12 Tech Upgrades From Home Depot To Transform Your Backyard







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For many of us, keeping the backyard as tidy as the inside of the house is a top priority. You want all areas of your home to be on the same standard, which comes with plenty of upkeep to ensure things stay looking as they should. Plenty of jobs can still be handled with traditional tools, as they have done for so many years, but today, there’s never been a wider choice of cutting-edge tech products to help streamline almost every aspect of gardening.

Home Depot is one of the best places to get your hands on any tool, no matter your budget, and it’s also a great place to purchase other tech installations that can automate various tasks and make your outdoor space much more pleasant overall. People shop at Home Depot for pro and DIY gear and leave feedback on their experiences, giving us a clear idea of which products actually make a difference. Here are 12 technology-based ways to upgrade your garden at Home Depot.

Milwaukee M18 Cordless String Trimmer

Milwaukee has a power tool for just about every job there is, whether you’re fixing, building, or tidying up an area of your home. In particular, the brand is renowned for its cordless tools, being known to offer professional-grade capabilities with longevity. In the garden, a lawnmower will be able to take care of the main lawn area, but purchasing a top-quality string trimmer can help you tackle the harder-to-reach areas without making a mess of them.

Home Depot sells a wide range of these tools, but few are as highly regarded as Milwaukee’s M18 trimmer, receiving almost 1,300 reviews averaging out at 4.7 stars. Part of the M18 line of products, its 18V lithium-ion battery system helps it reach full power in under a second. This tool is also compatible with Milwaukee’s QUIK-LOK attachments, with 13 options that can be fitted onto the power head. Pricing for the M18 cordless string trimmer starts at $379 as standard at Home Depot, but can be picked up for $349 at the time of writing.

Rain Bird Irrigation Controller

The majority of tasks involving anything electronic in and around the home have been transformed by smart tech, or at least affected by it to some extent. Many of these products can help you save a ton of time, but not all help you save a significant amount of money while adding a lot of practicality. This is something that Rain Bird homes in on with its irrigation controller, which is currently priced at $112.54 at Home Depot, where 200 users have given it a 4.1-star rating.

Rain Bird’s irrigation system has the same fundamentals as most smart home products, being able to be controlled through your phone from anywhere after setting up. It can be placed inside or outside, whichever is most practical for you. Up to eight different sprinkler areas around your home can be controlled by this controller, each with its own customizable schedule. Rain Bird’s tech will take into account traditional weather patterns as well as the forecast to adjust overall water usage, which the brand says will save up to 30%. Connect it to smart speakers like Alexa or Google Assistant, and you’ll also be able to set timers and control sprinklers through voice command.

Fire Sense Infrared Electric Patio Heater

Moving over to the more comfort-focused outdoor tech that Home Depot sells, few things extend time on the patio like a quality heater. A lot of the time, patio heaters, in particular, can take up a lot of space that’s not always available, so we chose Fire Sense’s extendable 93-inch heater, which has almost 200 reviews averaging a 4.1-star rating. This heater is another product here aimed at saving you money in the long run, powered by electricity to warm the infrared heating element, removing the need for gases like propane. The brand says it converts 90% of the energy into direct heat. 

Fire Sense’s heater is currently priced at $212 on Home Depot and does a good job of earning that price tag in ways beyond the energy savings we’ve already covered. It uses stainless steel, which is great for durability with heaters, for its patented design, and its heat can reach up to 9 feet. This heater also heats up in seconds, with 100% heat projection just moments after you turn it on.

Mammotion Robot Luba 2 Lawnmower

Control panels are the only area of outdoor maintenance that’s been at the forefront of smart technology development. Manual tools, whether power or regular, give you the luxury (or hassle) of getting hands-on with the job, but not everything needs you to be ultra-precise to ensure everything goes smoothly. One of the tools affected by these developments is the lawnmower. Plenty of brands have capitalized on this, including Mammotion, with its LUBA 2 robot lawnmower getting plenty of praise on Home Depot. 

We’ll start by saying that this is one of the most expensive on this list, priced at $2,599 as standard for the cheapest model. For the technology used here, though, this sort of cost can be expected. This robot lawnmower uses a 165-watt motor and can cover 0.75 acres on a single charge, with the area increasing if you need one to cover a larger yard. Combining AI and real-time kinematic navigation to ensure accuracy, the brand says that the LUBA 2 can handle 38-degree potholes, using adaptive suspension to keep it as level as possible, and four-wheel drive conquers 80% slopes. Through the app, you can select how you want it to mow your lawn, and be assured it won’t crash into anything thanks to the onboard obstacle-avoidance tech.

