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Handheld GPS for hiking
- Thread starter dlarge
- Start date
jeffC
NES Member
I use (and love) my Magellan EXplorist 110. Its accurate, user friendly, and even has road maps loaded in it so it can double up as a driving gps in a pinch. Cheap too, i got mine for like $100-$125 at Best Buy. Its more geared towards GEOcaching (which I dont do) but all the little additions they put in it make it a lot of fun to use. Trails by name, bodies of water by name, town lines.....ect. I went from a Garmin Etrex to this and couldnt be happier.
ETA:
The only complaint I have is the toggle knob is a pain sometimes (sensitive), but if thats the only issue, I can deal.
ETA:
The only complaint I have is the toggle knob is a pain sometimes (sensitive), but if thats the only issue, I can deal.
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If you have an iPhone or iPad, take a look at the app called "You Need a Map". The app includes a 2 Gb (gigabyte) map, so you don't rely on the net for google maps info. It shows topo lines and has an aerial view. It's $9.99 as I remember.
I have the 62s; it is quite nice, no big complaints. I have used it for geocaching, hiking, and making detailed analysis and plotting of my 200 acres in Maine. With not too much difficulty, I do edits of my maps on the PC (using 3rd party software) which I then load back into the device so I have an nice map of my land. I think I paid for a year of map downloads so I could load up my areas of interest with topo maps.
Whatever you do, don't get a DeLorme. Worst device ever! And software designed by a crazy person, totally unusable.
If you have android, get Backcountry Navigator. It is awesome! You can download for free all the topo or aerial images you want for offline use (or online too).
Whatever you do, don't get a DeLorme. Worst device ever! And software designed by a crazy person, totally unusable.
If you have android, get Backcountry Navigator. It is awesome! You can download for free all the topo or aerial images you want for offline use (or online too).
dhuze
NES Member
I am on my third Garmin. One the screen started going and it cost as much to fix it as buy a new one. The second I put on the hood of my car to get a signal. Then I drove away forgetting I put it there.
Now I have an Etrex 30. I love those thing. No problem with them at all. Sometimes I find myself second guessing them only to find out I'm wrong.
No matter what you buy, get color. I had them without it and couldn't figure out why I would need color. My second one was color because of some other features so I bought it. Now I know why I want it. It's just plain better.
I also have the topographical maps for it. If you are doing a lot of wandering, hunting, or hiking you really need to have the topographical maps. They are much more detailed than what is in the GPS for base maps.
Oh I also have a Garmin Rhino. I have the cheapest one and wish it was better. I hunt in Colorado every year and the radio/walkie talkie doesn't reach very far in that terrain. I don't know how it works anywhere else because only the people I hunt with out there have one.
Now I have an Etrex 30. I love those thing. No problem with them at all. Sometimes I find myself second guessing them only to find out I'm wrong.
No matter what you buy, get color. I had them without it and couldn't figure out why I would need color. My second one was color because of some other features so I bought it. Now I know why I want it. It's just plain better.
I also have the topographical maps for it. If you are doing a lot of wandering, hunting, or hiking you really need to have the topographical maps. They are much more detailed than what is in the GPS for base maps.
Oh I also have a Garmin Rhino. I have the cheapest one and wish it was better. I hunt in Colorado every year and the radio/walkie talkie doesn't reach very far in that terrain. I don't know how it works anywhere else because only the people I hunt with out there have one.
do not have direct experience with the 62ST, but previous gamin is working well. The 100K topo map is marginally usaeable, you will want to upgrade to the 24K. Also realize the 62st can be had at big discount, like $282
It's all personal preference, honestly REI usually has a great staff, if you're part of the rewards program it's worth spending the extra money and buying it there, if not get their recommendation and buy it online (use the Comm2a Amazon portal) I've found most GPS systems over $100 seem to be pretty sufficient and similar. Can't go wrong with Garmin though.
The 62 series, and Oregon (450, 550) series are very good units for the price. Main difference between the 62 and Oregon is pushbuttons vs touch screen. I have an Oregon 450 with the 24K maps. Garmin's computer interface is great -- loading maps is very easy, as well as transferring waypoints to and from the unit in the Basecamp software. You can also overlay routes and waypoints in Google Earth and push them to the unit. I use this during hunting season -- use Google Earth to find sat images of areas of interest, mark the waypoints, then push to the GPS and head out into the woods. If you have a WMGOnline account, you can push routes/maps right from there to the Garmins.
