imajeep

A couple of quick questions about this forum: (1) Is there an default I can set so that I will get email notifications of replies to my posts, without having to set the option each time I post? (2) Is there a default that I can set that will supress the extra line that the forum adds between paragraphs in a post? I am constantly having to edit posts to remove extra lines (that I added). Thanks!

I'm working a series where the third cache is halfway between the first two. So, to get the coordinates of the third cache, I need to project a waypoint at the midpoint between caches 1 and 2. Any suggestions on software that can do this for me? I haven't seen any web pages with this type of calculation. I am told that GSAK can do it, but I can't find a menu command or macro that fits the bill. If all else fails, I'll sit down with MapSource and use the measurement tool. But I'd rather not do that, because it is rather inexact, and I suspect the cache owner placed #3 at the exact midpoint. Thanks!

I looked for an existing thread to attach this story to, but couldn't find one--so I'll start one. Ever had a hunt that went spectacularly wrong? An idea that seemed really good at the time, but ended up making you look like an absolute idiot? Come on, all of us are idiots some of the time (and some of us are idiots all of the time!). I'll make an initial contribution, my hunt for Yerkes' Tap. Here's the DNF I posted. It may be difficult to look any sillier than this!

I use Topo 2008 for my GPSmapo 60 CSx, but I use NatGeo for printed maps that I use as backup. Plus, some sites (like the Sierra Club Hundred Peaks Club in SoCal) haven't converted their online maps to GPX yet. Their maps are in NatGeo format. As other people have noted, you can't load NatGeo maps into a Garmin. However, you can export breadcrumb tracks from a Garmin and import them as map overlays into NatGeo.

I'm glad I'm not the only person who was annoyed by that issue.

Could be tough if you don't have landmarks to get a fix from. A lot of caches are in urban areas, and you can pretty much use Google Earth to get a fix on them. But here in Illinois (a/k/a the Flatlands), a lot are in the middle of forests. Theoretically, it could be done, but you'd have to be really good with the map and compass.

Thanks. Like the quotes on your stationery. Also like the avatar. My wife and I have 'Life is Good' T-shirts with the same icon and the phrase "Not all who wander are lost".

Here's a question from my better half: Does anyone make a decent pair of women's hiking pants? By 'decent', she means hiking pants that actually have pockets and are proportioned for women. She doesn't care for most women's hiking pants, because they don't have many pockets--she feels they are made for show and not for go. So, she has been buying men's hiking pants, but she hates the fit. Have any of the women here found a pair of hiking pants that fit, and that have enough pockets to actually carry stuff? Thanks.

All American people thinks that there are only one country in the world. This site is for all, not only US Ah, yes; xenophobia rules! Here we see American xenophobia ("welcome to this country") and European xenophobia ("All American people thinks that there are only one country in the world")! Boys and girls, get on a plane and visit each other's countries! You will have a ball, and you will probably learn something!

I really like the SPOT, but I think I'm going to go with a PLB. The current SPOT doesn't have a high-sensitivity receiver (at leat according to this review). I really like SPOT's non-emergency notification features, but if I get into trouble, there's a 50-50 chance I'm going to be under forest canopy or in a canyon. Given that, SPOT comes up short as a substitute for a PLB. Obviously, I could carry both, a PLB for emergencies, and a SPOT for check-ins. I don't like that idea, given the expense and the hassle of having another gizmo to carry along when I go out. The SPOT is a very new device, and what I'm really hoping is that the manufacturer upgrades its GPS chip to SIRFstar III or one of the newer high-sensitivity chips out there. So, I may hold off for a while to see if that happens.

Wow, this is one serious thread! In the Chicagoland area we have cachers with thousands of finds--they are numbers players. They may log an event cache 150 times, because the event had 150 event-only caches, which a mob went around and logged. And i'm sure we have other people who log caches they never visited, have their friends/co-conspirators sign them into, and so on. But so what? I honestly don't see how any of that affects me. I'm not competing with anybody, and I certainly don't see my number of caches found as being some sort of status symbol. So if some people derive a sense of self-worth from finding thousands of caches, they can be my guest. I don't think they are degrading the game. Now, maybe that's because I personally believe that anybody with five thousand finds is either pumping their numbers, or they are in serious need of a life. But, unless it makes hiders less willing to hide, I could care less.