Ryobi Cordless Leaf Blower

Back in handheld cordless tools, you can buy at Home Depot, a few brands have more products in the category available than Ryobi. For backyard maintenance, Ryobi is often the go-to brand for many looking for reliable tech upgrades. For our list, we’ve chosen the brand’s 40-volt 450 CFM cordless leaf blower, which has a standout 4.6-star average rating from thousands of reviews, no matter which spec you choose. 

Ryobi heavily markets this product as a replacement for gas-powered leaf blowers, offering more power than a traditional 25cc blower and delivering between 450 and 800 cubic feet per minute, depending on the model you choose. The 40-volt battery claims 90 minutes of runtime on the lowest power setting, but the battery life is frequently mentioned in user reviews. The speed can easily be controlled with the variable adaptive trigger. Pricing for the 450 CFM model sits at $99 at Home Depot, with the 800 CFM option costing $259 at the time of writing. Despite costing the most, though, this is the one with the most reviews overall.  

Ring Floodlight Cam Pro Security Camera

Having products to make backyard maintenance so much more streamlined is great, but maybe not as essential as making sure your property is as secure as possible. Once again, modern smart gadgets have transformed how we keep each corner of our home, inside and out, under tight watch, with Ring being one of the leading brands in smart cameras. Many are integrated into doorbells, but individual ones designed for the outdoors are a must-have from Home Depot.

Priced at $229 as standard, Ring’s Floodlight Pro camera ($169.99 at the time of writing), the 4.9-star average rating from 200 reviews gives us confidence. Alongside the 2K main camera, this product features two LED motion-detecting lights, designed to cover wide spaces. You also have night-vision capabilities, providing a clear view of anything the sensors detect. For an extra layer of security, a security alarm is included. 

Westinghouse Electric Pressure Washer

There are a few ways to help protect your backyard from the natural elements, but having a tool on hand to constantly clean up seasonal wear and tear is a much more effective way to keep things looking nice and tidy. We move back to the tech-enhanced tools for this one, focusing on one of the most popular pieces of equipment in this category: an electric pressure washer. With a 4.8-star average rating with over 10,500 reviews, Westinghouse’s 2500 PSI pressure washer is another of the best-reviewed products on this list, despite not coming from a major brand.

At Home Depot, this pressure washer is priced at $169. Considering how much use you can get out of it, though, particularly if you get a lot of mold, algae, or grime building on your patio or garden walls and sidewalks. It can deliver a flow rate of 1.76 gallons per minute at up to 2,500 psi. With the price, you also get five nozzles to tackle any hard build-up on solid surfaces. The Total Stop System will stop the pump to both save energy and extend its longevity, and you also get a three-year warranty if you buy it through Home Depot.

EcoFlow Battery Solar Generator

This next product is often advertised for off-grid trips and living, which it’s still perfect for, but can also make a big difference in your backyard if you don’t want to invest in the long-term maintenance that gas generators come with. Whether you like to camp in your yard in the summer or need to power a handful of demanding appliances, The EcoFlow DELTA Pro battery solar generator is expensive to buy upfront at $1,399, but it is packed full of features that the almost 700 owners of the unit give an average rating of 4.7 stars for. 

EcoFlow earns the high price tag through capabilities such as 3,600 running watts, with a peak output capability of 7,200 watts. These are great numbers for gas generators, let alone one that can run in near-silence without refueling. This generator can charge and deliver power in a few different ways, with the built-in solar panels the cleanest option. You can also charge it through the EV station or a standard wall outlet. The brand says that if you use multiple methods at once, you’ll unlock the 6,500-watt charging rate that the generator is capable of. As far as usability goes, EcoFlow’s generator can charge up to 15 devices/appliances simultaneously, thanks to its 4,500-watt output.

Hampton Bay Terrace Park LED Lights

Home Depot has no shortage of lighting options for your backyard, ranging from tiny LED additions to full-size post fixtures. For this list, we went with a product that can blend in with just about any type of backyard that’s also very well-reviewed by owners. Hampton Bay is one of the brands owned by Home Depot that tries to keep prices down, which covers this set of solar-powered path lights. Four lights are included in one package, totaling at $14.38 as standard, making it very affordable for a solar-powered gadget.

