Garmin Dakota 20

[+gnjeepn]

Ok the Dakota series has been out for a few months now. I am concidering buying a 20 series. I would like owners of the Dakota series honest oppinions of these units? How durable, accurate, and ease of use.? I currently use a nuvi 550 but wan't something a little more portable for geo caching and hiking.

[+remiquest]

More Questions:

 

I have done a lot of research and decided to buy either a Dakota 20 or splurge on some sort of Oregon, but I was wondering what expenses I can expect outside of the box? I know I will need to get a premium membership to gc.com, and it sounds like some sort of sd card (though you can get those pretty cheap these days), are the included basemaps enough for caching? I have heard that there are free maps available on the internet, is this an easy thing to access and ad, and will it harm the gps in any way? I have been using an iphone, but like many others have noted, it's useless where you lack phone reception, and that is exactly where I want to cache! Sorry for all the questions but this seems like the best place to get information!

[+Searching_ut]

If you search back a couple months, I have some info posted comparing my Dakota 20 to my PN-40. In most situations, I prefer the Dakota. You can get some fairly good TOPO maps for it at GPSFiledepot, or buy the Garmin maps from various sources. The only real problem I've had with mine was compass calibration issues, which were fixed with the last firmware update. Price wise, I don't think the price is any lower than the Oregon 300's yet, so for the individual considering both, that might be the better option. Myself, I liked the smaller size, 3axis compass, and better battery life which is why I went with the Dakota. I don't use it for anything but hand held use though, and don't consider it a very good "Multipurpose" unit.

 

The handheld GPS units out there right now are all quite capable and accurate. If you can, just find one that suits your needs interface and feature wise and you'll find it to be quite the useful tool.

[+Redwoods Mtn Biker]

I (finally) finished my review and posted it yesterday:

http://gpstracklog.com/2009/10/garmin-dakota-20-review.html

 

Great little unit. I was quite impressed with it.

[+remiquest]

I (finally) finished my review and posted it yesterday:

http://gpstracklog.com/2009/10/garmin-dakota-20-review.html

 

Great little unit. I was quite impressed with it.

 

Thanks! Your review and the one leading up to the release were items I had already read, I found them very useful!

[+g-o-cashers]

It is a good option if you are looking for compact battery efficient GPS. As Rich mentions in his review the visibility of the Dakota outside is a little better and less directional than the Oregon.

 

However, I think for the money right now it is hard to justify the Dakota 20 over the Oregon 300 for most people given they cost nearly the same. With the Oregon you pick up the larger higher resolution screen and a few other minor features (Wherigo being one). To me the improved touchscreen is really worth the trade off in size.

 

If you are doing a lot of backwoods hiking and power/size is very important or you are using it on a fixed handlebar mount the Dakota might be better choice but I still find the Oregon my goto device for most hiking, geocaching and driving trips where I want a handheld.

[+NatureGuy360]

I just recently purchased a Dakota 20 and I could not be happier! After using the eTrex Legend for the past four years, it was definitely time for an upgrade. I thought about the Oregon, however, I simply did not have $500 to spend on a quality Oregon unit.

 

Plus, all of the horror stories about not being able to see the screen in direct sunlight was a major concern for me. With the Dakota however, the screen has its best visibility when it is in direct sunlight without the backlight on! Granted the screen size is a bit smaller on the Dakota, however, I have not had any difficulty reading the text or symbols on the screen.

 

Besides the Oregon, I also considered purchasing an iphone for geocaching. However, I could not justify spending $200 on the phone itself, plus an additional $30 for a monthly service charge on a phone that has sketchy GPS accuracy to begin with.

 

The Dakota 20 has allowed me to finally catch up to the rest of the world and go paperless. Although there are many diehard Oregon fans out there, I simply could not be more satisfied with my compact, efficient and yet very powerful Dakota 20.