GPS re-education please.

[Xander]

G'day all.

I have been using GPS's for years now, but for GIS data collection and remote sensing type stuff. I have used a tom tom thing once for navigation (and it got us lost).. This means i have no clue as to what makes a good GPS for navigation. I have always needed a GPS to be very accurate to <1m (in all 360 degs) and as i have always been on foot, so speed has never been that important (as they have always tended to be faster then me anyway). Signal acquisition in dense canopies has always been really important. But It seems to me that (except for the last) a navigation GPS needs other things...

So any GPS GODS out there? I don't really need or want a turn by turn Tom tom type thing. I usually navigate by paper maps (OS). Oh I really dont have a clue. what even to ask. Our Trip (hopefully) will centre around Africa and South america with a bit of Asia thrown in (so road map for the GPS may or may not exist anyway).
Basically i would like to be able to: 1) track where we have been, 2) trade way points/ routes with other travellers, 3) find out where the hell we are when we are really lost (the one thing maps are not real good at). Other then that i dont know what they can do other then data collections.

any suggestions?