Bumping this thread:
I'm looking into the 64 right now, but seeing that I could pick up the higher end 62 series (62s, 62st) for close to what the base 64 is going for. Is the 64 worth it? I'd like to stay under $300, so the 64s is also a possibility. It seems like the biggest difference to me is the 64 can use glonass satellites, but the 62 doesn't.
I'm looking into the 64 right now, but seeing that I could pick up the higher end 62 series (62s, 62st) for close to what the base 64 is going for. Is the 64 worth it? I'd like to stay under $300, so the 64s is also a possibility. It seems like the biggest difference to me is the 64 can use glonass satellites, but the 62 doesn't.
HorizontalHunter
NES Member
I have a Garmin 62s and I am very happy with it. This is my third Garmin and they all have been terrific.
The(S) stands for storage
The (T) stands for topo maps
The (C) stands for camera
The maps that come with the unit are 100k topo's. If you buy the Garmin topo's separately you will get 24k topo's which have more detail.
I opted to use the free topo's from GPSFileDepot. The price is right and they meet my needs. You do need to know that the Garmin topo's are "routable"; the free ones are not. Routable topo's will send (route) you down streets like a regular automobile GPS.
I have this GizzMoVest case for mine and it is terrific: http://www.amazon.com/62s-62st-GizzMoVest-LLC-Lanyard-Clip/dp/B005F79GDU
Here are some great resources:
http://www.gpsfiledepot.com/
http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/2068173
http://www.gpsfiledepot.com/maps/view/53/
http://gpstracklog.com/handheld-gps-faqs
The(S) stands for storage
The (T) stands for topo maps
The (C) stands for camera
The maps that come with the unit are 100k topo's. If you buy the Garmin topo's separately you will get 24k topo's which have more detail.
I opted to use the free topo's from GPSFileDepot. The price is right and they meet my needs. You do need to know that the Garmin topo's are "routable"; the free ones are not. Routable topo's will send (route) you down streets like a regular automobile GPS.
I have this GizzMoVest case for mine and it is terrific: http://www.amazon.com/62s-62st-GizzMoVest-LLC-Lanyard-Clip/dp/B005F79GDU
Here are some great resources:
http://www.gpsfiledepot.com/
http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/2068173
http://www.gpsfiledepot.com/maps/view/53/
http://gpstracklog.com/handheld-gps-faqs
HorizontalHunter
NES Member
I paid $199.00 for my 62s over the holidays. If you shop around you should be able to match that. I didn't see a need for the Glonass satellites as I have always had good navigation with all of the Garmin units I have had over the years.
You can save a few bucks by using the free topo's as mentioned in my earlier post.
Bob
Great info, thanks!
I was pretty shocked when I just looked up the cost of garmin maps.
HorizontalHunter
NES Member
Happy to help. There are lots of free maps over on GPSFileDepot. Make sure that you search by state. Lots of state forests and WMA's. The My Trails-High Quality Trail and POI Maps Map is a must.
If you load the maps onto the SD card you can turn them on and off at will and you will have plenty of storage.
Bob
ETA:
The map cost is built into the "t" models so you are paying it either way. If you really want the Garmin maps you will get a more detailed map for about the same price. The free ones serve me just fine.
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Bump.
I was wondering if anyone had any experience with the 64st? I was just digging around in storage and found an old backpack that I had to have put there 15+/- years ago and the original eTrex is a bit out of date.![[laugh]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/012.gif "Laugh [laugh]")
I'm such a cheap prick I even found a spot online selling the cable to attach it to the computer to see(hope) if I could update it at least a few years, but even my oldest computer doesn't even have a serial port for it to use. When I fired it up the bottom of the start up screen says "copyright 1999 GARMIN corp", so it's a bit off.
Edit: I just came in from standing in the driveway for 5-6 minutes waiting for it to get a signal and now the menu screen time and date is 06:06 am 09-NOV-95.![[rofl2]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/035.gif "ROFL2 [rofl2]")
I was wondering if anyone had any experience with the 64st? I was just digging around in storage and found an old backpack that I had to have put there 15+/- years ago and the original eTrex is a bit out of date.
I'm such a cheap prick I even found a spot online selling the cable to attach it to the computer to see(hope) if I could update it at least a few years, but even my oldest computer doesn't even have a serial port for it to use. When I fired it up the bottom of the start up screen says "copyright 1999 GARMIN corp", so it's a bit off.Edit: I just came in from standing in the driveway for 5-6 minutes waiting for it to get a signal and now the menu screen time and date is 06:06 am 09-NOV-95.
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HorizontalHunter
NES Member
You need to charge the flux capacitor.
