Gypsy

I agree with Goswasere. At the moment I use a dull green Paddy Pallin goretex that I bought on special. I only put it on in serious rain or severe wind chill. I was hunting with a friend who was using a purpose-designed coat (had the soft face, camou etc); it was very heavy when wet and bulky to pack in the day pack.

What's the IP rating and does it have provision for a lanyard (looks as if it might have such provision in one of the photographs)? Regards

Try before you buy, whether new or second hand, as a lot do not work well in typical hunting situations; reading the range off an animal's hide in brush, rain etc, despite having the various modes of operation designed to meet such situations. I have one that I seldom use, save in the mountains after game that's above the tree line. Mind you, it can be useful for training yourself to estimate distances for yourself, in various circumstances.

The Etrex is good and the GPSMAP60CSX is better, as regards signal acquisition, which is the main issue with GPS use in thick forest, especially somewhere like Stewart Island. Looking at the price quoted abov at Anaconda - get one! A "better" model may be coming out RSN but I have no intention of replacing my GPSMAP60CSX in the foreseeable future - it is more than adequate. I found a microSD loaded topo map very handy hunting and fishing in different parts of NZ (Freshmap for the South Island), but GPS mounted maps are no substitute for the detail you get on paper. Keep in mind also, nothing can be better than the data loaded into it, so if the maps you get for the GPS aren't much good ... Also keep in mind, a GPS is just another navigational tool and, as remarked above, can let you down, so you should also have a map & compass as well as a GPS, and know how to use all of them - it's not difficult.