Book Review: Outdoor Navigation With GPS

There are very few good books on outdoor navigation with GPS. They quickly become hopelessly outdated, because the technology advances so rapidly, or the authors get bogged down in geeky tech-speak that has little real-world relevance. Outdoor Navigation With GPS by Stephen W. Hinch (Wilderness Press, second edition, 2007) is a breath of fresh air in this category, and a useful resource. As one who frequently teaches GPS navigation to people whose lives depend on it, and as an electrical engineer, Hinch is well suited to help us master navigation with handheld GPS receivers and to understand the technology.

Outdoor Navigation With GPS is a book for outdoor enthusiasts, especially hikers, backpackers, geocaching enthusiasts, and those who work outdoors for a living. It promises to teach you the basics of how GPS technology works; the essentials of wilderness navigation; how to use waypoints; all about latitude, longitude, and coordinates, and how to find your way in the wilderness, and it largely lives up to these promises.

We can all relate to Hinch's assertion that manuals for handheld GPS receivers tell you many things, but "you never quite learn how to employ them for anything useful, like actually navigating to a destination and returning safely." Hinch fills that gap with detailed chapters drawn from plenty of real-world experience.

The book is organized into four parts: basic navigation, navigation for the outdoor explorer, recovering from disaster, and getting the most from GPS. Of the 15 chapters under these headings, the strongest are on Navigation Using Waypoints and Bearings (chapter 3), Knowing Your Position (4), and Entering and Navigating to Stored Waypoints (5). These chapters are loaded with technical and practical information that will make you a more confident and competent outdoor navigator. It's a solid resource, also, if you are interested in creating trail maps with the help of GPS, and there is a chapter devoted to the topic.

Even though the book was published in 2007, some of the technical information is a bit dated, but Hinch wisely devotes the vast majority of the book to more durable fundamental topics. Overall, it's a must-read for the serious outdoor enthusiast who wants to get the most from GPS navigation.