Unpopular opinion: GPS devices fail way more than paper maps do

Last month I was hiking the Laurel Highlands Trail in Pennsylvania, about 12 miles in, when my Garmin just went black. Dead battery even though I charged it the night before. I was in a section with no cell service and heavy tree cover, totally reliant on that thing. I had a paper map in my pack as a backup but honestly I hadn't looked at it once the whole trip. Spent about 20 minutes trying to figure out where I was on the map and matching it to trail markers. Since then I've started carrying a small compass and actually practicing with the map before trips. Has anyone else had a GPS die on them mid-route and had to switch to paper?

2 comments

2 Comments

jesse_burns82d ago

Same thing happened to me on the AT last year. Never leave home without paper backup now.

fisher.taylor2d ago

Hard lesson to learn, but yeah paper maps never die.