no worse for the wear.

Your iPod, The track star

No pockets in your running shorts? That doesn’t mean you have to pound the turf or treadmill in silence. The Music Band-It keeps your music streaming while you run, walk, or hike. The armband, which comes in versions to fit the iPhone and a variety of iPods, features built-in earbuds with a retractable cord that make listening to music while you work out hassle-free. The patented retractable 4-foot-long cord gives you only as much length as you need and is kept neatly organized when not in use. 

Control all your tunes—all over the house.

The Squeezebox Duet helps lazy music lovers live the dream of easy access to their digital album collections. Like an AirPort Express, the compact receiver connects to your stereo and plays songs from a wirelessly networked Mac, so you can enjoy your tunes without having to get up off the couch. But the receiver is just half of Logitech’s duo: Taking a feature from high-end systems, the Duet lets you control everything using its Wi-Fi LCD remote. That means that you’re free to wander away from the stereo and your Mac, changing tracks from anywhere on your Wi-Fi network. While the Duet hits a couple of sour notes, the sound quality and convenience are hard to beat.

Hands on the wheel

Having good music in your car is almost as essential as filling it with gas. But looking down at your iPod’s controls can be downright unsafe. You can often skip a track without taking your eyes off the road, but turning on shuffle or selecting a new playlist can be several menus away. Scosche’s IPNRFC is an RF remote control that attaches to your steering wheel for heads-up control of your dockable iPod.