A Cheap Garmin For Loading Topo

[+The Yinnies]

I am looking for a Garmin that I can load Topo on. I only need it for 2 or 3 states. What would be a good unit to buy? It is a unit for my wife.

Thanks

[jmundinger]

I am looking for a Garmin that I can load Topo on. I only need it for 2 or 3 states. What would be a good unit to buy? It is a unit for my wife.

Thanks

 

Either the Venture HC or, if you want an electronic compass, the Summit HC should be sufficient.

 

One of my units is a Legend C which, essentially, is an older version of the Venture HC. Like the Venture, it has 24mb of internal memory. The portion of Topo 2008 that I keep loaded on it includes the south half of Glacier National Park, most of Yellowstone National park, and the portion of Montana that lies between the two.

 

It takes a little time to load the maps - although, with only 24 mb, it's not that time consuming. It is easy enough to configure and save different map sets in MapSource and then load the map set that corresponds to the area where you intend to use the unit for a particular adventure.

 

One final note, if you get either the Venture HC or the Summit HC, go to the Garmin website and download the users manual for either the Legend C or the Vista C (both discontinued models). The functions are the same as the current models - the older users manuals are more comprehensive.

[-Oz-]

I would add a recommendation to get the venture, summite, legend with the HCx so that is has expandable memory. That will allow you to hold a lot more maps.

[+Chuy!]

Tell us which states you want and we can tell you exactly how much memory you'll need for those states, and whether the Venture HC has enough memory. Although, once you have the software, you can load up what you need.

[+Chuy!]

I see you're from WI. 23.6mb covers the eastern state - everthing east of W90 00.000 .

Edited September 14, 2008 by Chuy!

[+Chuy!]

Triple post.

Edited September 14, 2008 by Chuy!