HikerJames

I have a Vista HCx (love it so far, BTW) and I'm planning to get Topo 2008 for my hiking/mountaineering. My question is what size card to get. I'm trying to decide between a 1GB or 2GB card. If I'm I were to transfer just CA maps, would that leave me with plenty of extra room on a 1GB card to store routes, waypoints, etc.? At some point I might transfer over other regions or states but it wouldn't be anytime soon and probably only for limited use. So, is a 1GB likely to be enough for me or should I go for the 2GB?

In order to put topos on the GPS, you must use Garmin maps. Topo US 2008 is the current Topo map that covers the entire US. It is a 1:100,000 scale map. If you are only going to be in the National Parks, Garmin also makes a 1:24,000 series National Parks series. From the sound of you post, however, the Topo 2008 is what you want. You can buy them preloaded on Micro SD Cards, but it is not economical to do so. It is about $86 to buy a pre-loaded card that covers a region(5-10 states). You can get the whole USA on DVD for about that price. Also, you will have the maps on your computer for planning purposes. You will also need to get a larger micro SD card, but IIRC you can get a 2gb one for about $30. So if were to get Topo US 2008, I can then transfer the maps over to an SD card on my Vista HCx?

I just ordered a Vista HCx, my first GPS unit. I'm planning on using it for hiking and mountaineering. As such, I would like to have a topo map as my background map. I will mainly be in California but I might venture into some surrounding states like Oregon, Washington or Nevada. What is my best option for getting a good topo on my new unit when it arrives? I'm a bit new to this as you can probably tell. I've heard about pre-loaded SD cards. Are these the best option? What about software on the computer that would let me transfer over topo maps? Thanks!