Help needed with not losing my GPS...

Quoted message said:

Hi all

Managed to leave my GPS on the Thames Path last week. Fortunately I
found it again, but it made me think about being more careful in the
future!

I've therefore been looking into ways to securely attach my GPS Geko
301 to the shoulder strap of my rucksack (so it's held in a visible
position, but horizontally so as to get best possible reception).

Garmin offer two accessories which look as if they might do the job:

The stretch holster: This holds the GPS flat (and I assume could easily
be tied on to the rucksack straps). However, I'm worried that the
elastic straps are not very secure.

The neck lanyard: This looks to hold the GPS securely, but is obviously
not the best thing for holding it flat on a shoulder strap.

The belt clip: This looks quite useful but I'm worried that it wouldn't
hold the unit securely at the horizontal.

It's very hard to tell what any of these products are like from
internet pictures - can anyone tell me for definite which ones
are/aren't suitable for my purpose? Or do you know anything else
that'd work better?

Thanks for your help.

Anth

PS. Please link to www.wheresthepath.com

I use the sretch holster, attached to the shoulder strap of my rucksack.
I've also attached a lanyard and a mini-krab to the little loop on the
back of the holster, which then clips onto my rucsack shoulder strap
too. The prevents the whole caboodle becoming detached when taking off /
putting on my rucsack and the cord is long enough that I can use the
device without unclipping it.

I've used the holster for about 18 months now and have a mate with the
same arrangement. We've never yet had a Geko come out of the holster. In
fact, I often have the bike clip on the Geko and the holster will
accomodate both.

I've seen other soft cases which are more enclosing, but they always
looked a bit clumsy.

druidh

Quoted message said:

The belt clip: This looks quite useful but I'm worried that it wouldn't
hold the unit securely at the horizontal.

I use a belt clip on the shoulder strap of my rucksack. It doesn't
hold the GPS horizontal, because it's free to rotate about the
(circular) mounting on the back. Nonetheless, my eTrex Legend works
fine and doesn't fall off (as long as I put it into the clip
properly!).

I've also used the carry case, and found the belt clip to be more
satisfactory in use.

Peter.

[email hidden] said...

Quoted message said:

Or do you know anything else
that'd work better?

Several rucksacks these days have pockets on the shoulder straps for
mobile phones...
--
To reply see 'from' in headers; lose the domain, and insert dots and @
where common sense dictates.

<snip>

Ant - I have this very morning taken delivery of a Garmin Lanyard and a
Holster.

I suspect neither will meet your requirements.
The lanyard attaches by means of a substantial boss that screws into the
back of the GPSr, and that engages with the quick release clip on the
lanyard itself. (A similar arrangment to the belt clip on my old Phillips
Savvy mobile phone, which often released itself when one sat down). I can't
see it being succesfully attached to a rucsac without the opportunity for a
lot of dangling.

The holster is simply a belt clip with a piece of fabric that covers the top
and bottom of your GPSr, with elastic cord keeping it on place, and it
doesn't appear to offer any protection to the sides or front, which is what
I hoped for, and, on a belt, will only hold in the vertical position.

I'm going to give the lanyard a try, but the holster, (new and unopened)
will probably appear on ebay over the weekend if anybody is interested.

hth

mikey

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hi all

Managed to leave my GPS on the Thames Path last week. Fortunately I
found it again, but it made me think about being more careful in the
future!

Ant - (I've just taken delivery of a lanyard and holster this am !)

lanyard will be no good for attaching to a rucksack strap - it attaches by
means of a quick-release clip which clips on to a boss you screw into the
back of your GPSr, the whole assembly adding about 3/4" to the back of your
Geko.

The holster has an integral belt clip which is only really suitable for
holding the GPSr in the vertical position, like a mobile phone. I bought the
holster as I thought it would offer some protection, but it doesn't look
like it does, so, new and unopened, it's probably going on ebay at the
weekend, if anybody is interested

hth

mike

In message <[email hidden]>

mikey said:

<snip>

Ant - I have this very morning taken delivery of a Garmin Lanyard and a
Holster.

I suspect neither will meet your requirements.

[snip]

Quoted message said:

The holster is simply a belt clip with a piece of fabric that covers
the top and bottom of your GPSr, with elastic cord keeping it on
place, and it doesn't appear to offer any protection to the sides or
front, which is what I hoped for, and, on a belt, will only hold in
the vertical position.

I'm going to give the lanyard a try, but the holster, (new and unopened)
will probably appear on ebay over the weekend if anybody is interested.

hth

I've been using a Geko301 with the holster for a couple of years. I use
it attached to the shoulder strap of my harness. I have a short lanyard
from the holster to a krab that acts as a safety line when I unclip the
holster, and it is also the attachment point for my camera.

I've never experienced any problems with this holster and the GPS has
never detached itself. I use this arrangement in the Alps, summer and
winter, when mountaineering, ski-mountaineering and when scrambling, as
well as when general walking and it both allows the Geko to collect good
signals and means it is easy to hand when I want to check my position or
altitude.

