GPS Unit

[Shawn]

Do you carry a GPS unit hiking?

If yes, what one do you have?

Do you like it? Hate it?

 

[neidholdt]

Don't carry, Just my iphone coupled with Alltrails has worked great for me.

 

[Shawn]

Don't carry, Just my iphone coupled with Alltrails has worked great for me.

I bought a Garmin 64-ST to use and had problem after problem with it.

My iPhone apps have always been way easier to use and less problematic than that thing.

 

[Jeff Ulrich]

I have an older Garmin eTrex Vista C, but, like I explained in the "How Do You Navigate Trails Without Cell Service?" thread, I seldom use it anymore. I use a mapping app on my phone called BackCountry Navigator PRO that provides all of the same functions as the Garmin and more, but is easier to use.

 

[Shawn]

I've been looking at getting a newer Garmin gps. I'm looking at a really nice one but of course, a rather expensive one.

However, it would also have a PLB attached to it which might be worth the cost.

 

[Jeff Ulrich]

Well, as much as you are out it might be more worthwhile for you than it would for me. I don't know anything about the new Garmin or other brands of handheld GPS units. I just find the phone app to work well for me as a substitute for a standalone GPS. I would like to have a PLB and preferably with the capability to send text messages if there were no cell signal. I can think of some cases where it might be handy for communication in a remote location without a cell signal (vehicle trouble, stuck, just checking in to say I'm OK, etc.). Other than that it would be have it for peace of mind and hope to never have to activate it in an emergency.

 

[Shawn]

I'm a fan of Garmin. I have a bike computer by them and my sports watch is by them. I have the Garmin 64st GPS unit but the newer ones have fancier features that I would like mainly because my vision isn't what it used to be. But those units are expensive and I'm a little cheap sometimes lol

 

[Jeff Ulrich]

I just did a quick look at the Garmin website. I suppose you have checked these units out in depth already, so, being somewhat lazy, let me ask a couple questions. Do the newer Garmin units make it easy to import/export maps, tracks, and waypoints directly to/from the units using wifi? Are there sources for maps from third parties that can be imported to the newer Garmins?

My old eTrex Vista C has to be connected up to a computer using a USB cable and the maps and dataset you want to put on it are loaded using the Garmin BaseCamp software which I suppose is now obsolete and replaced with something else. I have the Garmin MapSource software, but don't remember using it. There were several free base and overlay maps available from third parties. You could even make your own custom maps, although I never did that because it looked like a difficult process. I actually liked BaseCamp as a standalone map software for use on my laptop, but haven't used it in a long time because it is easier to use the app on my phone. I remember that one limitation was not being able to display more than one map at a time, so overlays wouldn't work, except there was a way to run a virtual Garmin GPS on the computer and it would trick BaseCamp into thinking there was a GPS attached and for some reason it would then allow multiple maps/layers to display.

I doubt I would be in the market for another standalone handheld GPS, even with built-in satellite communication/PLB capability. Like you said, they are expensive and I'm kind of cheap sometimes myself. I'm sure they have a bit better accuracy and that would be nice to get better waypoints. If I do anything, it will probably be to buy a standalone PLB.