Originally Posted by
Bacciagalupe
In defense of the GPS..
Long story short: You turn it on, you know
exactly where you are. You don't have to carry around tons of maps. GPS's are pretty cheap now, and the better units allow you to pre-load routes and have topo maps.
I've also toured in the US and Europe, and even with a detailed map it's pretty easy to get lost; e.g. roads in rural Ireland are poorly marked. Some folks might like getting lost, but I'd rather not show up at my destination 3 hours late because the road I'm on isn't marked.
I don't think a GPS cell phone is the way to go, though, as it may not have maps pre-loaded. I.e. no service, no maps. A standard GPS will have the maps pre-loaded, so as soon as you acquire a signal, you're all set.
I wouldn't use it as my primary navigation method (batteries drain too fast), but it's an excellent tool if you get lost.
All excellent points with the last point being the most important. You should never rely on an electronic device for you primary means of navigation. I sail and one of the hardest things to do is to keep your dead reckoning skills in practice. The GPS is just way to easy to use.
Originally Posted by
Machka
GPSs have only been around for a few years, but people have been touring by bicycle for over 100 years ... how do you think they managed?
And people sailed the oceans for hundreds of years before the invention of the compass and around a couple thousand of years without a sextant. You can certainly sail without them but most people would never consider it. The GPS is not nearly irreplaceable as a sextant or a compass but it is a very useful tool.
Sure you don't need a GPS for navigating as Machka suggests but it sure makes the job easier and gives you piece of mind.
The two features I like the best is getting a constant feedback of the distance to your next destination. This can be very useful while on tour. Another feature I like is being able to relive your tour. I like to download the tracks to Google Earth and just get a birds eys view of the places I have been. Sometimes I am able to see better routes in case I visit the area again.