appletree

I love my Quest but I never cared for the suction mount. I bought a mount for a garmin etrex that came with a flat oval base that the mounting bracket slides and snaps into. Using the included removable adhesive disc, I mounted the base on my steering column in front of the speedometer, which I can still read, although I usually just check the speed on the Quest. It was very easy to switch the part that holds the Quest with the part that holds the etrex. I also have a Garmin Beanbag mount that accepts the foot of the mounting bracket and lets me set it on a dashboard when I switch it to my wife's car. This may all sound complicated, but it is not. I don't remember what I payed for the etrex mount, but it was cheap.

No need for a large washer. I use a small, flat steel clip, but I have used a paper clip and an alligator clip as well with good results.

I use a small external antenna with my Garmin Quest to enable me to record my entire track while hiking. The antenna sits on my hat or the back of my collar and the Quest spends most of the trip in a pocket on my belt, available for reference as needed. I rarely lose signal. I have also used an external antenna with a small re-radiator device with my Garmin Vista in the same way with the same result.

Consider the Garmin Quest. Works great in the car with bright color screen, auto routing with voice prompts. Works fine as a hand held GPSr with a long-lasting Li Ion rechargeable battery built in. Price new is around $325 and that includes the latest maps for all of the US and Canada, power adapter for car and house, and windshield mounting bracket. Memory large, but not expandable. It has been around a while but it remains the only voice prompting, autorouting GPSr that is fully functional as a hand-held for off-road caching and hiking.

I have the same situation when I use my Quest original in the off-road mode. I will be anxious to hear any suggestions.

This question comes up regularly and I always have the same reply: If you want a car unit with voice prompts (and you should) that can also work well as a hand-held for caching or other trail use, your only options are the Garmin Quest and Quest 2. Fortunately, these are excellent units at remarkably low prices. I prefer the Quest original as I do not mind loading maps and I like having the option of loading maps into an additional GPSr at no additional cost. It is also faster at POI searches as it has a smaller database to search, and it is much less expensive. Sorry, no Bluetooth. Several other newer features are also missing, but the Quest is a very serviceable device in and out of a car and, for now, there are no other options if you want voice prompts.

One usefull shortcut: when entering data or performing other operations, you can press the Page button when finished with a step rather than moving the cursor to Done and pressing OK. Also, another way to create a location that requires less data input - use the rocker pad to move the arrow to a point as close to the desired location as possible, then press OK briefly. This will bring up a location page with the coordinates of the arrow point, which will require less editing than the Where Am I? location. Just remember that, on the Quest, Location = Waypoint.

Garmin Quest. Only Gpsr with voice guidance for the car that also has all necessary features for geocaching and other off-road uses. Works great and is really cheap.

The Garmin Quest is an excellent device for car navigation (bright color screen, voice prompts) and it works well for geocaching (easy data input, compass screen, waterproof, good battery life, small and light weight. There are car units and trail units with more and better features, but I have not heard of any other GPSRs that have voice prompts for the car and have the important features for caching. The Quest also happens to be remarkably inexpensive.

I am sure the 60cx is a great trail unit and a servicable car unit. When considering price, you must include the cost of the maps which are necessary but not included. The Quest price includes the latest road navigation maps. Reception is better with the 60, but if you add an amplified external antenna to the Quest, the reception is great. Can't say better as I haven't compared the two. Then again, one must try a voice prompting unit before deciding to forego that feature.

I am sure the 60cx is a great trail unit and a servicable car unit. When considering price, you must include the cost of the maps which are necessary but not included. The Quest price includes the latest road navigation maps. Reception is better with the 60, but if you add an amplified external antenna to the Quest, the reception is great. Can't say better as I haven't compared the two. Then again, one must try a voice prompting unit before deciding to forego that feature.

