Why Use Hiking GPS?

So, you are considering buying a "hiking GPS" system for the next trip into the wilderness. What are you looking for in a system. Well, if you are like me, you want something that is as light as possible to give you exactly what you need and nothing more. Different systems have different capabilities and you will have to weigh the amount of technological muscle that you get with the amount of actual muscle it will take to carry the unit.

Some hiking GPS systems come with the option of downloading various maps such as topo maps that you might get from the USGS website. Other units are more bare bones, they may only provide the latitude and longitude of your location - you will need an actual map to figure out where you are.

Some hiking GPS systems will track your path, so you can see your path of where you have been on the screen. They can tell you your elevation gain or loss and the distance covered.

So, why bring a hiking GPS? For one thing, they can be fun to have along. They can tell you exactly how far you have gone, so you know how far you have to go. You can also more easily identify where you are on the map, rather than having to look for land marks or trail intersections.

If you are hiking in a rather desolate area or you are "cross country" hiking, a hiking GPS may be especially helpful. In general, it is rather difficult to get lost on the "east coast," but if you decide to go hiking out west or you are fishing in the Everglades or a place with difficult landmarks to decipher, a hiking GPS could save your life.

So, what unit to choose? Thats really up to you. What are you expecting it to do. You can buy a watch with GPS to give you some simple coordinates or you can buy a massive piece of equipment that gives you everything you could ever want. So, if you just want to know your basic location, buy something simple. If you want to use the GPS to navigate or go cross country, consider getting something that allows you to download maps and can track your path and current location.

Joseph Sawvel

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