Magellan eXplorist GC or DeLorme PN-40?

[+AcousticNut]

Now that my son has gotten into GeoCaching, I am going to give him my eXplorist 500 and am looking to pick up a full paperless solution. Right now I'm in the air between the Magellan eXplorist GC or for an extra $50 a DeLorme PN-40.

 

The GC has caught my eye because it seems to have a nice display / interface and the ease of paperless caching by simply dropping the GPX onto the unit. The extensive reviews on the GeoCaching aspect of the GPSr also mean that you pretty much know what you're getting out of the box.

 

The DeLorme has caught my eye because of the "true compass" functionality and the detailed maps. But, I can't find any information on the paperless caching capabilities, so am not sure how truly 'paperless' it is. There have also been talk of poor battery life in these units.

 

Anyone who has experience with both units and would care to comment, the information would be greatly appreciated.

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

The PN-40 is fully paperless. Just upload your field notes after your day of caching. Typing in a longer log is a little bulky, but after uploading you can add or alter the field notes easily. One click from there and you are all logged online, with your smiley or your not-so-smiley.

 

Have no knowledge of the Magellan, so I can't do a comparison for you.

 

EDIT: Love ours. Battery life -- well we carry a couple of packages in our backpack anyway. We haven't found it all that bad. If you leave it on all day, prepare to replace them!

Edited May 22, 2010 by Gitchee-Gummee

[+breaultm]

Have no knowledge of the Magellan, so I can't do a comparison for you.

 

Same thing. Fully paperless and uploading your field notes is extremely easy.

 

Both are great. I have the eXplorist GC (got it yesterday) and I love it. It's strictly a Geocacher's GPSr. There's no turn-by-turn navigation and you can't put in custom maps ("yet", according to Magellan), so that can explain the price a bit. It all depends on what you need and what you want to pay.

Edited May 22, 2010 by breaultm

[+jeffbouldin]

No experience with the GC other than the reviews. I did move from an eXplorist 500 to a PN-30. I love it.

 

With the latest firmware you can load up to 1000 geocaches with all info including logs and hints. If you upgrade to the 2.7 firmware you can also load as many gpx files on the SD card an switch between them like you can with the eXplorist. 2.7 was officially released for Delorme's professional mapping software but many of us have started using it for caching. The learning curve on this unit was involved, but once I figured it out it works great. Ver 2.8, which is due out in a month or so, will be the release for cachers. The word is in addition to the multiple files it will take gpx files directly from GC. With the PN-30 or 40 you also get Topo and Street maps. You can also subscribe to a service that lets you download other maps and satellite images. I also found the PN-30 to work a lot like the eXplorist.

 

But, if you don't need extra maps and want a unit that is plug and play right now than I think the eXplorist GC looks real nice.

[+Pax42]

You do realize that the GC is dedicated solely to geocaching , right? For just a little more money the PN-40 gives you far more capability. For the same or even less money, a PN-30 or the Lowrance Endura Out&Back would also give you more capability. The GC would have to sell for a much better price for me to consider it a worthy option to those others.

[+geojibby]

... or the Lowrance Endura Out&Back would also give you more capability. ...

 

For my cash, this is a huge contender. If the GC is $200 and the Out&Back is $225 (CDN prices) then why not upgrade to way more functionality for $25??? I really like the GC from reviews but the Out&Back seems to be far more feature rich for not that much more cheddar.

[+embra]

One thing I particularly like for a geocaching run is that the PN-40 will provide street navigation to the next cache you want to pursue, and then easily converts to a hiking route for the final leg. I believe at least some models of the Endura will do that, too, but I think it requires extra bucks for the street routing software.

 

Here are some screenshots of the PN-40's paperless geocaching features in action.

 

The Magellan sounds like a great geocaching device, especially for beginners...by not having extra features, it simplifies function to the task at hand. I would agree the previous post suggesting that a little more money brings greater capabilities for potentially broader use.

 

Edit to add: the PN-40 is among those having shorter battery run spans...maybe the shortest. However, this usually is only a significant issue for those wanting multi-day operation (e.g., long-distance hikers). For most of us, two sets will get you through a day's use. And it is (or should be) standard practice to bring along a backup set. So while I, too, would like longer battery life in my PN-40, I haven't really experienced it as a limitation.

Edited May 22, 2010 by embra

[+Team CowboyPapa]

Regarding battery life, I drive from cache to cache and have my PN-40 with the rechargeable Li-Ion battery pack being recharged from a 12VDC adapter.

[+AcousticNut]

I very much appreciate all the feedback and decided to go with the GC. The only thing that I'll be using it for is Caching and I have a Garmin in the car that I easily import waypoints onto for point-to-point driving directions.

 

The GeoCaching specific functions on the Magellan unit just seemed to outweigh those on the PN-40 and after browsing the DeLorme forums as well, just felt that the battery-life issue was something that I was going to have a hard time getting over.

 

Again, thanks for all of the feedback and Happy Caching!

[+embra]

Hope we allowed you to feel you are making a more informed decision. I'm pretty sure you'll love the GC. If you ever get to the point where you feel you've outgrown it, there will be even better options to choose from and you'll have a much better idea of what is and isn't important for your needs.

 

Enjoy!

[+geojibby]

I very much appreciate all the feedback and decided to go with the GC.

 

If you don't mind, please post your thoughts/experiences/impressions about the GC in one of the threads devoted to it. It's always helpful for other people to know what owner's experiences have been like. Happy Caching!

[+Tahoe Skier5000]

 

Edit to add: the PN-40 is among those having shorter battery run spans...maybe the shortest. However, this usually is only a significant issue for those wanting multi-day operation (e.g., long-distance hikers). For most of us, two sets will get you through a day's use. And it is (or should be) standard practice to bring along a backup set. So while I, too, would like longer battery life in my PN-40, I haven't really experienced it as a limitation.

 

Yep thats pretty much it.

 

I use mine pretty often on some backcountry hiking trips in the sierras and it has always lasted me the entire day with time to spare. I usually bring a fresh set of alkalines and a set of AA rechargeables just in case.

 

Using that setup you should have no problem lasting throughout the day with time to spare. Turn the compass off, backlight low, and keep power save on.

Edited May 22, 2010 by Tahoe Skier5000

[+breaultm]

If the GC is $200 and the Out&Back is $225 (CDN prices) then why not upgrade to way more functionality for $25???

 

If you really don't need the extra functionality, like I did, you can save that $25~ and put it towards more Geocaching gear. It all depends on what you want, what you need, and the money you're willing to spend.

Edited May 22, 2010 by breaultm