GPS for hiking?

Energize

Energize

Energize

Caporegime
Joined
12 Mar 2004
Posts
29,960
Location
England
Can anyone reccomend a handheld gps system that can be used when out walking? Must be easy to use for parents and have a long battery life so it doesn't fail and they get lost. :p

Can you get detailed maps with walking routes for places like the lake district?
 
map+ compass+ brain= win

you go hiking to get closer to nature, you may as well add to the fun by doing it the oldschool (read:cheap) way
 
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my dad uses one of tese, think he has a garmin etrek or something and uses it quite often. You can buy maps online or from walking shops but they're really expensive. about £100 and the unit itself was around 250 from what I can remember.
 
Energize said:
Can you get detailed maps with walking routes for places like the lake district?
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Garmin do a few good hiking gps, cant recommend one as i use maps


as for maps and routes your local outdoor shop should have some, if not you can order them online

i find it best to talk to someone in a good outdoor shop that knows what their on about before buying maps and kit


do you/they have anywhere in mind that you want to trek?
 
Ben M said:
map+ compass+ brain= win

you go hiking to get closer to nature, you may as well add to the fun by doing it the oldschool (read:cheap) way
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Problem is they are crap with maps and compasses, so they only want to rely on those as a backup.
 
Energize said:
Problem is they are crap with maps and compasses, so they only want to rely on those as a backup.
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My parents go walking a lot, they also organise walks for a church group. I did once try telling my dad to get a GPS, but he used to be a captain in the merchant navy (started when he was 16), so can read maps pretty darn well, so he kind of defeated the need for a GPS.....humm, just realised that there is no point in my thread, damn that alcohol.
 
Energize said:
Problem is they are crap with maps and compasses, so they only want to rely on those as a backup.
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they are only good as a back up if

a: you know how to read a map and use a compass properly
b: you know exactly where you are
 
Energize said:
Problem is they are crap with maps and compasses, so they only want to rely on those as a backup.
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Well if they cant read a map and use a compass what are they going to do when its cloudy, ****ing with rain, cold, and cant get a signal on the GPS?

You should be able to use a map and compass then move to the GPS not the other way round. Dont get me wrong GPSs are great but to have no other navigational skills is asking for trouble.

geuben said:
Surely the GPS tells you almost exactly where you, and shows you on a map. :confused:
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If you can get a signal, dont run out of batteries, malfunctions, drop it...
 
geuben said:
Surely the GPS tells you almost exactly where you, and shows you on a map. :confused:
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But when you're using the map as a backup (ie the GPS has failed) you need to know where you are on the map to be able to make use of it. It's why a GPS is a backup to a map and not the other way round.
 
Jokester said:
But when you're using the map as a backup (ie the GPS has failed) you need to know where you are on the map to be able to make use of it. It's why a GPS is a backup to a map and not the other way round.
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Ah, im a bit drunk so didn't read the thread properly....humm, actually I can't figure out what I was meaning when I posted....I'll shut up now.

Edit: your post reminds me off when my dad told me about a time he was teaching at the nautical college where i live, and when trying to teach trigonometry and map reading to students, who turned around and said "why do we have to learn this, the computer does it". It does make sense to rely on a process that can't fail (unless you lose the map), sometimes i forget that somepeople find reading maps difficult.
 
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To sum this thread up: learn to read and use a map and compass. Stop looking for technical solutions (usually expensive) when one is not needed.
 
Energize said:
Problem is they are crap with maps and compasses, so they only want to rely on those as a backup.
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should be the other way round tbh...

use the map and compass primarily and check your grid with the GPS every so often - shouldn't rely on the GPS as you're a bit screwed if it fails.
 
I fail for not reading the thread properly.

My mate bought one but I can't remember the name of it and randomly searching Google isn't helping. It was yellow though... :(
 
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bsoltan said:
I fail for not reading the thread properly.

My mate bought one but I can't remember the name of it and randomly searching Google isn't helping. It was yellow though... :(
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Garmin eTrek. I had one when they first came out.

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The common answer to most hiking questions is to make sure you stick to something that matches your skill levels. The Lake District has a wide range of terrain, from pleasant lakeside walks to tough scrambles along steep sharp ridges. Add to this the varried weather and it can get very tricky indeed.

If your parents are going somewhere where they think they'll need a GPS because they don't have map skills, you really should be asking if they should be taking that route in the first place. There are lots of nice walks where a guide book and a good Ordnance Survey Explorer (orange cover 1:25,000) map will do just fine.

PK!
 
If your going to the lake district just get a guide book and follow the 3 meter wide path :)

If in doubt ask any one of the hundreds of walkers on the same path as you.
 
I currently use a Garmin Etrex Summit HC. Can't fault it at all. Colour screen, altimeter and can be loaded with a basic OS map.
 
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