It took me three trips to find my first cache, and a month to find my first half-dozen or so. After you get a few, something clicks, and you've got 'geo-sense'.

I like Crank Sports eGel. No sugar, heavy on electrolyte replacement. Used them climbing out of the Grand Canyon in September. Amazed at how much easier they made the trek out.

Here are a few others: EveryTrail.com GpsTrailMaps.com Gpxchange.com Sierra Club Hundred Peaks (SoCal) (angeles.sierraclub.org/hps/hpslist.htm) TrailRegistry.com WikiWalki.com

Great site, thanks!

Good point--In my case, I do a dozen solo hikes a year where I'd feel better having one of these along, particularly in desert conditions. But if you only do a hike or two off the beaten track, renting is definitely the way to go.

I compared these a few months ago. There are several 406MHz PLBs now in the $400-$450 range (example 1, example 2). Once you add the $100/yr subscription ($150/yr if you want the tracking feature as well) to the SPOT service to the $150 price for the SPOT device itself, the SPOT ends up costing the same as a low-end PLB after only 2.5-3yrs. A rugged electronic device like a PLB should really last 10yrs or more with reasonable care. After 10yrs (if the SPOT service is even still around, since it's a private, proprietary system) the SPOT ends up costing $1150-$1650 while your PRB was still only $400-$450. Standard PLBs such as the ones you point out here are strictly last resort PLBs. Their only function in life is to be a last resort call for help. There is no other device that operates in the same capacity as the SPOT. The comparisons I'm seeing so far is like comparing TIVO PVR with it's subscription based service to a VCR. The SPOT looks to be like a personal homing device to post on the web by subscription first and be a PLB second. Don't get me wrong. I'm not dissing the standard PLB. They do their job as designed and they do it well. The SPOT looks to fill a void where the standard PLB fails to do so. To give comfort to folks at home while I'm off on a hike that takes me out of cellular reach. For my not too far in the future multi-day hike, this seems like worth the cost to me. Bearing in mind this is a first version of its kind, I'm interested to see what the next generation has in store for when I'm ready for my multi-day hike. I can see that--it would be nice if GPS units has the 'check in' feature.

Thanks, that's helpful. I have also learned to be careful when selecting among several different PLBs. The low-end models don't have built-in GPS. The PLB satellites can still triangulate, so you will still get help. But the consensus seems to be that a unit with built-in GPS will get help faster. Probably also a good idea to make sure a GPS-enabled PLB has a high-sensitivity GPS chip, like the SIRF 3.

I found this review of SPOT in GPS Magazine: SPOT Satellite Messenger Personal Tracker Review Verdict: Unique Features. A Great Idea. Not Sensitive Enough. Kind of a shame. I really like SPOT's 'Check In' feature. But if I take a fall in a canyon and break my leg, I'm going to need the most reliable transmitter I can get. From that perspective, 406 MHz PLBs appear to have a real advantage.

I may be able to answer my own question. I found a pretty good review of SPOT and a comparison to 406 MHz PLBs here. Bottom line seems to be that SPOT may have issues in canyons or under tree cover. 406 MHzPLBs appear to be more reliable in these situations. As to cost, over a five-year useful life, the SPOT costs about the same as a 406 MHz PLB.

I'm thinking about getting a 406 mHz Personal Locater Beacon. Does anyone have any experience with these? Any recommendations? I've also seen the SPOT Sattelite Personal Messenger. Any thoughts about using one of these, rather than a 406 mHz PLB? Thanks.

I'll second Big Agnes. As good as sleeping at home.

GPS topos can be very handy. The first time you get lost in the woods, you will be glad you've got them. Mine paid for themselves on the first hike (yes, I got lost).

I like my Camelbak RimRunner. 3 liter resevoir, very comfortable to wear.

Thanks, all, for the great info! I fell like I've got a much better idea of how to dress for the cold!