UKH

Hi all, I want to invest in a portable GPS device, with altitude and decent topographic maps, for back up and cross checking my position alongside a map and compass. Primarily wanting to use this in  winter conditions so iPhone apps are of no interest. Has anybody got any experience with Garmin Fenix 5 range for this application, or should I look at larger dedicated units such as GPSMAPS64 or Etrex? Any other brand suggestions are welcome

Hi Sam,

           I've the GPSMAP62s (predecessor to the 64s) and can certainly recommend it.  It's not the best device for viewing mapping as small screened, but for use alongside your map and compass it's excellent.  Buttons rather than touch screen which I like, but the buttons are on the small side - occasionally awkward with big gloves on.  I've found the battery life v.good even in cold conditions (I use with Eneloop rechargeables) and the customisation options make it really easy to get the functions you want quickly, and get rid off all the stuff you don't use or need.  I've got the whole of UK in 1:50k on an SD card and 1:25 of the cairngorm national park saved onto the device memory and it automatically switches between the 2 as you zoom in / out which I like as well.

I've no experience of the Fenix5, but I'm not overly impressed with my Fenix3 when in ultratrac mode - the GPS seems to bounce location around a lot with some really daft outlying waypoints logged.  Seems much better in running mode where it takes far more waypoints, but this really runs down the battery!

Cheers,

Stu

Pedant alert: the S in GPS stands for system, so "GPS system" is a tautology. 

Also, 99.9% of such devices are GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) devices, using the US GPS network in addition to the Russian GLONASS network. Many also have the ability to use Galileo (the EUs version) once it gets up and running (around 2020).

To answer your actual question: if you want mapping, I'd suggest using your phone (I can't understand why you'd want an extra device...) in parallel with the OS Maps app (c. £20/year). Keep it warm, and potentially carry a small battery pack to keep it going - far cheaper than a standalone unit with mapping.  If you just want a grid reference to sanity check yourself, I'd get a basic GNSS watch. An old Garmin Fenix (3) would suffice and have good battery life, especially if you don;t use it to track your activities. IMO maps on watches are next to useless due to the limitations of screen size.

As I'm sure you know, ultratrac mode only records a location once per minute, whilst the running mode is once per second. Obviously you'll get a less detailed track and any duff measurements (common in the hills due to signal reflections) will become increasingly apparent. The Fenix 5 also suffers from this (incurable) issue but has excellent battery life and will easily do 12 hours of logging location, barometric elevation and OHR every second in my experience (and all the other stuff, which is really just calculated from the above alongside time).

Yes, I concur - ultratrac does give some bizarre locations and tracks, but given how it works that's not surprising.  My Fenix 5s will do a 12 hour day in normal mode though, and I can charge it 2-3 times off a battery pack, so I don't ever really use ultratrac and the normal mode is pretty good.  I can't comment on the Fenix 5 for mapping as the small form factor version that I have only does breadcrumb trails, however for my most common uses which are to log days out and to occasionally get an OS grid reference of my current location for a bit of extra confidence in poor visibility, it is perfect.

I wouldn't immediately discount the iphone approach. I use an old 4S with all UK 1:50K loaded on to it. So long as your battery still holds charge, and you store it in an inside breast pocket to keep it warm, the cold isn't a problem.

If you only use it occasionally and shield it from the rain snow, the touch screen still works.

I can operate it without taking my gloves or mitts off, by using my nose....

With the digi maps there is no transposing the grid ref back to the paper map. Which can be surprisingly hard with ice all over my glasses,  and the breeze clutching the map case or if worse your body being 'rag-dolled' by the wind.

See location on digital map, move back to paper map.  Then do a second check on the phone if required in case of an inaccurate 'lock', and away you go on good old map, compass and watch altimeter (if you have one & and it still works...mine doesn't!).  The phone is then not exposed for more than a minute or two at most.

It's not so much a less detailed track i.e. straightlining curved tracks similar to if you jump on a bike and leave a normal GPS logging every minute etc, but hugely off course outliers (up to 1km in some cases) that I find the problem.  It's really easy to see if you stop for any length of time as you get a fairly wide scatter gun pattern shown as a track at the location.  Manually editing the track of a walk in the summer to remove the daft waypoints knocked 3.5km off a 32km given length!  2 other folk I know have the same issue with it - seems just to be a comparatively poor GPS chip in the fenix 3  compared to other watch based units.  Not great if you're using it for a location check and turns out it's 1km out esp if that then makes you question your nav.  In running mode, it's great I use it a lot for hill runs in the mountains and no issue with accuracy / precision of the readings in normal mode but don't bother anymore for walking.

I think the software must use a waypoint averaging system to record the "official" waypoint similar to the option you can enable on the GPS62s but takes far less (or perhaps only a single fix) per waypoint in ultra track compared to normal mode hence the bizarre outliers in ultratrac but not in other modes.

Anyway that's why I prefer the handheld over the watch if you're buying a dedicated unit to check your location and back up the map and compass the hand held seem much more reliable.  Later editions of the Fenix may have a better chip that eliminates this though!

To the OP: for occasional use and just to backup your map and compass work, don't necessarily discount a phone app.  I've used viewranger with a lot of success in pretty crap conditions (stylus helps!) as a back up and never had a problem.  Won't dwell on that though since you asked us not to!

Cheers!

Stu