What good is a GPS?

[BiG Boar]

I am currently considering buying a GPS. However I am wondering what are the bennefits to having one? Its one more piece of gear, and they arnt really really cheap. What do people on here use them for, and what features are really a must in your opinion. Thanks for any responce. Considering a garmin csx60? Would love to find one that I could use for streets in town and directions as well. Anyone know of anything like this?

[BearSniper]

Hi Bigbore,

Got one for myslef last year after putting it off for a long time.

Very useful, heres a few points:

- you can mark a detailed trail in heavy forest cover
-allows you to get back to starting point even in the dark
-calculates speed , distance travelled, and elevation etc
-like having a moving "live" map with you
- great for marking where your kill may be from the truck
- can be used to mark a great fishing spot on a lake
- I take it on airplanes to follwow our route
- can be used to navigate in the car
- no heavier than a cell phone, can hang around your neck
- some models are very sensitive & can sense and mark movement as little as a few feet
-with a compass as a backup, you'll never get lost



I always take mine now and have become really comfortable with it. I think its a good tool. I have a fairly basic Garmin, $159 dollars.

If you never go far from the road, then maybe you don't need one, but you never know when you may venture into thick cover and follow an animal a fair distance. I think the best thing is to go with a hunter who uses one to see the possible benefits.

Good luck

[3kills]

my father inlaw bought a vehicle one that gives directions and it works great he said...as far as one for hunting i have never used one/....

[srupp]

hmmmm you can PRELOAD co-ordinates on it ie from someone elses information or from a map or/?? then go EXACTLY to that location...no guessing ..direct route..or make a route out of many POINTS...

I will prescout an area and go down ALL the side roads and such surrounding an area and then I can just hunt now I know when I harvest an animal the fastest most direct way "out " or at least to a road..no long hikes out or hikes back in..

Once I have a animal down I can repeatadly return EXACTLY to that animal or location no guessing..

I can share locations trails and KNOW the person using the location is where I sent them exactly...

Lets you know speed, distance and elevation and ?? ???

can meet your hunting partner ata pr-planned location and know you BOTH will be there..

I went 1o kilometers through the swamps and spruce forest to meet up with 2 hunting partners ata pre arranged cut block..impossible to do without the GPS...

I use it for medivacs..will know exctly where I am and where the closest help..cabin etc is..

best outdoor tool to come along in over 100 years..highly recomended essential tool

my advice is NOT mix the two..get one small one for hunting LOWRANCE I HUNT ..COLOR..WITH THE MAP CANADA MAPS for addition..

then you can get s econd voice prompt unit for the car to lead you to your best double double lattee store..

cheers

steven

[bigwhiteys]

David... After following your sheep hunt story I think you should take your GPS money and buy yourself a spotting scope. Seriously... I think you should have that before a GPS.

GPS is great - Spotter will be a staple in your pack.

Carl

[tikkat3]

I love my GPS. I wouldn't go into the bush without it now. I carry a compass for backup just to get bearings, etc. but the GPS is great for saving spots, knowing elevation and also for reading terrain with the topo maps you can get for it. has saved me some very tough hikes for sure.

[BiG Boar]

I like the ideas so far. Seems like a pretty good device. Will save getting lost for sure. Do most of you keep it on then to mark your trails as you go? Or do you only use it when a needing situation arives?

[tomahawk]

To me it has one advantage that can be used in many circumstances. It allows me to wander aimlessly through the bush in search of animals, game trails, water, bedding area's, or what ever else you desire and not have to worry about being lost or getting turned around. Just punch in the location of camp of wherever you want to get back to and away you go.

[brotherjack]

how the heck do all you guys keep your GPS from loosing signal all the time, and doing psychotic things like deciding that way-point you marked for the truck when you headed out is now 30 kilometers away when you know you've only walked 2 (even though the GPS said it had a fix to within 60 meters before you set the waypoint) etc, etc, etc?

I find mine to be 99% useless. The only two things I find them useful for are:

1. They're Garmin Rino's, so I have a built in GMRS radio to keep in touch with The Wife(tm) on.
2. Usually, if I'm patient, and we're both in an area where we can get a GPS signal (ie: on a mountain top - neither one will get a signal down in a valley), I can see which direction The Wife(tm) is.

I've almost been wondering if mine are defective or sumpting, because all this stuff you guys are talking about, mine won't keep a signal well enough to do (usually it'll tell me I travled 200 kilometers in a day, because at some point, it will have decided I'm on another mountain than the one I'm actually on).

???

[Caveman]

Good advise if you have one is carry extra batteries and don't rely solely on it. I use one and love what it will do for many of the reasons mentioned. You can get them on sale as low as $99, which would be the same one I carry, but I may look into upgrading to one with preloaded and down loadable maps. They are great for finding your way back to a spot you would never likely find again without one, such as a great rub or wallow or what have you. Don't rely on the compass, but rather on you remaining distance. You'll find this a little less confusing because compass on the GPS doesn't orient itself to true north as a compass does. You'll know what I mean when you get one. They generally are good within 6-12 metres to bringing you where you want to go. You can edit way points to co-ordinates that someone can give you so you can go to that exact spot. I'm sure there are many uses for it more than I can mention

Brotherjack, I have had the same thing happen but I dicovered that I had to waypoints with the same name and it seems to want to default to the first one imputed and not over ride the old. It also has to have a constant view of the sky or they lose signal but will hook up again in a moment or two and update itself