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  1. #1
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    Default Purchasing a GPS device

    Hello,First of all let me state that I have NEVER used a handheld GPS and am looking for a user friendly device. I don't need a ton of bells and whistles (I don't think) but just a good standard unit. I have been looking at a etrex 20 mainly due to the price and the reviews are ok. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

  2. #2

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    Delorme PN-60. Waterproof, full color maps, easy to use, and it comes with Topo North America which lets you print custom topo maps of your chosen areas. It is easy to create routes on the computer and load them to your GPS, or hike a route and upload it to your computer.
    Go afield with a good attitude, with respect for the wildlife you hunt, and the forest and field in which you walk. Immerse yourself in the outdoor experience. It will cleanse your soul.--Fred Bear

    www.misadventuregear.com

  3. #3

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    Don't just look at the GPS. Examine the cost and quality of maps (3rd-party maps make this less important than it used to be), quality and utility of software, etc. If you really get into GPS and electronic mapping, you will find it helpful to customize your own maps, put together your own routes, etc.

    I have 3 different generations of eTrex (none of the latest, though), and I have been very happy with them for hiking and cycling (so, both backwoods and road navigation). But, I bought into the whole Garmin system, using their automotive GPS units as well, and interchanging data and maps through their PC software, so I am definitely biased (and effectively trapped).

  4. #4

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    The Garmin Etrex 20 is an excellent choice. Its accuracy and lock on time beats anything that Magellan, Delorme, or Bushnell have hands down(GPS & GLONASS!!!). Its extremely lightweight, only 5 ounces with batteries. Also, like bobp said above, you'll want excellent quality and low cost maps, and with a Garmin unit you can get great TOPO maps for free at www.gpsfiledepot.com. And don't worry about having to swap maps because of limited storage space in the GPS, the Etrex 20 has 1.7 gigabytes of usable space, plus it has a microSD slot to expand it even further. Garmin's software, Basecamp is extremely user friendly, while still having full features for the experts, which is not hard to become. Basecamp allows you to print your maps, upload and download tracks to and from your GPS, plus it even comes with Cloud storage, so you could upload tracks/maps/routes/etc onto the cloud, and retrieve them from any other computer. Garmin updates Basecamp about once a month, while the other companies update their software maybe 3 times a year, if that. So go with your first choice. Garmin, especially the Etrex 20, is the way to go, IMHO.
    Last edited by lilricky; 08-17-2013 at 12:38.

  5. #5
    AT NOBO2010 / SOBO2011 Maddog's Avatar
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    I have a Garmin GPSmap 60CSx and it is an amazingly accurate device. That being said, I no longer carry it hiking , because my phone has taken it's place. Maddog
    "You do more hiking with your head than your feet!" Emma "Grandma" Gatewood...HYOY!!!
    http://www.hammockforums.net/?

  6. #6

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    I bought a Garmin Dakota 20, which I am not real happy with. First off, the only pre-installed maps were for highways. No small town roads at all. Get off the highway and its blank. Had to buy the topomap package for another $70.

    Second, it's too small. Fits in the hand nicely, but the screen is so small you can't see any detail. And it's a real pain to pan around. Pretty much a waste of close to $300.

    What I would want is a GPS with the same form factor and screen resolution as a smart phone. I guess they don't make one like that because you'd just go get a smart phone and be able to do everything else with it too. I'm going to get a 7" tablet with GPS and hope I can find some topomaps it can work with.
    Follow slogoen on Instagram.

  7. #7
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    What's more important is to get GPS tracks completed by others. Once you load those tracks and waypoints all you have to is follow the blue line.
    Pain is a by-product of a good time.

  8. #8
    Registered User Wise Old Owl's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Gimme Shelter View Post
    Hello,First of all let me state that I have NEVER used a handheld GPS and am looking for a user friendly device. I don't need a ton of bells and whistles (I don't think) but just a good standard unit. I have been looking at a etrex 20 mainly due to the price and the reviews are ok. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
    Tough call just because you are on a hiking website... doesn't mean a GPS is for your hiking...

    What do you want to use it for and why?


    Hiking, biking, kayaking, etc...

    and if Biking North Lake Drive?
    Dogs are excellent judges of character, this fact goes a long way toward explaining why some people don't like being around them.

    Woo

  9. #9
    PCT, Sheltowee, Pinhoti, LT , BMT, AT, SHT, CDT, TRT 10-K's Avatar
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    Garmin Oregon here. I have a few GPS's and this is my goto unit.

    I like the touchscreen (works with gloves on, unlike my phone) and the larger screen. Set of AA lithium batteries will last for a few weeks if I'm just using it to get a fix to find myself on a map.

