Waterproof Vs. Functionality (& More)

[Arby608]

I'm looking to finally buy a new unit to replace my old, old Magellan witht he black blotch on the screen. I've been putting it off for years, and I'm still in no hurry; so I'm trying to really hone in on what's the best unit for my particular needs. I don't want to dismiss the other brands, but the old Magellan has been such a great workhorse, I'm strongly leaning to another, probably one of the eXplorist models.

 

Of course accuracy is a consideration, but I'm not expecting to need the kind of accuracy that I'd need to spend beyond a basic unit.

 

Price is definitely a high priority. I don't really need any bells & whistles, but I'm thinking some of them might be fun if they don't drive the price too high. The electronic compass feature looks interesting (if it works).

 

Waterproof is also a prime consideration. In addition to geocahing, the unit will be used on sea kayaing trips. It will get wet. Repeatedly. Frequently. Hopefully not a full immersion, but I'd need it to be capable of that.

 

So on to the meat of the question. I could probably get along fine with a basic, bottom-of-the-line unit in the $100 range. From my reading, however, I'm getting the sense that PC connectivity is a very good feature to have. In the Magellan line, that leads me to the 210 as the least expensive unit with connectivity. It's within my expected price range, if barely.

 

What I'm seeing, however, is that the 210 is the only eXplorist model that is not noted as waterproof. This is a deal breaker, if true.

 

Do I need to give up connectivity to keep waterproof (within a $150 price tag)?

 

TIA,

Arby

[+dhbaird]

I'm looking to finally buy a new unit to replace my old, old Magellan witht he black blotch on the screen. I've been putting it off for years, and I'm still in no hurry; so I'm trying to really hone in on what's the best unit for my particular needs. I don't want to dismiss the other brands, but the old Magellan has been such a great workhorse, I'm strongly leaning to another, probably one of the eXplorist models.

 

Of course accuracy is a consideration, but I'm not expecting to need the kind of accuracy that I'd need to spend beyond a basic unit.

 

Price is definitely a high priority. I don't really need any bells & whistles, but I'm thinking some of them might be fun if they don't drive the price too high. The electronic compass feature looks interesting (if it works).

 

Waterproof is also a prime consideration. In addition to geocahing, the unit will be used on sea kayaing trips. It will get wet. Repeatedly. Frequently. Hopefully not a full immersion, but I'd need it to be capable of that.

 

So on to the meat of the question. I could probably get along fine with a basic, bottom-of-the-line unit in the $100 range. From my reading, however, I'm getting the sense that PC connectivity is a very good feature to have. In the Magellan line, that leads me to the 210 as the least expensive unit with connectivity. It's within my expected price range, if barely.

 

What I'm seeing, however, is that the 210 is the only eXplorist model that is not noted as waterproof. This is a deal breaker, if true.

 

Do I need to give up connectivity to keep waterproof (within a $150 price tag)?

 

TIA,

Arby

 

Can't talk about price range, but the waterproof part speaks to my needs and when I did my search for floating, waterproof units with connectivity so I could upload charts I quickly got out of the price range you are saying is your maximum. I ended up spending somewhat more to get a unit that would give me enough storage for the boating/cruising I do and still be able to float and survive.

 

I hesitate to say it this way, but it sounds like you might be setting yourself up to be disappointed. Buying too low end to save the money while wanting your unit to do and perform higher end tasks.

 

My wife and I have a rule of thumb about equipment purchases. Get the unit that meets the specs of your actual use. You may pay a bit more up front, but the aggrivation you save and the time you use your piece of equipment will save you in the long run. This rule of thumb has saved us a lot of grief over the years. The only time I was ever disappointed is when the unit I purchased ends up being replaced by a new release within days or weeks of my purchase. I am facing that issue right now with the Garmin release of the X models.

[peter]

I didn't see anything about the case design of the eXplorist 210 that would lead me to think it would be any less waterproof than other members of the eXplorist family. I'd suggest contacting Magellan to find out exactly what its rating is, but I'd expect it to be the same IPX7 of most other handheld models. BTW, if your seakayaking involves having surf or other waves crash down on the deck and GPS then I'd recommend supplementing the waterproofing with a waterproof bag. Despite the waterproof ratings, the fatality rate of GPS receivers in our seakayaking club has been pretty high - and that includes all common makes/models.

