My husband and I would both like to buy new GPS units, in his case to replace one bought around 2002, and in my case to have something with a bigger display and more updated capabilities than my Garmin wristwatch device.
We want to get units that have all USGS topo maps preloaded, if possible, as well as the ability to download some apps. They do not need to have emergency locators or other communications features. We really want the focus to be on the GPS part. They would be used mainly for trail-less hiking in rough terrain. I’ve been able to to use magnetic compass and map in such areas but would like another tool as confirmation or “second opinion.”
Which models have Pnetters liked and why? Durability and long run time per charge or battery set matter more than immersability, though waterproofing against rain/snow is important.
My wife and I are long time users and like the Garmin MAP-76CSX. They have been very reliable and accurate. My wife had over 500 points on for the Everglades 300 miler, plus they held all our data.
We have also used them for hiking and on occasion I used mine on my road bike while waiting for a new bike computer
We have a friend who not only uses his on the water, but in his vehicle.
The only problem is they have been replaced by the MAP-78 which is not as user friendly… If you have not used the 76, the 78 should be fine
If you use lithium batteries with them you’ll get a long time out of one change (about a week out of six hour days)
Do you have any sense of whether a particular maker has better satellite activity in the area you want to hike? Reason I ask is an early discovery of the rangers in the Adirondacks. Between trees and valleys and satellite availability, there were limited providers that could be of any help. And I know even now in Maine, my Garmin tends to work better out on the water than in a distance from the shore on figuring out where it is.
Having all topo mapos preloaded may depend on what manufacturer, they don’t all handle downloading maps the same way.
I use an Etrex 20. It may have a smaller screen than you want, but I like its size. It’s not touch screen, but cost less with good feathers. You can add a micro sd card for added map storage or use the Garmin coastal and lakes charts micro sd cards. I loaded the free State topo maps from gpsfiledepot.com . Runs all day on 2 AA batteries. Since I turn it off when stopped they last 2 to 3 days. Even though waterproof rating of 7 I keep it in a waterproof clear bag.
@castoff said:
I use an Etrex 20. It may have a smaller screen than you want, but I like its size. It’s not touch screen, but cost less with good feathers. You can add a micro sd card for added map storage or use the Garmin coastal and lakes charts micro sd cards. I loaded the free State topo maps from gpsfiledepot.com . Runs all day on 2 AA batteries. Since I turn it off when stopped they last 2 to 3 days. Even though waterproof rating of 7 I keep it in a waterproof clear bag.
@pikabike said:
Can you map your own route and then save it as an overlay that can be used in the field some other day?
(I’m assuming, like other Garmin handhelds, you can use the Garmin program ‘BaseCamp’ with the ‘Oregon 750t’)
You can ‘create’ a route (or track) from the mapping program for the Garmin devices: BaseCamp. (with your topo selected as the map), then upload to you device.
Or, use ‘gpsvisualizer’ (http://www.gpsvisualizer.com/draw/) to create a track (from one of the many maps available, (Google map, etc)), save it to gpx format, then load to BaseCamp & your device.
(note, in BaseCamp you can create a route from a track and vice-versa)
I’ve loaded the ones for FL and GA (onto a gpsmap78sc)
I ‘think’ they’re 24k (FL specifies that it is, GA looks like it is).
(though the one from Garmin for around $100 which covers all the US might be the easier choice)
The Garmin 24k maps are sold in regional bundles. About $100 per bundle, which is four states in my case for the SW US.
What I’d like to know is whether my actual route created by hiking with the device can be saved as an overlay. What you described sounds like the opposite: creating a route on a computer and then having the GPS direct me in the field. Since the area in mind is bushwhack country, I would rather use visual cues to walk a desirable route and then save that.
It appears that creating a route from a walked track can only be done via Base Camp, from your parenthesized note above.
I can see how doing what you described would make sense in completely unfamiliar territory when wanting the most direct paths to certain features.
What I’d like to know is whether my actual route created by hiking with the device can be saved as an overlay. What you described sounds like the opposite: creating a route on a computer and then having the GPS direct me in the field. Since the area in mind is bushwhack country, I would rather use visual cues to walk a desirable route and then save that.
Yes.
Here is our track from Sundays paddle: https://secure.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/e/8/7/1/highres_481499505.jpeg
(snapshot, not zoomable)
@pikabike said:
The Garmin 24k maps are sold in regional bundles. About $100 per bundle, which is four states in my case for the SW US.
What I’d like to know is whether my actual route created by hiking with the device can be saved as an overlay.
Yes use the track manager on the GPS to save a track. Very easy to do.
I didn’t buy the Garmin maps. Instead I copied all the state maps for the states I hiked and paddled onto a micro SD card from https://www.gpsfiledepot.com/
They show the coast but are not charts. I happen to have all the US coastal charts on a Garmin micro SD card that came with the Garmin chartplotter I use on my sailboat and use it in my Etrex 20. I feel sure the the Oregon will do this too.
Raisins, that is cool how the plot shows speed on different stretches, even though that shot is not zoomable.
Castoff, I read that the non-Garmin maps don’t show shaded relief but are otherwise similar. And it appears that the Oregon 750t will work with nautical charts that they also sell as SD chips.
So far, no store within 60 miles has had them in stock, so we are looking at mail ordering.
I like my old Garmin GPSMAP 60CsX the best. it mounts easily to canoe thwarts with a handlebar type clamp mount that I like a lot. I also have the generations beyond, the 62, 64 and the newest 66. As a SAR volunteer, I can use each style on SAR incidents. But I hate all of the newer models with a passion. Mostly because I can easily mount and dismount the 60 with a stubby screwdriver that I keep in my PFD pocket for when I change canoes. With later models you have to carry a supply of cable ties to use with the handlebar type mount attachment sold for them. To remove them you have to cut the cable ties, not always easy or convenient. I also dislike the function screen layout on each the newer models. The 60 is far simpler and much more intuitive.
For canoe racing, my primary use of GPS on familiar routes is simply for speed monitoring. On unfamiliar routes and especially on the Yukon races, I mount two 60s, one showing a map screen, the other beside it with a compass direction screen pointing to the next waypoint/distance to get me around islands and in the fast current I have determined from prior map study and experience on the river.
I am kind of old school when it comes to navigation, I use a real GPS when I need a GPS, I use a phone when I need to talk to someone, I use a real compass and map when I need to plot a direction in the woods
One of the big advantages of adding a non-tiny GPS unit to my toolset is that the SD chip in it will be a portable, field-usable library of all the 24k topos for the four states of most interest to me. I would still use an oldfangled magnetic compass for following a bearing or taking a sight, getting LOP, etc. And I still would write down notes. The GPS is not intended to replace the compass and common sense. My old wristwatch GPS does not have topo maps or color, and the display is way too small. (It works fine as an exercise tracker.)
I pulled the trigger today and bought an Oregon 750 plus the data chip for the four states I’ll be in the most.
As with the wristwatch unit, no user manual comes with the device. (Grrrr.) I’ll need to print it, because I always highlight and mark up user manuals.
The display is good enough, the controls fairly easy to learn so far, and it fits nicely in my hand. It is NOT waterproof below 1 meter depth, so anybody who plans to use one on the water should buy a waterproof bag or case for it.