  10. #10
    Adventure Trekker/Science Geek
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    I use my iphone complete with a couple of nav apps that enable me to bring onboard maps. Talk about multi-tasking... love that thing
    "Study hard what interests you the most in the most undisciplined, irreverent and original manner possible." -Feynman

  11. #11
    Registered User ChuckT's Avatar
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    I'm working on my 4th Garmin, a Fortrax 140. It looks simple eough to be a magnetic compass replacement but not much more (and "simple" is good). But, just in general, I've found the Garmins to be dissapointing.

    The overall view they give me is too myoptic and the GUI is too rigid. I also looked at that cloud-sourced instrument (the name escapes me) and it has promise. Currently I'm keeping track of the "phablets". If there's one that has the features I want I'd study the battery life and may go in that direction.

    Cvt

  12. #12
    Registered User ChuckT's Avatar
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    A "Foretrex 401".

    Cvt

  13. #13

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    I've used GPS since 1997, all around the world including treks in Nepal, Iceland, Alaska, the AT, 45 ultramarathons, and recently for professional geology work in Montana.
    Currently I'm using the Garmin 60CSx although it is at this point rather old technology. I used it continuously on the AT and I liked a lot of things about it although battery life was only ~8-10 hrs so I had to change AA cells every day. I also sprung for the TOPOUSA database, which at the time (2007) added about $100 to the price. But you need a detailed topo base, with features like roads, trails, springs, buildings, etc. A pretty photo of shaded hills won't cut it.
    Here's my suggestion: Get a newer model from a major brand that has good battery life (but not rechargable batteries). You want to be able to buy batteries anywhere (I give the same advice for digital cameras). Get one with a decent basemap with actual contour lines. Make sure the screen is large enough for you to see easily, and that it zooms in and out and pans easily; you'll be doing a lot of this. Get a robust GPS (not a phone) unit that records things like climb and descent, hundreds of waypoints, and lets you download your tracks to plot on GoogleEarth and other mapping programs.

    If you're like me you will run it all day while you hike and it will answer lots of questions for you. But don't depend entirely on a digital gadget; I carry a full set of paper maps, too because believe me the GPS will be unable to obtain signal at those times when you really need it, and you don't want to be out there lost with nothing to go by...you have been warned.

  14. #14

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    I might add that very accurate AT tracks and all shelter point locations are available online. Get only a GPS that will accept and display these data. They are incredibly useful for hiking the AT, if you are at all curious about tracking your progress, measuring elevation changes, etc.
    It was impressive to look at the GPS at the end of the day and see the total amount of climb, often more than a mile vertical.

  15. #15
    Registered User Theosus's Avatar
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    second for the delorme pn-60. I had a magellan sportrak map, but it finally gave up the ghost after 10 years. The only problem with the pn-60 is the topo north america software. it took a steep learning curve for me, but I was used to the very simple (and not very functional) magellan software. But, and here's the important thing. The Delorme software COMES WITH 1:24000 topo maps of the whole country. a lot of gps companies charge you plenty for those maps.

    If you find GPX tracks online from other people, you can drag and drop them right into the delorme software, save the track and follow the line through the woods. I have a place I like to go that is full of trails, and after three trips I've just about mapped the whole thing.
    My only complaint about it is the screen size. With screens on most phones and car GPSes being three inches or larger, most handheld GPS screens just seem kind of small. Of course, that's probably how they get 20 hours out of a set of batteries too... just try getting that out of a cell phone on GPS mode!
    Please don't read my blog at theosus1.Wordpress.com
    "I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference. Thank God for Search and Rescue" - Robert Frost (first edit).

  16. #16

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    So Shelter, which GPS did you go with?

  17. #17
    Registered User ChuckT's Avatar
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    If you're looking a Garmin GPS unit this web site, I stumbled on it yesterday, may be of some use to anyone looking to buy a GPS. WWW.Tramsoft/index_en.html

    I have no connection with it nor with Garmin.

    CVT

  18. #18
    Registered User ChuckT's Avatar
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    I am looking now at a new Smart Phone - the Galaxy Note III and a GPS App.

    Most smart phones have a camera, and a time/date display and of course there is the communication use, actually using them to call home (what a concept) but I need to consider the cell coverage. Which one, if any, would be better?

    cvt
    Miles to go before I sleep. R. Frost

  19. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by ChuckT View Post
    I am looking now at a new Smart Phone - the Galaxy Note III and a GPS App.

    Most smart phones have a camera, and a time/date display and of course there is the communication use, actually using them to call home (what a concept) but I need to consider the cell coverage. Which one, if any, would be better?

    cvt
    If you mean carrier Verizon seems to have the best coverage over the length of the trail.
    Pain is a by-product of a good time.

  20. #20
    Registered User ChuckT's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by fredmugs View Post
    If you mean carrier Verizon seems to have the best coverage over the length of the trail.
    Yes, thanks. We have AT&T might have to re-think that.

    Cvt
    Miles to go before I sleep. R. Frost

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