I think the wider issue is the erosion of the old skills. We’ll soon have a generation that’s grown up with GPS and will see paper maps as old fashioned and something they can’t be bothered with. That’s fine as long as GPS works but it only takes it to be broken or dropped in a river once and, if the conditions are wrong, you’re stuffed.

I’m moving to a stage where maps will be my backup to GPS, rather than the other way around it’s been for me up to now. I take GPS and maps no matter how simple the walk, I make it a rule so there’s no question in my mind. I also always take a first aid kit but to date I’ve never needed it, same principle.

I’ve never broken a compass – well not in a way which makes one unusable, have lost all the fluid out of one, but it is still possible to tell which way North is. Have lost a few though, and more importantly I was also in a group once when the paper map blew away! The thing is, if you actually know what you’re doing then you should still be fine in that situation as you’ll be aware of where you are and what routes there are without the map. It’s the lack of those skills which are the issue.

Personally a GPS of any variety isn’t going to replace a paper map any time soon for me – I CBA using a GPS when I don’t generally have an issue with knowing where I am at all times when using a map. A map which is always going to give me a better awareness of the overall situation than any GPS ever will (unless you want to carry around an A3 size display).

I think we are conflating two issues here. Map reading is still map reading if it’s on an electronic display. Folk who can’t recognize a cliff before they walk over it are stuffed regardless of the medium.

jonba – Member
The issues with GPS are well known in the shipping world which is why they rely on paper and sextants almost exclusively.

is this what you meant?
http://news.techworld.com/security/3434207/gps-jamming-menace-solved-with-new-ship-based-system/?intcmp=nws-af-rtd-home

Nothing to do with electronics.

My dad was a member of the Kinder mountain rescue and we never saw him on christmas day or new years day because he would always be rescuing some dickheads who went up the mountain in high heels or decided walking up a mountain would be a good idea at night time.

Really, I think I saw my dad three or four times on christmas day in all the time I can remember. The problem is stupid people being allowed into places they shouldn’t be, like 20 feet away from the telly. He’d get abuse too. They’d find someone wandering around in circles in their evening wear, maybe one of them would have a broken ankle so they’d have to carry them down. Then on the way down they would get abuse from the people because they weren’t being carried smoothly enough or needed to get somewhere quickly.

Dumb people. Stay away from places you don’t understand or aren’t prepared for.