DirectRoute, Topo 3D, or Garmin?
I'm trying to decide between buying directroute v.3 for $100 or topo 3D for $68 for my explorist 400, a Lowrance iWay 250c for $185 on eBay, or selling my explorist 400 and getting a Garmin eTrex.
I got a great deal on a returned 400 on eBay. It has some pixels out, but otherwise works perfectly. I have had some fun with it finding a few caches, and I hooked it up to my laptop and used it as a receiver for an older version (2004) of mappoint. It showed me right were I was and mappoint let me plan my trip and look up POIs while traveling, but I had to have the laptop up and running.
I would like to have detailed road maps on my GPS unit, look up POI's, and I have a casual interest in topo maps (I live in Kansas where I would not use them often, only on vacations to more hilly states) I also think I would like turn by turn directions, but have found that just being able to see where I am at vs. where I want to be is a great benefit.
Sorry for the long post, I wanted to let you know where I'm coming from.
So here are my questions:
1. Has anyone had much experience with directroute auto navigation and do you recommend it?
2. I heard that Topo 3D has detailed streetmaps. Does it also have POI's like gas and restaurants? Is it as up to date as directroute v.3's 2005 maps?
3. I've read that directroute's auto navigation does not let you pick shortest vs. quickest and sometimes chooses sideroads over interstate. Has anyone experienced this, and does anyone know if a Garmin eTrex with city navigator does any better?
If directroute's navigation is useful, I might go for that, otherwise I'm leaning towards Topo 3D to get the topo and detailed road maps, but only if it has useful POI info too.
Thanks for your help!
