travis71

I have been mapping out a local park, the FSRs & trails, & xferrin them individually to google earth. I would like to sorta combine the tracks on my Vista HCX using the mapsource software, & have done so... .However when I load the combined tracks into the GPS, it truncates some of them. I assume this is due to the fact that there are too many points per track, so I need to break them up some more. I couldnt locate a definitive answer in the manual to tell me what themax # of points in a single track are. Can anyone assist me on this please? thanks! trav

any opinions on http://www.sportsauthority.com/product/ind...oductId=2532201 ??? I dont want to buy a pair of sticks that are gonna snap on me!

I think the odometer bug has been worked on & is continuing to be worked on by Garmin. I use my GPS to track my hikes & give me a reading on the distance. My first major outing with my new Vista HCX was much more accurate than my old legend, & after my hike I uploaded the maps to Mapsource, then viewed them on Google Earth. In GE I traced my path with the measuring tool & it was virtually the same. Any difference in the mileage I blame on me not tracing the trail I walked precisely. I do hike at a decent clip, fo rme tis exercise & I want to cover some ground. Its not a run or anything close, but I dont drag my feet. I really like my HCX, the bug is a non issue for me, AND ITS A FEATURE I USE ALL THE TIME. In regards to the barometer/compass thing... I like the compass alot... even if I have to calibrate it everytime I go out, it takes like 20 seconds. Regardless of what model you go with, I think my best advice would be not to shop retail, but online. You are likely going to save more money, & get a better model by shopping online. I got my Vista HCX thru a deal on REI a month or two ago for ~ $198 shipped. That was a pretty insane bargain, but it def pays to look around.

kinda what I figured.... maybe I could find a place that wouls ell me one pole at a time, then maybe I cold afford em! >

6'3" 255ish atm, & my CB Rim Runner, while a great day pack, could use another 1-2" of space where the straps are sewn into the pack at the top. Ah well, the idea of making a real pack is months away at best. I have much to learn & do before I reach that point.... And I might lose interest, or just come to the realization that I cant do it, but this is important for me to try.... besides, I have already ordered ~ 32' of 1.9 ripstop nylon & 5000' of poly thread to sew with! har!

Any of you all use the cheapo pulls from gander mtn/dicks/wal mart, or all of you sporting brand name poles?

I am cheap, but nto so cheap that I would use a piece of crap because it was free, vs something nice because it is expensive. I am a pretty big guy with road shoulders... I think making my own pack would be a good thing, since I could have the straps actually fit me well, as opposed to how my camelback squeezes me. I dont have an REI or any other outfitter near by, unfortunately... so I am kinda out on a limb on the gear scene... I am either making my own, or trusting in mail order.

The updater will update your GPS to patch 2.5 I believe.... and there have been improvements made to the odo bug, but it is not fixed.

My Vista works just fine inside of my car.... heck it gets a signal in my house (barely) where my cell phone service is patchy.

I edit all of my hikes in Mapsource, then view them in Google Earth. I do this in particular for hikes I do at a local state park, because I think their maps are s***ty, & I want to have a more accurate representation of them. I have mapped about half of the FSRs & trails in this smallish park & did my first hike with the Vista HCX last weekend. I did change the interval to more frequent, or w/e the "most" option would have been. I do hike at a pretty good clip, my hiking is for fitness as well as a hobby, & I dont like to lag much. From what I could tell of my overlay of the park on GE, the thing didnt deter much at all from the course I hiked... at least not to my eye. At the end of the hike the Vista said that I had trekked ~ 7.7 miles. I just went back & traced a rough overlay of my route & GE measured more around 8 miles. Now, whether the difference is due to the problem the unit has with the odometer, or if its because I didnt trace the EXACT trail (dot to dot) that the GPS recorded... well, I dunno. I think the error WILL effect a user, depending on their pace, but my first outing with the GPS seems to indicate that it will function better than my Legend, in regards to charting my trips & recording them online.

Well, I am going to follow the basic design instructions here http://www.tothewoods.net/HomemadeHammock.html Though that is not the exact type of hammock I am going to make... The one I will make will have tie-outs on the side to give it an ASYM shape ala Hennessey Hammocks. The tie outs will give me a little more space than I would have otherwise. The next step will be to make a bugnet &/or hammock sock. I have not yet decided if I am going to make my hammock have a zip in net (that hangs from the ridgeline & around the entire hammock), or one that will hang around the entire hammock. There are different methods to how you tie off the ends of the hammock, that results in a different "lay". I am a side sleeper, & I will need to experiment to see what suits my sleep style the best. My short term goal is to make a couple of stuffsacks, & to make a hammock. I am making hte sacks because they have a practical use & are easy to make... and will serve to get me used to using a sewing machine. I have bought enough ripstop nylon to make 3 long hammocks. I figure that will be enough to experiment with, & will give me alot of practice at hemming the edges. I figure after making those, I will have a better idea of what I want to make next. At some point I will have to decide on whether I can make my own tarp, or if it would be time & money better spent on simply buying one outright. I would like to make it just to know I can. There are several designs out there for quilts, both over & under quilts. I will definitely be using an overquilt as opposed to a sleeping bag, because I can make it & it will save me money. I am torn on the underquilt though.. they seem to be more complex to make & I do not believe they will completely replace a sleeping pad in my pack. But again, there are some things about hammock camping that I need to experience first hand before I can make up my mind on. Once I have made all my hammock gear, I will also have an idea if I am able to make my own backpack for backpack camping. I think that the designs for those are as complex as you want them to be, & I dont know if I would be satisfied with something I created, as opposed to something I could buy. The $200 tags on packs is sick though... I dont think that I could bring myself to pull the trigger on that, when I know I could make something that works myself.

