Best Waterproof Action Camera for Northern Tier?

Q: My troop is going to Northern Tier next summer, and I was wondering what the best camera would be to capture all of the action. It would need to be waterproof and have a long battery life.
— Vincent, Watsontown, Pennsylvania

A: GoPro cameras are the gold standard in the action-camera industry. These cameras come with multiple digital lenses, video stabilization, nighttime settings and superior audio, and they’re waterproof for depths up to 33 feet. The top-of-the-line HERO9 Black ($450, gopro.com) can take 5K video and 20MP photos, and its battery can last for about two hours of shooting at a lower quality.

If you want to save some cash and still capture quality footage, take a look at the AKASO Brave 7 LE ($140, akasotech.com). It’s waterproof, and it can shoot 4K video with stabilization, take 20MP photos, and has a nearly two-hour battery capacity depending on the mode that’s used. It comes with a waterproof case, a bunch of mounts and a remote-control watch. You can also control it via an app.

A really thrifty option, though, might be to bring your smartphone, if you already have one. Buy a portable power bank, which you can get for around $30, and a waterproof phone pouch, available for as low as $6, and you should be good to go.