If you have a Santa Baby who checks off the priciest items on your list, you might consider a handheld GPS unit. Here at FOTL we've had our eye on the Garmin 60CSx for a while, but given the pear-shaped nature of the economy—and more specifically, Mrs. Claus's 401(k)—we're currying favor by leaving all big-ticket items off the list this year. That doesn't mean your own Secret Santa won't pony up close to $300 to keep you from getting lost in the woods.By all accounts the new GPS units are far superior to those of just a few short years ago. They lock on satellites more easily, and track better under canopy cover. Safety notwithstanding, the real genius of the handheld GPS unit lies in its steel-trap memory. Unlike a foggy old forager, the computer chip remembers exactly where those epic mushroom patches and notellum fishing holes are located. Now if it could just find the missing 401(k)...
Yeah, I'm one of them "foggy old foragers", and frankly, it doesn't matter much how good your gps is if the foggy old forager ain't sharp enough to use it! I know this from experience. Seriously, a lot of users distrust a reading of only 1 or 2 satellites, which I get a lot in the woods, but a 1 sat reading will still get you out of the woods - just not as precisely as a 3 sat will.
ReplyDeleteMy sailor - kayaker/biker/bushwhacker - husband was positively gleeful whenever radar was a must, and now it's GPS. He has it down and would rather be 'lost' in the woods than anything else in the world I think. With a GPS in pocket of course. Thanks for this thoughtful recommendation.
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