still not convinced that the garmin maps are worth the extra $$

[mgh24]

Please bear with me, this is my first GPS, a garmin etrex legend hcx. I bought it as a bundle package with the topo 2008 maps (I let the salesperson talk me out of the PN-20 for the same price).

 

I have used it twice when I really needed it. The tracking and waypoints are great, and I would not want to be out exploring without that, but the topo map seems worthless to me on that tiny screen. Without the forest service map I would have had no idea where I was. Now I know it is not a good idea to depend on only a gps and no map, but I can not see what good the topo maps on the gps do at all.

 

Can someone set me straight here? What am I missing?

 

If I had an etrex without the topo maps on my PC, would I be limited with what I could do with my tracks and waypoints when transferring them to my PC?

 

Seems like I could have saved myself a lot by getting a less expensive etrex and not worried about the topo maps.

 

Thanks for any insights.

[+storm180]

I use my topo maps all the time on my colorado and 60CSx. You might want to turn your details up on your map to high. If I need to determine where I am I can zoom out on the map and make a determination by landmarks or trails. Topo maps are not going to have alot of trails through the woods on it but the new garmin 24K SD cards they are doing for the US supposively will. So far they have oregon and washington done and for sale and the Nevada and California coming in July.

 

Now in my area I use my topo 2008 maps with trail maps from http://www.switchbacks.com/maps/NW_Trails.html and they overlay on top of my topo maps to show me detailed trails.

 

In regards to the tiny screen you might want to get a garmin with a bigger screen. However with the map zoom features it should not matter since you can zoom in or out if you need to see more or less of the map.

Edited July 3, 2008 by storm180

[+Thrak]

I can't use TOPO maps. I'm far too stupid. I do love the City Navigator maps though. I use them all the time for routing. I looked at the TOPO maps - actually installed them on my 76CSx - but, like I said, they are pointless to me.

[+Lasagna]

Agree that the "big picture" view is next to impossible to get with the small screen, but where I find the topo maps most useful are when I'm reasonably near a particular cache -- which side of that stream is it on? the cache is only 0.2 mile away, but wait 600ft vertically!, etc.

 

Turn by turn -- hands down, if you don't have a supplementary GPSr in the car are well worth the investment.

[inomad]

well i just got the topo for my venture hc and it is a piece of junk. nothing lines up. even the 3d stuff on the box does'nt show up on the pc. another big corperation getting over on the small guy by selling him something that does'nt work,lol. elevation lines are missing where hills are. where can i get a gps topo map that looks like a real paper topo map to put on my gps. here it is the 21 st century and they sell crap.

[gallet]

I'm not sure if by topo maps you mean maps with lots of fine contours but I've had 10m contours in a VistaHCx and 60Csx and the detail is far too fine for either screen to display useful contours. At the correct zoom level that would make sense to me, 10m contours on a steep incline just become a solid mass. Not because of the screen size but because of the screen resolution, and the 60CSx is worse than the HCx although they are both useless for 10m contours in the mountains.

 

On a Colorado it's a completely different story. The detail is so fine, (much finer than a car nav screen, in fact the Colorado renders CN better than a Nuvi) that the 10m contours look just like a paper map. These contours can also be viewed in a faux 3D driving mode for an equally intuitive experience.

[mgh24]

On a Colorado it's a completely different story. The detail is so fine, (much finer than a car nav screen, in fact the Colorado renders CN better than a Nuvi) that the 10m contours look just like a paper map. These contours can also be viewed in a faux 3D driving mode for an equally intuitive experience.

 

Can you elaborate? What is it about the Colorado that makes the detail so much better?

 

Thank You.

[+storm180]

Colorado has a higher resolution screen that the other gps devices out there.