A handheld GPS is worth carrying as the backup to a map and compass, never as their replacement.

If you walk in gloves in winter, start with the Garmin GPSMAP 67, which has buttons and no touchscreen. Garmin rates its built-in battery at up to 180 hours, the longest of the three units below.

A Cairngorm Mountain Rescue team leader told the British Mountaineering Council (BMC) that the cold reduces the life of phone batteries. Two men with no map or compass spent a winter night out when their smartphone ran flat. The phone is also your most likely way to call for help.

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All three units come from one maker, Garmin, so the choice is between models, not makers.

Your day out What to carry
You wear thick gloves in the cold and want buttons and the longest battery rating of the three Garmin GPSMAP 67
You want the lightest of the three and like to swipe and zoom on a touchscreen Garmin eTrex Touch
You want a unit on two AA batteries that can be swapped on the hill Garmin GPSMAP 65

Garmin GPSMAP 67

You wear thick gloves in the cold and want buttons and the longest battery rating of the three

Garmin GPSMAP 67 handheld GPS Buttons, up to 180 hours in GPS modeTopoActive Europe maps, 3-inch screen Read the full specification on Amazon

The unit works by buttons, with a keypad lock that stops accidental presses. Ordnance Survey (OS), Great Britain’s national mapping agency, says buttons are useful when wearing thick gloves.

The battery is internal and charges by USB-C, with up to 180 hours in GPS mode. The screen is 3 inches and sunlight readable, and it comes with TopoActive Europe maps, Garmin’s topographic map set.

It is the heaviest of the three, at 230 g with batteries.

Garmin eTrex Touch

You want the lightest of the three and like to swipe and zoom on a touchscreen

Garmin eTrex Touch handheld GPS 3-inch touchscreen, 150 gUp to 130 hours, IP67 Read the full specification on Amazon

This is the current eTrex Touch, not the older eTrex Touch 25 and 35. At 150 g it is the lightest of the three.

You zoom the map by pinching with two fingers, and there is a lock for the touchscreen. The internal battery lasts up to 130 hours with all satellite systems and multi-band on, in typical use.

Satellite imagery comes only with an Outdoor Maps+ subscription. OS says touchscreens are harder to use with cold hands or gloves, which is why the GPSMAP 67 comes first for winter days.

Garmin GPSMAP 65

You want a unit on two AA batteries that can be swapped on the hill

Garmin GPSMAP 65 handheld GPS Buttons, two AA batteries, up to 16 hoursTopoActive Europe maps, IPX7 Read the full specification on Amazon

The GPSMAP 65 has buttons and no touchscreen. It takes two AA batteries, which are not included. Garmin recommends NiMH or lithium cells and rates the battery life at 16 hours.

Garmin says alkaline batteries lose a significant amount of capacity as the temperature falls. Use lithium batteries below freezing.

A rescue team leader quoted by the British Mountaineering Council (BMC), the body for hill walkers in England and Wales, says: “if it’s a GPS then carry spare batteries.”

The screen is 2.6 inches, it comes with TopoActive Europe maps, and the unit weighs 217 g with batteries.

What a handheld GPS does that a phone does not

Gloved hands pressing the side buttons of a handheld GPS unit in light rain.

A GPS gives you a second system that does not run on your phone.

  • Battery. GPS functions use quite a lot of extra power on a phone, and most phones have no easily replaceable battery. The BMC adds that your phone is also the most likely way to call for help.
  • Cold. Most dedicated GPS devices are rated for a wider range of temperatures than a phone.
  • Rain. The capacitive touch screens on phones “do not like heavy rain, even in a waterproof case”. Each drop can register as a finger touch.
  • Maps. All three units come with TopoActive maps preloaded. These are Garmin’s own maps, not OS mapping.

In the cold, keep any device next to your body. A GPS lasts longer there than in a bag or outer pocket, and a phone does too.

What a GPS does not replace

A GPS is not a substitute for a map and compass, and it cannot be your only navigation tool. The BMC says so, and says that owning one should not lead you to attempt a walk beyond your experience or ability.

Any device can fail. A 2022 survey reported by the BMC found that 87% of people used a smartphone or GPS for navigation. Of those, 40% had a device stop working in some way.

The Eryri National Park Authority asks walkers to carry a map and compass “even if you think you are familiar with the route”. It adds that you need map reading skills and the ability to use a compass.

AdventureSmartUK, the UK outdoor safety campaign that began in Wales, warns about the Miners’ and Pyg tracks junction on Yr Wyddfa. Walkers descending in mist frequently get lost there.

Phone, GPS or both

Two walkers on a stony path in thin cloud, one reading a paper map, the other holding a compass.

Whatever you carry, a paper map and a compass you know how to use come first.

  • A phone with a map and compass: AdventureSmartUK says not to rely on the phone for navigation. It suggests a waterproof case, a charged portable charger or a waterproof GPS, with a map and compass as the backup. You do not have to buy a GPS.
  • A GPS alone: it cannot be your only tool.
  • A phone and a GPS: keep a separate system to work from if one fails. That can be a map and compass or a separate GPS.

A GPS is worth carrying if you want a second system that does not use your phone battery.

We compile and explain public route and safety information. We guide nobody and sell nothing on the hill.

Getting the unit ready before the walk

Charge or fuel every device before you leave, and pack the paper map and compass first.

Charge the GPSMAP 67 or the eTrex Touch fully. For the GPSMAP 65, fit fresh AA batteries, choose lithium if the day may be freezing, and pack spares.

Charge your phone as well. The Eryri National Park Authority asks you to start with it fully charged and to avoid using it unless it is an emergency.

Read which Ordnance Survey map covers Snowdonia before you go, and how staying safe in Snowdonia works in practice.

Start with the Garmin GPSMAP 67. Choose the GPSMAP 65 if you prefer AA batteries you can swap.