The Garmin eTrex Vista HCx has the entire AT preloaded at 1:24K.
My garmin nuvi 750 was $465 at Christmas and has gone down to $435 now on Amazon.comOne of these days i'll upgrade (when the prices come down or i can buy something cheap)
So prices are coming down. Give it another year. I bet prices will be much more reasonable.
Panzer
Last edited by Panzer1; 01-17-2008 at 00:47.
I bought my Garmin Etrex Legend at Office Max for $120.00 4-years ago. If you look around you can get a good deal as I did. I would have to think this model cost less now then it did 4-years ago.
E-Bay…..
Google "gps coordinates appalachian trail" this should get you going on the right track.
Having one on the trail is good if you want to have it and great if you know how to use it by the time you go. However, I have always been a purist first and easy second. I would submit your skills at map reading and the use of the compass be proficient before you use the GPS to depend on.
The above statement is for hikers. Obviously the in vehicle GPS is another completely different animal. You dont need the compass for that.
Last edited by HIKER7s; 01-17-2008 at 14:55.
I hiked that ridge Pop told me not to that morning.
Each time out, I see that same ridge- only different.
Each one is an adventure in itself. Leading to what is beyond the next- HIKER7s
GPS=to much weight. The AT is to well marked and a beaten down path.
Yea, I agree. all you need on the trail is a map and compass. You should not "depend" on anything electronic on the trail. Although I am not against bringing electronic toys just to play with.Originally Posted by homebrew
Panzer
I tried GPS a couple times on-trail but had difficulty maintaining a clear signal. After that, I left it in the car. IMHO, dead weight. YMMV
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
I think the problem with leaving it in the car is that if someone breaks into the car, they get a free GPS. Things like that are not unheard of.
My GPS weights just under 6 ounces, which means that it is not unreasonable to pack it with me. It is actually the most expensive "thing" in my car.
Panzer
Good point! My brother is a police Sgt in Bucks County and said to me recently as I told him I was getting the wife, who cant find her way our of the residential section sometimes, a GPS for the vehicle. (that non hiker/ hiker relationship you know..)
He told me to get some of those window wipes and be sure to clean up the mark it leaves on inside your windsheild. Theives that are looking for them also key on that mark. Figuring its somewhere in the glovebox or whatever inside the vehicle. If its not and they break in due to the mark, still going to be $ involved to you.
I hiked that ridge Pop told me not to that morning.
Each time out, I see that same ridge- only different.
Each one is an adventure in itself. Leading to what is beyond the next- HIKER7s
yea, I got those suction cup marks all over my windshield now. I know your supposed to clean them off but I'm always in a hurry. Lazy too. Maybe I should get a pack of those windshield wipes and use them. It will be cheaper that replacing a window.
Panzer
Sure would be, they most go thru the side window.
I hiked that ridge Pop told me not to that morning.
Each time out, I see that same ridge- only different.
Each one is an adventure in itself. Leading to what is beyond the next- HIKER7s
I am a sectionhiker with 1030 miles done and have used mine on several occassions. Some with good results and some not so good. In VT is was totaly usless felt like trowing it away. There was just to heavy of a canopy.
Maine it worked pretty good. Now this was with a 10 year old Etrex.
It is mostly a toy to play with when I take a brake. You do not need one on the "AT".
I do some Geocaching so I take it sometimes for that also to see how close I am to a shelter. Keep in mind that some like my old GPS give distance as the crow flies. I am not sure about my new one. Only a month old.
I just got the new Delorme GPS PN-20. This you can load TOPO USA on. You can print out maps 1:50,000 use the UTM and pin point your location at will. The newer GPS models are said to work better under canopy cover then the older ones. Time will tell.
What model did you get?
