Should I Buy Garmin 24k Maps for My New Dakota 20?

[EVDebs]

I just got a Dakota 20 for my birthday. I'm a GPS newbie. I want to get some maps on it; one of the first things I hope to do with it is geocaching.

 

I'm thinking of buying the South Central 24K DVD from Garmin....but that's a good chunk of change.

 

Is it worth the money? Are there any less expensive options that will work? (I'm in Oklahoma, fwiw)

[+gnjeepn]

Personally I would just use it with the base maps that come with the unit. Try it and see if you really need to add more maps. Then if you still think you need more maps I would do a search for free map software. There are good maps available for free that will work with your Dakota. The only software that I have loaded on mine is topo maps I got from vvmapping.com. We use our Nuvi for getting us to where we need to be and use the dakota for geocaching and hiking mainly.

 

Just checked and they don't offer the topo right now. But after a quick google search there are quite a few that came up that look good.

Edited August 7, 2010 by gnjeepn

[-Oz-]

You can try out free maps at http://www.gpsfiledepot.com . Read the tutorial for help installing them

[+jeepdelfuego]

Personally I would just use it with the base maps that come with the unit. Try it and see if you really need to add more maps. Then if you still think you need more maps I would do a search for free map software. There are good maps available for free that will work with your Dakota. The only software that I have loaded on mine is topo maps I got from vvmapping.com. We use our Nuvi for getting us to where we need to be and use the dakota for geocaching and hiking mainly.

 

Just checked and they don't offer the topo right now. But after a quick google search there are quite a few that came up that look good.

 

He doesn't have a Nuvi to navigate the streets. So, the South Central 24K map might be a good choice for EVdebs because it also supports autorouting. I really can't see owning one of these GPSr's without an autorouting map like the 24K maps or City Navigator NT. After buying many maps, I now know what I should have done from the beginning. I should have bought City Navigator and downloaded a free Topo map from GPSfiledepot.com.

[+Redwoods Mtn Biker]

Kind of restating what others have said, but...

 

You can get a free topo map from http://gpsfiledepot.com.

 

The only real reason to get the 24K Garmin map is for the routable roads. You would probably want a dash mount too.

[+jsuvman]

I put City Navigator North America NT on my Dakota 20 and it was well worth it. I can now easily drive from cache to cache. I bought the SD Card. It was $72.00 on Amazon. There are a lot of people selling these so make sure you are getting the most recent version by checking the version number on Garmin's web site before you buy.