comments:
It's not a bad idea, especially if you think you might drift out of the recovery area. Where I launch, we're a known quantity, so a found rocket makes it back to the launch site eventually.If you're concerned about finding it in tall grass/corn/etc, I highly recommend getting a drone buzzer. Super cheap compared to a GPS tracker, and easy to track down if you're within a few hundred feet. We had 4ft grass on our field this week and I had no problem tracking the buzzer.
Do you need GPS to track the trajectory, or just find the rocket? If you're just trying to find it get a drone locator like this. I've had no problem finding rockets over 300 feet away from where I thought they landed just by following the beeps. Also lots cheaper than GPS.
Absolute cheapest L1 kit is probably the BMS 3" School Rocket w/ 29mm mount.You don't really need to worry about epoxy for wood/paper rockets like the BMS or LOC rockets, wood glue is more than strong enough.Screw-on retainer is a good idea, Estes has a nice one for 29mm, and Launch Lab has a 38mm version. Not as pretty as the aluminum ones, but they look nicer than z-clips.I'd also recommend a beeper, so you ca find your rocket after it lands. It's surprisingly easy to lose even large rockets in relatively short grass.