Sync Outlook without MS Exchange

Gsyncit is more or less the only simple way of doing it.

It syncs everything up to google and as long as you use your google account and select everything to sync, everything will work...

Don't use HTC sync. It has the ability to mess up your contacts and prevent you from sending them emails!

 

From what I've seen the reason you're not finding a clear "best" is that there isn't one. Every solution I've read about has it's issues. If you're ok with syncing to a Google account that then syncs with your device then gsyncit would be a good approach. There are other sync solutions such as CompanionLink out there but I have yet to see any that get stellar comments across the board.

Apps like Touchdown are Exchange clients and, yes, they do require Exchange. Getting Exchange really isn't a moderate fee. You can opt for hosted Exchange but that typically runs $10-$20/month and you have to migrate your email account to the hosted Exchange service. It's not a practical solution IMO really unless you're looking for all the features of Exchange.

What data do you specifically need? I'd recommend allocating more time for looking into a solution. I know for contacts you can export to CSV from Outlook and then import to your Google account. I'm not sure if you can do this for your calendar or any other data though. This isn't a sync solution but it may get you what you need for your trip.