I'm a map & compass kind of guy (but yes, I often carry my GPS when hiking).

I'd have to agree with Doug ... GPS'es for the masses. They're more likely to do better with them. But I can't tell you why. Looking at my GPS'es (a Garmin V and a Magellan Gold) I'd be hard pressed to call either one of them intuitive for an occasional user. For any user, really. After about 25 button presses and 3 or 4 mis-steps into incorrect submenus I'd finally be able to get one to point me back to my truck (and I'm a computer geek who's pretty good with electronics!) I don't see how Joe-sixpack-lost-in-the-woods could do it. But somehow they seem to manage on occasion.

Looking at the map & compass alternative, how would Joe-sixpack with the 4th grade education fare with the basic geometry skills needed to understand bearings, intersecting lines, north-pointing needles that don't exactly point north - you have to add (or was that SUBTRACT???) some other number that varies depending on where you are. Hmmm ... random button pushes on a GPS might actually work out better for Joe. At least he'd be likely to stumble onto the screen with an arrow pointing somewhere. He might think it was pointing to his truck, when in reality it was pointing to the Burger King in Butte Montana, but at least he'd stay heading in the same direction so he'd reach civilization sooner or later.

Eugene, a GPS is unaffected by cloud cover, rain, fog, snow, etc.
It is important that new GPS users understand this. The latest GPS units are very good at "locking onto" the satellites even in heavy forest cover.

I agree that, given the choice of a map and compass and a GPS, I would opt for the GPS, however I feel very secure in the woods with a good GPS, a 7 1/2 minute topo and a good compass. Using the GPS to obtain UTM readings and transferring them to the map using a UTM grid plate, will tell you where you are at any given time within just a few yards. Forget about longitude and latitude and learn UTM.

Frankly, I don't understand how anyone could not find North with a compass. Makes me think they shouldn't stray too far from home lest they never be seen again. Clue: to the compass challenged, they point North when held parallel to the ground.

Boone

I have a GPS V also. It came with mapping software so I can reprogram the map detail stored in its limited (19meg) memory. Configuring the GPS V before a trip does a great deal to familiarize you with the areas you need to know about. When I travel the laptop comes with me so I always have an electronic alley map of the entire U.S. with me.

One thing I've noticed about some of the newer GPS units (Tom-Tom and the Garmin equivalents) for driving is that they seem to not need even a rudimentary knowledge of how the system works. You just turn it on and rely totally on the database and a big display. I emailed Garmin about an update to the GPS V (more resident memory, hi-res color display, same platform) and didn't hear anything back. I don't think there's a big market for GPS units that require thought -- the designers are going the other way. Eventually I'll update, probably to a Garmin GPSMAP 60Cx or whatever replaces it and install the biggest memory card available.

As for paper maps: They are great for limited areas, otherwise the detail sucks. I keep a road atlas in the truck, but honestly I haven't opened it in years. I have a local map of San Diego and haven't needed to use it either. Topo maps I use because neither of my GPS units does topo, but eventually that will change.

I used to have one of the cheap delorme ones which was affected by a things as simple as a shadow so I joke about it.
A decent GPS is on my list of items to get, I sold the delorme a couple years ago.

Having had several compasses go south on me, I have to say that my GPS (Garmin 12) is still up and rolling. These things are three of one and four of another.
One point for you all to consider: A map is no bloody use to you if you don't know where you are on it. Ditto the compass. If your at sea, the situation is even worse. No ETS in his or her right mind relys on any one bit of kit. A compass can be thrown out by local conditions, a GPS cain't get a lock, a knife breaks.

Deal with it.

As much I hate to admit it, Doug has a point- if you are in terminal need of a clue, you can buy one in the form of a GPS. Of course, just because the bought a (singular, one, (1)) clue, doesn't mean they can use it or that they have any others.

I'm not sure which bugs me more as an engineer- technology, or people. *Sighs*

Actually Tom, let me correct the fact for you.

The fact is, according to us folks, that people who can't find "N" on a compass probably aren't going to find a GPS "intuitive" either (read the last line of my previous post again for clarification of this fact you cited). and yes, I believe they do make a number of digital LCD screen compasses for sale these days, of varying function, all requiring batteries.

The fact is, a lot of people are just plain lazy, and won't take the time necessary to learn how to use a compass in such a way that it is going to do them much good if they get themselves into a situation where they are no longer unlost.

