Handheld GPS for camping

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Handheld GPS for camping

Posted: 10/6/2004 9:29:45 AM EDT

Anyone got one?

Whats a good brand and what to look for?

Posted: 10/6/2004 9:30:51 AM EDT

[#1]

Garmin
Check their line to see what's best for you.

Garmin Homepage

Posted: 10/6/2004 10:40:15 AM EDT

[#2]

thnx

Posted: 10/6/2004 10:41:27 AM EDT

[#3]

Garmin Etrex Vista

Posted: 10/6/2004 10:41:40 AM EDT

[#4]

Magellan Topo.

108mb of topographical maps built-in

Magellan's seem to lock onto satellites better than Garmin, but YMMV

Posted: 10/6/2004 11:02:47 AM EDT

[#5]

Anyone know wheres whats a good online retailer of GPS?

Posted: 10/6/2004 11:04:44 AM EDT

[#6]

The GPS Store

What ever make/model you get, make sure you have and use a compass along with it.

Posted: 10/6/2004 11:05:08 AM EDT

[#7]

I have the Etrex Legend. $160ish from Wal-Mart. It does the job and has all the features I need.

Posted: 10/6/2004 11:05:29 AM EDT

[#8]

Garmin Etrex - bargain basement, does everything you need for basic navigation, durable, and easy to use. I have had mine for years...its been everywhere, never a problem with it.

You can find them for about $100 new

Posted: 10/6/2004 11:08:29 AM EDT

[#9]

added poll

Posted: 10/6/2004 11:45:12 AM EDT

[#10]

Quoted:
I have the Etrex Legend. $160ish from Wal-Mart. It does the job and has all the features I need.

Offspring got a better deal than I did, but I'm also pretty happy with the legend.
One thing to look for is memory. More memory, better mapping detail, but more money. The Legend holds enough for me. (8 mg i think.)

Posted: 10/6/2004 12:06:51 PM EDT

[#11]

I have a Garmin that's probably 6 years old and it works great for what I have used it for, which is just hiking and stuff.

Posted: 10/6/2004 12:09:56 PM EDT

[#12]

I got it it at walmart.com. The store wouldn't honor the low price.

Posted: 10/6/2004 12:18:02 PM EDT

[#13]

Quoted:
Garmin Etrex - bargain basement, does everything you need for basic navigation, durable, and easy to use. I have had mine for years...its been everywhere, never a problem with it.

You can find them for about $100 new

+1
Great machine to start out with.

Posted: 10/6/2004 12:21:48 PM EDT

[#14]

ive got a Garmin 96C. I can use it for flying, boating,driving and hiking. All of which i do. it was expensive though, but definitly worth it.

Remman

Posted: 10/6/2004 12:48:10 PM EDT

[#15]

I have an old Magellan. It has few features, and it takes too long to acquire sattelites. I'm planning to replace it with this...

Garmin "eTrex Vista® C"

Posted: 10/6/2004 12:55:01 PM EDT

[#16]

I think you will do well with either. Personally I went with the magellan meridian gold for a couple of reasons.

1) the antenna is a bit better than the one in the etrex line.

2) removable memory (sd card)

3) got the mapping software for free (with rebate)

The equivalent in the etrex line is the legend. I think they still cost about the same, but the meridian has the expandable/removable memory.

One thing to note, at least at the time when I bought it, all data transfer between the computer and GPSr was through the serial dataport. So if you are uploading a lot of data, like 'detail maps' it takes a long time (up to several hours). However with the removable sd card, you can use a usb card reader and it goes very fast.

Even if you use a usb adapter for the serial cable, you are limited by the serial cable's data rate.

Posted: 10/6/2004 1:02:04 PM EDT

[#17]

Also, check here:

Groundspeak GPSr forum

If you want to compare the base of base models, I think you will look at the gecko or etrex vs explorist. Each for well under $100.

Posted: 10/6/2004 1:11:56 PM EDT

[#18]

I LOVE my Magellan Meridian Platinum GPS, BUT...

A lot of guys in my company in Kuwait/Iraq were using Garmin Rino 120's. In case you're not familiar with the Rino, it combines a fully functional GPS with an MGRS radio like the recently popular Motorolas. You don't give up any important GPS features (that I noticed, anyway) to get the radio capability. And it's not just a GPS and radio in the same box.... They're electronically tied together. If we're on the same frequency, when I key my microphone, it shows my location on the map screen on YOUR Rino. Our squads used them for squad-level communication and it helped the squad leader remain aware of the location of his troops. If your troops (wife and kids) are gonna be leaving your line of site while camping, it's a decent deal.

Good luck.

Posted: 10/6/2004 1:14:06 PM EDT

[#19]

Tag

Posted: 10/6/2004 1:20:09 PM EDT

[#20]

Quoted:
I LOVE my Magellan Meridian Platinum GPS, BUT...

A lot of guys in my company in Kuwait/Iraq were using Garmin Rino 120's. In case you're not familiar with the Rino, it combines a fully functional GPS with an MGRS radio like the recently popular Motorolas. You don't give up any important GPS features (that I noticed, anyway) to get the radio capability. And it's not just a GPS and radio in the same box.... They're electronically tied together. If we're on the same frequency, when I key my microphone, it shows my location on the map screen on YOUR Rino. Our squads used them for squad-level communication and it helped the squad leader remain aware of the location of his troops. If your troops (wife and kids) are gonna be leaving your line of site while camping, it's a decent deal.

