GPS is a free service. You only have to pay for the receiver which you will carry around.

Important Note: There are restrictions on using GPS based devices in Sri Lanka. Check this discussion on Lakdasun Forum for more details.

Who use GPS devices?

from militaries, aviators, sailors to hikers like us can find this technology unbelievably helpful.

We carry a GPS receiver when we hike because:

1. It tell us where exactly we are and can help find our way to a known point (where we already know the co-ordinates) or can take us back on a track we have recorded. This gives you a great confidence in venturing in to unknown terrain since you are sure of finding your way back

2. It also provide us trip information such as Distance traveled, travel time, elevation etc, which are really useful in making decisions during a hike, andmany other interesting information such as the average speed, top speed, sunrise sunset times at a given location etc

3. It help me to record trails we travel and record points of interest so that we can share our experience accurately and consistently with other people (That’s exactly what we do in Our Trail Guides)

What to look for in a GPS receiver

It depends on what you want to use it for. If you want to use it as a street navigator you will need features such as map support. But if you only intend to use it for hiking (like us) the most basic GPS receiver will be more than enough

What should you look in a GPS device for Hiking in Sri lanka

1. Good signal reception – Most of our hiking trail go though thick forest canopies, mountain lopes, valleys and ridges. So a high sensitive GPS device is absolutely necessary. Otherwise you will lose satellite lock most of the time making the device completely useless.
2. Good battery life
3. Sturdy built – waterproof, shock proof
4. Small size

What I don’t necessarily need in my Hiking GPS

1. Map support – Map support is where you can load a digital map in your GPS so that it can help you navigate along street and guide you from place to place. In sri lanka we still don’t have digital maps with sufficient details yet and even if we had those, such maps will not have nature trails mapped in those. Update: Now there are digital maps of Sri Lanka available online
2. Colour display: during a hike, all the information you need can be very effectively displayed in a simple LCD display. Colour displays will add little value and reduce battery life
3. Large Display: again the same point. Since we are not using the device for navigation with map we do not need large displays which intern will make the device bulky and difficult to carry

Garmin etrex H

What have we used?

Garmin etrex: This unit had all the features that is desired in a GPS for hiking except that it was little weak on the signal sensitivity. Under thick forest canopy and in deep valleys the satellite lock was frequently lost. This does not mean that this unit is completely useless for hiking in Sri Lanka. We used an etrex device for about 4 years with satisfactory results and we still own one of them.

Garmin etrex H: in 2007 Garmin upgraded its basic GPS receiver to a newer model called etrex H. apparently “H” stands for “High-sensitive”. We upgraded to this model about an year back and it really is high-sensitive. Look, feel, and features, all very much identical to the previous model but this unit have been able to keep consistent satellite lock under almost every circumstance. Thick forest canopy, deep valleys no longer an issue. Many users have suggested that the etrex H got lower battery life compared to the etrex, but we haven’t noticed any significant difference between the two.

A last but an important remark

Don’t forget your compass. High tech comes with the obvious possibility of sudden failure. So don’t leave your old but faithful compass behind. I haven’t taken it out in a trail for years but I always carry it with me for the comfort of having a reliable navigational aid even if my GPS becomes unavailable for some reason.