GPS Failure Scenario

[Lifestyle Overland]

How prepared are you for GPS failure? What would you do if your GPS navigation just flat-out died in the middle of an overland journey? Whether it was device failure or simply a bad solar flare, would you feel comfortable continuing your route?

 

[Masheen365]

I've been using and reading paper maps since I was able to unfold them (still can't fold them back) on our family trips out west. In the truck I keep a very detailed National Geographic Atlas of Georgia and a "back roads" map of North Georgia that I picked up our last trip up there. If we venture out of that area I'll get more maps to cover it.

We primarily use GPS via my phone but I like to look and plan on paper maps of some sort.

 

[The other Sean]

I've been using and reading paper maps since I was able to unfold them (still can't fold them back) on our family trips out west. In the truck I keep a very detailed National Geographic Atlas of Georgia and a "back roads" map of North Georgia that I picked up our last trip up there. If we venture out of that area I'll get more maps to cover it.

We primarily use GPS via my phone but I like to look and plan on paper maps of some sort.

Same here. paper maps and always having a general idea of where you are. and a general idea of where all the roads and major landmarks are. Never hurts to have an extra compass stashed randomly in your rig and or gear.

I also think back to the first time I went deer hunting as a kid and was going to be hiking to my tree stand alone. My old man stopped me before I stepped In to the woods and said "hold on. See the road we are standing on? It goes North and south for miles and miles. Take out your compass. See how you are about to walk west in to the woods? if you get turned around, Just head east and also listen for cars. You will find the road. You may be a mile or three north or south of here, but, you will find this road." Even 25 years later, I can still feel him stopping me and making me think for a second before I Step in to the woods or change course while already in the woods. Just blindly making turns and not keeping a "mental map" of where you are is not a good idea ever.

 

[vegasjeepguy]

3x on the maps. I always try to get a topo map of the area I am going. Some are 50+ page map books of a state and others are the traditional foldout maps. You end up with a pretty good collection over time if you travel much and they store easily. Just make sure they are protected to a certain degree from damage and spilled coffee. Map books store easily in the back of my Jeep and folded maps are kept in an ammo can.

I also have several compasses, but the must accessible is a carabiner type I keep clipped to my pack. I wouldn't use it on a land nav course, but it will get you oriented.

 

[RaggedViking]

With very little effort - besides maybe a phone call and a quick drive - you can get maps from most town halls that feature established trails.
BUT, if you have a detailed map book or atlas and a compass, you'll do just fine.

 

[expeditionnorth]

I grew up with USGS topo maps and a compass

I have a large collection of USGS maps for VT

a write up I did quite a few years ago for another forum, sadly i never did the second half of this:

We attempted the shadow left method for this and also tried another method we will discuss at the end. Here is our second attempt to setup the stick. The first area of our yard the sun disappeared after 20 minutes. We also learned that it was hard to see exactly where the shadow ended in the grass. So in the next few photos you will see how I had the little guy throw some snow down to highlight that shadow a bit more. By the way the ground was so dam frozen from the lack of any real good snow, our frost levels are really deep and that prevented us from even pushing a simple stick into the ground. You can get around this by placing snow, rocks, or debris or what not as a support or markers.

Here is where we threw the snow down to get more contrast for this experiment

Here is the 30 minute mark and I placed the Gerber saw I got last week off E-bay from 5staredc to show the line somewhat the shadow is creating.

At the 50 minute mark I sun was disappearing behind the haze once again. Given we had a hazy sky for this experiment. I am sure a full bright sun would have been easier to work with. So I had little Mikie place a stick just below our markers to show how the sun moves. So our first shadow was cast to the west and every shadow after that progressively goes to the east. So this is our east West line.

So now if we add another stick we have the North & South lines as well. North is at the bottom of the photo and South towards the top, East towards the left along with of course West to the right. This is the celestial North line. This may be off from the magnetic North a slight bit but for this purpose it is close enough.

There is another method I call the shadow stick. You drive a stick into the ground pointed at the sun until the shadow it creates is eliminated. In awhile say 30 minutes the shadow should grow. This also provides an East West line, however our sun was not maybe intense enough to provide that shadow even after an hour. I feel the subdued sky is to blame. Here are a couple of photos of those attempts in two locations like our other method.

After you have your E, W, S, & North lines there is another method you can try at night time. You place another stick into the ground a couple of feet behind your first on the North South line to the South. When the stars are bright in the night time sky you sight from the second stick to the top of the 1st stick to the North Star. Place a mark on this 2nd stick. If you were to run some paracord in the day time from this mark to the top of the 1st stick it would be pointing at the North Star. If you were to measure the angle during the daytime this would basically give you the longitude of where you were. When we have brighter skies I would try to get this posted for examples.
So the downfall is that it may not be precisely accurate but for wilderness navigation it will get you out of a lost situation. Of course an area of exposed sky is always helpful.
I hope you enjoy this as I learned this years ago and thought it would be of interest here.

 

[Rogue Beardsman]

I use one of these...

Though i have been looking to buy actual gps units for a backup. For now i use my phone. Mostly for navigating unfamiliar cities to find hotels or specific stops when short on time.

