550t or Dakota 20?

[+jakiesfolks]

We had out selection all figured out yesterday and planned to purchase the Oregon 550t then we started reading posts about the Dakota 20 and it doesn't sound that much different from the 550. We could save some $$ but want to make sure we aren't shorting ourselves and will have a woulda, coulda, shoulda later on. So you Garmin folks, will these two units do, essentially, the same thing or is the Oregon 550t $150. better? This will be our main gps for a loooong time so we have to make it count. Thanks, W&R

[+Rotorcraft230]

Did you know that the Dakota has a smaller screen! And the unit as a whole is smaller.

[+jakiesfolks]

Did you know that the Dakota has a smaller screen! And the unit as a whole is smaller.

 

Yes, but thought, all other things being the same, MIGHT (or might not) be able to live with that. We are currently using an Etrex Vista Hcz.

[+StarBrand]

The 2 big advantages of the 550T is the ability to carry up to 5000 geocaches and the bulit-in camera.

 

The dakota does not do either. If those features are important then the Dak 20 should not be considered. Either will get you just as close to any cache out there.

[+jakiesfolks]

The 2 big advantages of the 550T is the ability to carry up to 5000 geocaches and the bulit-in camera.

 

The dakota does not do either. If those features are important then the Dak 20 should not be considered. Either will get you just as close to any cache out there.

 

Okay...message received! Was not aware that it can hold so many caches. We like to travel and that will be great to load caches in for all the different areas. Thanks for that input, 550t it is!

[+out12]

The 2 big advantages of the 550T is the ability to carry up to 5000 geocaches and the bulit-in camera.

 

The dakota does not do either. If those features are important then the Dak 20 should not be considered. Either will get you just as close to any cache out there.

 

Okay...message received! Was not aware that it can hold so many caches. We like to travel and that will be great to load caches in for all the different areas. Thanks for that input, 550t it is!

The Garmin website shows the 550 capable of holding 2000 waypoints not 5000. The Dakota can hold 1000. I believe that either can be loaded with custom POIs giving you paperless capability limited only by the microSD card capacity.

[+2Wheel'in]

The 2 big advantages of the 550T is the ability to carry up to 5000 geocaches and the bulit-in camera.

 

The dakota does not do either. If those features are important then the Dak 20 should not be considered. Either will get you just as close to any cache out there.

 

Okay...message received! Was not aware that it can hold so many caches. We like to travel and that will be great to load caches in for all the different areas. Thanks for that input, 550t it is!

The Garmin website shows the 550 capable of holding 2000 waypoints not 5000. The Dakota can hold 1000. I believe that either can be loaded with custom POIs giving you paperless capability limited only by the microSD card capacity.

 

Correct...that's 2000 Waypoints - plus 5000 geocaches (2 separate files). Wrong about the POI's on microSD card though. Not sure about the Dakota 20, but for the time being...you can only load maps (and possibly photos) on the microSD off the 550t.

 

Bill

[+MrRocketMan]

2000 waypoints, + 5000 geocaches.

 

"Go paperless with Oregon 550 by quickly downloading information from Geocaching.com for up to 5000 caches, such as location, terrain, difficulty, hints and description. No more manually entering coordinates and paper print outs. Slim and lightweight, Oregon is the perfect companion for all your outdoor pursuits."

 

https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=145...6875#featureTab

Edited August 15, 2009 by MrRocketMan

[+Taoiseach]

I might want to point out the Elephant in the room - No Wherigo on the Dakotas!