Camping Lights

GPS, once the private domain of the military or extremely wealthy has now, like all electronic gizmos, become extremely affordable.

For the camper and hiker the hand held GPS units now available on the market are incredible value when compared to the safety factor that they provide. Gone are the days of struggling with a map in the wind and rain. Your compact hand held GPS unit will keep you an track and knowing where you are all the time.

Although you may no longer need the maps and traditional compass it is still advisable to carry them as a backup because, unfortunately, as good as as it is, technology can fail.

OK, so what can you expect in a hand held GPS unit? Just about anything you can think of. They range from digital compasses, which can store up to 500 waypoints for under $100 to units fully loaded with full color topographic terrain maps. These units are still not expensive and there are many available for under $200.

Top end models even provide the facility to display a 3D picture of your position, route and surroundings.

For my money if you are venturing into the wilderness and let’s face it that’s one of the big attractions of camping and hiking, you are potentially facing some serious risks. A GPS unit gives you the peace of mind that you will never be lost.

Sadly and all too often the news reports the serious injury or death of someone in the wild who simply lost their way. All of which can be avoided by the investment in one of today’s truly remarkable pieces of technology.

GPS units can also add an element of entertainment to your camping and hiking trip and add another fun activity which will keep the kids entertained for hours. You may or may not have heard of Geo-caching.

Geo-caching is a high-tech treasure hunting game played throughout the world by adventure seekers equipped with GPS devices. The basic idea is to locate hidden containers, called geocaches, outdoors and then share your experiences online. Geocaching is enjoyed by people from all age groups, with a strong sense of community and support for the environment. You can find out more about Geo-caching at http://www.geocaching.com/

Geocaching is a great way to spend an afternoon, a day, or a weekend. This activity seems to be taking the nation by storm and is partly responsible for the rising popularity and availability of GPS navigation systems on the market today. Many people aren’t simply purchasing minimal systems that guide them to their coordinates with beeps and blips but investing in complete systems that can provide much more useful tracking and mapping utilities.

No matter what your specific needs, there are many systems that could suit them quite nicely. Take the time to study what is available and reconcile your needs with your budget in order to find the one that will work best for you. Handheld GPS systems with mapping abilities offer a highly affordable option along with some surprising extra features. Good luck in finding the perfect navigation system for you. It’s out there somewhere.

Time after time we’ve checked site after site only to find that the cheapest hand held GPS are to be found at Amazon.

Other sites may discount a few dollars, but this is lost (and more besides) after you add delivery charges on top.

As well as that, many other sites may offer a lower price, but they never have any in stock. In most cases they hope to lure you in with one product they don’t have, in the hope you’ll purchase something else from them while you’re there.

Our advice? Stick with Amazon for your cheapest camping cookware. They really are, consistently the cheapest source of hand held GPS. In almost every case, products purchased at Amazon qualify for super saver and include free delivery. Certainly if you buy a couple of other things besides.

This is why we almost exclusively select Amazon as our best buy stockist, and why you can still get the cheapest hand held GPS from them.

Stan Craigie is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.