Garmin60sx maps

[+Fisher1985]

What are the better maps to get for the Garmin60sx besides the basemap already installed? Is it best to buy the SD map cards from Garmin's website? Maybe an obvious question to a lot of you but being a newbie I would appreciate any advice. Thanks!

[+StarBrand]

Depends on what you do and what you want the GPS to do.

 

If you are looking mostly for navigation across roads to get you close to the cache location then you should get City Navigator.

 

If you are looking more for maps that help you while hiking and out on the trails then TOPO is the best choice.

 

If you want to do both then get both maps. Neither is necessary for Geocaching but each makes it a tad bit easier.

 

You will generally want to get the maps on DVD so that you can also use them on your computer. The only good reason to get the micro sd cards is if you plan to swap them between units and have no use for the software on your PC.

[+flask]

i have both topo and city navigator and i am very pleased with how they work both on my computer (which we bring along) and my GPSr.

 

they're pricey, but worth it.

 

be careful, though, because you will probably prefer a version that doesn't require you to have the discs in your computer. there is a version you can load onto your computer and even if you get the other one (i forget which is which. sorry.) there's a trick you can use to install it.

 

one of the garmin tech guys actually got me set up.

[+briansnat]

Consider your most likely use. If you mostly geocache in urban and suburban areas and do a lot of park and grabs, and will be using your GPS in your car for driving directions, then City Navigator is a good choice.

 

If you chiefly use your GPS for caches caches in the woods, backpacking , hiking, off roading, hunting and other pursuits that take you off the main roads, then your best bet is to get Topo.

 

City Navigator gives turn by turn driving directions and has a database of millions of businesses and services, so if you need to know where the nearest gas station, hotel, hospital, marina, mall, post office, restaurant, museum, campground, etc. is then City Navigator will tell you where it is and how to get there. City Navigator however shows little in the way of terrain info. Only major rivers and bodies of water appear on City Navigator. Smaller rivers, streams and lakes are non existent

 

Topo shows most bodies of water and even small streams, as well as swamps, hills, valleys, ravines, cliffs and other terrain features. Topo also shows roads, but the road data is somewhat out of date and only major roads are named. Topo doesn't have the database of businesses and services that City Navigator does, nor can it provide turn by turn driving directions.

 

Ideally you'll have both. They can run concurrently on your GPS, but if you can only afford one, chose the one that best fits your needs.

[+Fisher1985]

Consider your most likely use. If you mostly geocache in urban and suburban areas and do a lot of park and grabs, and will be using your GPS in your car for driving directions, then City Navigator is a good choice.

 

If you chiefly use your GPS for caches caches in the woods, backpacking , hiking, off roading, hunting and other pursuits that take you off the main roads, then your best bet is to get Topo.

 

City Navigator gives turn by turn driving directions and has a database of millions of businesses and services, so if you need to know where the nearest gas station, hotel, hospital, marina, mall, post office, restaurant, museum, campground, etc. is then City Navigator will tell you where it is and how to get there. City Navigator however shows little in the way of terrain info. Only major rivers and bodies of water appear on City Navigator. Smaller rivers, streams and lakes are non existent

 

Topo shows most bodies of water and even small streams, as well as swamps, hills, valleys, ravines, cliffs and other terrain features. Topo also shows roads, but the road data is somewhat out of date and only major roads are named. Topo doesn't have the database of businesses and services that City Navigator does, nor can it provide turn by turn driving directions.

 

Ideally you'll have both. They can run concurrently on your GPS, but if you can only afford one, chose the one that best fits your needs.

Thanks to all of you for your advice. Its nice to have a community of others who share the same passion and can give advice when you need it. I appreciate it!

[+smithdk]

Consider your most likely use. If you mostly geocache in urban and suburban areas and do a lot of park and grabs, and will be using your GPS in your car for driving directions, then City Navigator is a good choice.

 

If you chiefly use your GPS for caches caches in the woods, backpacking , hiking, off roading, hunting and other pursuits that take you off the main roads, then your best bet is to get Topo.

 

City Navigator gives turn by turn driving directions and has a database of millions of businesses and services, so if you need to know where the nearest gas station, hotel, hospital, marina, mall, post office, restaurant, museum, campground, etc. is then City Navigator will tell you where it is and how to get there. City Navigator however shows little in the way of terrain info. Only major rivers and bodies of water appear on City Navigator. Smaller rivers, streams and lakes are non existent

 

Topo shows most bodies of water and even small streams, as well as swamps, hills, valleys, ravines, cliffs and other terrain features. Topo also shows roads, but the road data is somewhat out of date and only major roads are named. Topo doesn't have the database of businesses and services that City Navigator does, nor can it provide turn by turn driving directions.

 

Ideally you'll have both. They can run concurrently on your GPS, but if you can only afford one, chose the one that best fits your needs.

Thanks to all of you for your advice. Its nice to have a community of others who share the same passion and can give advice when you need it. I appreciate it!

 

There are free maps for the garmin units here:

 

http://www.gpsfiledepot.com/maps/

 

These are not routeable and there are no Topo maps for your state yet.

 

I use these maps on my unit and they work fine.

[+Fisher1985]

Consider your most likely use. If you mostly geocache in urban and suburban areas and do a lot of park and grabs, and will be using your GPS in your car for driving directions, then City Navigator is a good choice.

 

If you chiefly use your GPS for caches caches in the woods, backpacking , hiking, off roading, hunting and other pursuits that take you off the main roads, then your best bet is to get Topo.

 

City Navigator gives turn by turn driving directions and has a database of millions of businesses and services, so if you need to know where the nearest gas station, hotel, hospital, marina, mall, post office, restaurant, museum, campground, etc. is then City Navigator will tell you where it is and how to get there. City Navigator however shows little in the way of terrain info. Only major rivers and bodies of water appear on City Navigator. Smaller rivers, streams and lakes are non existent

 

Topo shows most bodies of water and even small streams, as well as swamps, hills, valleys, ravines, cliffs and other terrain features. Topo also shows roads, but the road data is somewhat out of date and only major roads are named. Topo doesn't have the database of businesses and services that City Navigator does, nor can it provide turn by turn driving directions.

 

Ideally you'll have both. They can run concurrently on your GPS, but if you can only afford one, chose the one that best fits your needs.

Thanks to all of you for your advice. Its nice to have a community of others who share the same passion and can give advice when you need it. I appreciate it!

 

There are free maps for the garmin units here:

 

http://www.gpsfiledepot.com/maps/

 

These are not routeable and there are no Topo maps for your state yet.

 

I use these maps on my unit and they work fine.

Awesome! Thank you - much appreciated!

[+Prime Suspect]

There are free maps for the garmin units here:

 

http://www.gpsfiledepot.com/maps/

 

These are not routeable and there are no Topo maps for your state yet.

 

I use these maps on my unit and they work fine.

Awesome! Thank you - much appreciated!

Be aware that they're taken from old census data, so they're not exactly up-to-date. And unroutable road maps aren't really of much use. I had them on my old Vista. It's like trying to navigate via a road map, where you can only see 2 square inches of the map at any one time.