Reminder

[mustangcats]

I agree, a GPS receiver is a good thing to carry. Be sure to have spare batteries. However, depending on the terrain or tree cover, it is sometimes very hard to lock onto the minimum number of satellites required.

[VijayGupta]

Another vote for GPS. I use one daily to get me to in-home service calls.

I took it on a trip to Alaska a couple of years ago and carried it around while walking in towns, to find my way back from where we started. Just set a "favorite" at origin and "go to favorite" when it was time to head back. It also came in handy to find restaurants and services outside the normal tourist trap places.

GPS!
Yes, we are in a the days of modern technology.
Using a GPS makes using a map almost un necessary. Unless you like to look at the big picture.
Good Roads
Brian & Sandi

[robfisher]

Technology has some advantages but it sure can kill the joy of being hopelessly lost. If one can be lost without panic and have enough provision to stay alive it can be so very exciting. Some of my best discoveries have come about from being lost. A few of these great finds have been places or events. But most powerful is to discover the strength within that you never were aware you had. Lost is not a bad word. It's an opportunity. I choose to leave the GPS behind and keep an open mind and a free schedule.

[deleted]

LIving in Silicon Valley I'm all for technology But, I also know it can fail at the most inopportune of times. Soooo if one can afford both it seems wise to take both a GPS and map/compass if I'm ever going remote enough for it to be a life or death situation. Though, the way I fall, break bones, sprain my ankle, etc. I probably should have a compass, a map, a GPS, and a Delorme satellite transmitter. With my luck I'd break my leg or get bit by a rattle snake just far enough from help to be able to walk there myself

[Fenlason]

The start of this thread was about hiking.. not looking for driving directions or street addresses. In a situation where one's safety is at stake.. I would not rely on just a gps. They can fail... and they can be inaccurate.

Again in Sea kayaking I have charts of the seas I am traveling, on deck basically "in my lap" they have been waterproofed and are carried in a clear "case" I have a good sized deck mounted compass, as well as a separate compass around my neck. I have used GPS.. and they can be fun..and useful... but I don't depend on them.

[toolman]

Wow Stacy, Maybe you need to learn smoke signals! It sound like you may really need some help one of these days.

Stay safe!

Jerry

LIving in Silicon Valley I'm all for technology But, I also know it can fail at the most inopportune of times. Soooo if one can afford both it seems wise to take both a GPS and map/compass if I'm ever going remote enough for it to be a life or death situation. Though, the way I fall, break bones, sprain my ankle, etc. I probably should have a compass, a map, a GPS, and a Delorme satellite transmitter. With my luck I'd break my leg or get bit by a rattle snake just far enough from help to be able to walk there myself

[Corwin C]

GPS are wonderful tools and every one that I've picked up will let you know exactly where you are within about ten feet. Accuracy with a GPS beats a map and compass any day. GPS also requires a clear view of the sky to receive the signals that it uses to triangulate your location. Trees, buildings, even heavy weather can render it useless. It's when someone looks to a GPS to give directions that they become a potential issue. The electronic maps that are included with them are notoriously inaccurate and most people don't keep them properly updated, reducing their effectiveness dramatically. Blindly following directions from a GPS is really hazardous. Please use good sense when traveling and don't rely solely upon a GPS for directions to your destination. One major drawback to a GPS is the reliance upon a battery. It's really easy to forget to turn it off and then you're without it unless you've stocked up on those precious power cells.

A good quality compass almost always works if you know how to use it. There are a few places on the earth where compasses are affected by geological formations and large declination errors, but these places are rare and most are remote. Compasses require no batteries and they are relatively robust. Accuracy can be very good, but that is up to the skill of the user. With good landmarks I can achieve 100' accuracy using a 1:24k map. A good map of the area you are in is also important for compass use. If you print one from the internet, make sure to include the scale for the map because many printers will scale their printout to fit on the paper and that can mess up any measurements that you get off the map. I find it amazing how many people have a good compass and map and seem to think that they will be able to "figure it out" if something happens. I wonder how often one of these people find themselves in a dire situation and think, "OK ... that way is North, now what?!"

Learning basic compass skills is not any more difficult than learning how to operate a GPS. I like to try to pinpoint my location with the map/compass and then see how close I am with the GPS. It's an excellent training exercise, you are not reliant upon a single source for information, AND your skill at both will improve.

[Bogo]

I agree, a GPS receiver is a good thing to carry. Be sure to have spare batteries. However, depending on the terrain or tree cover, it is sometimes very hard to lock onto the minimum number of satellites required.

Look for GPS receivers that are rated for heavy tree cover and city canyons. I know it isn't made any more, but my Garmin GPSmap 60CSx is wonderful in this respect. With the optional patch antenna I've gotten satellite lock in parking ramps. The SiRFstar III receiver is very good. You can still get it in some puck receivers and I now have an external bluetooth one for my tablet.

Yes, use those paper maps. Take the GPS out and put a mark where you started, and a mark every so often along the way, but mark those paper maps too. The GPS is a tool. Over reliance on it can be a problem. Back it up with alternate tools. Learn how to take a GPS fix and plot it on your paper map. Also learn how to take a lat-long from your paper map and make a GPS way point from it. The same techniques are used for plotting a ship's course as plotting a course on land. Learn how to use a sextant and you can now do it sans electronics.

The Garmin GPSmap 60CSx uses 2 AA batteries and will run a bit over 24 hours on a pair. Many other things I carry also use AA batteries. This is very deliberate. The batteries for one can be used in a different device in a pinch. I remember buying head lamps one day. The sales man was adamant the one that was powered by AAA batteries was the best one to get. I simply told him, all the rest of the electronic devices I carry when hiking use AA batteries, why would I want to carry yet another spare battery type. Furthermore, AA batteries are ubiquitous. They are everywhere in the USA. It worries me with many devices going to built in non replaceable batteries. It means you have to have some way to recharge them if you want to use them for longer then their battery life. Looks like USB cable recharge is the wave of the future. Even my little toy helicopter uses it.

As for getting lost. I think way to many parents don't teach their kids how to pay attention to where they are going. What are the land marks along the paths of their lives. A fallen tree, coffee shop on the corner, scratches 6 feet up on a tree, clock on the wall, cross path, alley entrance, babbling brook, plaza and fountain, rock grouping, recessed doorway, huckleberry bushes, blind driveway, old stone wall, large hedge row, large overhanging branch, cable bridge, 4 palm trees forming a W, etc..