Single Mom looking for GPS

March 16, 2009

Hi! I am a single mother of 3 and on a tight budget. However, the two oldest children (ages 11 and 9) and myself decided that since we probably wouldn't be able to do much this summer financially, we'd invest in a gps for geocaching. We live in an area where there are many hiking trails, rivers and historic landmarks which translates to a lot of nearby caches.

I would like a gps that is durable and dependable. It needs to be able to pick up in some pretty remote places as we often take some hikes deep into the forests and hills. Although I do not intend to take it in water, it would be nice if it were waterproof since with 3 kids, there's no telling what will happen. I do also have a friend who wants to take me scuba diving this summer, but I'm figuring water proof of that type will drastically up the price of a unit.

$300 is my absolute limit, and even then I'm stretching things really tight (and sacrificing a car repair). I'd love to find something lower in cost then that. However, I'd like all of the best units to fit our needs recommended as I can always keep an eye on ebay and craigslist for units.

I'm not sure what is meant by "paperless" in the posts but if it merely means I'll have to print out the directions and such from the website of the caches, I'm willing to sacrifice that benefit to get a lower price.

I want to get the best I can for the price, as what I get I'll be stuck with for a very long time.

Thanks for everyone's feedback. This, right now, is a very "big" purchase for us but I feel like it will be the most cost effective and fun way for us to spend our summer!

Mel

2k · March 16, 2009

You have a lot of choices with a $300 dollar budget. I see a refurbished Garmin 60CX on ebay for $227. This unit is the one I use. You can purchase 2 gig memory card for under $20. When you have more money or the need you can purchase city Navigator NT North America. The cost is around $120, and is not required for geocaching, but is really handy since it will give you turn by turn directions for an awful lot of things including getting to the closest road to where the cache is. The CX and CSX series has a Sirf III chip which greatly improves reception under difficult conditions. If you do not wish to spend that much money you might want to look at other Garmin handheld GPS's such as the Legend HCX I saw on Ebay for $162. It also has expandable memory and will allow you to download City Navigator. If you decide to purchase one of these Garmins you can access this site.

www.gpsfiledepot/maps

This site had free Topographical maps for most states that can be downloaded onto these GPS's.

March 16, 2009

hi.....

March 16, 2009

I just started this sport as well and I got a Garmin etrex legend cx on ebay for a lil' over 100 bucks, as the other post said, this has expandable memory, can also load city navigator. It is perfect for myself getting started geocaching. I wouldn't of wanted to spend anymore until I know that I am going to stick with it. I have had a blast so far.

God Bless,

1.8k · March 16, 2009

Check the garage sale section of this forum. As experienced cachers upgrade, you should be able to find a good unit for reasonable money. Ebay another option.

The Garmin E-series are very sturdy. I've dropped, lost (and found), have bouncing around on the dashboard, and otherwise abused mine without ever a hiccup.

March 16, 2009

Hi! I am a single mother of 3 and on a tight budget. However, the two oldest children (ages 11 and 9) and myself decided that since we probably wouldn't be able to do much this summer financially, we'd invest in a gps for geocaching. We live in an area where there are many hiking trails, rivers and historic landmarks which translates to a lot of nearby caches.

I would like a gps that is durable and dependable. It needs to be able to pick up in some pretty remote places as we often take some hikes deep into the forests and hills. Although I do not intend to take it in water, it would be nice if it were waterproof since with 3 kids, there's no telling what will happen. I do also have a friend who wants to take me scuba diving this summer, but I'm figuring water proof of that type will drastically up the price of a unit.

$300 is my absolute limit, and even then I'm stretching things really tight (and sacrificing a car repair). I'd love to find something lower in cost then that. However, I'd like all of the best units to fit our needs recommended as I can always keep an eye on ebay and craigslist for units.

I'm not sure what is meant by "paperless" in the posts but if it merely means I'll have to print out the directions and such from the website of the caches, I'm willing to sacrifice that benefit to get a lower price.

