BUSHNELL BACKTRACK TRIAL

What I ended up doing was using the mileage on my bike computer but this was aggravating because I had to erase my total distance to do a quick check of certain points along the way. We bikers (well me anyways) like to brag about how fast we climbed such and such mountain at such and such grade. I can get the distance of my bike rides off my bike computer but I would like to have been able to keep up with the distance form say the bottom of the mountain to the top and then use the altitude difference to figure out how steep the grade was. I haven’t missed the ability to follow my exact course back so much as most all of my hiking and biking have been on familiar trails and roads but I would really like to know how far I hiked.

Now that I have used the Backtrack several months I am learning to appreciate its strengths but miss a couple of features I wish it had. Here is the follow up to my Bushnell Backtrack. If you want something that tells you how far you have hike (including curves in the trail) and the ability to follow the same path back then look into more complicated units. So if you are wanting a simple to use GPS device that will get you from point A to point B and back then this is a good choice. To be fair, the Backtrack is a lot cheaper then more complicated units that have a lot of extra features. Sometimes it is off direction a few degrees. I do it all the time when I am making a new route using Map My Ride for my recumbent rides. The reason I knew it was straight ahead is I can look at my house in relationship to this stretch of road on a map and see exactly where home is. But as I drove the last mile it was pointing to the right when I knew home was straight ahead. In other words, when I was 10 miles from home it did very well until I got about 1 mile form home. I’m not sure if this is normal but I noticed it more the closer I got to the location I am headed towards. In using the Backtrack I have noticed it does not always point in the right direction but is usually not off by much and in a few minutes it does correct itself. I just need to be careful and not mash the wrong button and make a new waypoint. If I need to keep it on constantly, it is a simple matter to switch modes for a few seconds, then go back to the one I am using. This is probably a good idea as it will prevent me from forgetting to turn it off and later discovering I have run the batteries down. I have now used the Backtrack for a couple of short hikes and I soon discovered that the unit shuts down after about 10 minutes if no buttons are pressed. Of course it is not always (in fact it seldom is around here) practical to go straight back as it might involve going straight up a bluff… The swimming hole down at the creek in the Hollow is 3.4 of a mile by trail but it is only. For example, I drive 13,4 miles to work but according to the Backtrack it is 10.8 miles as a crow flies. But after 3 markers are used the limits of the Backtrack begin to show. I might even discover a cave or some scenic spot and want to later return to that spot and could use the third icon to mark that spot. Then, at any time and from any location I could find my campsite or car. I could use the car icon to mark where I park and the house icon to mark my campsite once it is reached. A good example of using 2 waypoints would be when driving to a trail head.

BUSHNELL BACKTRACK TRIAL

It will also tell me how far from that location I am but again, not necessarily how far by trial but in a straight line.Īs I mentioned before, I can set 3 seperate markers (waypoints) but the Backtrack automatically goes to the last one used. In other words, it guides you as a crow files. The one limiting factor is it does not backtrack the way I came in but instead points straight back to the location I am headed too. When it is time to return to the location I marked, turn the unit back on and follow the arrow. The Backtrack can then be turned off as I go about my hike or whatever it is I plan to do. From then on, this location is stored in memory unless I hold the mark button down 2 seconds while on the house icon which would of course mark a new location as home. To mark this location, wait until the satellite icon stops flashing and then use the right button to mark this location. For example, the house icon could represent your house or campsite.

Oh, and there are three locations marker icons to choose form (house, car and star).

This can be the compass mode or the location mode. To use it, simple power it on with the right button and use this button to choose to the mode I want to use. But the more important (too me anyways) function is to point the way back to where I need to go. So what exactly does it do? Well, first, it has a dedicated compass mode so I can tell what direction I am headed.

Bushnell backtrack