It is a question of semantics, but I'd say you are unlost until such time as you realize you don't know where you are anymore and which way to go to get unlost. Then you are lost. Part of the definition of being lost includes awareness. When I am hunting, even in familiar terrain, I am not constantly thinking about where I am or where the car is. However, if I should meander out to a point that is unfamiliar, and then realize I don't know where I am or which way the car is, then I am lost, until such time as I identify my location and/or where the car is via the map or the GPS. Most people will find it infintitely easier to do so with a GPS these days, given the current state of the technology.

If finding N on the compass were all there was to orienteering with it, then GPS probably would not be the big success it is today, at least in civilian applications. Most of the time I cannot see more than 100 yards in any direction for miles out where I play. That'd pretty much defeat your instructions on map and compass use. Conversely, I can depress the power on button on the GPS, wait 30 seconds, and see the flashing "O" where the car is, the flashing arrow where I am, and figure out which way and how far I gotta go in about 10 seconds or less.
That's why the first thing I grab when I want to navigate is the GPS instead of the map and compass, despite being proficient with both. Convenience is a human desire.

Finally, I am reasonably sure, based on my experiences, that there are quite a few out there who did go out into the big woods without any navigation aids, wandered around for a while, then found their own way back home without any other help. I did it a lot when I was a kid, so did a good number of my friends, and we never missed dinner.

I agree with Doug Ritter's Blog about carrying a GPS rather than a map and compass, especially for US citizens. There really are not many people that can use a map and compass successfully to find there location and navigate their way out of the wilderness.
I remember a few years back when I was a teenager back in Scotland comparing a US army field manual to the UK army cadet manual and comparing navigational techniques and I was surprised to say the least on just how poor the navigational techniques were described in the US army field manual. In the US manual there was no mention of magnetic deviation between the magnetic north and the grid or true north. Precision navigation on a bearing would of course be impossible without taking into account this deviation.
Also in the US manual there was no mention of how to perform a 3 point re-section to establish ones position accurately . Pretty basic stuff. How can you navigate to a point, on a magnetic bearing without compensation to the map grid, without knowing where you are in the first place.
As a 14 year old cadet we were trained to use a map, compass and pacer beads and we were tested on our skills of navigation. We were blindfolded, put in the back of 3-tonne truck and driven off into the wilderness somewhere then told to make our way back to camp. Once these skills was perfected we were then trained in the art of night navigation orientation skills using predictor corrector methods.
These skills are very useful for navigation over the Scottish Mountains which are always subjected to low cloud and misty conditions where points of reference are difficult to obtain and distances difficult to judge.
Anyway getting back to Doug's point about the use of the GPS. Doug is perfectly right in his assertion. A GPS will allow the user to accurately and speedily find their position to within 10m over most of the earths surface. The GPS is a wonderful navigational tool especially for those who have not been trained in the proper use of a map and compass and is an incredibly powerful tool in combination with a Iridium satellite phone for the extraction out of the wilderness by the rescue services. Lets of course remember there is no shame in carrying one of these devices because lets face it the US army would quickly get lost without them.

In the last year or two I've seen an amazing number of people uisng automotive GPS's. Business associates, folks with rental cars w/ GPS's onboard, mothers of Scouts in my son's troop.

Take the mother of the Scout for example. I've bet money that she wouldn't have a clue how to use a map & compass, but during a trip a few weeks ago, not only was she using her auto-style GPS to follow the route, but she was also using it to find gas stations and places to eat for the group.

Just to test this I just went outside with my 10 year old daughter who has never touched a GPS in her life, though I did recently explain how the GPS uses the satellites to find your location:

While outside on our driveway I handed her my Garmin GPSMAP 60CSx and asked her to find out how to get to Mville (a nearby good-sized city). She was able to figure out how to turn it on, though it took a while since the power button isn't the most prominent. The "Aquiring Satellites" display confused her a bit, but she correctly figured she should wait until that display disappeared. She correctly guessed that she should use the Find button. She correctly guessed to select Cities and then press the Enter button. She had to scroll down a ways until she found Mville, but she eventually found it and pressed Enter again to select it. She stumbled a bit on selecting the Goto option, though she eventually found it and selected it by pressing the Enter key. And finally she understood the next two options "Follow Road" or "Off Road", but wasn't sure which one she should pick. She finally picked "Follow Road" saying she could always walk along-side the roads anyway.

So, even a 5th grader with no prior exerience can find their way using what might be considered the most advanced mapping GPS available today.

Some of those entries sound just like the GPS V -- excellent. The learning curve should be very short when I upgrade