Wasted $400 on a GPS that lied to me on the Appalachian Trail

I bought this fancy GPS unit last year thinking it would save me time on the AT section near Harpers Ferry. The thing kept telling me trails were 2 miles shorter than they really were, so I ran out of water twice in one week. It also froze up every time I hit a foggy patch, which is like all the time in the Smokies. I ended up using my phone's map app instead, which worked way better and cost nothing extra. Has anyone else had a GPS fail on them during a big trip? I want to know if it's just this brand or if I should skip GPS altogether.

3 comments

3 Comments

the_spencer14h ago

A buddy of mine took one of those fancy GPS units on a thru-hike of the Long Trail in Vermont a couple years back. First real rainstorm hit and the screen just went gray and never came back on. He spent the next three days navigating with a paper map and a compass he barely knew how to use. Ended up missing a shelter by a mile and slept in a wet tent instead. He swears by his phone now, even if the battery dies faster than he'd like. Take that for what it's worth, different brands might work different, but paper maps never crash on you.

the_spencer10h ago

Buying an extra battery pack for your phone is a lot cheaper than another GPS that might fail.

torres.grant10h ago

Back that up with a good power bank and you're golden for days, @the_spencer hit the nail on the head about paper maps never crashing (though I'd still keep one folded up in my pack just in case).

-1