The search for a GPSR that works well both in and out of a car comes up frequently and I always have the same reply. Check out the Garmin Quest. The minimum requirements for a car unit today include a bright color display and voice prompts. I have a Garmin GPS V and it was great in its day but no one should buy a GPS for road use without trying a voice prompting unit first. The minimum requirements for trail use include a compass screen option, track logging, waterproof, and decent battery life. At the present time, only the Quest and the Quest 2 have all of the above features, and they work fine in and out of a car. The Quest original is much less expensive and works faster for looking things up. I know there are better units for either use alone, but for dual use, check into a Quest.

I use my Quest for both and find it works great, especially with a small external antenna attached. As with any device that does several different things, there is a learning curve, but using the Quest in the car and for caching is really very easy once you know how to do it. I doubt you will find any other GPSr that is well suited for both functions.

Another vote for the Quest. I really believe voice prompts are essential for safe, easy in car navigation. The Quest is small, light, waterproof, and fairly easy to use for finding caches. I have not heard of anyone who has one that has found it inadequate for either use, although there certainly are better units for either use alone. The current price is remarkably low, considering that maps and all needed accessories are included.

Compared to many vehicle use only units, the screen is small, but for a hand-held, it is not, especially considering the total size of the GPSR. The resolution, color, and brightness with the backlight on make it very readable, even for someome with older eyes, like mine.

Another vote for the Quest. See related posts.

I completely agree with the above post. The Quest is great for Geocaching. Add a small, amplified external antenna and you will never think about reception issues, especially if you keep the antenna in an exposed location like on your hat or shoulder. Another important plus, the Quest is the only GPSR that is well suited to both in car and out of car use. Without voice prompts, any GPSR adds driving risks as you must divert your vision from the road to the screen in order to know what the instruction is that the chimes signify. Better than nothing, but just not good enough. The Quest is not perfect, especially as a hand-held unit, but it is definitely good enough for both uses, to say nothing of the remarkably low price (about $310).

If you want voice prompts in the car, and you should, and you want a light weight, waterproof device that works well on a trail for geocaching, then to the best of my knowledge, the Garmin Quest and Quest 2 are your only choices. There are better car devices and better trail devices, but I know of no other voice prompting GPSRs that can work well on a trail for caching. Please correct me if I am wrong.

My Quest recalculates in a few seconds. It calculates entire routes in just a few more seconds, lightning fast compared to my old GPS V, which was slow but good enough in its day. I know that the find feature of the Quest 2 is slower due to the larger database it must search, but I wouldn't have thought the routing would also suffer. You might try the good or better route options rather than best. Also, the Quest does have the entire country and Canada loaded, just not at a detail level that permits address and all POI look-ups, other than in the loaded CitySelect or Navigator segments. The memory is so large that it works fine for almost any cross-country trip.

see below

I agree that the Garmin Quest is your best bet for an inexpensive excellent in-car device that is also excellent for out of car use. Check this link for a really good price. http://www.buydig.com/shop/product.aspx?om...tm_source=Froog

No. With the compass page showing, the distance data field will show, say, 400 ft.. As you continue to walk in the direction indicated by the arrow, the field will suddenly change to 300 ft., then 200 ft. etc. until, after passing 100 ft., it will decrease in 10 ft. increments until you are 10 ft. away. Of course, you can also refer to the map screen and see exactly where you are with respect to the destination.

Another vote for the Garmin Quest. I share the opinion that voice prompts are a minimum requirement for car navigation. You can live without it, but you shouldn't, at least not until after you have tried it for yourself and decided you do not need it. If you do want voice prompts, the Quest and Quest 2 are your only choices if you want a GPSR that also works as a hand-held unit. Yes, it is designed primarily for in-car use but it works fine for caching or other trail use. The addition of an external antenna greatly improves its reception and convenience, allowing it to stay in a pocket until it is needed. As for price, when you consider the maps and mounting and power accessories that are included in the package, the Quest is down right cheap.

I prefer this one, http://kawamall.com/pd_one_piece_pda.cfm# - smaller and lighter than the Gilsson, works at least as well. One size cable and it is way too long but I cut it down to size and spliced it, not really all that difficult.

My Quest original also routes and finds quickly.