I keep getting lost despite a map and compass. It’s not so much figuring out where to go that’s the problem, but actually locating where I am at that moment in time.

I traced a route twice this morning and failed both times. Which is disappointing, so I’m thinking about investing in one of the electronic options available.

I have no idea what to get though. Obviously you have the top-end Garmin stuff and whatnot, with visible OS mapping and everything you can shake a stick at. But for the same price I could ave a smart phone which would do what I need, and everything else. With that in mind, it seems madness forking out for a dedicated GPS unit unless you’re doing some serious expeditions.

Or there’s the cheaper GPS options. I’m not entirely sure how these work. All I need really is something that can pin-point my location on a map. Can they do this?

It must record routes too…

If your getting lost with map and compass then you need to improve your map reading skills. Sorry, that is the cheapest option. Local orienteering clubs often provide classes and instruction – cost about zero and you learn a great life skill. Or find a mate who can teach you then its just practice.

I have garmin Oregon 450 it sill only tells me where I am and where the route I have chosen is. If I stray off the route I have to map read back to the track. My map reading route selection skill is more important. Works well on road like a car GPS showing turns etc.

You will find your smart phone option limited as coverage in most mountainous areas is zero or unreliable.

I agree…you don’t need electronic wizardry to help you, you just need teaching on how to use what you have. When you say lost, are you riding in completely new places or is this lost in your general play area (that would be even more worrying)…

Get to the library and get a few books on map reading and get yourself more familiar with how to read map and use a compass…a GPS device will still only confirm that you are lost…so learn how to read the maps before investing in something that could get you into even bigger trouble.

You will find your smart phone option limited as coverage in most mountainous areas is zero or unreliable.

If you have downloaded/cached maps the only coverage needed is GPS. Same as with any GPS unit. I use http://sites.google.com/site/mmtrackerinfo/ on my Android and have full UK OS map coverage loaded on my SD card. Great for ‘lazy’ navigation when out in the hills. Agree that still need to be able to actually map read / navigate.

I have followed a few trails on a phone with gps and maps, it is a PITA, battery life is an issue,

10 hours GPS/Map running with screen on occasionally when required to check route finding uses less than 50% of the battery on my HTC. Admittedly I use it more when hill walking or quadding rather than cycling.

I’d like to improve my map reading too, but I really thought I had it sussed today until I came across several junctions with bridleways leading out into every direction. None of which I could see on the map. So it’s possible I was in completely the wrong place. Or that I had an old map. I rode 20 miles just looking for the route! And a GPS would’ve at least confirmed if I was heading in the right general direction.

I came across several junctions with bridleways leading out into every direction. None of which I could see on the map.

Permissive bridleways maybe? They usually don’t appear on the OS maps. Can be confusing!

I traced a route twice this morning and failed both times.

Jeez – you get lost twice and decide it’s time to buy some electronic gizmo? Get out there and try again. You’ll work it out in the end. Or die trying.

There was at least one marked as a Permissive Bridleway.

eez – you get lost twice and decide it’s time to buy some electronic gizmo? Get out there and try again. You’ll work it out in the end. Or die trying.

This happens quite often. Ha.

Well you’re still here so you can’t be doing everything wrong. You just need to improve. Stick at it and you’ll be laughing when a massive solar flare takes out all the satellites and you and I are the only people left that can use a map and compass 😉

I was gonna go for a third attempt, but thought I’d best not wander out into the moors as I’d ran out of water by that time… I’d possibly still be there now…

I’ll check out some map reading stuff….I’m still interested in GPS. But it’s just as a backup really, for those occasions when you can’t make head nor tail of where you’re at.

GPS is a useful/handy addition to your navigation tools set (map, compass, knowledge, etc), not a replacement. Navigation is a good skill to have, with and without GPS. I just find it is often easier with. I’m lazy like. Plus it’s another gadget to play with 🙂

Butcher – yep off piste you cant rely on the tracks being accurately mapped people and animals take short cuts etc. Junctions often have a myriad of new paths leading off them. You map read by looking at the features on the ground and relating them back to the map. Features that cannot move such as hills, re-entrants, contour lines are your friend! Do not assume tracks on maps or what you can see are the same. Maps have a printed date on them. Better not get in to magnetic variation and compass issues.

The answer to selecting the right path or trail is to orientate your map using the compass. Then relate ground to map. You have a fair chance of taking the right one. Given your skills as well its best not to go alone in the moors. Just good advice not been condescending.

I understand orienting the map and compass, and reading the contours or the land – though I’m sure the latter particularly is a skill which improves with practice. I’ve just been studying a few different maps and realised that I was in fact in completely the wrong place… Well maybe not completely….it’s a pain to realise that I could’ve fairly easily linked up to the intended route if I’d known my location.

At least I know where to go next time! I should add that I was only using an A4 printed sheet as a map. Possibly a full OS Explorer would be a good idea for backup next time…

One of these does me fine as far as a cheap GPS is concerned.

I’m an “old school” hillwalker and have grown up with map and compass. I happen to believe that they are an essential skill for anyone venturing further than a trail centre. I’ve also used GPSs for years as an adjunct to the map.

However….. I’ve come to believe that a GPS is actually massively more useful as a cyclist than it is for a walker. At walking pace, you can keep looking at the map as you go and if you take a wrong turning, you won’t have gone too far. On a bike, you can’t check your position on the map so frequently and you can easily miss a turn, shoot down a 3-4 mile hill and THEN discover your mistake, necessitating an unplanned climb.

For off-road use, I’m currently rocking a Garmin Dakota 20 with the full 1:50k mapping on it. It can also be used on-road and as a car-type satnav. AA batteries means it’s easy to keep it powered on multi-day trips. It’s more robust than a Smartphone, more clever than a Smartphone and won’t run down your phone battery so you’ll still be able to make that emergency call if you need to.

I’d be stuffed without my gps on epics.
I usually run a garmin edge on the bars and have a handheld in the pack as a backup.
I also carry maps cause they don’t run out of batteries or break if you have a crash.
My garmin 705 fell off my bars on my Thursday night ride.
The handheld backup came in handy today.

I use a Satmap active 10. Uses OS mapping. Not bike specific, but I also use it hillwalking. Mind you I also take the map.

Many of the real “budget” options for GPS will only track your position or tell you where you are in relation to a track you’ve downloaded to the unit (although some will give you a grid reference, etc).

If you want some sort of usable mapping too, it’s going to mean spending a bit of cash. If you already have a smartphone then that’s one option. The two main problems are battery life and the maps themselves. Mapping software is much of a muchness, but for outdoor use you really want to be using decent quality maps (i.e. Ordnance Survey) and storing them on the unit, rather than needing a data connection.

The cheapest way of getting a GPS with OS mapping is probably to buy a second hand PDA running Windows Mobile, then team this up with a copy of Memory Map and a GPS receiver. Realistically you’re looking at £100+ for a system that’s going to be a bit fiddly to use, not to mention fragile.

I do not rely on gps alone when on the bike but I use a Nokia smartphone running the ‘viewranger’ app on the phones ‘symbian’ operating system as an inexpensive gps option.

Most of these gps ready Nokia phones can be purchased inexpensively from the usual high street retailers though its worth paying a bit more for a good quality touch-screen or an improved operating system such as ‘android’

A useful accessory is a gps signal booster (such as Nokia’s own version) to complete the package.

The system works as well as I could hope, my only problem being getting to grips with the viewranger app itself (i’m not very good with ‘tech’).