The fact that the Geko holster doesn't offer any protection or cover to
the front is in my opinion good. My Summit case used to cover the whole
front of the GPS with a perspex window for the display. In cold and wet
conditions the case would saturate with water and the window would mist
up meaning that GPS signal strength was reduced and also the display was
obscured.

Mike
--
o/ \\ // |\ ,_ o Mike Clark
<\__,\\ // __o | \ / /\, "A mountain climbing, cycling, skiing,
"> || _`\<,_ |__\ \> | immunology lecturer, antibody engineer and
` || (_)/ (_) | \corn computer user"

I use a standard Garmin belt clip. This needs a boss on the back of the
unit, but I was supplied with a new backplate, ready to take the boss. Not
sure if this backp[late fits all models , so check first. This clips onto
the belt clip itself, which has a quick release button on it. I have it
positioned on a loop stitched onto my shoulder strap. Obviously when I need
to use it I take it out of the clip. I wanted to ensure that I wouldn't lose
it, but the lanyard that comes with the unit is not ideal. If you have it
clipped to your rucksack it is too short to allow full arm movement and you
will either drop it, or break the little attachment bar. So I bought a
recoilable (if that's the right word) key chain. This clips onto my
rucksack's hip belt, and connects to the lanyard. Now I can carry the unit
and if I need to stretch my arm the chain extends then recoils out of the
way later. I'm told what I've got is similar to a ski lift pass holder.
The only problem I've found is that if it is peeing down, water gets onto
the antenna cover and can give misleading info. Garmin say it doesn't
happen, but you can't simulate when rain talking to a telephone helpline, so
maybe in the depths of winter I'll have to think about using a pouch.

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hi all

Managed to leave my GPS on the Thames Path last week. Fortunately I
found it again, but it made me think about being more careful in the
future!

I've therefore been looking into ways to securely attach my GPS Geko
301 to the shoulder strap of my rucksack (so it's held in a visible
position, but horizontally so as to get best possible reception).

Garmin offer two accessories which look as if they might do the job:

The stretch holster: This holds the GPS flat (and I assume could easily
be tied on to the rucksack straps). However, I'm worried that the
elastic straps are not very secure.

The neck lanyard: This looks to hold the GPS securely, but is obviously
not the best thing for holding it flat on a shoulder strap.

The belt clip: This looks quite useful but I'm worried that it wouldn't
hold the unit securely at the horizontal.

It's very hard to tell what any of these products are like from
internet pictures - can anyone tell me for definite which ones
are/aren't suitable for my purpose? Or do you know anything else
that'd work better?

Thanks for your help.

Anth

PS. Please link to www.wheresthepath.com

Gordon Burns said:

I use a standard Garmin belt clip. This needs a boss on the back of the
unit, but I was supplied with a new backplate, ready to take the boss. Not
sure if this backp[late fits all models , so check first. This clips onto
the belt clip itself, which has a quick release button on it. I have it
positioned on a loop stitched onto my shoulder strap. Obviously when I need
to use it I take it out of the clip. I wanted to ensure that I wouldn't lose
it, but the lanyard that comes with the unit is not ideal. If you have it
clipped to your rucksack it is too short to allow full arm movement and you
will either drop it, or break the little attachment bar. So I bought a
recoilable (if that's the right word) key chain. This clips onto my
rucksack's hip belt, and connects to the lanyard. Now I can carry the unit
and if I need to stretch my arm the chain extends then recoils out of the
way later. I'm told what I've got is similar to a ski lift pass holder.
The only problem I've found is that if it is peeing down, water gets onto
the antenna cover and can give misleading info. Garmin say it doesn't
happen, but you can't simulate when rain talking to a telephone helpline, so
maybe in the depths of winter I'll have to think about using a pouch.

Surely a pouch will just make things worse?

druidh

"druidh" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Gordon Burns said:

I use a standard Garmin belt clip. This needs a boss on the back of the
unit, but I was supplied with a new backplate, ready to take the boss.
Not sure if this backp[late fits all models , so check first. This clips
onto the belt clip itself, which has a quick release button on it. I have
it positioned on a loop stitched onto my shoulder strap. Obviously when I
need to use it I take it out of the clip. I wanted to ensure that I
wouldn't lose it, but the lanyard that comes with the unit is not ideal.
If you have it clipped to your rucksack it is too short to allow full arm
movement and you will either drop it, or break the little attachment bar.
So I bought a recoilable (if that's the right word) key chain. This clips
onto my rucksack's hip belt, and connects to the lanyard. Now I can carry
the unit and if I need to stretch my arm the chain extends then recoils
out of the way later. I'm told what I've got is similar to a ski lift
pass holder.
The only problem I've found is that if it is peeing down, water gets onto
the antenna cover and can give misleading info. Garmin say it doesn't
happen, but you can't simulate when rain talking to a telephone helpline,
so maybe in the depths of winter I'll have to think about using a pouch.

