Do you carry a GPS when you're out walking?

[walkinTas]

When you are out bushwalking how do you navigate. Do you use technology? Do you use some sort of GPS device?

This is a separate question from the "Compass and Map" poll. You might like to respond to that poll as well.

[north-north-west]

You don't have enough options.
I always carry a GPS now, but I only use it for navigation if I'm really confused about my location and/or route.

[walkinTas]

I thought about that option but didn't put it in. Just for you NNW.

Oops! Adding questions resets the quiz. Damn! Now look what you've done. Sorry everyone.

[north-north-west]

Thanks, gorgeous. X X X X X

[Pteropus]

Last year I bought my first GPS for my own personal use. I always carry it now, but I rarely need it for navigation. I bought it mainly to record my tracks and also for the electronic topographic mapping supplied with it. I love maps and consider myself fairly handy with one, and don’t really need it for general navigation, but it does come in handy for off track navigation.

When I first started using the GPS I made the rookie GPS mistake when I went on my first big walk with my new toy, as I started to rely on it too much. After three days of walking I had become complacent by checking the GPS and not even bothering to get the map out. We were on a track (Kanangra to Katoomba in the Blue Mountains) where there were no real navigational difficulties, but made a simple navigation error at a track junction because we didn’t get the map out. The map would have shown we should have gone straight, but we went left because thats what it looked like we should do according to the GPS. After approximately a kilometre we discovered our mistake and had to back track. Lucky it was a simple mistake and we realised we were relying on the GPS much too much. A good lesson to learn....

It is handy to have the coordinates of your position at hand, especially in a forest where visual clues to the topography are limited. It is also handy for tracking back along your path or to marked waypoints. This Saturday just past I did a return walk to Fountain Falls in Lamington NP, via the Middle Ridge Traverse, from the top of Bull Ant Spur, just north of O’Reilly’s/Green Mountain. This is an off track walk, which has a faint foot pad, some of the time, and is mostly in thick sub-tropical rainforest. A mate and I each had a GPS, and route finding on the return journey was much easier using the GPS track on the map and waypoints we marked on the way in.

[tasadam]

None of the choices are appropriate.
I always carry a GPS on overnight walks and significant day walks, I only use it out of curiosity, or if for example normal navigation is not possible (white out conditions / fog or cloud).
Or to find out how much further I have to go on say an untracked push through a forest.

[walkinTas]

None of the choices are appropriate.

Too late, I'm not resetting it again. . Sounds like you are a mostly maps and tracks user rather than primary navigation. I have only had to use the GPS once to find my way back. Still, its nice to know its there if you need it.

[ILUVSWTAS]

I have only had to use the GPS once to find my way back. Still, its nice to know its there if you need it.

Well I must admit I've relied on the backtrack feature to find my way back when off track walking down here hundreds of times.

[frenchy_84]

another option should be "Dont own a GPS, however due to zig zaging in poor visibilty off track i really want one"

[Son of a Beach]

I only used a GPS (mapping GPS on a phone) for the first time quite recently. I generally navigate with a map and compass (if I need to navigate with anything), but I do like to use the GPS occasionally either out of curiosity, or to confirm my location (I do occasionally get it wrong), when there is low visibility, or just to record my route. But I try to avoid relying on it as a primary navigation tool.

[doogs]

I generally only use my GPS in bad weather to check that I am at the top of the mountain (I always put the coordinates in prior to the walk), and sometimes to mark waypoints to help me navigate on the return journey. It always sunshines in Tasmania so I rarely take it out of my pack.

[Son of a Beach]

It always sunshines in Tasmania

I must be in the wrong Tasmania!

[tasadam]

It always sunshines in Tasmania

I must be in the wrong Tasmania!

Rumour has it he's originally from somewhere near England... Enough said?

[sailfish]

The main reason I carry a GPS is because I don’t want to leave my traffic nav system in the car. I do sometimes store the location of the car and points of interest (POI) I want to check out from air photos. Main nav is map, observe terrain and occasionally compass. The GPS is handy to find those POI in thick scrub. The traffic GPS is far from ideal, doesn’t give MGA cords distance or direction to way points but I can see the general direction on the screen and it has a scale so have a general idea how far and can see my track relative to the target. No topo map uploaded and only Lat/Long make it next to impossible to relate the GPS to the paper map in the field.

Regards,
Ken

[walkinTas]

Looks like the GPS is no where near as popular as the old compass and map. Wonder if its the cost or if people just don't trust the technology.

[Son of a Beach]

For me, I trust it, but still try to avoid using it. It's more a matter of not wanting to become dependent on it, because it's a lot more easily broken or otherwise rendered inoperable than a map and compass that is well cared for. Also, it's much easier to use than a map and compass, so I reckon it's just good practice to make sure I'm well practiced in the map and compass. This has been good for learning just how easy it is to get it wrong too, which is useful to know.