The main element of these lights that the outlet focuses on is the incredibly little maintenance they require, beyond standard cleaning. You won’t need bulbs or wiring, just to recharge the batteries that come with the lights. Sunlight will bring the lights to 10 lumens, which should be plenty for walkways and similar areas, which is what they’re designed for. With over 1,750 owner reviews, these lights have an average rating of 4.2-stars.

Ryobi Cordless Pole Saw

Moving back to Ryobi, the brand’s long list of power tools covers another important area of lawn care. If you have larger trees or bushes in your backyard, you’ll know how much of an effect overhang can cause, whether that’s due to sunlight blockage or falling branches damaging the grass directly. Investing in a quality pole saw can help you stay on top of this issue with ease, all while keeping things neat and tidy up high.

This is another one of Ryobi’s 40V products, meaning you’ll be able to use the same battery for a plethora of tools, such as the leaf blower we covered. Priced at $199, this cordless pole saw is competitively priced, with almost 3,800 user reviews on Home Depot averaging 4.4 stars. Looking at the specs, you’ll be able to extend the pole to 9.5 feet, up from the standard 6.5-foot length.

Defiant Smart Power Stake Timer

If you’ll be using a few different devices in your backyard, such as lighting fixtures, Defiant’s offering (another brand owned by Home Depot) can help streamline the process of running multiple devices at once. This specific product is the smart power stake timer, which can be used to run and schedule up to six devices through the Hubspace app. For extra convenience, you can also use voice commands if you have an Alexa or Google-powered smart speaker. 

To give a bit of breathing room to help reach your existing products, the Defiant Smart Power Stake Timer has a 4-foot cord. It’s crucial to ensure it’s also within Bluetooth range and to keep a stable WiFi connection to make the most of the device. Priced at just $24.97, the majority of the over 600 user reviews listed at the time of writing average 4.5 stars, with its intuitive and fast setup being what people appreciate most.

Sun Joe Electric Garden Cultivator And Tiller

If you’re only working with a small patch of soil that’s not too deep, then the standard gardening hand tools will most likely do the job in preparing your garden bed for planting. However, if you’re starting on a new area that needs more power to shift the soil, a cultivator may well be needed to help you save a heap of time and effort. Sun Joe’s electric garden cultivator also has tilling capabilities, making it a super useful two-in-one tool for clean and effective results. 

As standard, Home Depot has it listed for $129.87, but at the time of writing, it can be picked up for $99.99. With over 1,400 reviews, the power tool has a 4.7-star rating, thanks to its versatility and lightweight design. Powered by a 12 Amp motor, the brand claims it’ll cultivate soil 16 inches wide and 8 inches deep, making it adept for both smaller and larger spaces. Six angled tines are designed for durability and longevity. 

Methodology

To ensure we’re only recommending high-quality products, every entry on this list has at least 100 user reviews on Home Depot, averaging at a minimum score of four out of five stars. We also took into account how effective each product is for backyard usage, specifically, based on customer feedback and factory specs. 





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Recent Reviews


Alaska doesn’t reward rushing. It rewards curiosity, patience, and a willingness to follow the wild where it leads. That’s why an Alaska UnCruise feels less like a vacation and more like an immersion. These small-ship journeys trade crowds and fixed itineraries for quiet coves, misty fjords, and days shaped by tides, weather, and wildlife instead of a clock.

We recently sailed with UnCruise from Juneau on one of their most iconic itineraries, and we can’t wait to share our firsthand experience. One morning we were kayaking beneath hanging glaciers; the next we were bushwhacking through old-growth forest or skiffing toward a shoreline that rarely sees footprints. With Uncruise we discovered Alaska at human scale: intimate, flexible, and deeply connected to the place itself.

Read on to see whether an Alaska UnCruise belongs on your bucket list.

Wild, Woolly, and Wow: The Glacier Bay Loop

LeConte Bay Alaska
Photo Credit: Jenn Coleman.

UnCruise operates trips in four of Alaska’s five regions, Southeast, Southcentral, Interior, and Southwest, but Juneau is the heart of the operation. It’s their most popular port, offering round-trip voyages through the Inside Passage as well as one-way itineraries connecting to Sitka, Ketchikan, Seattle, and Seward.

We sailed the Wild, Woolly, and Wow with Glacier Bay itinerary: a week-long, round-trip voyage from Juneau that includes one full day in Glacier Bay. Some sailings offer two days in the park, but for us, one was plenty. We woke at the base of a tidewater glacier deep in the bay and sailed out at sunset—hard to imagine a better bookend.