 

Floatability is something that's easily added to any model just by attaching something bouyant. Fishermen frequently put a little bobber on their keychains to make them float and the same type of thing on the lanyard of a Legend (or other non-floating model) will let it float as well. I'd much rather have a nice compact case that fits easily in small pockets for use on land and clip on a 'flotation' bobber for use on the water than to be stuck with a big clumsy case like the 76 series or the Meridians all the time. Of course you want to test your chosen bouyancy aid to make sure it's big enough, but most GPS receivers are pretty close to neutral bouyancy by themselves and need just a bit of help to stay up. I use a clear waterproof pouch which also adds plenty of bouyancy and still lets me see and operate the GPS.

[Arby608]

I didn't see anything about the case design of the eXplorist 210 that would lead me to think it would be any less waterproof than other members of the eXplorist family. I'd suggest contacting Magellan to find out exactly what its rating is,

 

You may be right on that point (making my question moot.) I've been watching the Ebay listings, and for some reason, those listings either conspicuously omitted the waterproof rating or outright said no. I checked the magellangps website, however, and there's nothing there that suggests it's any different than the other units in that line.

[toddm]

Does the IPX7 standard allow you to push buttons while the units is wet/submerged? I know with a lot of "waterproof" watches and such even my suunto and polar stuff you can submerge it, even to that 30-100m but the manuals usually specifically state that you can't press any buttons while it's submerged. I think the IPX7 is only like 1m for 30 minutes or something, no idea if that includes using the unit. The reason of course is pressing the buttons breaks the seal to the interior of the unit.

 

That could be why, while a lot of units have the IPX7 standard, if it's used a lot when it's wet, as in kayaking, the fatality rate is high, as water is getting in when the buttons are pressed. Personally I think that's a joke, especially with something like a GPS, cause obviously to use it you're going to have to press the buttons.

 

It's hard to beat those cheap waterpoof bags for gps and cell phone units, they make the unit a little harder to use, but I guarantee a good quality dry bag for small electronics is way more waterproof than that IPX7 Standard.

[peter]

That could be why, while a lot of units have the IPX7 standard, if it's used a lot when it's wet, as in kayaking, the fatality rate is high, as water is getting in when the buttons are pressed. Personally I think that's a joke, especially with something like a GPS, cause obviously to use it you're going to have to press the buttons.

I think the main problem with kayaking is that the sudden force of a wave breaking over your boat and dumping right on top of the GPS can be a much more severe test than the IPX7 standard which calls for gently placing the unit in the water, lowering it to one meter and leaving it there for 30 minutes. In that test the pressure is equal from all sides and rises slowly and uniformly as compared to the falling wave which suddenly pushes hard on some parts of the case but not on others. And actually, no, I don't know of any of my kayaking friends who actually tried to use their GPS and push the buttons while it was submerged

[toddm]

No probably not while the unit is submerged. My thought was more that if the unit only complies to the IPX7 standard if you do not push the buttons, then it's hard to say what if any water resistance it has when using the buttons even when getting splashed or in the rain. So if the unit is wet a lot, say in the rain, or as it would be getting splashed a lot kayaking, and you are pressing the buttons if the buttons are not sealed, then you are at a much higher risk or getting water in the unit. Maybe not in letting water pour in the unit, but certainly water vapor, or water working it's way by the buttons over repeated use while wet. In repeated conditions or over long durations this probably could easily cause unit failure.

 

Certianly though as you said, kayaking may expose the unit to water pressure levels and variations the IPX7 test does not duplicate.

 

Honestly I think it's pretty sad that companies do not waterproof such units, be it gps's or watches, etc. in a way where buttons can be used, for exactly the above reasons, while a person probably does not want to be pressing buttons while upside down in a kayak on their gps, if the unit looses most if not all it's water resistance when buttons are used, then that becomes a major concern in rain/etc. using the unit when it's marketed as waterproof, which in itself is a myth. I would guess most consumers if they are told their GPS is waterproof to the IPX7 military standard "oohh that sounds very impressive" would expect that it conforms to that standard when actually using the unit, another case of buyer beware.

Edited March 19, 2006 by toddm