Death by GPS...

Poor decision making, in every case. 

Great article, @ChanW. As much as I love using GPS when hiking, I still like to have paper topo's and a compass. Hardly anyone carries map books in their vehicle anymore. We once had Apple Maps take us to the middle of a field (had to get out of the car and walk 500 feet) to get to a friend's house near Fresno. When I put the address into Google Maps, it took us to the correct location, nearly 15 miles away. Also interesting is that Garmin purchased DeLorme and there is talk that DeLorme may get out of the printed map/gazette business.

Nope, hardly anyone carries printed maps that I've run into. Almost all using maps on phones/tablets. Work fine as long as you're situationally aware and realize they could steer yo wrong.

Story from last week...
Decided to go explore a colorful canyon (loop road) 2-3 miles from my campsite. Since it was close, I left my iPad with all my map apps in the T@B. After twisting/turning through deep caverns and getting somewhat disoriented direction wise, I came out thinking I was somewhat close to where I entered so needed to make a right turn - wrong.  Was 3miles further west and somewhat south. After 2-3 miles the road deteriorated and I realized that it should have been a left. Since I knew I just needed to turn around, I decided to just explore a little further. Was just getting ready to turn around when a guy on a bike appears - this is in the middle of the desert on a BLM road.
Turns out this was his first big week long bike trip. He had all his maps cached on his pad but he'd forgotten to turn off the cell connection so all that searching for a tower killed the battery, he was navigating by memory, trying to remember BLM road numbers and wasn't where he thought he was. He'd have eventually hit civilization but it'd probably been midnight. Anyway, he was headed to the same campground I was in so I built rock towers with arrows at each turn to guide him in. He finally showed up about 8:30.
Moral of the story - Make sure your electronic maps don't die on ya when you need them the most.

I use my Navigation on my truck, and Google maps in rental cars, but I do carry an updated road atlas in my truck. My maps on the truck are a little out of date, but not quite ready to spend the bucks to update them. I've needed the atlas occasionally. Once when hunting for a campground my truck didn't have quite right and no cell signal for Google maps.

In the areas (midwest boonies) I find Apple maps have been more accurate - but I always cross reference between several map apps.
In the case above, none of those BLM roads show in normal map mode. Gotta use satellite view. I had a cell signal on my iPhone so was able to show him where he was on Apple maps and what turns to expect.

Ratkity said:

The picture I posted was when IPhone maps were horrid. They have improved dramatically and exceed the accuracy of all other GPS systems. ALL of them want me to drive through downtown DC because one of the roads is an "Interstate". Oiy.. Never, ever drive thru there unless you know what you are doing and where you are going.

OY is right! I frequently have to drive from VA to MD and back when on work travel. Only way to do it is after 7pm and on the North Beltway.

My sister and BF love Waze. I got ticked off with it when I was testing it. Major flaw is erroneous self-reporting of construction or other obstacles abound because of people testing the app and putting down things that aren't there. There's no way to delete those reports. I got frustrated and stopped using it. It works for them and that's great. Gimme a paper map and I'm happy (usually). Backup is Iphone because like PXL said, they are updated way more often and there's so much new housing and construction around where I live. 

Waze is not for me. While navigating to my destination outside of Washington, D.C., Waze interrupted the directions for an exit 1/2 of a mile away to tell me of a stalled car two miles farther. Luckily, I heard enough to get me off the correct exit and in the correct direction. Despite the passenger's preference for the new found "toy" of Waze, I grabbed my GPS and started navigating with Garmin.  We found our destination with Garmin with no firther interruptions.  And, with all of my traveling, I always have a Road Atlas with me and a paper state map. Thank goodness for AAA and their maps. 

Well, we've been down this road before (so to speak), and as I said before, I use a Garmin and a Rand McNally atlas.  Still do, and have yet to find a reason to change.

It is difficult for me to wrap my mind around a world without printed matter, but I suppose it may happen some day.  The library was one of my refuges when I was a child (that and the hay loft), and there is just nothing like feeling the heft of a real book, leafing through it, and smelling the ink and paper.  When it happens I will deal with it, but not before.  Besides, it will be kinda difficult lugging around an 11 X 17 iWhatever like the atlas.

I've been basically paperless since probably 2002. Miss the smell but nothing else.