GPS Devices

[J888ohn]

I'm looking to join the 21st century and replace my paper maps and compass (or at least compliment them!) with a GPS device. Been doing some web based research and am a bit confused. Looking at the Garmin eTrex 20 and a few of the reviews say once you pay the £180 pound for the unit you then have to pay over £100 for the maps.

So do I pay £180 for a electronic gizmo which is useless until I pay almost the same for mapping? In which case I'd be better off just buying the paper maps and replacing them each time they get soaked.

Also Garmin seem to have a monopoly on the market. Can anyone suggest other makes? Not looking to spend more than £200. Looking for one that shows me altitude and accurate GPS position on OS maps.

Cheers,

John.

[Rudolph]

Common wisdom is that you should have the paper maps anyway because of the risk of electronic failure. That being the case you are not going to save much money on the paper versions of maps by going electronic. (unless they stay drier)

Etrex 10 or cheaper is fine for me as I only want grid ref for security (in case i doubt MrsS' map reading) and height so I know how much misery is still ahead.

[WalkingDutchman]

So do I pay £180 for a electronic gizmo which is useless until I pay almost the same for mapping?

Not necessarily. There are free Open Source electronic maps out there that are pretty good. I have a Garmin eTrex Vista, and I'm using the Open Streetmap electronic maps on it. pretty good for hiking, especially if you get the version of the maps with the altitude lines. Let me know if you're interested, I can give you a few links.

That said: for orientation I find a paper map much better. You can't get many details on such a little screen, so I only use it for recording my hikes, and in emergencies (thick fog, the need to get out of there asap, that sort of thing). When I'm trying to decide where I need to go next (if I'm not following a trail), I always use the paper map because it gives me a much better overview. You also have to carry spare batteries, especially when it gets colder than about 10 degrees celsius the batteries tend to go faily quickly if your GPS is turned on all day. So I carry my GPS, but do not rely on it.

HTH,
Stefan

[stevesey]

I've had the original yellow basic etrex for 10 years now - often used just for getting grid ref to check position on map. If it's more of a planned route I'll set it up (from the GPS planner on this site and load it up) - then it's just a case of following the arrow. Being a basic model the a set of (decent) rechargable batteries will last more than 12 hours (and I always have a spare set).

More recently I use ViewRanger with OpenCycleMap on my phone (with and extended battery that I managed to get 8+ hours life out of in the Black Mountians recently). This is great when you are off piste as you can see where the nearest path is. Paths on OpencycleMap are good (often the actually used path, rather than some that are rather optimistically marked on OS maps) - no walls and crags etc though - so if you are going off piste a proper map is essential.

[Backpacker]

I've an etrex 20 and it's a great bit of kit, for free I have contours, summits and occasionally where the path is.

This site is good for plotting your route and uploading it to the unit, to give you some idea of where you are and where the path is.

Generally these days my map is in my rucksack until I need it, however I would never rely just on the GPS

[Gareth Harper]

What about Satmap?

It might have been about for a few years now, but it's still the business.
Set the power options up well and it'll run for days on one charge (with the optional rechargeable battery)
I bought it with full UK 1:50,000 maps.

I've had it for a few years now. It occasionally crashes, and once I had to remove and refit the battery to get it to boot again. But crashes are only very occasional, the vast majority of the time it runs faultlessly.

Only problem I have had is the USB rubber cover breaks off after a while (maybe a year or two of use). I didn't want to send it back for repair so I bought the 100% waterproof optional silicone cover.

Yes it is still worth carrying a map, plus if I'm following written notes I prefer a conventional compass. I'm never 100% convinced with GPS compasses. I don't often get my map out, but if I take a wee detour and I want to avoid crags etc, it's easier to work out from a paper map.

I've downloaded loads of routes from this web site, and when you are out yourself in the hills, the clag comes down and there's no path and you ain't feeling too sure where you are, well the Satmap is very reassuring.

I think I've had it for about 3 years. If I lost it or damaged it I'd definitely buy another.

[Dan Scheer]

just a quick one on batteries for gps devices.I used to use regular duracell batteries in my gps, and two AAs would get me about a full day, sometimes two ways use ouf to them, in winter and freezing conditions, this dropped very quickly to a few hours. I have since switched to energizer ultimate lithium batteries and easily get 5-7 full days of use out of them and cold temperatures don't really affect them much either. they cost about twice as much but with getting nearly 5x the useage, it's still a saving, plus they weigh a LOT less.
(this may very well be common knowledge and you can ignore my comment, but for me it was a mind blown moment when I first discovered the advantage of lithium batteries...)

[Raven]

Satmap & energizer ultimate lithium batteries! Way to go I think anyway!

[Gareth Harper]

Mine came with the standard power bundle.
You can buy it separately as an upgrade.
Takes about 6hrs to charge from flat.

I also tried NiMh AA batteries. To be honest I found these just as good, plus it's easy to carry a spare pack.

Though I think the power bundle option is the most convenient overall.

A pack of Duracell re-changeable AA's from 7dayshop would set you back 6.99
A 4hr Duracell charger 8.39 (with 2 AA's included) can be had for 8.39 from the same shop.

Basically buy the highest qulaity highest capacity you can find.

No need to use Lithium Batteries at 5 quid a pack. I think I've still got the set of four that came with my Satmap - never used em.

[basscadet]

I got my 25K scale maps mini SD card from ebay for less than £20 and it has served me well..

[stevesey]

Basically buy the highest quality highest capacity you can find.

Definitely go for quality - I have some 3000mah AA ebay specials that will barely last 6 hours on a full charge, some Duracell 2450mah AAs that will easily last 2 * 6 hour days and more.

[Backpacker]

I bought myself a Duracell AA budget rechargeable batteries inc the charger for less than £10 from Tesco, so far they seem to last longer and the beauty is that when they run down, you can easily recharge them

[Essan]

Personally - and I know others will disagree - I don't see the point in GPS in Britain unless you intend to spend a lot of time wandering around the Monadh Liath in low cloud.

Eyes work much better IMHO.

[tenohfive]

Personally - and I know others will disagree - I don't see the point in GPS in Britain unless you intend to spend a lot of time wandering around the Monadh Liath in low cloud.

Eyes work much better IMHO.

Judging by the sales of GPS units and software, hundreds of thousands of people disagree with you. Me included. And those MRT's (would that be all of them?) that carry some form of GPS.

Is over reliance on GPS a bad thing? Absolutely.
But GPS completely pointless? Right...

[whiteburn]

I bought myself a Duracell AA budget rechargeable batteries inc the charger for less than £10 from Tesco, so far they seem to last longer and the beauty is that when they run down, you can easily recharge them

Rechargeable are generally OK for day walks but suffer the same fate as normal disposables in winter they run down fast when below freezing, & you can't recharge them on the top of Cairngorm in a white out, the Lithium disposables are good down to any temperature you'll see in Scotland (-40C). If you use rechargeable cells I'd always recommend carrying a set of disposables as backup.

I'll routinely replace the batteries in my GPS & headtorch with Lithium cells for the winter & carry spares.