I want to get the best I can for the price, as what I get I'll be stuck with for a very long time.

Thanks for everyone's feedback. This, right now, is a very "big" purchase for us but I feel like it will be the most cost effective and fun way for us to spend our summer!

Mel

March 16, 2009

Hi! I am a single mother of 3 and on a tight budget. However, the two oldest children (ages 11 and 9) and myself decided that since we probably wouldn't be able to do much this summer financially, we'd invest in a gps for geocaching. We live in an area where there are many hiking trails, rivers and historic landmarks which translates to a lot of nearby caches.

I would like a gps that is durable and dependable. It needs to be able to pick up in some pretty remote places as we often take some hikes deep into the forests and hills. Although I do not intend to take it in water, it would be nice if it were waterproof since with 3 kids, there's no telling what will happen. I do also have a friend who wants to take me scuba diving this summer, but I'm figuring water proof of that type will drastically up the price of a unit.

$300 is my absolute limit, and even then I'm stretching things really tight (and sacrificing a car repair). I'd love to find something lower in cost then that. However, I'd like all of the best units to fit our needs recommended as I can always keep an eye on ebay and craigslist for units.

I'm not sure what is meant by "paperless" in the posts but if it merely means I'll have to print out the directions and such from the website of the caches, I'm willing to sacrifice that benefit to get a lower price.

I want to get the best I can for the price, as what I get I'll be stuck with for a very long time.

Thanks for everyone's feedback. This, right now, is a very "big" purchase for us but I feel like it will be the most cost effective and fun way for us to spend our summer!

Mel

Tight Budget. Seriously look at walmart.com at the Delorme PN-20. I just picked one up for a Second hand held for the family. They are $138 right now NEW. Comes with maps and 1 gig card. I have never heard anything bad about these units and I am looking forward to comparing it to my Garmin 60Csx.

March 16, 2009

Server HICKUP. DBL POST

Edited March 16, 2009 by Damin69

March 16, 2009

I have a Garmin60CSx that i got at walmart.com, and after mail in rebate if was $300. In another forum thread here someone said that they bought their 60CSx on amazon.com for about $150.

Look all over, Amazon; Overstock; Walmart; etc. Do some research on the different models, and the prices.

Welcome to the fun! Your kids will enjoy the treasure hunt. Be prepared to get hooked on the adventure! :rolleyes:

March 16, 2009

I too recently started in geocaching. I picked up a brand new etrex legend cx bundled with North America NT maps, dash mount, car power adapter and usb cable for about $135 shipped. So far so good, i love the unit but I only have a few days with it so far.

March 17, 2009

I have the Garmin Etrex Legend HCx. They have it at walmart for $188. It is excellent for geocaching. I have not bought any map-packs. I find it cheaper and easier to look at a printed map to get close to the cache and then use the GPS to lock on.

7.7k · March 17, 2009

If you're not looking for a lot of bells and whistles, the Garmin eTrex Venture HC is a great unit. Small form factor, accurate, easy to use, USB port. I got mine for $115, but recently it's been creeping up and was around $130 the last time I checked. If cash is tight I'd recommend this so that you and the kids are not devastated if it gets lost or broken.

March 17, 2009

If you're not looking for a lot of bells and whistles, the Garmin eTrex Venture HC is a great unit. Small form factor, accurate, easy to use, USB port. I got mine for $115, but recently it's been creeping up and was around $130 the last time I checked. If cash is tight I'd recommend this so that you and the kids are not devastated if it gets lost or broken.

i agree. and you maybe can get your car repaired with the money left over, too.

March 17, 2009

Looking at your post you will probably want a newer model that has an High Sensitivity Receiver. That would be any of the new Garmin eTrex series (with an H in the name) and all of their higher end models have one as well (60 series, colorado, oregon). There are a lot of great recommendations already so I won't recommend anything different but a couple of different buying options.

