I planned my first ever multi-day canoe trip for next month. However the campsites I have booked can be hard to find from the water . I am looking for a GPS I can enter the coordinates and pre-plan my trip. Never used one before so honestly have no idea what to look for. Any suggestions? Not looking to spend a fortune but also not trying to cheap out either.
Are you looking for a stand alone unit or also need a communication device? Multi day canoe trip…where? Muddy? Bright? Touch screens can be hard to read in the sun. The screens do get scratched and most frustratingly can switch from one mode to another with just a casual mistaken swipe.
I’d look for buttons. But I do make do with an Oregon 450. I like it as it has tide tables which I use constantly. Maybe you need that maybe not. You don’t specify where you will be paddling
The E trex 20 would serve your needs if you don’t need bells and whistles. Most of us probably started with an E trex.
Garmin is pretty much the frontrunner in GPS
Thank you for the suggestion. I’m inexperienced at multi day trips so I didn’t even consider brightness and touch screens! Will be on French Broad River in Asheville, NC for 4 days and then relocating to Lake Jocassee, SC for another 4. I will def look into the E Trex 20. Thanks!
I use a Garmin Etrex 20X. This was my first GPS and it has been easy to use. I mostly use it to keep track of mileage on rivers. I also switch to the map setting as needed and coordinate with my river guides. On lakes I track mileage and position on the map setting. I also like to track my speed. This is a small GPS and I keep it close at hand so that I can pick it up and look at it. Bright sun can be overcome by changing the backlight setting. Having good maps and guides for the area you are paddling is also important as well as the GPS.
The Etrex 20 is a good unit…small, lightweight, waterproof. I’ve been using one for the last 18 months or so. You can do some preplanning in Garmin’s free software “Basecamp”. You need to load higher-detail maps into Basecamp as the default ones are pretty bad(they want to sell you better ones). I export higher resolution maps from Caltopo, import them into Basecamp, preplan as needed, export the file and load it into the Etrex as a custom map. There’s a learning curve for all this. If you’re going next month…I’d start now, plan some local trips, and see if you have the details down. Typically it’s poor practice to rely on a gps solely as it could fail, or your knowledge could be shorter than you thought…you run out of batteries…etc… Get or print good maps and know how to use them. Take a compass too. And don’t rely on your phone for navigation. If the battery dies you’ve not only lost navigation, but the ability to make a 911 call if you need it. Caltopo is a good tool for preplanning also…again, there’s a learning curve. Google My Maps and Google Earth are options, GPS Visualizer is another…there’s lots or ways to go…either free or purchased…