Looking for best paperless GPS for low money price

January 18, 2010

hello I am very new to this and apreciate anyhelp that comes my way

I am on a disability income and cannot afford to just buy any GPS that strikes my fancy.. I need the best paperless GPS for the low dollar shellout.

I have read Starbrands compairison articles and also the thread on paperless GPS

Iphones and such are OUT! I want something that is waterproof, has maps (Included or add later... you tell me what is best)

the cheapest may not be what I am after but I would hate to just go buy the cheapest Garmin based on what I have read if spending $30 more gets me a wonder product!

also how do you get all the info off the website onto your gps? How many cashes can be stored in memory... and any other little tricks I should know about!

January 18, 2010

Here is my suggestion:

Buy the cheapest garmin that you can hook up to the computer to load caches into. I think its the yellow one. They run around 150.00 but I am sure you can find a used one on craigslist or ebay for cheaper.

if you are a premium member you can load 500 caches in it via a pocket query using "easy gps" its a free program. Easygps.com

Now paperless:

The cheapest is going to be an old palm pilot or ipod. I suggest ipod classic. Nice size and they are an older version so again ebay and craigslist. I picked mine up for 27 bucks and I can store music on it so it has a double use.

To load the pocket query into your ipod use the free program cache magnet.

This is how I do all my caching.

8.6k · January 18, 2010

You are right, spending the extra 30 bills is the way to think about it. As mentioned before, there are used models on the market that should function satisfactorily. Too, online sales occur from time to time that allow picking up a nice model (not just Garmin).

I think you can post a "wanted" on craigslist. Don't forget the want ads in your local newspaper, either. You may be surprised at how many units are sitting in closets, unused!

Check the GPS reviews link on the homepage of geocaching.com to find your target unit (notice there is more than one yellow Garmin -- and they ain't all the same).

January 18, 2010

You can also find the Delorme PN-20 right around $120.00 it should come with either topo 7 or 8 make sure you have the latest software up date and then it will have what you need except maybe a 16 or 32 meg memory card to hold the maps.

Garmins you usually have to pay extra for maps.

No need for any extra palms etc. the cache logs,hints etc are all right there on the gps.

Edited January 18, 2010 by rambrush

5.3k · January 18, 2010

I would recommend the Garmin Legend HCx for the GPS unit. You can add free maps from http://www.gpsfiledepot.com/ and/or http://garmin.na1400.info/routable.php

To supplement, I would recommend an inexpensive PDA as mentioned above.

Note that you will need to be a Premium Member to take full advantage of the paperless capabilities.

January 18, 2010

Ah I am to understand that you have to be premium to use all the paperless things? well that would prob prevent me from affording that heheheh

so I am better off with a simple basic unit then and use ing a PDA or a netbook for keeping all my info?

what all can a PDA do? I know nothing about them

***EDITED***

Oh $30 a yr for premium membership.. i can probafford thatif I find a unit cheap enough!

Edited January 18, 2010 by LumpyGravy

January 18, 2010

I like the looks of this model... and it is paperless? Can you point me to where I can find it for $120? this may be my best option so far!

8.6k · January 18, 2010

I just looked at Amazon.com. You might check there, electronics/GPS/handheld -- they show the PN-20, PN-30 and the PN-40 you just may be surprised at the price.

EDIT: I know the PN-30 and PN-40 eliminate the need for any other device (true paperless), dunno so much about the PN-20.

Edited January 18, 2010 by Gitchee-Gummee

3.5k · January 18, 2010

Check amazon.com, ebay, Craigslist, Google, etc.

January 18, 2010

googled it as amazon is way high but I see it starting for about $145.. and no one at that price has any in stock (to be fair my tax refund isnt here yet so I am putting the cart before the horse)

January 18, 2010

Well we have the Garmin Oregon and it carries the cache description/hints/topo maps/basic street maps. We used to use a handheld PDA, the laptop and the Magellan Explorist 210 when we went on long caching days. Using this one unit cut out the PDA and the laptop. It was pricey at $299 at Costco, but we picked it up on sale. So far we've been really happy with this unit.

January 19, 2010

Yes the 20 can be paperless also check craigs list or ebay

5.7k · January 19, 2010

Where did you see the 20 for that price?

January 21, 2010

Heya. I just (about a week ago now) got my PN-30 for $139.00 + $10 shipping on Ebay. However, there is another option for paperless caching if money is the most important issue.

Magellan Triton 400

This was one of the 3 finalists I narrowed my search down to. Fortunately, I had a bit of wiggle room on money, and decided to go with the DeLorme. From what I read, the Magellan had some issues when it launched, but recent firmware updates have made it much better. It also supports high-res imagery and memory expansion. The one big negative I've heard (and why I went with the DeLorme) is the customer service at Magellan is horrible. But, from what I read, this is prolly the cheapest you'll find that supports paperless, and is a viable GPSr unit.

Hope this helps!

Later!