I like collecting maps so whenever i go to a new area i pick up a map. I keep some in the rig at all times along with the atlas. I like to have one for where my mom lives,one for where my dad lives, one for where i live, one for the area id go if i was bugging out(and places in between here and there), and a few us maps and other related maps( forest roads, national parks)

The other maps go on the bookshelf so i can swap out as needed.

 

[Mad Garden Gnome]

How prepared are you for GPS failure? What would you do if your GPS navigation just flat-out died in the middle of an overland journey? Whether it was device failure or simply a bad solar flare, would you feel comfortable continuing your route?

I mainly use GPS as a refence. My main nav is maps.

 

[WJ - Firefly]

Maps and compass. I always loved maps when I was a kid. I learned to use a compass and Topo maps in the boy Scouts. I had to perfect my navigation skills for piloting aircraft and sailing offshore and coastal. I have used GPS (and Loran prior) mainly for business mapping. I have enjoyed the improvements to GPS and now make sure I have access to at least one of the systems. But, I am always confident in my ability to navigate without it. I also recently discovered how to put my WJ compass in to digital mode and get rid of the N,S,E,W display. It then displays the compass heading of the jeep down to the degree.

 

[Captain Josh]

Maps and compass. I always loved maps when I was a kid. I learned to use a compass and Topo maps in the boy Scouts. I had to perfect my navigation skills for piloting aircraft and sailing offshore and coastal.

I second learning compass and topo from Boy Scouts. This is an invaluable skill. I also improved my skills when learning piloting. Give me a map and compass, and I'll be set.

 

[TheMcCalls]

How prepared are you for GPS failure? What would you do if your GPS navigation just flat-out died in the middle of an overland journey? Whether it was device failure or simply a bad solar flare, would you feel comfortable continuing your route?

Real talk? I'd be screwed and leaning on those around me for help... LOL

By birth, I'm a city boy. Born and raised in Miami, FL.

Haven't gotten a chance to be outdoors much until recently, and have a lot on my to-learn list. Until then, no solo trips!

 

[TreXTerra]

I learned to navigate before good GPS was a thing, we were really excited when we could plug the old eTrex into a laptop and run it off an inverter.

Here is what I do when I'm going out:

1. Bring paper maps and a compass, know how to use them and how to navigate by topography.
2. Review your route. Have a general idea of what the lay of the land is, where your highways are and how to get to civilization if all your navigation fails, the poles reverse, and a Hppogriff carries your map away. This doesn't have to be in-depth either, just something along the lines of "County road X is to my east and connects to the interstate and the highway; the river is to my west and flows south; If I get lost, keep heading away from the river to reach tarmac or follow the river trail downstream until I hit town."
3. If you are using electronic navigation, be sure you have backups. I can use both my phone and my stand-alone GPS if need be. I also cache maps for offline use. Let's say all the GPS satellites are eaten by a giant space-moth, at least I can still pull up the map of the area (although I would probably just break out the DeLorne gazetteer at that point).

The big thing is to know your route as much as possible, or at least the general lay of the land.

 

[Billy "Poserlander" Badly]

I usually just set a bunch of fires and wait for someone to find me... Sure, it's dangerous, and I've started more than my share of forest fires, but it's easier than learning to use a compass.

But seriously, I love paper maps and like @TreXTerra says, it's incredibly useful to simply have a general idea of where you are in relation to everything else. If you know your cardinal directions at all times, and have a rough idea of the nearest road, river, town, etc..., that'll go a long way.

 

[Scott]

I carry maps for most western states in my truck and I keep a compass in every vehicle I own, and I know how to use them.

 

[vicali]

I grew up in the East Kootenays right in the center of the Rocky Mountain Trench.
I worked in the bush for a long time and never thought about where I was because I had the Steeples to the east;

and the Purcells to the west;

You could not get lost if you tried.. You could see Fisher Peak almost anywhere in the trench to landmark from - Literally, this is the highway out of town;

So I carried a compass but only used it to run lines and do grids. Didn't really think about getting turned around.

Then I moved to northern BC and worked up there;
I had never experience really counting on your compass to figure out which way is up.. I spent a few days walking in circles before I figured out that I needed to take bearings and carry maps from the first step in the morning to the last step back at the truck at the end of the day. I carried a GPS every day but never switched it over to navigate my way out.

Looks like fun right?

Now we live in the central interior, a bigger area, still mountain ranges and huge rivers splitting everything up though, hard to get lost but I still keep my head up and pay attention to which way I'm heading and how to get back. I don't worry about solar flares or GPS network dropping out- in fact these days going out is more about getting away from that altogether. I carry paper maps, have an idea of where we are going, and landmark from features when I can.

 

[Laurits]

I learned to always carry a compas and a map of where I was going in Viet Nam years ago. I still carry those two items no matter where I go in the wild bush.

 

[Terry Pickens]

I always carry paper maps as a backup.

 

[Canyon15]

Hope this isn't off topic but along with the items you all have mentioned, I carry a piece of aluminum foil so that I can make a boot imprint with it, if I have to leave my vehicle or I start a trail or hike. Usually leave in the dash so someone can take a pic. of it if the need arises.