I recently picked up a Vista HCX, & love it. There is a problem with the odometer, but as long as you arent crawling, I dont think it is a huge issue. I took it with me on a hike this past weekend & it kept a good record of my tracks, much better than my old Legend. I love it. I have not used a CX, I can only say that it was bigger than what I wanted. For $300 you can get an HCX, & a memory card.... And maybe last years topo maps.

Yes, I meant a track, & thanks! That is sorta what I figured.

I am a first year hiker & did a short 6 mile trip a month or two ago up in the mountains here in WV. It was a painful trip, it was 3.5 miles down & then back up the same way on a road, in blowing snow & cold. I drink a good deal when I am hiking, to make certain I stay hydrated. This day was somewhat different, I guess because the first leg was all downhill, I wasnt hitting off the camelback at all. When I did get thirsty, I went to take a pull off of it & it was frozen enough that no water was coming through. I did not/do not have one of those insulated sleeves for the tube, & it was fairly cold (esp with the wind) so I guess I shouldnt have been suprised. Anyhow, what I did was just tuck the straw down between my pack & the bag, & it thawed in short order. After that I just took regular drinks & tried to run the tube under my pack strap to help with the freezing. I didnt have the problem again.

On the topic of mapsource... is there any way to append a trail midway? I assume there isnt, since you can only join from the beginning to end, which just blows. Also, is there a way to move a point in a trail?

I have been doing a LOAD of research into the subject, & I ahve decided to go with a hammock. However, I am not going to buy one outright, I am getting the stuff together in an attempt to DIY a hammock shelter system. Based on what I have read, I should be able to do it at a fraction of the cost... If I dont like the way it lays, I can re-tie it to get a different lay out of it. I am lookin forward to giving this a try... I know very little about sewing & am anxious to get into it. I am starting off with some stuff sacks & then will move up to hemming my hammock, & tying it off. I figure once I have a couple of hammocks under my belt, along with a few stuff sacks, I will have more confidence in my ability.... and be able to get to work on sewing a bugnet, & then a tarp for shelter. Then there is the question of a quilt, etc... But I am really just wanting to see how I do with the stuff sacks ATM. I figure I can outfit my buddy & I with the stuff we would need for warm weather car camping for about $40... The jury is still out on the pack. I cant find any info about Ray Jardines kits, & TBH the dude maybe an ace at all things DIY & outdoors, but I think the dude has drank the kool-aid. I might end up just buying a pack, but would like to DIY one jsut to say I did it.

How can you tell what version of firmware your GPS has?

When did you last update Miragee?

Wow TL, that bad lad weight 5 lbs... Do you have a pack animal?

Thanks Belair!!!! PM sent! And thanks Rockrat for chiming in, I knew you had a hammock pack & wondered if you had gotten to use it much. Your neck of the woods is where I would likely use it most often... in the Red Creek area more than likely. the more I weigh the options, the more it looks like I will be tent camping. I love the self sufficiency of the hammock, but dont want to have to camp 6 miles from the camp because I cant find trees that will cooperate with me.

Hennessey seems to be the goto guys for the hammocks. TL also mentioned the cold being an issue in them... But it seems to me that would be solved by a good sleeping pad. The Hennessey site has a video showing entry & exit from the hammock & it looks amazingly easy. The big benefit with the hammock (to me) doesnt have much to do with weight saving... But that it raises me a little off the ground... so if the terrain is rocky/rooty I dont have to sweat it. In regards to the concern of becoming a bear feed bag, well... I guess that kinda seems like a 50-50 to me. Again, not a camper, & have never been attacked by a bear... BUT the hammock actually seems like it would be easier to get out of if a bear decided to poke around the campsite. About the trees having to be a certain distance apart.... I am not really sure about this... they do seem to recommend ~ 10' of space between your two posts... It SEEMS to me that you would be able to vary the distance by a few feet by letting the strap out a bit.... But again, no first hand experience. I would like to know the answer to this one as well. It would be important for me to camp AT the campsite, not 45' off away from the site because the trees there are useless.

I just got mine & have been assin around with it some... When you press the power button it turns on with no backlighting... if you press the power button a 2nd time it will set the backlighting to 50%, & again it will go to 100%. I know this doesnt really answer your question, but I generally turn it on, press the button to get it to 50% then hit the thumb key to begin navigating.

Thakns for all the responses guys, keep em coming!!!! Are those "flip" sleeping bags good? That seems like a good idea. Brian I really appreciate the suggestion on the pack size, & fit... Thats pretty valuable. TL advised me to rent gear from REI, but those bastages dont have one near me!!! *shakes fist*

I *know* the RS page originally listed the 1500 as having cables, etc in the box.

With the topo maps, can they go on more than one GPS?