Cabelas has the 64ST on sale at the moment.
http://www.cabelas.com/product/Garmin174-GPSMAPreg-64st/1813418.uts?Ntk=AllProducts&searchPath=%2Fcatalog%2Fsearch.cmd%3Fform_state%3DsearchForm%26N%3D0%26fsch%3Dtrue%26Ntk%3DAllProducts%26Ntt%3D64st%26x%3D10%26y%3D6%26WTz_l%3DHeader%253BSearch-All%2BProducts&Ntt=64st
Cabelas has the 64ST on sale at the moment.
http://www.cabelas.com/product/Garmin174-GPSMAPreg-64st/1813418.uts?Ntk=AllProducts&searchPath=%2Fcatalog%2Fsearch.cmd%3Fform_state%3DsearchForm%26N%3D0%26fsch%3Dtrue%26Ntk%3DAllProducts%26Ntt%3D64st%26x%3D10%26y%3D6%26WTz_l%3DHeader%253BSearch-All%2BProducts&Ntt=64st
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Thanks, I found it on ebay w/free shipping for the same price and they're also running 4X ebay bucks promo until the end of the day so I'll probably end up getting it there.
Tip for anyone with a 62/64 looking for a case to keep it from getting beat up when not in use: I figured out that my 62s fits into most glasses cases. I picked up a neoprene Chums "shade shelter" at basspro for like $9. It's a prefect fit and doesn't stand out as being an expensive GPS unit to prying eyes.
HorizontalHunter
NES Member
I am on my 3rd Garmin GPS and I rely heavily on my GPS so it gets used hard. I bought the 62S last year to replace a second generation Etrex and I couldn't be happier.
I bought the Gizzmodo case to protect the GPS and the ArmorSuit to protect the screen and I am very pleased with both.
http://www.amazon.com/62s-62st-GizzMoVest-LLC-Lanyard-Clip/dp/B005F79GDU
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00F4J5NPO?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00
The Garmin GPS' use the letters S (storage) T (topo) C (camera)
Storage is important to me as I load a lot of custom maps, tracks, and satellite images.
I could care less about the camera.
The Topo I would buy separately. The markup on the "T" model of the GPS is $100.00 and that is about what you can get the Garmin topo's for separately; but there is a big difference.
If you read the fine print you will see that the topo's that come with the "T" model GPS are 100k topo's but the ones you buy separately are the 24k topo's which are more detailed.
There is a third option for topo's. There is a free set of topo's that you can get at GPS File Depot. This is what I use. The price is right and they are 24k topo's as we'll the only difference is that they are not "routable" which is a a specific Garmin format that they use for road navigation like the GPS in your car which is not something I need in my hand held.
There are a wealth or resources available there including some specific custom maps of some of our WMA's.
http://www.gpsfiledepot.com/
Bob
Asaltweapon
NES Member
No love for the Delorme units? I'm very happy with mine.
Garmin is good product, although my experiance is limited to airplane avionics and their Garmin Pilot app.
In the backcountry, I use my Android tablet for this now, with a Topo app. Spare battery. Solar charger.
And a backup paper map and compass. Was just doing this last week in Yellowstone/SW Montana.
BTW, the Iridium GO! is a slick way to use your smart phone as a satellite phone. I rented one for the week, probably will buy one for hunting season.
In the backcountry, I use my Android tablet for this now, with a Topo app. Spare battery. Solar charger.
And a backup paper map and compass. Was just doing this last week in Yellowstone/SW Montana.
BTW, the Iridium GO! is a slick way to use your smart phone as a satellite phone. I rented one for the week, probably will buy one for hunting season.
HorizontalHunter
NES Member
For sure. I always carry a compass. They are lite, cheap, and always work.
I also recommend a GPS with an electronic compass feature.
I also highly recommend the Compass, Map Reading, and Survival Course offered by MassWildlife. It is excellent and it is free.
Just no experience. I started with a Garmin and never had a reason to look elsewhere
GPS Hunt by Trimble is a great app for the phone if you what to do that. I prefer a stand alone GPS.
Bob
Have you tried syncing it with a computer so you can transfer your map data between Delorme and PC, with some editing being done on the PC? I have... it's extremely painful. Whoever designed this had no idea what he was doing. This is no problem with the Garmin units. It sucked so badly I gave it away to my sister in law, who didn't need to ever get it near a PC.
I have that Garmin 62* and have been very happy with it.
Asaltweapon
NES Member
Ya I did try that once. It was painfull but what I liked most was that the paper copy (book) was exactly the same as the screen and that outweighed the issue. Now do I with the unit had a slightly larger screen? No question. I use it strictly for hunting season and my nephew liked it for his hiking trips so much he bought his own.