January 21, 2010

I am surprised no one has mentioned the Lowrance Endura Out&Back yet for this. I have one and love it. I don't want this to sound like a sales pitch but based on what you mentioned in your first post, here is how the Out&Back qualifies (this comes from the Lowrance website:

- Paperless geocaching? Yes

- Waterproof? Yes

- Onboard map? Yes, comes with highways and main roads in cities, shows parks, lakes, etc. You can also upgrade the roads and outdoor mapping with premium map microSD cards later if you want.

- Can store caches on board? Yes - up to 4000 caches and handles multiple pocket queries

- Affordable? Can be found on the internet for around $199. It is even listed on the Shop Groundspeak site under starter kits and they will preload geocaches for your zip code for you to help you get started.

What you get on top of what you asked for:

- Touchscreen with very easy menus, etc.

- Great geocaching filtering function - according to StarBrand and Native, this is probably the best one on the market right now.

- Very accurate GPS reception

- Works with IBM and MAC easily - is just recognized as a storage device when connected to the computer and you can drag and drop files from the web or computer to the GPS

The only thing you would need that doesn't come with the Out&Back is a mini-USB to USB cable so you can connect to your computer and drag and drop cache files to the device without needing a microSD card. I had one from my digital camera already but you can pick them up at Walmart or Best Buy very cheap.

I know Garmin is better known and has handheld GPS's that are cheaper, but I don't think they are as good for geocaching as the Endura Out&Back. Just my opinion but I am sure there are others that will think Garmin or Delorme is better.

Good luck!

January 21, 2010

Actually, the Out&Back was on my list as well. There was one on Ebay for $129.00 + like 10-15 for shipping. Like I said, I just ended up with the DeLorme.

Later!

February 2, 2010

LumpyGravy,

Curious what product you ended up with. Any updates?

February 2, 2010

Still looking in my mailbox for a refund but atm I am thinking ether a Garmin Oregon 200 ($218) or the Lowrance Out and back ($170)

I found the lowrance for $199 at Gander Mt locally so that is a big plus.... but i liked the look of tha Oregon alot but would have to get it online for the low price i found on sale.... if its still on sale by the time I get my money....

I was orriginally thinking the DeLorme PN-30 series till its price jumped up $40 overnight on amazon

I will deff update all when my purchase is made... I totally expected my tax money by now seeing I got my Heat credit last week from my tax refund request

I will be happy with ether I think but the Oregon feels alot "Smoother and easyier" but I like the geocashing extras with the Lowrance so I will be happier with ether if I cany get the Oregon on sale (New not refurbished)

Edited February 2, 2010 by LumpyGravy

February 3, 2010

well I finally bought a Lowrance Out&Back for $167.50 + $7.95 shipp off ebay...

February 3, 2010

I honestly like the fact that the Out&Back has buttons as well as the touch screen. I might be paranoid, but it seems to me if the touch screen on the Dakota/Oregon fails, it's a paper weight. The Lowrance has buttons as well.

Hopefully you enjoy the game as much as we do!

Later!

February 3, 2010

February 3, 2010

True, but the PN-20 is in all honesty, an inferior unit. It doesn't have a high sensitivity receiver. And, while I'm still new to the game, I did a lot of homework before I bought my GPSr (PN-30). No matter what brand people liked, the one constant was "make sure it has a high sensitivity receiver." And, from what I've read from Starbrand, the Out&Back is even easier to use for paperless (the DeLormes are fairly straight forward as well. No complaints.) If he could budget the Out&Back, he got a unit that will last him a much longer time, and serve him better. In that way, he will get his money's worth.

Later!

February 4, 2010

Too late for the OP, but I wanted to share my low budget solution.

Get a used Palm Treo 650 or 700P on ebay or craigslist, it works as a PDA even if you don't activate the phone. It has a color touch screen and bluetooth support and they often go for under $40. It also has a SD card slot if you want to use the PDA for other things like ebooks or MP3 music, the built in storage is enough for cache info.

Get Cachemate software for $10, get a bluetooth GPS reciever (I got a BT-359 for around $25)

Also get the free Cetus GPS program for Palm as an extra navigation tool.

I've used Palm OS PDAs on and off for 10 years so I was pretty comfortable with the Treo right from the start. There's a bit of a learning curve if you've never used a Palm before, but that seems to be true of many GPS systems too.

As a bonus, if you get a Verizon branded Treo, you could activate the phone on PagePlus pay-as-you-go service pretty cheaply.

OK, it's not water proof and maps would need yet another piece of software, sucha as Street Atlas, but I like

using the Treo. I figured out how to convert GPX to POIs that can load into my car GPS, so I can use that for the steet portion of the trip, then switch to the Treo when I get close.

Edited February 4, 2010 by Mosaic55

February 5, 2010

Congrats on the purchase! I am a bit envious as I paid the full $199 plus tax from Bass Pro. I didn't think to try eBay.

If you need any help learning how to use it, just post a message to the boards. The best one to provide help is of course Endura Expert. He works for Lowrance and helps a lot of folks on the Geocaching Forum. Others that seem to be really great help are Native and StarBrand. They both know a lot more than I do on these things. I actually learn more from the forums than I do talking to guys in the retail stores that have actually been trained on the products.

Keep us updated on how this goes.

Looking for best paperless GPS for low money price

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