New here and would appreciate some GPS advice

[texatdurango]

We just moved to Show Low, Arizona and have started hiking the numerous wooded trails in the area, some of which are long and convoluted so I thought a GPS MIGHT come in handy.

 

When I started web surfing for handheld battery powered units I quickly became overwhelmed with the choices and features. Then I found this site and remembered I joined last year to see what some friends were up to with their cache hunting but wasn't interested in caching myself.

 

So........ here I am, back again, only this time... interested! I did a search of caches in the Show Low area and there seem to be plenty so I'm getting a little excited about getting started but....... am so confused about the choices of units.

 

Basically I want a unit that can/will:

 

1. Be capable of leaving a "bread crumb trail" if we go out hiking in order to help us not get lost if we make some wrong turns.

 

2. Be able to "Send to my GPS" when I want to upload a cache location from this website.

 

3. Display in color.... I like color!

 

As long as it stays under $500, price isn't that big of a consideration but if I can get similar functionality from a cheaper unit I would certainly consider one. From what I have read so far, the units I find most appealing are the Garmin GPSMAP 60CSx and the newer Garmin GPSMAP62st.

 

I'm leaning towards the newer unit because it has built in topo maps but before making a purchase, wonder if they will be that useful in everyday hiking and geocaching!

 

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

Edit: Oops......... I just noticed there was another sub-forum for "GPS related discussions", please excuse a newbies mistake for posting here. Hopefully I will find some answers in the other forum as well but feel free to advice me on anything in this thread as well!

Edited August 10, 2010 by texatdurango

[+Panther&Pine]

We just moved to Show Low, Arizona and have started hiking the numerous wooded trails in the area, some of which are long and convoluted so I thought a GPS MIGHT come in handy.

 

When I started web surfing for handheld battery powered units I quickly became overwhelmed with the choices and features. Then I found this site and remembered I joined last year to see what some friends were up to with their cache hunting but wasn't interested in caching myself.

 

So........ here I am, back again, only this time... interested! I did a search of caches in the Show Low area and there seem to be plenty so I'm getting a little excited about getting started but....... am so confused about the choices of units.

 

Basically I want a unit that can/will:

 

1. Be capable of leaving a "bread crumb trail" if we go out hiking in order to help us not get lost if we make some wrong turns.

 

2. Be able to "Send to my GPS" when I want to upload a cache location from this website.

 

3. Display in color.... I like color!

 

As long as it stays under $500, price isn't that big of a consideration but if I can get similar functionality from a cheaper unit I would certainly consider one. From what I have read so far, the units I find most appealing are the Garmin GPSMAP 60CSx and the newer Garmin GPSMAP62st.

 

I'm leaning towards the newer unit because it has built in topo maps but before making a purchase, wonder if they will be that useful in everyday hiking and geocaching!

 

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

I've got an eTrex Legend Hcx (I think, its the grey one) with the 'nice' maps. The only thing I don't like about it is the fact that it isn't paperless.

It does tracks, it works well with GSAK and is easy to work with.

 

**Edit I bought mine new from REI for $250 and the maps for $100 (I think). So well under your 500$.

Edited August 10, 2010 by MooseJawSpruce

[texatdurango]

 

I've got an eTrex Legend Hcx (I think, its the grey one) with the 'nice' maps. The only thing I don't like about it is the fact that it isn't paperless.

It does tracks, it works well with GSAK and is easy to work with.

 

**Edit I bought mine new from REI for $250 and the maps for $100 (I think). So well under your 500$.

 

Thanks for the reply, but I'm not up on all the terms yet. I assume that "it does tracks" is the same as "bread crumb trails"?

 

"Isn't paperless"....... could you expound a bit please? Do you mean that you can't download info from the web directly into the unit as a single searchable item and still have to rely on printing out cache information on paper to take along with you?

 

May sound like really basic questions but I'm just two days into researching/learning! Thanks

[+Panther&Pine]

 

Thanks for the reply, but I'm not up on all the terms yet. I assume that "it does tracks" is the same as "bread crumb trails"?

