Re: do you need a GPS computer?
I'll join those opting for the heads-up method of riding, and add that I love poring over maps (even the Strava heat map) for pre-ride intel, but carry the GPS for backup and also to know where I went. In the pre-GPS days I lost a lot of intel not knowing exactly where I'd been or more importantly where I'd gone wrong.
Usually all I need now is a quick look to see where I am relative to where I want to go, and what my orientation is if the sun direction is not obvious. On the road it would be really nice to have a readily-accessible compass (handlebar or wrist) but in the woods, MTB-worthy singletrack usually is so twisty that your present heading is not usually useful.
But the caveat here is what's at stake, like how lost will you be if you're lost. As in my exploring dirt roads is a much different game in western Mass than it is in deep central Maine (no cell service and deerflies that could drain a pint in a day).
Trod Harland, Physical Educator
Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced. — James Baldwin
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