GPS
 

Does anyone from this board own/know anything about hand held GPS devices? I am looking for a hand held global positioning system for 4 reasons. 1. Track accurate speed of my boat and to be able to map lakes. 2. Hunting
3. Driving (save money on maps)
4. 4 wheelers. Number 1 and 4 are really the most important. On the boat, it would be nice to mark good fishing holes, and on my 4 wheeler, I have a tendency to ride all day and maybe wind up a couple counties from where I started and have to use a compass to find my way back. Being able to use a compass effectively has really saved my butt more than a few times with the amount of time I spend outdoors. I guess my question is if anyone of you own one of these, can you give me some tips on namebrands, pixel size, point storage, and if that particular model will fit my needs. Thanks in advance.

We (my husband and I) have one. I really don't use it much but my husband keeps it in the car and uses it a lot when he travels on business. I'll get some info from him and report back.

Billy -

GPS are nice tools, but they are only as good as the software/maps downloaded to them. I know some folks that relied on a GPS during a mountain hike in Georgia and got very, very lost. In fact, they were on a cell phone with a park ranger who kept telling them to turn around, but they continued to argue with him because their GPS told them they were going the right way. They ended up spending a cold, hungry, LONG night in the forest.

Lesson learned? GPS tools are nice, but they don't take the place of good old-fashioned orienteering using a compass and a current topo map. They are, however, a good tool to have in addition to orienteering skills. You can get free topo maps at Trails.com and at purchase maps and GPS software at Topo.com.

Barbara

Mosaic Outdoor Clubs of America

My boyfriend and I use one for hiking. it is an Etrex Summit. It's very small, which is great for hiking. It also shows altitude which is helpful for hikers. I don't think these things are necessary for you, but Etrex does make other models and we have been pleased with it's performance. we often mark different waypoints, including our beginning point and find it to be very accurate in helping us to return to those destinations later (which sounds like a tool that may be helpful to you). It also tells us the speed we are walking, has a compass and about a hundred other features I don't know about, including the fact that I have not downloaded any maps onto it and am not sure of its capabilities in that regard. It cost $250. The batteries run down quickly, so we always keep spares. Also, like Barbara said, it's best to be safe, so we keep a manual compass with us, too!

But, overall, we find the GPS to be something that enhances out backcountry experience. It's a good tool, especially when I'm like, "We've been walking forever...how far are we???"! Good luck finding the one that fits your needs. There are so many out there and, I'm sure, new advances all the time.