Thanks for the detailed reply. That makes a lot of sense to me. I'm currently learning to use a map and compass. The main reason I wanted a GPS or phone with GPS on it though is for a detailed map and contour lines but it doesn't look like I will get those with any sort of reasonable battery life.
If you are going to learn to fully uuse contour lines then you need an altimeter in your GPS. ( Its possible to navigate using the altimeter and contour lines) eTrex® 32x Rugged Handheld GPS with Compass and Barometric Altimeter PART NUMBER 010-02257-00 Explore confidently with the reliable handheld GPS 2.2” sunlight-readable colour display with 240 x 320 display pixels for improved readability Preloaded with TopoActive maps with routable roads and trails for cycling and hiking Support for GPS and GLONASS satellite systems allows for tracking in more challenging environments than GPS alone 8 GB of internal memory for map downloads plus a microSD™ card slot eTrex 32x adds a 3-axis compass and barometric altimeter Battery life: up to 25 hours in GPS mode with 2 AA batteries There are Suunto watches with built-in Altimeters and Compass and some smartwatches also. Align the Map to the ground, then align the compass to the map. Place one edge of the compass on the desired line of travel (from where you are to where you want to be) Rotate the compass bearing ring until the Easting Grid of the compass align with the Easiting lines on the map. When your eastings are alingned then your compass bearing to the destination is the number on the the top of the bearing ring. Pick up the compass and using the Mirror and the compass shoot a bearing to an object along the desired line of travel..repeat this as often as required. (Point to point) Its that simple...40 years ago...never forgot it the rest is practice. Dense bush makes it hard..you will need to find a high spot to shoot a bearing from and then trust your compass to take you there.
This looks like the one for me and it just takes AAs. Actually excited to go use a compass. I'm going to get out and do it a bit this weekend.
This is your compass..https://silva.se/product/compasses/outdoor/ranger/
Its a lot of fun and it does take practice to build your confidence. Take a look on a map and pick a point you want to Navigate to and then get to it. See how close you can come to a reliable landmark. Rivers can change course but a large bend or the point of land surrounding it should be easy enough to find. Triangulation will become a really useful skill..Taking a bearing off two points and figuring out exactly where you are. Knowing your approximate length of stride and how long it takes you to walk a mile in uncongested terrain is also useful..I have been walking for 6 minutes which means I have probably covered x number of feet..knowing there is 5280ft in a mile or some other known number will help you estimate your progress from or to a destination..(the map is not the territory) You can break down your location into 10m grid points if your maps scale is sufficiently detailed..Literally so much fun to be had. Its a skill and having the correctly scaled map of the area will help you to plan and have a reasonable estimation of your time of travel depending on the terrain. Lots of fun. Be safe out there and be prepared. The better you plan the easier it will be.
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