In part one of outdoor tech reviewed, I discussed that while outdoor tech gadgets can be convenient, you should have a back up plan in case the tech fails. In the case where you are relying on a GPS, you'll want to be sure to pack an old fashioned map. While Bushnell's BackTrack D-Tour GPS device can help you find your way to a marked location, wandering off trail and not being able to find your way back could at the very least make you anxious and at worst be the cause for the next Search and Rescue.
Testing the BackTrack D-Tour GPS by Bushnell
I tested the BackTrack D-Tour while hiking unfamiliar trails in Glacier National Park, on Kootenay Lake in British Columbia and on trails near my home. Although it has only four buttons, using the D-Tour was not simple or intuitive. Still, as I get older I find that my sense of directions is not as good as it was in my youth. Once I got the hang of the device, I liked having the reassurance that I was walking in the right direction.
To use the BackTrack D-Tour, mark the spot where you start on a trail. When you are ready to return to the starting point, the BackTrack D-Tour will use military level GPS technology to guide you. When you are ready to turn back, choose the icon that you used to mark the spot. Walk in the direction of the onscreen arrow paying attention that the distance on the screen is decreasing (indicating that you are going closer to your target rather than further away). This distance indicates how far it is to your starting point.
The BackTrack worked beautifully when boating, directing us to turn at the right cove to get back to dock.
However, when using it on a hiking trail in the National Park, it took us back the most direct way, not by retracing our steps in the way we came. Instead, it showed us the direction to our starting point "as the crow flies."
The BackTrack D-Tour doesn't have a database of streets or trails so it doesn't know if the direction it is sending you has a cliff or will require a machete to hack through the woods. A number of tutorials are available online to help you learn to use the device. The best tip I found for using the D-Tour, is to mark waypoints along the trail (you can mark up to 5 places) and then navigate back to each point rather than only marking your starting point.
The BackTrack has a compass that needed constant recalibration. I stopped bothering with calibrating it, yet the BackTrack still pointed me in the right direction to get back to my starting point. I liked using it to confirm I was going in the right direction, but for a serious hike on an unknown trail, I would be sure to bring a topographical map and old fashioned compass. I would also be sure to pay attention to my surroundings and stack rocks to mark the trail.
Smart Phones in the Wilderness
A final word about using outdoor tech and having a backup plan. Don't expect to rely on your cell phone's many apps while you are out in the wilderness. In a recent discussion with a National Parks ranger, she told me that the prevailing attitude is that they want to keep the Parks pristine. That includes pristine from people yakking on cell phones. Expect cell coverage to be spotty or non-existent on hiking trails and have a plan to otherwise access the information.
If you had a GPS, would you still bring a map on a hike?
