GPS - Basic type model for hill walking.

PadraigL

Hi

I would like to buy a GPs for my father that does alot of hill walking. I found the following irish site that sells them.
http://www.mysatnav.ie/default.asp?x=GHH

Is there one where you can punch in the co-ordinates for the walk (eg each mountain top)?
Nothing too fancy with too many gadgets will suit him fine. Any help would be appriciated.

hmmm

On all GPS you can type in the co-ordinates and it should point you in the right direction. Most people I know who are casual hillwalkers simply use the GPS to tell them where they are and to record their walks for basic stats at the end.

The Geko's are nice and small, and I doubt you'd get a complaint if you bought one.

Some of the other features that you might consider above the basic model:
- Maps - useless on Irish hills
- Altimeter - quite useful
- Routes - useful if you want to program in a particular route (group of GPS co-ordinates) and follow them. I use these if I'm leading a group
- Electronic compass - haven't found them particularly accurate, but are more accurate than GPS who don't have one when following a route

I use an etrex summit myself which is slightly showing its age, it's very basic and about the size of a mobile phone. The Geko's are slightly smaller.

Prices on that site look a bit expensive to me, might want to check out amazon.co.uk and dabs.ie

loz

PadraigL wrote:

Hi

I would like to buy a GPs for my father that does alot of hill walking. I found the following irish site that sells them.
http://www.mysatnav.ie/default.asp?x=GHH

Is there one where you can punch in the co-ordinates for the walk (eg each mountain top)?
Nothing too fancy with too many gadgets will suit him fine. Any help would be appriciated.

erm - if you punch in coords and walk he'll fall off a cliff - as he will follow a heading arrow only -

However if he really wants a toy - get him a garmin with some mapping software so he can plan routes etc

- but to use for actual navigation - nothing is better than a sheet.

cavedave

Especially if its foggy. Yes you should know and practice how to navigate. Yes you should be able to make fire mcgyver style. Yes you probably should be able to catch seals and train them to pull your waterskating body.
GPS's are good tools and i do not see why you should feel guilty for using one.

loz

cavedave wrote:

GPS's are good tools and i do not see why you should feel guilty for using one.

They are good tools - an i didnt mention having to feel guilty using them - I however myself feel that they are a secondary device to suppliment, not replace, a map and a good navigational killl based on map reading.

Alun

I have a Garmin etrex Venture, which I feel is a good compromise considering the lack of any mapping for Ireland. My wife has an etrex Summit (which is actually more expensive than my Venture) with the built-in compass and altimeter, both of which are way less useful than you might at first think. Firstly the compass is a bit of a battery eater. It takes no time at all to take the projected bearing to a waypoint off the GPS display and put it onto a normal compass should you so desire. Secondly, despite what all the theorists say, I find the height indication given by my GPS to be more than accurate enough for my needs and it doesn't need calibrating all the time.

On the subject of whether or not to use one or not ... it's a tool, nothing more, nothing less. Learn to use it properly and it'll help you, don't bother and it'll be as dangerous as any other tool in the wrong hands. TBH anyone who'll blindly follow a GPS off the edge of a cliff is most likely stupid enough to follow a compass bearing off the same cliff as well. I learnt my navigation skills over a period of over 30 years. I'm not going to forget all that just because I now use a GPS for ease of use as well.

PadraigL

Thanks for the replies.

Actually talking about maps do any of you guy have OSI laminated maps and where do you get them?
I have one of those map cases but its ok if you don't have to take out the map on a long walk as a couple of weekends ago.

Evil Phil

You'll get the laminate maps in Easons, Outdoor Adventure Store and Great Outdoors (all in Dublin). Easons on O'Connell St. seem to have all of them.

I'm sure there's loads of other places

Roen

They cost about €22 I think. I'll stick to the cheapy ones.

Evil Phil

I picked one up in Easons for about €14 iirc not so long ago.