New Poll: Do you use a GPS when out on the trail?

I love my GPS ! I have played with GPS systems a couple of times on scout events and although i fancied one did not really think i would use it that much and I onlly got round to buying one in the summer.

We don't go for really long hike in difficult terrain but i do like the security it gives and what i really like is being able to store all the data about our walks when we get back.

I carry a gps with os mapping (1:25000 always) which I use primarily to make a record of my walk. I still always navigate with the good old map and compass, but do find the gps useful to confirm my position, especially when off the beaten track or in poor visibility. The other thing I find great (or depressing depending on the result) is when on a steep climb or scramble up a mountain where the end is not visible you can check your exact altitude, something which cannot often be done with accuracy on a map. I wouldn't be without it, but wouldn't be without the m+c either, and my gps still spends 95% of the time in my pocket.

I don't rate them.  I have a mate who has one and a few times we've taken the wrong turning.  I live in the Lakes and know the fells well.  We were coming off Great Gable heading for Kirk Fell - I pointed one way, his GPS the other. 

The rest of the party trusted the gadgetry and we ended up coming down the big scree chute on the Wasdale side of the Napes.  It was fun, but not where we wanted to go and it's never a great idea to kick down a load of scree when there is a good alternative route.

Also I agree they take the fun out of walking to some extent.  Map and compass for me, thanks!

 This isn't as straight forward as it first appears. I am a long term user of GPS and have worked as a field applications engineer for a GPS related company.

I have used GPS in the hills for years, Garmins, PocketPC, mobile phones etc and the technology never fails to impress me. A modern well implemented GPS should have no issues with tree cover and most cope with limited sky view and multipath errors admirably. The latest devices with OS mapping are simply stunning devices, the ability to see where you are on a map, often to an accuracy way better than the scale/resolution of the map in question is quite frankly astonishing.

With a bit of care and forward planning dead batteries can be avoided. For example simply carrying spares helps here and ensuring the device is rugged or placed in a rugged case makes them pretty hard to break.

However , for the last couple of years my GPS has taken a back seat, why? because I began to realise by spending too much time looking at the GPS I was missing out on the real reason I was in the hills for in the first place. Going back to map and compass was a joy, by using the best navigational tool you have, your eyes increased my enjoyment. Technology is great but its not the reason I go to the hills.

I now use my GPS alongside my eyes, along side my map and compass. Its another tool, although a pretty good one at that. Actually on most trips I carry two GPS, a small one (dedicated datalogger) that's permanently on and sits in the top of my rucksack to capture a track log of my walk and a second device primarily as a navigation device that's only powered on when needed. That way I always have a complete log captured and always have enough power to navigate if required. Never plot a route on the navigation device, don't really see the point, its time consuming, could be dangerous if you blindy walk to your next waypoint and above all results in you looking at the screen rather than the scenery.

For those against GPS, I say give it a try, marvel in the technology, enjoy the unbelievable accuracy, be aware of its limitations but don't put your map and compass away, it doesnt have to be one or the other, its most fun using both.

For me its not about a GPS being good or bad, its about how it can enhance my time in the hills and I have no doubt that it does just that, but on my terms.

I occasionally use a GPS on the hills, but I never rely on it as the main navigational tool.  It is not an adequate alternative to a map, compass and basic navigation skills, but it is a useful back-up.  GPS devices have improved a lot in recent years - some allow OS mapping to be displayed on screen - but they become useless if the batteries run out or if satellite reception is blocked by tree cover.  I feel that an over-dependancy on GPS could be detrimental to good old-fashioned map and compass skills.

A GPS can be useful if you have a series of waypoints programmed in before a walk, but a hardcopy map should alway be referred to regularly for checking your progress along the route.  It's also good to have one just in case you get lost and can't locate yourself on the map - just switch the GPS on and it tells you your coordinates.