Amazon has the 60cx brand new for $250 instead of buying a refurb on ebay for $227. Costco has a killer deal on the eTrex Legend HCx with a bunch of add ons for $200 (the extra $12 from just buying the unit alone is well worth it- if you don't have a costco card and make an online purchase I think there is a $5 surcharge making the $17 well worth it, but I could be wrong on the amount). A lot of people really like eBay but my personal view one something like this is to go with an authorized reseller (pretty much any retail establishment like Amazon, Walmart, etc).

Also, in case all of these names are getting to you and you don't know what they mean here are a few things to remember with the Garmin eTrex series.

H= high sensitivity receiver

C= color display

x= expandable memory (putting in cards)

The difference between the 60 cx and the csx is that the csx has a compass and a barometric altimeter and costs $50 more.

Both DeLorme units are color, expandable, and have high sensitivity receivers.

1.1k · March 17, 2009

Go for a Garmin eTrex used on Ebay. I found my first 100+ caches with one and they can be had for under $100.

8.9k · March 17, 2009

Do NOT buy anything in the Garmin etrex line without the "H" in the name, you'll lose reception in the woods often! As others have said, the Garmins are good, but for your money, you could get the PN20 from DeLorme and still have all the bells and whistles. Maps included, roting is slow but OK and I believe you have full paperless capability (this alone would be what sells me on the PN-20...you simply load the unit up with all the caches you want and then away you go. Find a cache, log the field notes and then simply load the notes to your computer...no notes needed for finding or logging).

Around $140, this is probably the best deal for your budget. And, with the 30-day return policy, if you don't like it, return it! Only real drawback on these, they do eat batteries, so you'll want to buy a few sets of rechargeables and keep them charged and ready!!

Also, the map software (TOPO 7) is a bit tricky, has a learning curve to it. This sofware is not needed for use with your PN-20 though, it's mainly for the aerial imagery and other maps you can get on your PN-20 if you subscribe to the $30 map library (not needed for operation or any of the features I named above).

You can have cutting edge tech on the cheap and still repair your car!

38.2k · March 17, 2009

If you travel out of your area frequently I'd say go with the Legend HCX and the Topo software. That will give you topo maps for hiking and geocaching and the GPS and maps will run you about $250 together. You can pick up a 2 gig memory card for practically nothing these days.

If you usually stay within about 50-76 miles from home consider the Venture HC, or the new Legend H with Topo software. Together they will cost about $200.

The reason I mention traveling is that the Legend HCX has expandable map memory so you can load maps for a very wide area (much of the US)

The Venture HC and Legend H have 24 megs of map memory so you will get maps for roughly one medium sized state on the GPS. The difference between the two is that the Legend H has a b/w screen but holds 1,000 waypoints while the Venture HC has a color display but only holds 500 waypoints.

If you don't mind putzing around with that clunky Topo 7 software, the DeLorme PN 20 might be a good choice as well, because it comes with maps included in the price, but I wouldn't recommend it for a GPS novice.

Also, the map software (TOPO 7) is a bit tricky, has a learning curve to it. This sofware is not needed for use with your PN-20 though, it's mainly for the aerial imagery and other maps you can get on your PN-20 if you subscribe to the $30 map library (not needed for operation or any of the features I named above).

Don't you need it for loading waypoints?

Edited March 17, 2009 by briansnat

8.9k · March 18, 2009

If you travel out of your area frequently I'd say go with the Legend HCX and the Topo software. That will give you topo maps for hiking and geocaching and the GPS and maps will run you about $250 together. You can pick up a 2 gig memory card for practically nothing these days.

If you usually stay within about 50-76 miles from home consider the Venture HC, or the new Legend H with Topo software. Together they will cost about $200.

The reason I mention traveling is that the Legend HCX has expandable map memory so you can load maps for a very wide area (much of the US)

The Venture HC and Legend H have 24 megs of map memory so you will get maps for roughly one medium sized state on the GPS. The difference between the two is that the Legend H has a b/w screen but holds 1,000 waypoints while the Venture HC has a color display but only holds 500 waypoints.

