Author Topic: GPS or not GPS?  (Read 6678 times)

Bigfoot_Mike

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2407
GPS or not GPS?
« on: 16:00:01, 18/10/18 »
Can anyone who has used GPS for hiking give me their views on its usability? I have always just used a map and compass. Should I stay with this or add a GPS and keep the map as backup? Would a phone app be as good or better?


If you recommend GPS, what are the key features I should be looking for?  What type of mapping should I get?


The following information might provide some background. I live in Scotland close to the Cairngorms and have previously hiked in Snowdonia, Lake District, South Wales, Southern England and the Alps. I expect most of my walks to be single day affairs of up to 15 miles, but I am planning to attempt the Welsh 3000s and expect to be walking for 16 hours minimum. I have a work IPhone, with almost no free memory and no other phone. I need reading glasses to read a map, but don’t need glasses otherwise. This can be a pain, especially in damp weather.

« Last Edit: 16:08:22, 18/10/18 by Bigfoot_Mike »

ninthace

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 11821
Re: GPS or not GPS?
« Reply #1 on: 17:07:19, 18/10/18 »
This topic has been debated to death on this forum.
My view is that the use of map and compass are essential skills to understand maps and navigation.  If all else fails they should always work.
That said they are IMHO obsolete for hiking in the 21st century if you have access to gps.  On a good day, my etrex can show me where I am on the map to within about 3m or 9ft in old money.  On a bad day (near high cliffs and in wet trees) it may be as much as ooooh 5m/15ft out.  I have used it in all conditions and it has never let me down.  Heck, it has taken me to within feet of a summit in virtually zero visibility with complete confidence in my whereabouts.  For example finding the trig point on the top of Ingleborough and the right path off it in really thick fog.  Prior preparation and planning with modern mapping tools helps to.
People ask about battery life.  Mine runs for days an 2 AAs and I carry spares - the batteries will last longer than I will
What if it breaks?  If that happens I can use my mobile phone as a back up.  It does not need a phone signal for the gps and has a Viewranger and the OS app on it and a copy my intended route.  The screen is zoomable so I can go in for detail or out for the bigger picture. The battery on the mobile will last a day navigating if it has to.
But what if that fails?  Well I am back to the map and compass which is where the traditionalist set off from but at least will I know where I was when my electronics went down.  Also the map and compass alone will let you get lost all by yourself and won't tell you.  My etrex or phone apps warn me if I am straying from the intended route.
I will sometimes use a map and compass for fun or to identify feature but I haven't actually used them in anger for years.
It you can afford it, I would recommend you treat yourself to a gps.  If your iphone is cluttered, dump the stuff you don't need for the walk to the cloud to clear the memory, put a decent SD card in it and use it as a back up.
« Last Edit: 17:16:34, 18/10/18 by ninthace »
Solvitur Ambulando

sussamb

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8011
Re: GPS or not GPS?
« Reply #2 on: 17:13:37, 18/10/18 »
+1 to all of that, I too have never used a map during a walk for years, instead I navigate with GPS using my phone as a back up.


As for what you should look for pretty much every GPS will allow you to navigate with confidence. For my money though it would be a Garmin as on those you can load many freely available and free maps, provided you don't get their most basic model, the Etrex 10. Your biggest decision is whether you want one with a touch screen or one that uses buttons, there are pros and cons for each.
Where there's a will ...

NeilC

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 787
Re: GPS or not GPS?
« Reply #3 on: 17:26:27, 18/10/18 »
GPS is a godsend for me.  I'm a crappy map reader and check maps way too often in tricky country which is annoying.


I use my phone and take a portable charger and it works great. You virtually can't get lost (althiugh a recent post of mine about getting lost disproves that, if you're a committed idiot,...), You get told how far you have left, how long it might take, can get warnings if you start off the route, can navigate in the dark etc - brilliant.


Just take a map for backup, even if it's just a Bing maps printout

Slowcoach

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 605
Re: GPS or not GPS?
« Reply #4 on: 19:12:00, 18/10/18 »
I agree with all of the above. I have used a gos since the first little yellow garmins were available in 2000. They make decision making at intersections easy, give you a fix in a comlete white out, you can see where you are in relation to where path on the maps says you should be and use it work across country.
Great bit of kit.
It's all uphill from here.

BuzyG

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3761
Re: GPS or not GPS?
« Reply #5 on: 20:03:05, 18/10/18 »
I enjoy maps and navigating.  But the speed accuracy and convenience of GPS are a no brainer in difficult conditions. I have just one app the OSmaps app, loaded on my mobile phone.  I have been gradually buying all the OS 25k maps for areas I walk.  These days they come with a free life time digital download.  So no annual subscription to pay and I get the paper maps to add to the collection.  I carry a small Advent battery pack that will recharge my phone a number of times over Via the USB port. The OSmaps app has come a long way in the short time I have been using it. Plus I use my phone to take pictures on route. So I don't personally think I am ever likely to spend money on a dedicated GPS.
« Last Edit: 20:11:08, 18/10/18 by BuzyG »

ninthace

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 11821
Re: GPS or not GPS?
« Reply #6 on: 21:10:45, 18/10/18 »
I don't want to sidetrack the discussion into phone v gps, we've had enough of that too, but as an observation, I noticed that in poor gps conditions (e.g. the other week while by the East Lyn River near Watersmeet where there are high rock walls and tree cover) my Samsung Andoid was no match for my Etrex.  The Garmin was spot on, the phone thought I was on the wrong side of the river and part way up the opposite bank.  Not an issue in open country I agree but in rugged forested country it might be an issue (though not as bad as trying to locate yourself with a map and compass in such country with visibility badly restricted by vegetation and terrain - said he segwaying  back on topic  :) ).
Solvitur Ambulando

sussamb

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8011
Re: GPS or not GPS?
« Reply #7 on: 21:17:56, 18/10/18 »
Agreed, I've had numerous experiences where my GPS outperformed my phone, not really too big a deal when walking but if doing something like geocaching a GPS is better.
Where there's a will ...

