To be honest no outdoors person should be without..."Both!" Why? Well the first time you drop your GPS in the water, or on a rock, batteries go dead, or it has an electronic melt down.........need I say more? A compass could be your lifeline; not only that but both can be utilized for different purposes. Your compass can serve as a quick reference for direction, used to start a fire........if equiped with a magnifying glass, and used for general navigation. If you're going on an extended trip over long distances for a week or two, it will also cut down on how many batteries you'll need to take along. Don't get me wrong; GPS units with topo's and some of the other features they offer are absolutely awesome. However I would strongly suggest that you not only purchase a good compass, but also become very good at navigating with it. Most importantly remember this..."Always trust what your compass is telling you" A very good lesson that may not seem like good advice is just once get "Lost" under conditions where you have someone more experienced to get you through sorting out your solution. You'll always remember how to sort things out. Good luck and happy navigating! I have provided the models I utilize in the photos; my compass I've owned for 30 years, the GPS for one, and I utilize them both.
2 comments:
I have a compass. I have not purchased a GPS yet, although I'm thinking about it. I'd like to try geocacheing and I guess you need one for that.
Does anyone know of a good, fairly inexpensive GPS unit. I don't want to spend hundreds of dollars, but I'd like something that works well.
Kristine;
I would recommend the Garmin 60 CSX from GPS City in Calgary, you can order online they ship to you within 3 days you'll have it in your hands, make sure you get the one that comes with the 1GB card, it may cost you a little more but this unit tracks under a canopy, is the best on the market for the money, and has excellent accuracy. I use this unit for work and for my personal use. Good luck. If you are looking for maps for this unit check out my blog on maps for GPS units.
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