If you don't mind putzing around with that clunky Topo 7 software, the DeLorme PN 20 might be a good choice as well, because it comes with maps included in the price, but I wouldn't recommend it for a GPS novice.

Also, the map software (TOPO 7) is a bit tricky, has a learning curve to it. This sofware is not needed for use with your PN-20 though, it's mainly for the aerial imagery and other maps you can get on your PN-20 if you subscribe to the $30 map library (not needed for operation or any of the features I named above).

Don't you need it for loading waypoints?

No sir, no you don't! If you want to load PQs, you might need it, I don't know if the workaround works with the 20. BUT, if you want the info for paperless caching, I believe you can load via send to GPS. Yes, this is one at a time, but it takes mere seconds per cache and is done with one click. That's how I load them, it lets me decide which cache I want to load since I can preview it before loading...if I have reason to question the cache!

Besides that, the loading of caches through TOPO 7 isn't the part that's hard to figure out, you do a PQ, unzip it, then simply drag it to the maps and it'll load by itself. You then choose export to handheld and zip, there it is! Yes, TOPO 7 is tricky for the maps, but that's not something vital to making the PN-20 work, it's something you can learn at your pace!

And, as I said before, with the 30 day return policy, you're only out shipping costs if you're not happy. A cheap way to find out if the PN-20 is for you!

Edited March 18, 2009 by Rockin Roddy

2.5k · March 19, 2009

Do NOT buy anything in the Garmin etrex line without the "H" in the name, you'll lose reception in the woods often!

Exception to this statement: The Garmin 60CSx, 76CSx, 60Cx, and 76Cx are all as accurate (if not more so) as the "H" models.

Personally, I love my 60CSx and would highly recommend that model to anyone.

22k · March 19, 2009

Do NOT buy anything in the Garmin etrex line without the "H" in the name, you'll lose reception in the woods often!

Exception to this statement: The Garmin 60CSx, 76CSx, 60Cx, and 76Cx are all as accurate (if not more so) as the "H" models.

Personally, I love my 60CSx and would highly recommend that model to anyone.

Ya, Besides Roddy I like using my Blue Legend for that random off-trail walk.

22k · March 19, 2009

If you travel out of your area frequently I'd say go with the Legend HCX and the Topo software. That will give you topo maps for hiking and geocaching and the GPS and maps will run you about $250 together. You can pick up a 2 gig memory card for practically nothing these days.

If you usually stay within about 50-76 miles from home consider the Venture HC, or the new Legend H with Topo software. Together they will cost about $200.

The reason I mention traveling is that the Legend HCX has expandable map memory so you can load maps for a very wide area (much of the US)

The Venture HC and Legend H have 24 megs of map memory so you will get maps for roughly one medium sized state on the GPS. The difference between the two is that the Legend H has a b/w screen but holds 1,000 waypoints while the Venture HC has a color display but only holds 500 waypoints.

If you don't mind putzing around with that clunky Topo 7 software, the DeLorme PN 20 might be a good choice as well, because it comes with maps included in the price, but I wouldn't recommend it for a GPS novice.

Also, the map software (TOPO 7) is a bit tricky, has a learning curve to it. This sofware is not needed for use with your PN-20 though, it's mainly for the aerial imagery and other maps you can get on your PN-20 if you subscribe to the $30 map library (not needed for operation or any of the features I named above).

Don't you need it for loading waypoints?

My best advice is listen to briansnat.

March 20, 2009

I have the Garmin Etrex Legend HCx. They have it at walmart for $188. It is excellent for geocaching. I have not bought any map-packs. I find it cheaper and easier to look at a printed map to get close to the cache and then use the GPS to lock on.