Bigfoot_Mike

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2407
Re: GPS or not GPS?
« Reply #8 on: 21:46:48, 18/10/18 »
I am likely to be up in the hills, so accuracy in poor visibility would be very useful. Perhaps a gps backed up by phone and map would be best. What mapping do you find works best? Are the free maps any use out in the wilds? Would 1:25k OS or Harvey be the best bet or is 1:50k fine?

sussamb

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8011
Re: GPS or not GPS?
« Reply #9 on: 22:01:05, 18/10/18 »
It really depends on how you plan to use your GPS.  In conjunction with a map or with pre-planned routes the free ones are more than ample, if you plan to use the GPS to navigate freely off the installed maps then you'll probably benefit from the normal OS 1:25K maps.  You can buy these for a Garmin GPS as required or sometimes you can get them bundled with the GPS.
Where there's a will ...

ninthace

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 11821
Re: GPS or not GPS?
« Reply #10 on: 22:26:27, 18/10/18 »
I really don't like 50k maps, there is not enough detail for close up navigation - especially the lack of field boundaries.  If you are going to store them in a device, there is nothing to be gained by loading 50k IMHO.
I use 25k OS mapping on my Etrex downloaded as required.  I buy an entitlement to "n" thousand sq km of mapping and download it as rectangles as required - once you've got them you can keep them so the library slowly builds up and you don't have to store maps of places you will never go e.g. the middle of a loch. I also have free mapping stored "behind" the OS mapping as well that I can use if I were to wander of the edge of the OS tile.
I have a subscription to the OS mapping app which gives me access to 25k mapping for the whole of the UK for a year.  I outload my planned planned route to my phone and the app allows me to download a 25k map that more than covers the intended route.  That way I do not need a signal to use the map.  When I have finished the route I delete the map from the phone to save storage.
I do not download any maps for ViewRanger, the ones in the app are adequate as a back up system.


A spin off of using Garmin or the OS app is you can print off maps at any magnification.  I find printing the 25k map at 12.5k scale is helpful for the hard of looking.
Solvitur Ambulando

jo90

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 36
Re: GPS or not GPS?
« Reply #11 on: 22:41:32, 18/10/18 »
Although I love to carry a map to get the bigger picture of where I'm walking, I gave up using it to navigate about eight years ago and dont hink I will ever go back. Llke everyone has said, it's so much easier with a gps when visibility isn't clear and it comes into it's own when navigating through farms or where paths are not clear when walking over farmland. As for maps. I've tried the free ones which I dont get on with at all, I much prefer the OS 1:25000 maybe because I've always used OS Maps, but then I can also see exactly where I am when compare my GPS map to my paper map.

ninthace

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 11821
Re: GPS or not GPS?
« Reply #12 on: 00:20:57, 19/10/18 »
I agree Jo90.  The biggest drawback of phone or gps is the screen size which limits what you can see at any time.  Good for "Where am I?" but not so good for "Are we nearly there yet?" or "What's that hill over there called?".  I carry a printout of the OS map, suitably enlarged, on a sheet of A4 in a plastic wallet, folded in 4 and kept in my pocket.  2 double sided printouts can cover a fair bit of territory.  They frequently stay in my pocket for the whole trip but they can come out to satisfy my curiosity or to show Mrs N where we are.  Also extremely useful if the route is blocked and a new plan is needed!  That is much harder on a screen.
Solvitur Ambulando

SimoinEaston

  • New Member
  • *
  • Posts: 8
Re: GPS or not GPS?
« Reply #13 on: 08:16:05, 19/10/18 »
My quick answer is Yes to GPS, although it's not a no brainer by any means... If you're a long-term mapNcompass user, with a host of skills aquired over years of practice, and are happy using them, then the benefits of a GPS unit aren't obvious. The fact that the GPS records exactly where you've been might appeal. The fact that it will continue to monitor your position in white-out conditions / fog / darkness might appeal. But equally, the fact that mapNcompass don't need batteries might appeal too! When I used to do multi day cycle tours, I tended towards paper maps, because I couldn't always guarantee being able to charge a GPS every night...
Wlaking, I use a GPS unit and nearly always take a paper map with me as well, mainly 'cos I like to have with me a large-ish overview of my route & surroundings. The size of a screen-based view doesn't allow me that - at least, not at a zoom level I'm comfortable with.

Bigfoot_Mike

  • Veteran Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2407
Re: GPS or not GPS?
« Reply #14 on: 21:18:33, 23/10/18 »
Thanks for all the comments. I am leaning towards a dedicated GPS device. I only need to decide which one and which maps. I may get VR on my phone as a backup, but I only have a work phone and it has almost no memory. I am too unsociable to want to carry a second phone.

 

Terms of Use     Privacy Policy