Surely a pouch will just make things worse?

druidh

I used a pouch last winter and had no problems. I just wonder if it is the
differing way water lies that causes the problem. With the pouch the water
seems to run away quite quickly, even in the worst of weathers. Just using
the belt clip the casing is open to the elements and water seems to stick in
droplets more. I can show you tracks with alarming recordings on, made in
wet weather. As I said Garmin refuse to accept that this happens. Maybe it
is caused by different materials having different surface tensions. The
problem with the pouch was that the plastic screen tended to mist up so I
was continually pulling the unit in and out to read the unit's own display
screen.

lanyard to connect to the rucksack; Loop of elastic to hold upright on the
strap. Low tech & low cost

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hi all

Managed to leave my GPS on the Thames Path last week. Fortunately I
found it again, but it made me think about being more careful in the
future!

I've therefore been looking into ways to securely attach my GPS Geko
301 to the shoulder strap of my rucksack (so it's held in a visible
position, but horizontally so as to get best possible reception).

Garmin offer two accessories which look as if they might do the job:

The stretch holster: This holds the GPS flat (and I assume could easily
be tied on to the rucksack straps). However, I'm worried that the
elastic straps are not very secure.

The neck lanyard: This looks to hold the GPS securely, but is obviously
not the best thing for holding it flat on a shoulder strap.

The belt clip: This looks quite useful but I'm worried that it wouldn't
hold the unit securely at the horizontal.

It's very hard to tell what any of these products are like from
internet pictures - can anyone tell me for definite which ones
are/aren't suitable for my purpose? Or do you know anything else
that'd work better?

Thanks for your help.

Anth

PS. Please link to www.wheresthepath.com

[email hidden] writes

Quoted message said:

Hi all

Managed to leave my GPS on the Thames Path last week. Fortunately I
found it again, but it made me think about being more careful in the
future!

[....]

Quoted message said:

It's very hard to tell what any of these products are like from
internet pictures - can anyone tell me for definite which ones
are/aren't suitable for my purpose? Or do you know anything else
that'd work better?

I use a mobile phone pouch I got from Blacks, which has velcro 'wings'
which wrap around my srucksack shoulder strap, with a drawcord and a
flap which it velcro-d over the opening.

They do a GPS pouch but it is bigger!
--
Gordon Harris

Quoted message said:

The belt clip: This looks quite useful but I'm worried that it wouldn't
hold the unit securely at the horizontal.

I'd _strongly_ advise against the belt clip! I lost my Etrex Legend in July
with it attached to a belt clip. The clip seems secure, but what I think
happened was I bent to haul myself up a steep step, and in bending
released the clip button. The GPS is now somewhere on the slopes of
Beinn a Bhuird and will probably be an archalogical find in about a
thousand years time!

Jim Ford

In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

Thanks for your help.

If I were you, I'd go to a largeish camera shop. Some of the camera bag
systems have add-on extras for holding mobile phones or other gadgets.

I use a LowePro SlipLock mobile phone pouch - it comes in three sizes -
the Largest fits my eMap snugly but, as a Gecko is rather smaller than
an eMap, you might need the medium or small size.

Wide velcro fastening in either horizontal or vertical orientation, with
a fastener for attaching to a string/lanyard too. The velcro will go
over a strap up to 2.5 inches wide easily, or more if you bend and
squeeze things a bit. Note, however, that you can't see the display
while it's in the pouch - you have to take it out.

http://www.jacobsdigital.co.uk/content.php?categoryId=517&page=4

Quoted message said:

I've therefore been looking into ways to securely attach my GPS Geko
301 to the shoulder strap of my rucksack (so it's held in a visible
position, but horizontally so as to get best possible reception).

I bought a Berghaus GPS pouch a few months ago after using a cheap
Cordura belt pouch for ages. This has a rigid case and a fancy
snap-buckle attachment thingy on the back specifically designed to
clip to rucksack accessory webbing. Reception is definitely better
than my previous arrangement as it can mount higher up the strap and
near horizontal. ISTR it was ~£15 in the usual High St retailers.

Al
--
[This space intentionally left blank]

Quoted message said:

Hi all

Managed to leave my GPS on the Thames Path last week. Fortunately I
found it again, but it made me think about being more careful in the
future!

I've therefore been looking into ways to securely attach my GPS Geko
301 to the shoulder strap of my rucksack (so it's held in a visible
position, but horizontally so as to get best possible reception).

I got one of these Gilsson cases a few days ago:
http://www.gilsson.com/garmin_gps/cases/rgn.htm
It cost about £9 on eBay (search for 'geko case'😉.
It's designed for the Geko so fits nicely, with a clear plastic cover,
and a velcro strap and a clip for attaching to a rucksack strap etc.
I've not had a chance to use it otside yet, but it seems strong enough.

I also have the neck lanyard, which is OK if you want the Geko hanging
round your neck, but I find this a bit uncomfortable as it doesn't hang
flat and swings about, and isn't the best for GPS reception. As mikey
describes, its not much use for attaching to a rucksack without dangling.
--
Craig Wallace
http://craig.neogeo.org.uk
http://www.neogeo.org.uk

Craig - thanks very much, that looks just the job! I shall be putting
in an order soon!

Thanks everyone else too for all your advice.

Anth

PS. Please link to www.wheresthepath.com