It’s a very sad story indeed. :-( I’ve noticed that vehicle type GPS units are sorely lacking. As you know, I’m on a search team and we use the ones that actually give you USEFUL information... such as WHERE YOU ARE AT!!! ...in both Lat/Lon, and UTM. Vehicle GPS units simply show you a picture of the road and tell you where you’re going and people trust it!...and DIE because of it. But even people like us who end up out in the middle of nowhere looking for a lost person don’t entirely rely on GPS. We DO indeed have MAPS and GOOD compasses!... plus, we KNOW how to find Polaris (on a clear night). Land navigation is a good skill to have. :-)
Exactly. Vehicle GPS’s suck once you are off the main road anywhere. I spent two days under a disabled vehicle in Death Valley in 1976. No biggie. We had plenty of food and water and had a travel plan noted with my parental unit. We knew exactly where we were and eventually got the truck running and drove out. Met the ranger on the way out that was looking for us. Pre-GPS and some map reading required.