Originally Posted By: Hikin_Jim
snip...

Well, maybe, but I've sure seen a lot of GPS failures in mountainous terrain. Down in the bottom of gullies or deep canyons and under heavy tree cover seem to be places where failure to get a fix occurs.

Recently when I was on Marion Mtn (10,600+), the GPS pointed us to a false summit. GPS's are frequently but not always good. I can't say what percentage of the time under what conditions failures occur, but they're very common. I get GPS failures multiple times every hike I go on.

Roarmeister, anything to add?


Your experience sounds similar to mine. I carry a GPS on some backcountry trips because it's an easy, quick way to verify my position IF I can get a fix. In the areas I frequently go I wouldn't be surprised if coverage was <50%. It's not unusual for me to decide that there isn't going to be enough open ground on a given trip and leave the GPS at home. I haven't tried the GPS units with built in topo maps yet so my experience is is limited to the in car units and my basic hiking model(s). Either way, I can't imagine leaving the map, compass & altimeter at home.
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