Lots of "car Theft"
Since gas prices went up so has fencing the car version of GPS! Recenty while parked in front of a nice resturaunt in Willow Grove PA my car was broken into and the GPS & company laptop was stolen. They never opened the door and the factory installed alarm never sounded. The police officer arrived and he said "Third one tonight, I just came from that other nice resteraunt nearby" I called the Insurance Co. that night and they arranged a window replacement for the next afternoon. The SafteyGlass guy replaced the window in less than two hours and it was his fifth one that day. The car window employees have 50 installers with 5 that work at the office in a assembly line. I estimated from the conversation that about 12500+ windows a year in the philadelphia area for that one company alone. About two weeks later the police had a "cattle call" to claim some of the found stolen mechandise one night. Some 950 people showed up to claim a very small amount of recovered jewlery, phones, Ipods, MP3, Tools, and of course GPS. Few if any GPS were recovered as they resold so quickly on the internet.
Dogs are excellent judges of character, this fact goes a long way toward explaining why some people don't like being around them.
Woo
Since gas prices went up so has fencing the car version of GPS! Recenty while parked in front of a nice resturaunt in Willow Grove PA my car was broken into and the GPS & company laptop was stolen. They never opened the door and the factory installed alarm never sounded. The police officer arrived and he said "Third one tonight, I just came from that other nice resteraunt nearby" I called the Insurance Co. that night and they arranged a window replacement for the next afternoon. The SafteyGlass guy replaced the window in less than two hours and it was his fifth one that day. The car window employees have 50 installers with 5 that work at the office in a assembly line. I estimated from the conversation that about 12500+ windows a year in the philadelphia area for that one company alone. About two weeks later the police had a "cattle call" to claim some of the found stolen mechandise one night. Some 950 people showed up to claim a very small amount of recovered jewlery, phones, Ipods, MP3, Tools, and of course GPS. Few if any GPS were recovered as they resold so quickly on the internet.
SO CLEAN those windshield rings. Because even if its not on, it suggests you have one.
I hiked that ridge Pop told me not to that morning.
Each time out, I see that same ridge- only different.
Each one is an adventure in itself. Leading to what is beyond the next- HIKER7s
I would be happy with compass and map, but love to toy with my color Garmin etrex. I wouldn't have put the money out for it, but got it at a REI garage sale for $25!!! The rubber edging was broken off, but I glued it back on.
ps... It may be a little bit of a ride, but you PA guys may wanna check out the NJ REI next Saturday 26th, they are having another garage sale. Great deals, people will probably be camping out on sidewalk overnight. We showed up a couple hours before they opened and still found several great deals... North Face Windwall Fleece$14, Merrell Chameleon Wraps $24, a girls $150 down jacket for $12 and a few others.
see ya there!!!
Last edited by jhick; 01-18-2008 at 19:27.
I met BP in the White Mtns. He was carrying a GPS as mentioned earlier for BackPacker and was heading north tracing the trail.
I love my GPS for day hikes, & I would definitely take it on overnight trips with me. I enjoy getting home & editing the "tracks" I made, then transferring them to Google Earth. I am in the process of remapping a smallish local state forest (as a hobby, not being paid of course) whose maps are somewhat outdated. I think it will be nice to have a picture of the park on a 3d overview to give a better perspective of your trail. I also use it to mark neat overlooks, rock formations, etc. It is a pretty handy device, i purchased it for caching, but have gotten alot of use out of it. It also helps me in orienting on hikes.
However, in my virgin trip to Dolly Sods here in WV on my old GPS (loaded with only the base maps, which are lacking) I was glad to have real area maps to look at, alongside my receiver. If I were to come into a great deal of cash & be able to quit my job & hit the trail... As of now, I would say I would take my GPS for certain... and I would also carry maps with me for at least my first few weeks out. After that I would know if I wanted to ass with the GPS (it might just be more of an irritant than anything else) & ditch the maps... or if the GPS was just too much trouble for too little return. Then I would just mail it home.
If a man speaks in the forest, but there is no women to hear him, IS HE STILL WRONG
Does that mean you do not have to buy extra maps for a topo of the AT with the Vista HCx?
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