If you’re looking for a portable GPS unit for your next deer hunting trip there are several features that you need to look for. You will also need to consider your own personal needs when out in the field and choose a unit whose features work best for your situation. So be sure to thoroughly research your choices and keep the following features in mind.
1. Long Battery Life – Whether you’re spending a weekend or a week in the woods deer hunting the last thing you need to worry about running out of power. Good portable GPS units will last between 15 to 25 hours on a set of batteries. Keep this in mind when deciding how many spare batteries to take on your hunting trip.
2. Internal Memory – GPS units keep track of specific spots as waypoints. These waypoints can be a bread crumb trail that leads to a good hunting spot or a collection of goof hunting areas. The more waypoints you store the more memory you will need so be sure to get a GPS with at least 14 to 25 megabytes of internal storage.
3. Weight and Portability – When you’re out in the wilderness you don’t want anything bulky weighing you down. A good portable GPS unit weighs less then 2 pounds and fits easily in a pocket.
4. WAAS Capability – You’ll definitely want a unit that has WAAS capability because this gives it an accuracy to within 3 meters. Pin pointing your location is important out in the woods because an inaccurate GPS position is a good way to losing your way.
5. Tough and Water/Weather Resistant – It’s a simple fact that any piece of outdoor equipment needs to be tough and able to withstand the rigors of getting banged around. It also needs to keep working in any and all weather conditions which can be bad during hunting season.
Using a portable GPS unit during your deer hunting trips is a great way to ensure that you stay safe in the woods and can easily find your way back to camp. Keep these important features in mind if you are considering buying such a unit and you’ll be sure to get one that does exactly what you need.
By: Andrew Bicknell
Posts Tagged ‘Simple Fact’
GPS Deals a Green Hand to the Environment
March 5th, 2010
Did you know that getting a GPS device is another way to go green and help the environment? If you already have a GPS, pat yourself on the back, because your car is less cluttered with the wasted trees of printed directions. As you know, most online map services serve up lots of printed ads along with the directions, so what often times should be one page of printed directions usually ends up as two or three.
Apply some simple math, and the environmental waste quickly compounds based on the above factor of ad-intensive print outs, and the number of steps it takes to get from your starting point to the destination. With the high cost of petroleum these days, taking the shortest route is a common practice, and one that reduces or completely limits the amount of highways included in your directions. This means lots of backroads, and turn after turn. Each left, right, or “follow” is an additional printed line of output. You’re saving gas, but 50 miles of shortest-distance directions might take more than five pages to print.
Sure, there are ways to get around printing long sets of directions. A common way is to print multiple pages on one sheet, but that really isn’t the safest practice. Squinting to read your printed directions while on a dimly-lit back road is a recipe for disaster.
The simple fact is that GPS is extremely affordable. Much like the paperless offices of today, we are now entering the world of a paperless car. With less paper and printing, we are helping the environment by not using a medium that is too often crumpled up and thrown away. Even the best and most often used directions end up getting coffee spilled on them, but a GPS device, well-positioned on your dashboard won’t have that problem. If it ever does, just wipe it off. To help save the environment one less sheet of paper at a time, check out some Great GPS Devices. Whether you are looking to buy your first GPS, or thinking about upgrading, it is worth your time.
By: Jeremy Lakota
