In just a few weeks we will be leaving for vacation. We are fairly avid fans of the great outdoors and typically take several very short camping trips each summer. Usually this involves a campsite at fairly populated campground. This year we decided to step it up a notch and take one extended vacation and hike the back country. My wife is pretty much behind the idea although I am sure deep inside she would prefer to spend the week sitting by pool at some vacation international points resort. Needless to say she is a good sport and has already begun assessing our gear to see what else we might need for this type of adventure.

One piece of equipment we are going to invest in is a personal GPS unit. After reading all the horror stories last summer about people lost in the woods this seems like a good investment to make. Even if we never need it (which I hope is the case) I would rather be safe than sorry. I am considering the Garmin eTrex Legend GPS Navigator since it has such great reviews. The price is also great as you can pick one up for less than $100.00 right now. It appears to have a compact size and light weight which is ideal for hiking. In case you are in the market for one here are a few more details:

Product Features

* 8 MB of memory means there is also plenty of room for waypoints, routes, and saved tracks
* “Click-stick” is handy for moving through screen icons and menus
* Provides a range of data about hikes and drives, including current speed, average speed, trip distance, and time traveled
* Tracks location data from up to 12 GPS satellites
* Weighing in at only 5.3 ounces, fits into a pocket or clips onto a belt loop

Technical Details

* Receiver: 12 channels
* Differential ready (DGPS): Yes
* Acquisition time (cold): 45 seconds
* Acquisition time (warm): 15 seconds
* Update rate: 1 per second, continuous
* Position accuracy: 49 feet RMS
* Velocity accuracy: 0.1 knots RMS steady state
* Dynamics: 6 Gs
* Water-resistance rating: IPX7: Protected for 30 minutes at a depth of 3.3 feet
* Operating temperature range: 5.25 to 158.25 F
* Interfaces: RS-232 with NMEA 0183, RTCM 104 DGPS data format, Garmin proprietary
* Antenna: Internal patch
* Battery life: 22 hours
* Power consumption: 2.5 volts
* Waypoints: 500
* Track log: 10 tracks, 2000 tracklog points
* Track back: Yes
* Route log: 1 route with 50 waypoints
* Points of interest: Downloadable from MapSource CD-ROMs
* Compass screen: No
* Moving-map display: No
* Map storage: 8 MB memory for downloads from MapSource CD-ROMs
* Data storage: 8 MB
* Sun/moon rise/set/phase: Yes
* Additional features: Basemap of North, South and Central America, current speed, average speed, resettable maximum speed, trip timer, and trip distance
* Display size: 2.1 by 1.1 inches, FSTN liquid crystal
* Display resolution: 288 x 160 pixels
* Display color: 4-level gray
* Backlight: Yes
* Battery requirements: 2 AA
* Power cable: Optional
* Carrying case: Optional
* Vehicle mounting bracket: Optional
* PC cable: Yes
* Software: Optional map software available
* Data card: No
* Width: 2 inches
* Depth: 1.2 inches
* Height: 4.4 inches
* Weight (with batteries): 5.3 ounces

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