Good luck.

This is a totally cool feature, and if I knew anyone else that had one, I probably might have gotten one. However, you need to know at least one other person who has one for it to work. But for camping/hunting it can be useful.

The only other caveat is that like any combo device, it may be easier to replace the broken component if it is separate than if they are packaged together. But that is all personal preference.

Posted: 10/6/2004 1:22:06 PM EDT

[#21]

Quoted:
I have the Etrex Legend. $160ish from Wal-Mart. It does the job and has all the features I need.

+1, I love mine. Be sure to checkout Geocaching.com. My father and myself have been doing these for about 2 years now, great fun for the whole family.

Posted: 10/6/2004 1:32:39 PM EDT

[#22]

This is a totally cool feature, and if I knew anyone else that had one, I probably might have gotten one. However, you need to know at least one other person who has one for it to work. But for camping/hunting it can be useful.

Good point. I forgot to mention that. The troops that brought them were "in", everyone else was "out". They're about $200 a piece too. If you can afford more than one, they're great. If you can only afford one, get something that more closely suits your GPS needs.

Posted: 10/6/2004 1:35:46 PM EDT

[#23]

will the lowest priced entry level ones transmit the data to a computer in real time so they can be used with programs like
USA Photo Maps

Posted: 10/6/2004 1:59:11 PM EDT

[#24]

Quoted:

Funny thing is, that pic is almost TWICE life-size for that thing. You can use it for a zipper-fob, it's so damned tiny. It would be great for a secondary unit for spouse or kids.

Posted: 10/6/2004 2:04:10 PM EDT

[#25]

Quoted:
will the lowest priced entry level ones transmit the data to a computer in real time so they can be used with programs like
USA Photo Maps

my bottom-end eTrex accepts a datalink cable, but only for downloading software updates and retrieving marked locations, as far as I know.
But new generations of eTrex (Legend, etc) work in conjunciton with their map software product, allowing the importation of detailed maps (land and sea) into the device - no real-time trasmittal or $1000 laptop needed for field use. And they are in the $200-300 range.

Posted: 10/6/2004 2:09:21 PM EDT

[#26]

I used my Magellan Meridian GPS to transmit to a map program on laptop while I was in Kuwait. We'd drive and it would update our icon on a map about twice a second, so I know the Meridian Platinum is capable of transmitting data in "real time". Whether it works with the specific program you mentioned, I don't know.

Posted: 10/6/2004 7:24:58 PM EDT

[#27]

Looks like Garmin has won the poll. But i like the fact that the Magellan Topo has 108 mb built in maps..

So many choices!

Posted: 10/6/2004 7:28:18 PM EDT

[#28]

Garmin E-trex Vista, I travel alot in foreign countries and no one knows its a GPS, people think it's a cellphone, but it has saved my ass plenty.....

Posted: 10/6/2004 7:45:53 PM EDT

[#29]

Quoted:
Garmin Etrex Vista

+1

Posted: 10/6/2004 7:58:48 PM EDT

[#30]

I found some pretty good prices at www.vanns.com. I bought a Magellan Sportrak Color for $235, but they have some other deals as well.

Out.

Posted: 10/7/2004 4:45:34 AM EDT

[#31]

I have both a Garmin Legend and a Magellan Platinum. The long and short of things are the Magellan is a better GPS.

It has the ability to take SD cards to store maps. Right not I have a 128 mb card in it for maps. I have all the states on that I visit and hike in(Pa, Ny, Va, MD, DC, NM, and many parts of Ontario). The Garmin can only take 8mb of maps. I cant even put the whole sate of Pennsylvania in it.

In my expreience the Magellan has a better antenna. It locks on to sattalites faster and maintains lock when in wooded areas. The Garmin's reception gets spotty when under cover. For an example, my Magellan will get lock in my house. The Garmin will not.

I will not completely bash Garmin because it's a small GPS and not as bulky when I'm backpacking. I don't feel uncomfortable with the Garmin, but the Magellan has the Garmin beat hands down with the ability to take SD cards. To my knowledge Garmin doesn't have any intention on making a GPS that has the ability to take cards. One thing about being a small GPS though....the screen is harder to see while moving.

Posted: 10/7/2004 4:58:10 AM EDT

[#32]

Get Garmin. Magellan is owned by Thales international, a FRENCH company!

Posted: 10/7/2004 5:12:08 AM EDT

[#33]

Lowrance iFinder is a good one. The GPS Store sells them. Get the mapping software to go with it and you are set.

Posted: 10/19/2004 2:46:36 PM EDT

[#34]

If your gonna get a geko.. get a geko 201.. for ~$40 more you get a heck of a lot more in that small geko package! including the ability to hook up to a computer, more screen options as well.

the ONLY magellans i like so far are the street nav color ones, and the explorist 300.

but for me my list of wants is...
garmin 60CS
garmin rino 130
garmin etrex vista color
garmin geko 201