What Is Best For Geocaching

[+Coastiegirl04]

What is best for geocaching? what type of mapsource would be best, i do city caching and out in the woods caching, and i don't know which one would be best is TOPO best or is there something else.. can someone help me out?

[+tls11823]

I have a Legend, so when I was shopping my choices were basically between Metroguide and Topo. I agonized about it until I checked out the samples on the Garmin web site. You can pick any area and see how it's represented by the different software packages. From there you can see what will suit your needs best

 

I use the Legend for Geocaching and to help me find my way around new areas when I'm on business trips. Metroguide gives me the ability to create routes that I can download to the Legend. That's a very valuable feature. But I was really concerned that I would be missing out on a lot of trails by not going with Topo. So I looked at some areas I've cached on the Metroguide section of the web site. I found many, though certainly not all, of the trails I was looking for. Of course, there was no information on altitude, and many of the natural features were missing. But for my needs, this was a suitable compromise, so I've been using Metroguide

 

I'll probably buy Topo one of these days, for those times that I do some real back trail stuff - especially since I now have a 4WD vehicle. Topo does have some roads, but not many, especially in urban areas. And it won't help you with routing at all.

 

My suggestion is to consider whether your needs require the added detail offered by Topo. If so, get it. If not, get either Metroguide or City Select - whichever is suited to your GPSr.

[Neo_Geo]

Well, if strictly for caching, Topo maps are best. They show hiking trails and small streams that the street maps like MetroGuide and City Select don't show. Sometimes the nearest road is not the best place to start you approach to a cache - sometimes a little hiking on the other side will be easier than crossing the stream near the cache. Topo also has Points of Interest that are more geared toward hiking and outdoor activities. Cemeteries, campgrounds and marinas are more relavent to caching than stores, restaurants and hotels POIs of the street maps. So Topo adds a new dimension to caching.

 

Still, I feel that the street maps add a whole new dimension to the GPSr as a whole. The ability to search for street addresses, restaurants and hotels makes the GPSr much more of a traveling tool. On the other hand, the street maps take up a lot of memory. I read in another thread that you use a Rino 120 - which I believe only has 8MB which I found to be very restrictive. You can cover a much wider area with Topo maps than you can with the street maps.

Edited October 14, 2005 by Neo_Geo

[+Coastiegirl04]

ok, thats what i was thinking was TOPO would be best, but i just wanted to make sure if it would be best, cuz even though i cache in the city, its not that often, and i am more likely to cache in the woods thanks for te help, and if anyone want to put in their two cents go ahead, it would be greatly appreicated!

[+Renegade Knight]

I've got both topo and city select. Of the two Topo is handier. I can find my way around town. The roads are usually connected and organized. Trails on the other hand are a bit harder to figure out without a map. So I'll second Neo_Geo's take.

[marty621]

I really don't see where having mapping capability helps very much in geocaching, except to get you to a parking area. The level of trail detail on the available software is woefully inadequate. Even USGS maps are not detailed enough to be of much use. Orienteering maps, if they could be loaded into GPS units and were available would be nice.

[+BlueDeuce]

Road maps are a time-saver more than anything else.

 

The thing about topos is that since I live in Iowa it's not going to help me that much. Wisconsin might be a different story.

 

If you do a lot of state-to-state traveling, road mapping (City Select) will probably serve you better than popping for topos for each state.

 

 

edit: then/than

Edited October 14, 2005 by BlueDeuce

[Neo_Geo]

I really don't see where having mapping capability helps very much in geocaching, except to get you to a parking area. The level of trail detail on the available software is woefully inadequate. Even USGS maps are not detailed enough to be of much use. Orienteering maps, if they could be loaded into GPS units and were available would be nice.

Again - There may be a stream between the nearest parking area and the cache. If you just have road maps (or no maps), you probably wouldn't know about the stream until you get to it and then decide there must be a better way...

 

If you consulted the Topo maps before going to the cache, you'd have known about that stream and found a better approach to the cache!

Edited October 14, 2005 by Neo_Geo

[+Sputnik 57]

Although Topo maps are typically more helpful for caching, if you have an autorouting GPSr, then City Select maps are an awesome addition. Punch in an address, or click to find the nearest ATM, press GOTO, and get turn-by-turn directions. Not needed for caching, but a great add on to your GPS experience.

 

If your unit doesn't autoroute (the standard Legend, for example, does not) then metro guide is fine for streets. The maps aren't quite as new, but they take up a little less memory.

 

I have Topo and City Select loaded onto my 60C, and toggle between them as needed.

[+apersson850]

To see larger streams (which aren't suitable to pass, or make you prepare better first) is a good reason for having topo maps. Otherwise, geocaching consists much more of driving than walking, so a street map (MetroGuide or City Select, depending upon you GPS) is very handy.

 

Knowing about a lot of water in advance have had me taking one cache, dressed in a wetsuit. It was very difficult to reach without getting very wet somewhere along the route.

[+Miragee]

I've got both topo and city select. Of the two Topo is handier. I can find my way around town. The roads are usually connected and organized. Trails on the other hand are a bit harder to figure out without a map. So I'll second Neo_Geo's take.

Getting "around town" depends on the town.

 

Here in San Diego county there are lots of hills and canyons. The roads are often not "connected and organized."

 

Having City Select on my Vista C and letting it auto route me through winding streets and "No Outlet" cul-de-sacs is a real time, and gas, saver.

 

I also have the Topo maps on my computer so I can check out the rural caches ahead of time.

[+jacobsen1]

Try These garmin mapsource demos (eastern region on TOPO):

East 100k Topos

Metroguide for the whole USA

 

and see for yourself... In my area, the topos take less data space so I can fit all of RI and a lot of CT and MA but I can't do that with Metroguide. Also around here, they both have the same streets, metroguide just has the names, but the Topo has all the trails and better info for what I want. Open both of those at the same time, and zoom into a region and see what you like better. Beyond that, it comes down to the POIs in each (they're different) and also the fact Metroguide can autoroute for you from a CPU. If you have an autoroute GPS you will get a different but similar city software that will allow you to auto route on your GPS...

 

I have a GPSMAP76 so I can't autoroute unless I am home (at the CPU) so that is not all that helpful to me... I'm getting TOPO personally, but to each their own, and it's very region specific I think...

Ben

 

BTW, I just checked and for me CitySelect=Metroguide in term of details... it's just what GPSr you have for compatability and autorouting.

Edited October 14, 2005 by jacobsen1

[+Coastiegirl04]

what i was thinking was put topo on my gps, and have a streetmaps on my computer, it won't give me autorouting, but i can read a map, and get myself from one place to another, no problem. I take my laptop with me all the time, on the weekends, i get online, if i am lost in a city, and i get on to mapquest, so i think it might be smart to put a street maps on my laptop or something like it on my laptop...

[peter]

... have a streetmaps on my computer, it won't give me autorouting,

If you get maps like DeLorme's StreetAtlas for your laptop and connect your GPS receiver to it then it can give you auto-routing - and even with voice directions and commands so you don't have to take your eyes off the road. Garmin's CitySelect/nRoute will also give you auto-routing with voice directions on your laptop but costs a bit more. Of course it does have the advantage that you could also load the maps into your GPS directly.