GPS School of Hard Knocks: #1 Why Buy a GPS?

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People who know the outdoors will say that you’re better off with a good liquid-filled compass, a map, and a little know-how than with any whiz-bang GPS unit. After a year or so of scrambling around in the sticks I’m here to say that they are right. If your goal is to orient your self in the wilderness, a compass is your best bet.

So why shell out the bucks for a GPS unit? One reason: your basic Global Positioning System receiver is way, way, way cool.

Dave Hinerman has an excellent article in Wired’s Geek Dad explaining the difference between a GPS and a compass. Let me point out two things that Hinerman omitted: National Geographic has excellent waterproof paper for ink jet printers. Also, it’s important to note that a good compass doesn’t use batteries, unlike a GPS unit which chews through AA cells at a pretty good clip. Just try and imagine being lost in a wilderness area and watching your GPS gleep it’s last blip.

Your basic compass, compared to a GPS receiver, is a better companion in the wilderness. Mainly because once you’ve taken a bearing you tend to slip the compass in your pocket and forget it. A GPS in the wilderness is a little bit like a TV in a nice cafe–it tends to steal your attention away from the surrounding environment. I’ve spoiled many a good walk by obsessing over the blinking gizmo strapped to my wrist by a lanyard.

Now here are some reasons you might want to shuck out a couple of Franklins for a Global Positioning System handset. Geocaching. If you want to take part in this worldwide treasure hunt you need a GPS that can put you within a dozen feet or so of the listed coordinates. A GPS can also be a huge time saver if you want to chart your own routes and share them with others.

But maybe the number one reason to have a GPS (aside from the whiz-bang factor) is for the backtrack feature. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve gotten disoriented (ie lost) with no reasonable looking track leading to safety…even once in my Jeep way back in a canyon in the dark. Being able to retrace your steps with certainty can make the difference between getting home or spending a long night in the woods waiting for daylight.

One final note. The only times in my life where I’ve been truly lost, I mean terrifyingly Hansel-and-Gretel lost, have been the times when I followed my GPS pointer in the direction of some remote end-of-the-rainbow waypoint. So there you go.

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