+bmahnke Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 I have yet to purchase a GPS and start geocaching, but have been trying to educate myself from this site and have narrowed down my purchase. I think I want an Oregon, but don't know if I should get the 300 or 400t. Primary usage will be geocaching, but want to use for auto nav too. For geogaching, will having the topo maps be something I will really need? We have a 2 1/2 year old that we will be geocaching with, so long hikes aren't in the picture for the next few years for us. Also, should I go ahead and get City Navigator software? Sorry if these seem basic to experienced cachers, but without having done it before I'm not sure what to get. Any comments will be appreciated. Quote Link to comment
+g-o-cashers Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 http://garminoregon.wikispaces.com/Product+Information#toc7 Quote Link to comment
+Tequila Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 IMO, Topos can be very useful. I have seen numerous caches where the base map or CN shows the cache on one side of a creek/stream when the topo shows it on the other side. The Topo is always right. I am speaking for 1:10,000 Ontario Topos but I would trust a topo in the wilderness ahead of a base map or a CN map. Your decision is do you plan to do enough 'wilderness' (outside of town parks) caching to justify the expense. There are a few other pluses to the 400 such as extra memory. Quote Link to comment
+bmahnke Posted February 4, 2009 Author Share Posted February 4, 2009 http://garminoregon.wikispaces.com/Product+Information#toc7 Thanks for the advice. Yes, I was trying to figure out if I would need the topo with the short little hikes we will be taking with our son. If there are other advantages besides the topo, I may just go with the 400. What do you think about the City Nav? Quote Link to comment
+bmahnke Posted February 4, 2009 Author Share Posted February 4, 2009 IMO, Topos can be very useful. I have seen numerous caches where the base map or CN shows the cache on one side of a creek/stream when the topo shows it on the other side. The Topo is always right. I am speaking for 1:10,000 Ontario Topos but I would trust a topo in the wilderness ahead of a base map or a CN map. Your decision is do you plan to do enough 'wilderness' (outside of town parks) caching to justify the expense. There are a few other pluses to the 400 such as extra memory. oops, I'm so green at this, that I replied to the first post. Thanks for your input. Quote Link to comment
+g-o-cashers Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 Without City Navigator you will not be able to do "autorouting" or routing along a road. The Topos on the 400t only support direct routing (straight line from your position to the destination). As such, whether you want City Nav or not will be based on how much you want to use the GPS as a automotive GPS (vs. outdoor hiking, geocaching, etc). Topos give useful information about road locations, bodies of water and terrain that will help you if you enjoy longer caches that involve hiking. I wouldn't leave home without them but I know people who do a lot of drive by's who use City Nav type maps and never see the need for Topos. If you do decide you want Topos there are some free options depending on where you live. http://www.gpsfiledepot.com/ is a great place to start. Quote Link to comment
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