Click to view our Accessibility Statement or contact us with accessibility-related questions
Brunton Get-Back Mini GPS
01 / 07
Brunton Get-Back Mini GPS
bookmark_border
Where's the price?
To negotiate the best possible price for our customers, we agree to hide prices prior to logging in.
282 requests
Product Description
The Brunton Get-Back is a small GPS device that can be attached to your backpack or key ring and provides return-to-starting-point navigation. Whether you’re on a hike or a multiday backpacking trip, the Get-Back can store up to three locations so you can keep track of different points you want to return to Read More
search
close
Sort by: Top Conversations
keyboard_arrow_down
fr0z3n
15
Nov 14, 2017
Gaia GPS has full offline mode and it is really a great app. I have used it w/o service many times. I think battery life would have been a killer feature but only 13 hours? My phone gets that w/ gps tracking. For something so simple I was expecting it to have more battery life then the more advanced Garmin inReach which does ~75 hours.
NW78910
1
Jan 14, 2018
I think this is EXACTLY the scenario this item is ideal for, and in that case it is pretty darn clever. But I imagine that for most people it won't be really helpful, and the people who would find it helpful probably already have an old Garmin sitting around buried that takes AA and would give them the same basic function. I'll grant the Brunton would be much lighter and compact though.
Fuzz
396
Jan 14, 2018
TortoiseThunderPresumably you only turn it on when you get lost or disoriented? But yeah 13 hours with non-replaceable standard batteries is a bit scary.
badlucktv
43
Jan 15, 2018
Mini-USB? Seriously?
I know this must be an older or longstanding model, but jesus, what a deal breaker.
I know this must be an older or longstanding model, but jesus, what a deal breaker.
tom.benedict
86
Nov 18, 2017
Just to offer a use case (and yes, I just joined the drop):
I record natural ambient soundscapes. A lot of the time I'm trying to record wildlife that won't make a peep unless I'm not there. So I'll hike in on a trail, eventually go off-trail, find some secluded spot to set my gear, and leave it there. Often I'll leave it overnight and recover it the next morning. When recovering gear I can always remember the trail route I took. I can always remember where I departed from the trail. But some of the spots I've recorded, the terrain is such a mess that it's easy to walk right past my gear and totally miss it.
I don't so much need to know where my gear is. I just need to know I can get back to it. For that, this is perfect. Yes, I have a phone with GPS. But I can clip this to my sound bag and not have to sweat it. Done.
Admittedly, I have weird hobbies. But there are a whole host of related use cases where I could see something like this coming in handy. Not for the list price, which I think is pretty steep for what it offers. But for $20? It's a keyfob with a memory of where it's been.
I record natural ambient soundscapes. A lot of the time I'm trying to record wildlife that won't make a peep unless I'm not there. So I'll hike in on a trail, eventually go off-trail, find some secluded spot to set my gear, and leave it there. Often I'll leave it overnight and recover it the next morning. When recovering gear I can always remember the trail route I took. I can always remember where I departed from the trail. But some of the spots I've recorded, the terrain is such a mess that it's easy to walk right past my gear and totally miss it.
I don't so much need to know where my gear is. I just need to know I can get back to it. For that, this is perfect. Yes, I have a phone with GPS. But I can clip this to my sound bag and not have to sweat it. Done.
Admittedly, I have weird hobbies. But there are a whole host of related use cases where I could see something like this coming in handy. Not for the list price, which I think is pretty steep for what it offers. But for $20? It's a keyfob with a memory of where it's been.
tom.benedict
86
Jan 16, 2018
tom.benedictYeah, replying to my own post. Hate doing that.
Anyway, I've had the Brunton Get Back for a while now and have had a chance to use it in the field. It does exactly what it advertises: gives you three waypoints and the ability to see range and bearing to each one. No more, no less.
One weakness I've seen is that it takes a long time for the unit to get a satellite lock, and it doesn't like to move while it's trying to get a lock. This bit me in the butt during a recent hike out to Papakolea Beach (the Green Sand Beach) at the south point of the Big Island of Hawaii. Parking there is a scattered affair, and the "trail" is more a suggestion than an actual trail. I turned on my Brunton as we left the car, but because we didn't pause during the hike, it didn't get a lock until we reached the beach two and a half hours later. (DOH!) As a result I had no waypoint set at the car to lead us back. We took a supposedly "easier" route that wound up leading us is in a completely wrong direction, and had to hike an even longer route to get back. Wish I'd let it sit and acquire a lock before starting the hike! Patience is key.
One unexpected strength of the unit, though, is the 24 hour battery life that comes up so often as a complaint. In the month or so since I got my unit I've charged it a total of one time. Just once. I've taken it on numerous hikes and field recording outings, and it really hasn't run down much at all. Mostly that's because it's 24 hours of actual run time, not 24 hours of elapsed time on the clock. The thing only turns on for about five minutes at a time when you hit the power button, so it really doesn't discharge that fast. Unless you're obsessively checking your next waypoint and powering the thing up constantly, it's not likely to run down on even an extended hike.
As far as my use case goes, it's actually better than I thought. The real nemesis of a good field recording is unwanted noise: airplanes, music, people speaking, etc. Out here the worst of these is automobile traffic. You can be miles from a road and still hear the traffic. During three different hikes, Puu Oo Trail, Wailuku River Headwaters, and Kalopa Park, I set a waypoint as I left the highway. This gave me distance and approximate bearing to the nearest source of traffic noise. As I hiked in I could measure sound level and compare against the distance the Brunton was reporting to see if I was far enough away from the road to set my gear. It worked like a charm.
