GPS w/Mapping

[+P3FE]

I've been geocaching for a short time and would like to know this. Why is it desirable to have a gps that downloads maps? So long as the spots are marked like on an explorist 100 or extrex why would you need a map or more than a base map?

[+fratermus]

I've been geocaching for a short time and would like to know this. Why is it desirable to have a gps that downloads maps? So long as the spots are marked like on an explorist 100 or extrex why would you need a map or more than a base map?

 

Not everyone likes maps for geocaching. Some like topo maps to help them guess the best approach. Some like roadmaps to help get them to the cache from across town more easily.

 

I don't find the maps very useful for geocaching, per se, but they are good, clean, geeky fun. A nice addition to the GPS experience.

[Team Sidewinder]

With maps a geocache that shows on your gps screen as only a 1/4 mile away ( as the crow flies ) it may be on the other side deep ravine or river and if you have a topo map maybe you will find an easier way to get to it. It is just easier to use loaded maps to find caches that are out in the country or in rugged terrain. But you can get by without them if you don't want to get a mapping gps. IMHO

Edited January 4, 2007 by Team Sidewinder

[+NightPilot]

Short answer: you don't need maps. They're just another addon that is useful at times. Some GPS receivers will give you driving directions to an address, or to the vicinity of a cache. You may not need them, but some do, sometimes. I own a mapping GPS and have never put a map on it, because I do the mapping on my Palm, or on my laptop. They do a much better job than the GPS, although the high-end car units are getting to be very capable, at a high price.

[+Airmapper]

You don't NEED it but....

 

I have Topo, road, and POI data loaded into mine, and given the choice I'd never go without it. I can maneuver quickly around places I've never been before, find shortcuts, and go from cache to cache using backroads and taking the shortest route. It's like having a local with you to tell where everything is. The other day I needed to find a local Pizza place and I had no clue where it was. I searched the POI's, found it, and drove right up to it.

[Suscrofa]

The GPS alone will give you your position on a sphere , with the map you will get your position related to features covering this sphere, the earth ! Quite usefull no ?

[+PFF]

I have a GPS receiver on the dashboard of my car, which I use for road navigation. I have another which I take into the field. I elected to put road maps in both units so the handheld can be a backup for the dashboard receiver. Likewise, the dashboard unit can be used in the field, if the handheld isn't working.

 

I use roadmaps, only. I review the topomap and aerial photos in advance, so I have an idea of the terrain and where I might be able to park the vehicle. (topozone.com) Often, I print the topo's and aerials and take them with me.

 

With the impressive FOUND totals some GEOCACHERS have achieved, I can see why there is an interest in paperless caching. That would be a lot of paper! Low-key or beginning players like me probably enjoy having a "packet" of info for each target. In my case, I work up a trip in advance on paper. I have a storage shelf in the garage where I have manilia envelopes full of potential targets, sorted by geographic location.

 

So, when the time comes for a trip to see relatives or to take a vacation in the mountains, I have a package for the area, ready to go. A quick download of the corresponding map into my GPS unit, and I'm on my way!

 

-Paul-

[+PFF]

Airmapper wrote:

 

The other day I needed to find a local Pizza place and I had no clue where it was. I searched the POI's, found it, and drove right up to it.

 

If that's the only thing these devices could do, they'd still be worth the purchase price!

 

-Paul-

 

POI = Pizza Ordering Information

Edited January 4, 2007 by PFF

[+ThePropers]

As others have pointed out, you don't need map, but they sure make things a bit easier. I used an etrex yellow for my first 800 finds, and it was fine without maps. Just took a little more "home planning" and printing out road directions than I need now with the 60CSx.

 

Another way to look at it, using an over-exaggerated example, is say you wanted to get to the Empire State Building, but you're in San Francisco, CA.

 

Well, getting coordinates to the ESB is easy enough, but if you don't have a map and are just going to walk in a straight line following the arrow, you might run into some issues trying to get there. In fact, I could guarantee you are going to run into some issues.

 

It would be handy to have a map that tells you which roads to use, no?

Edited January 4, 2007 by ThePropers

[+CanSolo]

Like the others, mapping can help those who aren't sure of the area they are caching in, or even speeds up the time in those areas even when you know it quite well.

 

I have an Explorist 210, and find a good local map on it has helped us immensely in those areas where we aren't sure. It also allows for us to try to a couple of extra caches when we hadn't planned to visit them.

[kanakajeep]

For back country use the topo map in my GPSr may not be as detailed as a USGS map but, it allows me to quickly reference where I am on the more detailed map without using grid rulers. Try using grid rulers under windy or rainy conditions and you'll appreciate the in-GPSr maps a lot. It's possible to use land marks and a compass to navigate, but when your down in a valley or your view is blocked by vegetation a GPSr with maps sure makes things easier. Without a paper topo, the in-GPSr maps helps identify ravines, ridges, rivers, etc. thay might be along your proposed route.

[+jackrock]

I bought topo maps for national parks and forests with my Venture Cx (I am surrounded by national forests). I would not have it any other way. These maps show me topo features to help me navigate (e.g., there's a swamp ahead so I need to go around). They have the forest roads, some of the trails, etc. I don't have to have the map but it does make it easier when navigating to caches to have the terrain mapped out in front of me. Sometimes the next cache is close as the crow flies but the best route is to go around on the nearby forest road. The topo map shows me this so I don't have to bushwack my way through brambles and underbrush.