gadget info

[climbrx]

Hi everyone! Ive been looking at different GPS for hiking and was wondering if any of you have used one. Im going to shop around a lil and see what out there so if you have any info id love to hear it.

[Rumpled]

I use my Magellan all the time.
Get a Garmin.
They have the best support and updates.
Decide what features you may want.
Barometer, touch screen, topo maps, camera....
Decide if you want to only use it for hiking type stuff or also car routing.
Look into what those map packages will cost.
Each manufacturer has their own maps to put onto the GPS itself; you must buy theirs.
Make sure it hooks up to a computer (all but the cheapest do)

[Snowhiker]

Whenever questions regarding GPS' come up I always recommend going to www.geocaching.com and register for their forums as there is a ton of info there. Very active message base.

[Zé]

I have a garmin gpsmap 60csx. I love it. It seems to be generally rated quite high in terms of outdoor use. Might be overkill for some, but has more sensitive chipset and so more accurate than some other models.

I would check out this website too


http://gpstracklog.typepad.com/gps_tracklog/

[magikwalt]

I agree with Ze. My 60csx holds a 2GB card and allows me to put the City Navigator and topos on the same unit. Navigate via roads to remote starts or places I don't know as well as the topo info. Use it with the kids for geo caching. It allows direct downloading of geo points so you can pick off few in every trip.

There is a geo cache at the halfway point on Skyline!

[Kevin]

Garmin's 60CSx and the Vista HCx seem to be the most popular GPS models among hikers/climbers. You'll probably also want to purchase Garmin's Topo 2008 software (about $100) to replace the basic mapset in the unit as this software provides a higher level of detail than the factory default.

When you make your choice, check out Amazon for the lowest prices. They often bundle the GPS with the software package above.

PS - As noted above, the 60CSx has a replaceable memory chip. You can install a 1 or 2GB microSD chip. Apparently 2GB is the largest card which works in the Garmin.

[climbrx]

Thank you very much for the info!