I never would've picked one of these up at the full list price, but I'm glad I picked one up here on Massdrop.
Anyway, I've had the Brunton Get Back for a while now and have had a chance to use it in the field. It does exactly what it advertises: gives you three waypoints and the ability to see range and bearing to each one. No more, no less.
One weakness I've seen is that it takes a long time for the unit to get a satellite lock, and it doesn't like to move while it's trying to get a lock. This bit me in the butt during a recent hike out to Papakolea Beach (the Green Sand Beach) at the south point of the Big Island of Hawaii. Parking there is a scattered affair, and the "trail" is more a suggestion than an actual trail. I turned on my Brunton as we left the car, but because we didn't pause during the hike, it didn't get a lock until we reached the beach two and a half hours later. (DOH!) As a result I had no waypoint set at the car to lead us back. We took a supposedly "easier" route that wound up leading us is in a completely wrong direction, and had to hike an even longer route to get back. Wish I'd let it sit and acquire a lock before starting the hike! Patience is key.
One unexpected strength of the unit, though, is the 24 hour battery life that comes up so often as a complaint. In the month or so since I got my unit I've charged it a total of one time. Just once. I've taken it on numerous hikes and field recording outings, and it really hasn't run down much at all. Mostly that's because it's 24 hours of actual run time, not 24 hours of elapsed time on the clock. The thing only turns on for about five minutes at a time when you hit the power button, so it really doesn't discharge that fast. Unless you're obsessively checking your next waypoint and powering the thing up constantly, it's not likely to run down on even an extended hike.
As far as my use case goes, it's actually better than I thought. The real nemesis of a good field recording is unwanted noise: airplanes, music, people speaking, etc. Out here the worst of these is automobile traffic. You can be miles from a road and still hear the traffic. During three different hikes, Puu Oo Trail, Wailuku River Headwaters, and Kalopa Park, I set a waypoint as I left the highway. This gave me distance and approximate bearing to the nearest source of traffic noise. As I hiked in I could measure sound level and compare against the distance the Brunton was reporting to see if I was far enough away from the road to set my gear. It worked like a charm.
I never would've picked one of these up at the full list price, but I'm glad I picked one up here on Massdrop.
Cyn1c
186
Nov 19, 2017
I think this would be great.
The only thing that kills it for me is the lack of a replaceable standard battery. I say this because I’m going to want to charge this either just before a hiking or backpacking trip. Or during the trip. It’a infinitely easier for me to just pop in a standard battery in those situations. I’m not going to bring a solar cell and hope it’s sunny because that gives me the same functionality as my cell phone.
The only thing that kills it for me is the lack of a replaceable standard battery. I say this because I’m going to want to charge this either just before a hiking or backpacking trip. Or during the trip. It’a infinitely easier for me to just pop in a standard battery in those situations. I’m not going to bring a solar cell and hope it’s sunny because that gives me the same functionality as my cell phone.
tau_neutrino
57
Nov 16, 2017
Look, I just print topo maps on A4 and put them into polyethylene transparent files used in office. This is just to keep water off them.
Then I take my old Holux M-241 unit working on single AA battery. This unit gives you realtime coordinates and you can easily find yourself on paper map. No need for smartphone or any expensive device. It has illumination and B/W easily readable display. Turn it on when you need it and off after use. The battery will hold for a week.
NW78910
1
Jan 14, 2018
tau_neutrinoThat's were I think this item is redundant, most people that would use it already have an old GPS that can be used the same way. I know I've got a Foretrex 301 sitting around somewhere.
KBabione
14
Nov 14, 2017
If it had the ability to transfer waypoints to it (in advance of the trip) then I would have pulled the trigger immediately. The only way (I read the user guide) to get a waypoint on the device is to be there and hold down the Home button. Most of my backpacking trips are two nights so having 3 waypoints would have been perfect. One for the trailhead, one for camp on night #1, and one for camp on night #2. Oh well...
Schuyler
170
Nov 18, 2017
If it had an actual GPS readout for your current location I'd be in like Flynn but for twenty bucks I can't see this being really useful for anything beyond handing to a teen at festivals or events in the woods so they can make it back to camp.
Schuyler
170
Apr 29, 2018
It's already got a 5x17 pixel screen built into it and it uses GPS coordinates to locate the points you select. None of the functions I want beyond it telling me where I actually am is something it isn't already doing, it already knows where you are so it can point you to your waypoints and it uses GPS for that.
lciummo
3
Apr 29, 2018
SchuylerIf you take 7 chars for each of lat and lon of the size I mentioned 5x7, there are many more pixels needed than what this has. It also likely computes position very slowly, maybe once every 30 secs or more on a very slow, low power processor. Having a real lat/lon would necessitate a more frequent display update and more powerful chip. Even things like scrolling take cpu and batt power. It does have a compass, which is nice, but it appears to have a very low a low sensitivity gps - maybe even a low channel receiver unable to track a lot of sats, so an accurate fix to what you're used to on a modern cell phone may not be possible. It doesn't seem to be superaccuate from the reviews.
Hope this helps.
Showing 35 of 62
Recent Activity
Related Products
Drop Refurbished
Like-new products you can trustDrop Rewards
Get $5 for every 500 points you earn! Learn more
Drop Keyboard Club
Become a member and expand your keycap collectionCollaborate With Us
For Brands & DesignersFollow Drop