I was quite sure about these when they first came out but the idea of one of these has kind of grown on me. There’s nothing quite as refreshing as a good hike or snowshoe trip, but there’s nothing quite as terrifying as getting lost on the trail.
Enter the Bushnell GPS BackTrack personal locator, which gets you back to your car or home base safely and easily. The BackTrack is a breeze to use, with an intuitive two-button design that employs GPS technology in its most basic format. All you have to do is mark the location of your car, campsite, or anything else (the BackTrack stores up to three locations) and then forget it until it’s time to return.
At the end of the day, just select the stored location and the BackTrack will display the direction and distance to travel until you return.
The BackTrack is weather-resistant and operates on two AAA batteries (not included). It also comes with a rather nerdy lanyard for easy attachment.
Wired Magazine reviewed the Bushnell BackTrack in September 2008. Here is some of what they said.
A lot of people will say, “Well why don’t you just get a GPS navigator or even a cell phone for situations like this?” They’re right — you can use both of those devices in similar ways. But here’s the thing about the BackTrack: it’s smaller than any GPS unit and gets reception better than any cell phone. If you find yourself getting lost easily, and don’t mind porting around an extra gadget, then give the BackTrack a tryout — the only thing you really have to lose is your sense of direction.
On a personal note, I was given one of these for my birthday and I really like it. There are many times when I am not so worried about where I am going while out for a hike but I really want to know how to get home. Even in large cities where one can get turned around, having the direction and distance to your location, helps you get your bearings. Wendy paid $50 for it and we feel it is worth it.
- Purchase from Amazon.com (and make sure you get a cooler lanyard).
- Manufactured by Bushnell
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