What really surprised us was how much we enjoyed the glaciers outside Glacier Bay. Many UnCruise itineraries explore additional tidewater glaciers that mega-ships can’t access. These areas came with fewer people, more time ashore, fewer restrictions, and, often, better weather. Glacier Bay’s massive icefields can generate their own conditions, which means sunshine elsewhere while the park sits under clouds.

Because UnCruise captains have the freedom to choose anchorages based on real-time conditions, no two trips are identical. Still, the geography naturally creates a rhythm: a loose loop around Admiralty Island, Glacier Bay to the northwest, quieter glacier systems to the southeast, and countless bays and backwaters in between for kayaking, bushwhacking, and skiff exploration.

UnCruising vs. Traditional Cruising

Kayaks on UnCruise Waterfall Cove Alaska
Photo Credit: Jenn Coleman.

Traditional cruising runs on a dual-revenue model. Competitive ticket prices, often low-margin or even loss leaders, are offset by onboard spending like drinks, specialty dining, spa treatments, internet, and retail. Scale is the strategy: 3,000 to 6,000+ passengers spread operational costs thin.

UnCruise flips that model on its head. With all-inclusive pricing and fewer than 90 passengers, the experience feels more like an adult summer camp than a floating resort. Instead of pulling into ports for pre-packaged shore excursions, the ships anchor in remote bays and rely on an in-house guide team. You’re not herded; you’re invited.

The payoff is connection, both to the place and the people. With such a small guest count, you quickly learn names, swap stories, and share the day’s highlights over genuinely excellent food and drinks that reflect the region you’re sailing through.

Alaska UnCruise vs. Other UnCruises

Kayaking Glacier Bay Alaska
Photo Credit: Jenn Coleman.

This was our third UnCruise, following trips to the Sea of Cortez and Hawaii. Alaska felt different, a good way. UnCruise started here, and it shows. The Alaska program leans heavily into wilderness exploration led by the onboard team, rather than outsourced excursions.

In Hawaii and Mexico, proximity to towns meant more third-party activities, bike rides, cultural tours, and the like. Alaska, by contrast, felt raw and remote, with days shaped almost entirely by weather, wildlife, and opportunity.

It was also colder. Hawaii and Mexico invited snorkeling and free swimming; Alaska required more gear, better tides, and a stronger sense of humor to enter the water. We did the polar plunge more for the bragging rights than the pleasure, and we’d do it again.

Life Aboard the Wilderness Legacy

Sam is delivering an after-dinner program
Photo Credit: Jenn Coleman.

The Wilderness Legacy is UnCruise’s largest ship, carrying up to 90 guests. Interestingly, similar Glacier Bay itineraries are also offered on much smaller vessels, down to just 22 passengers, depending on how intimate you want the experience to be.

We appreciated the comforts onboard: reliable Wi-Fi and hot tubs, which make glacier watching from bubbling water feel downright legendary. Cabins were compact but comfortable, no Instagram-perfect balconies here, but if your goal is to spend the day outdoors, that’s a fair trade.

Two spacious common areas brought everyone together for meals, happy hour, and nightly programming. From naturalist talks to talent shows and the always-anticipated end-of-voyage slideshow, every evening felt communal and relaxed.

The Real Reason You UnCruise: Activities

Skiff Tour LeConte Bay Alaska
Photo Credit: Jenn Coleman.

You don’t UnCruise to stay onboard. You UnCruise to get out into it.

Most days offered three core options, bushwhacking, kayaking, and skiff tours, both morning and afternoon. Plans shifted with weather and conditions, which is part of the magic. Southeast Alaska is a temperate rainforest, after all.

Our loose strategy: kayak on clear days, bushwhack in the rain, and choose skiff tours when there was something extraordinary to see, like bears feeding at Pavlov Creek. It wasn’t scientific, but it worked.

Some moments were non-negotiable: skiffing up to tidewater glaciers, the mandatory kayak orientation, or simply staying aboard when wildlife appeared unexpectedly, like the pod of roughly 30 orcas that surfaced as we exited Glacier Bay.

One of the biggest advantages of small-ship cruising is how well the guides get to know you. By midweek, excursions were subtly tailored to guests’ interests and abilities, making everyone feel both supported and challenged.

Food Worth Planning Your Day Around

UnCruise Crab Leg dinner
Photo Credit: Jenn Coleman.

Forget buffet lines. Every meal onboard was cooked to order, with meat, seafood, and vegetarian options. Everything was so good that ordering a “partial of all three” became a habit. Ordering ahead also helped reduce food waste, which we appreciated.