I also went this route except I purchased the Vista HCx for a few $ more. The two units are nearly identical except the Vista has an electronic compass and barometric altimeter. I placed the order on Walmart.com and used the "ship to store" option which saved me the price of shipping. The total cost was about $200 once tax was included. Now I see that they have raised their price to $210 plus tax. The good thing about this option is that you can take advantage of discount online prices but still have a place to go if there's any trouble.

MSRP on this unit is $300 so the price was very reasonable. I picked up the memory card at Walmart for ~$15.

Prior to purchasing the handheld I used my Sony NAVU which is intended for use as a travel GPS but has an internal rechargable battery and the coordinates can be found through GPS Status in the tools menu. It worked well enough to get started, I just had to convert the coords to the same format as the NAVU and write them down manually.

Edited March 20, 2009 by Lou_U

8.9k · March 20, 2009

Do NOT buy anything in the Garmin etrex line without the "H" in the name, you'll lose reception in the woods often!

Exception to this statement: The Garmin 60CSx, 76CSx, 60Cx, and 76Cx are all as accurate (if not more so) as the "H" models.

Personally, I love my 60CSx and would highly recommend that model to anyone.

I didn't realize these were in the "Etrex" line!

8.9k · March 20, 2009

If you travel out of your area frequently I'd say go with the Legend HCX and the Topo software. That will give you topo maps for hiking and geocaching and the GPS and maps will run you about $250 together. You can pick up a 2 gig memory card for practically nothing these days.

If you usually stay within about 50-76 miles from home consider the Venture HC, or the new Legend H with Topo software. Together they will cost about $200.

The reason I mention traveling is that the Legend HCX has expandable map memory so you can load maps for a very wide area (much of the US)

The Venture HC and Legend H have 24 megs of map memory so you will get maps for roughly one medium sized state on the GPS. The difference between the two is that the Legend H has a b/w screen but holds 1,000 waypoints while the Venture HC has a color display but only holds 500 waypoints.

If you don't mind putzing around with that clunky Topo 7 software, the DeLorme PN 20 might be a good choice as well, because it comes with maps included in the price, but I wouldn't recommend it for a GPS novice.

Also, the map software (TOPO 7) is a bit tricky, has a learning curve to it. This sofware is not needed for use with your PN-20 though, it's mainly for the aerial imagery and other maps you can get on your PN-20 if you subscribe to the $30 map library (not needed for operation or any of the features I named above).

Don't you need it for loading waypoints?

My best advice is listen to briansnat.

Of course this is simply my opinion, but why would you settle for less for around the same price or higher? The Garmins specified here are all great, but they don't do the paperless like the PN-20, they don't route without buying more maps (if at all in some cases???) and the PN-20 is just as or more accurate than most if not all here!

Many try to tell you the PN series is hard to use, BUNK! I am a tech idiot and I had mine working in short order with very little trouble! The learning is in the TOPO 7 which IS NOT needed to use the GPS, these maps are already on a pre-cut disc you download to your GPS. You can send info right to your GPS from the cache page OR a PQ...what's the problem?? Loading a PQ does NOT require you learning the ins and outs of TOPO 7 btw....

March 20, 2009

Jumping on the DeLorme PN-20 bandwagon too! we have both a 20 and a 40 and except for the better raster mapping while driving I would be perfectly content with the 20. That would be a great starter GPSr! Send to GPS function works directly from cache pages but you still only get 800 characters in the description but most of the time that is enough. If you do end up with problems with TOPO7 just hop over to the DeLorme site and go to their forums through the customer service link and you will find all the help and helpers you will ever need to master it!

August 24, 2013

Disregard

Edited August 24, 2013 by Colorado Cacher

August 24, 2013

Do you have a smartphone?

7.3k · August 24, 2013

Do you have a smartphone?

The original poster of this 4-year-old thread hasn't logged into geocaching.com since 2009, and has no recorded finds.

I don't think her interest in geocaching ever got ignited.

B.

Single Mom looking for GPS

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