Originally Posted by
AT Traveler
For what its worth, if you use electronic technology for orientation and making important route decisions, you should always keep a paper map with you as a back up. I have used GPS in all kinds of activities from aviation to back country pursuits, in all of these activities I have had GPS failure from a variety of issues stemming from simple battery power loss to more complicated internal failure from moisture to data corruption.
Though its a common caution, it deserves to be repeated as electronics continue to proliferate in the backcountry. Paper map backup can prove very valuable.