Not sure if you saw this, but in Doug Ritter's Blog he has an item entitled A Look at “The Ten Essentials” where he was interviewed about survival essentials, I found his comments regarding navigation gear very interesting:

Quote:
...the ten essentials starts out with a map and compass. And certainly a map is an essential item to have with you. But, unfortunately today, the vast majority of people I find have trouble figuring out even how to find north on a compass. It's not a skill that is widely taught anymore... So from my perspective, if your first goal is to stay found, not get lost, a G-P-S these days is more essential than a map and compass. You can get a mapping G-P-S for very reasonable prices. Carry a spare set of batteries for anything you carry that's electric and battery powered.


Reliance on electronic gear is sure to raise the hair on some people's necks, but lately my thinking has evolved to exactly what Doug said. Its just that I was surprized to read that Doug said it.

A good mapping GPS - with the proper maps for the user's area loaded - is an incredibly powerful tool to prevent getting lost AND to find your way if lost. Yeah, I know "things" can go wrong with a GPS, but the reality is that today's electronics are really amazing dependable.

Given that statement, I still prefer to ALSO carry a good map, compass, and UTM grid because:

-They provide redundancy, in case the GPS does fail - its kind of like bringing matches even though I packed a lighter.
-The magnetic compass allows me to save battery life by turning the GPS off while following a bearing.
-A good map likely provides better detail than the map(s) available for the GPS (Garmin only provides 24K topo maps for national parks; the others are 100K).
-A good map provide a much easier to read "lay of the land".
-A map provides a place to take notes and make plans.

Ken K.