Dietary restrictions were handled seamlessly, and the menus reflected a strong sense of place like crab boils, butter-poached halibut, and other Alaska-forward dishes. Morning meal announcements became a highlight, and we learned to choose our breakfast seat strategically so we’d have time to contemplate dinner choices before they took our order.

An onboard pastry chef kept desserts dialed in, while talented bartenders handled everything from classics to the cocktail of the day. Happy hour quickly became a ritual: swapping stories, snacking on charcuterie and baked brie, and trying not to ruin our appetite for dinner.

Cabins: Functional, Thoughtful, and Surprisingly Cozy

Cabin-Navigator Cabin UnCruise Wilderness Legacy
Photo Credit: UnCruise Adventures.

Cabins aren’t luxurious, but they are smartly designed. Full bathrooms, potable tap water, comfortable beds, and enough storage, assuming you don’t overpack.

Our favorite feature? Hooks. Lots of them. Perfect for drying wet gear after a day outside. By the end of the voyage, the hallways looked like an REI sidewalk sale caught in a rainstorm, but our cabin always felt clean, dry, and warm.

It’s also worth noting how skilled our captain was at selecting sheltered anchorages. Even when a strong storm rolled through, we slept soundly each night, tucked behind towering cliffs that blocked the wind. Every morning delivered a new view, complete with freshly fed waterfalls spilling down the rock walls.

What to Pack (and What Not To)

Neka Bay Alaska
Photo Credit: Jenn Coleman.

UnCruise provides excellent packing lists, but the guiding principles are simple: dress in layers and expect to get wet. Waterproof pants and a solid rain jacket are non-negotiable.

Footwear is more forgiving. You’re issued gum boots, the unofficial uniform of Alaska, and we wore them every time we left the ship, including for kayaking.

One pro tip: bring soft luggage. We packed everything into soft-sided bags that folded away easily during the voyage. It kept us from overpacking and made cabin life much simpler.

Bonus Time in Juneau

Tahku whale sculpture Juneau Alaska
Photo Credit: Jenn Coleman.

As immersive as the UnCruise experience is, we would’ve felt shortchanged if we hadn’t added time in Juneau for classic Alaska adventures.

The good news: Juneau makes it easy. Seaplane tours depart right from the dock, and Mendenhall Glacier is just 20 miles away. Depending on your budget and appetite for adventure, you can reach it by bus, helicopter, or something in between and choose from ice climbing, paddling, dog sledding, or a simple walkabout.

And since you missed-out on onboard shopping during the cruise, Juneau Harbor has you covered.

The Takeaway: Who Alaska UnCruise Is (and Isn’t) For

2 bears with a salmon Pavlovs Bay Alaska
Photo Credit: Jenn Coleman.

An Alaska UnCruise isn’t about checking boxes or lounging poolside. It’s about slowing down, leaning into uncertainty, and letting the landscape set the agenda. You trade predictability for possibility, and that’s exactly the point.

If you’re curious, flexible, and happiest when your days are shaped by weather reports and wildlife sightings instead of reservations and alarms, this style of travel will feel like coming home. Alaska is vast and wild, but UnCruise has a way of making it feel personal.

For us, it wasn’t just a trip, it was a reminder of how powerful travel can be when you let a place lead.

Disclosure: A big thank you to Uncruise Adventures for hosting us! For more Uncruise travel inspiration, check out their InstagramFacebook, and YouTube accounts.

As always, the views and opinions expressed are entirely our own, and we only recommend brands and destinations that we 100% stand behind.

Ready to Book Your Trip? These Links Will Make It Easy:

Airfare:

Insurance:

  • Protect your trip and yourself with Squaremouth and Medjet
  • Safeguard your digital information by using a VPN. We love NordVPN as it is superfast for streaming Netflix
  • Stay safe on the go and stay connected with an eSim card through AloSIM

Our Packing Favs:

  • We LOVE Matador Equipment for their innovative products and sustainability focus. Their SEG45 is a game changer when you need large capacity while packing light.
  • Travel in style with a suitcase, carry-on, backpack, or handbag from Knack Bags
  • Packing cubes make organized packing a breeze! We love these from Eagle Creek

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Hi! We are Jenn and Ed Coleman aka Coleman Concierge. In a nutshell, we are a Huntsville-based Gen X couple sharing our stories of amazing adventures through activity-driven transformational and experiential travel.





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