GPS for outdoors and in the car

[ugez323]

Hi

 

Can anyone point me towards s reasonable GPS that is also OK for use in the car? I have trawled vairous lists but am none thre wiser!

 

Thanks

 

Jonathan

[cowboyshootist]

The problem is what is "reasonable"? For me the small screen of the Etrex products would not make them very "reasonable" for in-car use although many people use them for that. Likewise the lack of a touch screen on a 60CSx would make input somewhat tedious, IMHO, for vehicle navigation and therefore unreasonable.

 

If you're going to spend $400 (USD) for a Garmin Colorado why not just spend $200 for a Nuvi for the car and another $200 for an Etrex for geocaching and have the best of both worlds? PS - You probably won't have to spend $400 to get 2 good units.

[+Miragee]

Welcome to the Forums!

 

I have a Vista HCx that I use in my car for auto-routing. It is adequate for me. I also use it for hiking and Geocaching. The total cost of that unit, in US dollars, including the City Navigator maps, is a bit more than $300, depending on how much shopping around you do and what kind of deals you find.

[JNLJeep]

Would the 60CSx work with city nav and topo loaded on it?

[+Miragee]

Some people prefer the 60Cx/CSx for auto-navigation because the buttons are in the front. The screen is also slightly larger. The mapping software works basically the same on any of the Garmin units capable of auto-routing, from the discontinued Legend C up to the new Colorado.

[+jopasm]

What features do you want? It seems that, generally, a GPS that will be good outdoors is at best a compromise in the car and a GPS that's made for car use may not be useable for geocaching.

 

If you just want occasional use in the car and don't mind a lack of voice prompts and a somewhat small screen size, any of the Garmin GPSs (GPSMap, eTrex, Colorado) capable of auto-routing will do what you need.

 

If you want a larger screen and voice prompts, you may want to look at getting two units. I've got a Tom Tom I use for road trips (it was on sale, the Nuvi is probably equally as good) and a Garmin GPSMap 60cx I use for outdoor work.

 

So: What's your primary use of the GPS, do you need voice prompts/larger screen, and how much do you want to spend?

 

Finally, keep in mind that with the Garmin handhelds you'll need to buy City Navigator maps to use it as an automobile GPS, which costs $100-$120 new. If you keep an eye out for sales you can pick up a basic car GPS such as the Tom Tom Go or Garmin Nuvi 200 for around $140 or a bit less.

[+victorymike]

As far as the best of both worlds (hiking and automotive autorouting) go you can't go wrong with Garmins 60 or 76 series: 60C, 60Cx, 60CS, 60CSx, 76C, 76Cx, 76CS, 76CSx.

The CS models come with barometric altimeter and compass, cost a little more and have slightly less battery life than the C models.

The "x" models have the capability of expandable SD cards for loading more maps.

The 76 models are stated to be marine units and are rated to float.

 

I have a 76C and I love it. You can find one pretty inexpensively nowadays. You will need that extra cash to buy the street level mapping. For a first time map buyer I always recommend the City Navigator maps, as they include addresses, gas stations, hotels, restaurants, repair shops, etc, etc, etc, etc. You will get much more everyday use out of them. If you want to buy a second set of maps then go with Topos, which show better terrain, more lakes, streams, rivers...but no addresses or anything else.

Edited March 30, 2008 by victorymike

[appletree]

This question has been asked regularly for many years and I am amazed that there is still only one good answer. The first dual-use GPSr was the Garmin GPS V. It was rendered obsolete by the release of the Quest which added color, voice prompts for in-car navigation, fast routing and drawing, smaller size and weight, usb data transfer, and several other improvements. Since then, newer, better hand-held units have come along, but none offer voice prompted guidance which is a minimum requirement for car navigation. Many car units now have better functionality than the Quest, but they lack tracklogging, battery life, waterproof rating, form-factor, waypoint entering functionality, and/or other features essential for geocaching. The Quest is now inexpensive and includes the current version of City Navigator, and it still is the best dual-use unit available at any price.

[+WanderingTexan]

Like Miragee, I have an etrex Vista Hcx and so far, I'm loving it. I wanted a unit mostly for hiking and caching, but needed the option for occasional driving directions. I researched for weeks before deciding on the Vista.

 

If I was needing a unit for directions more often, I would definitely consider what some of the others have said -- buy one for driving, another for fun. When I travel, I generally do so for work, and the company is paying for my GPS along with the car Otherwise, I've found the Vista is perfect for me -- off the road and on.