Do I need TOPO?

[sanramonhunter]

Just got a 60csx off ebay and it is one of the bundled versions that comes with TOPO. Didn't want TOPO but the price was right. I don't hike, snowmobile, or do any back country anything. Is the TOPO helpful at all for geocaching, or should I just sell it off? I will eventually do some hiking just to get to caches, I just don't know if having TOPO will help me any. I'd just as soon sell it for the $50 or so it's going for on ebay, but if it's useful for caching than maybe I'll keep it. Any thoughts?

[+Timpat]

I'd keep it. Topo is very useful when caching, unless all your cache hunts are urban park micros. It's good to be aware of the topography when hiking to caches, and hey, maybe it will get you venturing further into the woods!

[+Team_CSG]

I agree, I find TOPO software very useful reguardless of where I'm caching.

[+otterbob]

Keep it. The road naming is worthless on the software, but its useful nonetheless. You can load topo and a streets software on at the same time and switch back and forth instantly.

[+H2OBob]

I'd say to keep it. I use it for geocaching, and it does help when trying to find the closest road to a cache. It's even useful when you're in a city that you are not real familiar with. True, some roads are misnamed, and some contour lines don't match up, but it's still useful. You just have to remember it's limitations.

 

By the way, if you want to use it without having the CDs in the drive, just create a folder on your HDD, then copy the entire contents of all disks into that folder. Remove the disks, and run the "setup.exe" file that's in the folder. You won't have to insert the Cd every time you use it, or change maps.

[+BlueDeuce]

If the price is right, I'd keep it.

 

If you live in say, Iowa, and don't plan on being a back-country mountaineer exploring the Rockies I wouldn't send the extra money. If I live in California or Colorado even as a regular citizen, yeah I'd like to have it on hand.

[sanramonhunter]

Now you have me leaning towords keeping it. I will have city select on it, so the roads from TOPO are irrelevant. My big problem is I've never used TOPO so I have no idea how usefull it is. Is TOPO like city select where once you unlock it it's tied to the unit? Or could I use it, not like it then sell it to someone else?

 

Thanks.

[+Sputnik 57]

Topo is unlocked. Subject to the license agreement, presumably if you unintalled it from your unit and PC, you could sell it to someone else after trying it.

[+the hermit crabs]

Now you have me leaning towords keeping it. I will have city select on it, so the roads from TOPO are irrelevant. My big problem is I've never used TOPO so I have no idea how usefull it is. Is TOPO like city select where once you unlock it it's tied to the unit? Or could I use it, not like it then sell it to someone else?

 

Thanks.

We went to Letchworth State Park in NY last month. We had City Select 7 maps, but this trip convinced us that we needed Topo maps too. There's a huge gorge and river running the length of the park (more than 18 miles, coutning twists and turns), but they don't show up on City Select at all. (This surprised us, since there are lots of little tiny streams and ponds the size of puddles that are on the CS maps, but not the Genesee River, for some reason.)

 

Here are two Mapsource screen shots of the southern end of the park. The first one is with the City Select map, and the second is with the Topo map. It's clear to see that we had no idea which side of the gorge the caches were on just going by the CS maps, but the Topo maps make it easy to tell.

 

City Select 7:

 

Topo 2008:

 

For an idea of how the different maps might look on your GPS while caching, take a look at this helpful post by briansnat.

[sanramonhunter]

Thanks for the pics, gives me a much better idea of what it is. Are hiking trails included on the TOPO cd's or is it just water and topographical elevations?

[+the hermit crabs]

Thanks for the pics, gives me a much better idea of what it is. Are hiking trails included on the TOPO cd's or is it just water and topographical elevations?

The product description includes "trails" in the list or features, but it's probably only major ones, like maybe the Appalachian trail. For the most part, I don't think the hiking trails I use are likely to be on it.

 

If you haven't checked Garmin's page about the Topo maps, here's the link.

[Forkeye]

Why dont you keep it.It will provide much more detail for than your basemap if you go on vacation and are out on the highway traveling around.You can check out the detail on Garmins site,with the viewer they have.

Edited October 25, 2007 by Forkeye

[+oisact]

I use MetroGuide for detailed streets, and have my own custom-made topo maps for my home area. When I travel outside the range of my custom maps I really start missing the extra information, especially hydrology, but the elevation contours are useful too (even while driving).

 

Dan

[+Klatch]

By the way, if you want to use it without having the CDs in the drive, just create a folder on your HDD, then copy the entire contents of all disks into that folder. Remove the disks, and run the "setup.exe" file that's in the folder. You won't have to insert the Cd every time you use it, or change maps.

The OP doesn't specify which version of TOPO he has, but I installed Topo 2008 from the DVD and it installed the maps on my PC - no further need for the DVD.

[Pacific NW]

I would keep it. The screenshots above are a great reason why. It's not as good as a 1:24K detailed topo map, and it's not as good as a street map, but still useful.