These things are supposed to work, straight off, are they not? I have never used GPS for walking, having a full set of OS 1:50 000 scale & I usually carry a 1: 25 000 when walking, anyway. But - my GPS USED to work - it was useful for monitoring train-speeds (!)
Last update: After about 10 minutes, apparently I can't access my "Google Account" & I need to sign in - I wasn't even aware that I had to on my phone & I haven't a clue what my username or password is supposed to be on the phone ( as opposed to this computer ) Again - wtf? [ And it means I can't search for anything on the phone either, which is a lot of use - not ] Because it is supposed to be SIMPLE TO USE.
This is why I prefer paper maps, I think.
]]>My main objection to GPS devices is that the long-lived ones have a miniscule screen, and needing to know what route to take is a far more common requirement than knowing where I am (because I usually know that). Also, only the fancier ones (i.e. most gimmick-ridden) support detailed enough maps to be useful. When cycling, I use a partially de-Googled Nexus 7 with Memorymap, and the WiFi and GPS turned off to give it a decent battery life. I turn those on only when I need them.
]]>Now it's an entirely different wtf, but at least GPS is working (!)
]]>You're right about equipment costs: by the time you add up the cost of a full collection of cheap kit, it can easily outweigh the cost of the expensive stuff. The Buffalo clothing you mentioned is bookmarked and in my wish list. Perhaps for when I turn 60, when it'll be a nice self-birthday gift. Until then, I don't get out in the countryside enough to justify C$200 plus shipping for something I'm only going to use a couple weeks per year. On the other hand, I've got an inquiry in about whether there's a North American distributor for the Brinje shirts. They fall into my impulse buy price range.
]]>Quite agree that a device that simply says "you are here" isn't all that useful - I know where I am, it's everything else that doesn't, as Granny Weatherwax might have said. I suppose it can help avoid the problem of your expectations forcing your observations of landmarks to match a pattern corresponding to where you think you ought to be, so you miss the correct interpretation that tells you where you actually are - especially at sea, or in fog - but then again I'm absolutely certain there have been instances where people have driven their ships into things because that effect is strong enough that they've even misinterpreted the figures coming out of their GPS/Decca/Loran/whatever. After all, the same phenomenon crops up in all kinds of situations where you're trying to pick out a match from vague glimpses of a pattern - eg. chasing a fault in an electronic circuit and convincing yourself that the figures on your meter readings are telling you something different from what they actually are.
For displaying mapping data I reckon you can't beat paper. It's cheap, it's convenient, you can't catch VD it always works, it doesn't require an energy source, it's light, it doesn't get broken when you drop it, it's always big enough to read, and it's easy to carry coverage of a much greater area than you can cover walking. Only thing is if you print it out yourself don't use an inkjet printer :)
Ah yes (NSFW): And it's absolutely free! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqJHoZBJYxI Loved that song back in my university days! (Infer what you may... G)
Another advantage of paper: You can start a fire with it if you need to keep warm. You can probably do that with your cell phone too, with appropriate manipulation, but it's a much pricier fire.
JBS wondered: "What does "GDRLH" stand for?"
"Google delights researchers of literary habbreviations." Or "grin, duck, and run like hell" if in the context of teasing a friend or forum member. Add "WSWHWH" for "while shouting woo hoo woo hoo", as in the case of Daffy Duck fleeing Elmer Fudd after planting a juicy kiss on his cheek.
]]>I think the thing is that most people want to self rescue rather than set things up to make outside rescue easy. It's a bit of a mind shift for the self reliant types (solo mountain walkers seem to have a disproportionately high number of such types).
The ideal bit of kit is probably the Spot Locator. For anyone who's been in a cave for many many years... It's a GPS that sends a text containing your location to a server at regular intervals. It does that via the Iridium network so you don't have to worry about cell/mobile coverage. People can view them on a map. Cost is less than a good shirt. The advantage is that your loved ones can watch your progress and if it stops for hours at the bottom of a cliff (or shortly before the top of a cliff) can do something about it even if you're too rooted to turn on an Epirb. It doesn't work anywhere that GPS doesn't work, but unlike GPS it will give rescuers a good idea of where you've been and where you're headed with a trail of breadcrumbs left along your way.
http://www.cloudbasemayhem.com/delorme-vs-spot-when-your-life-depends-on-it/
]]>...I took one step, hit a patch of slippery mud, my foot went sideways, and I dropped on my arse with a very loud thud. There was a certain amount of laughter at my expense, but fortunately the only thing injured was my pride.
After the exercise (we'd set up an observation post in front of the rest of the troops, and spent about 30 hours lying in a 12-foot-square hide that was 18 inches deep, because that was where we hit the water table) those of us who were still using the issued (thin leather) boots, invested in rather more expensive boots with better waterproofing and more insulations. After those 30 hours, it had taken us nearly quarter of an hour of walking and stamping to get our feet feeling vaguely normal.
]]>What I've been finding useful for navigation for years is an altimeter, on my watch. It really does help give that extra security and has saved me minor amounts of hassle quite a few times. "I shold have hit that plateau by now" in 20m visibility, checking the altimeter and finding I'm lower than I should be, which meant I was off a different spur. Little things like that.
]]>It's not a requirement of technology that you arrange things in such a way. It's perfectly possible to have a bunch of layers (I gather that's how it's done) and have one of those layers happen to be heated electrically. Take what you normally would but when you encounter the situations that lead to statements like: "We simply don't generate as much heat as you do when resting, especially when asleep" just turn on the heater and get a good night's rest.
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