GPS recommendation, please

[DougPaul]

- The provided belt clip keeps the GPS securely attached to my pack

I've read reports of people losing their GPSes or breaking the case of their GPSes from using the clip. I carry my GPS in the top of my pack or in a small pouch attached to the pack shoulder strap.

- I like the summits are recorded on the maps so you know when you have reached the true summit. However they are only as accurate as the map they are recorded on so beware.

The Garmin maps are based upon USGS topos, however the summit marks on the Garmin versions aren't always that accurate.

- The trip meter is not accurate when climbing steep trails. It doesn't seem to be calibrated very well for hiking slow and it records this time as stopped. The track time recorded when you save a track however is accurate.

The GPS can only distinguish between you being stopped or moving slowly by your speed. Since the GPS position will wander slowly even when it is stationary, it cannot distinguish between a slow walk and the inherent slow wandering. (The threshold speed can be set in the menus.)

When you save a track, the entire track is treated as continuous movement.

- The National Parks East maps have most of the trails in the White Mountains on them, however they are mostly inaccurate ;'(

The trails are from the USGS topos which are not updated very often. (They can be handy for following old trails.) If you want the most up-to-date trails, use current AMC (or local hiking guide) maps.

- Saved tracks are limited to 500 track points and drop the time/date info that is collected in a raw track. Fortunately you can record raw tracks to the microSD card.

You can also download the current live track--it usually stores the most recent 10K points. (Its modes can be set in the menus.)

Garmin frequently upgrades the firmware which is a good sign. I do wish the maps were more accurate.

The landforms don't change very fast and the USGS topo maps are generally pretty accurate for the topography. Trails change much more often and as noted above, the Garmin summit marks aren't always that accurate.

Doug