 

"Isn't paperless"....... could you expound a bit please? Do you mean that you can't download info from the web directly into the unit as a single searchable item and still have to rely on printing out cache information on paper to take along with you?

 

May sound like really basic questions but I'm just two days into researching/learning! Thanks

 

Tracks are bread crumbs (mine are blue... cause that is important?!? oh well details). The menu/icon is called tracks so that is what I call them.

 

Paperless means that you can store tons of info about a cache (like the entire cache page plus logs on some GPS units). Using GSAK I've got mine set up to receive the GC name (not the GC Code- the GC code is a unique identifier, the name is not), the size, the D/T (Difficulty/ Terrain) and I'm trying to figure out if I can add in the cache type some how.

 

I don't download from the website directly to my GPS. I do my PQ (Pocket Queries), download those to my desktop, open them in GASK, slice and dice to get what I'd like on my GPS (as close to but not over 1000 caches as I can get) and then I put them on my GPS and away I go.

[+benderoos]

I have used a Garmin GPSMAP 60CSx and really liked it. When I purchased mine however, I went cheap, to see if I would get hooked on the whole Geocaching thing, and not be a 4-5 cache thing then have an expensive unit collecting dust. My GPSr is a Garmin ETREX Venture HC. It does everything you are asking for, and I only paid $150 cdn.

 

It isn't paperless (Meaning you have the co-ordinates and the name and a few other details about the cache but not all the hints, descriptions, ect. that the website has) So when I go somewhere I usually print out the pages of the caches I go to.

 

Another thing that is a semi-annoyance, is it doesn't have an electronic compass (an option you may want?) In other words, in order for the GPS to tell you what direction you are facing/what direction you need to go to find a cache, you need to be moving. When you stop moving, and start turning around trying to figure out which way to look, your compass will not move until you take a few steps and it gets its directions back again. Never had a problem in a park, but in deep brush it definatley is annoying.

[+briansnat]

For a long time the 60CSX has been the gold standard that other units are measured by. It is a great unit. Best of all many retailers are deeply discounting it to make room for the 62S(t). It is selling for around $200 many places, which is nearly half of what it cost just a few months ago.

 

The chief negatives with the 60CSX are that it isn't a true paperless unit (you can get limited cache info on the unit by using a 3rd party software and the Garmin POI loader), and that it doesn't have a triaxial compass so it needs to be held flat for the compass to work properly. Other than those minor issues, it is a fine unit and still my favorite

 

I have no experience with the 62S other than playing around with it in a restaurant for a half hour. Best case it is an improved version of the 60CSX. Worst case, well I don't want to go there. There are some bad units on the market. One thing about getting the latest and greatest is that they tend to be buggy at first and you need to keep up with firmware updates.

 

As far as topo maps, I find them very useful for geocaching. I have 100k and 24K topo on my 60CSX and whenever I'm off the road I'm using topo. It is helpful to know if there is a lake, river, swamp, cliff, hill,etc between you and your destination. Topo can also help you select the easiest route to the cache.

[+Team Cotati]

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_s...DRZ0MRZANXZY2EB

[+randco]

I have a 60CSx and love it. I use it in conjunction with GSAK and Mapsource. I also use a PDA I purchased for $35. I installed Cachemate software that I purchased for $8 from smittyware. The PDA stores all of the Cache Detail Pages from the Pocket Query I generate. The 60CSx has "tracks" capability. I purchased the City Navigator maps so I can have street detail.

 

Like the others have mentioned I load the query data into GSAK, then export the list to the GPS'r and then export a file to my PDA. I also use GSAK to generate a file for Mapsource. I can create a route in Mapsource then transfer the route to the GPS'r.

 

For me it has been a great combination.

[hoosier guy]

We just moved to Show Low, Arizona and have started hiking the numerous wooded trails in the area, some of which are long and convoluted so I thought a GPS MIGHT come in handy.

 

When I started web surfing for handheld battery powered units I quickly became overwhelmed with the choices and features. Then I found this site and remembered I joined last year to see what some friends were up to with their cache hunting but wasn't interested in caching myself.

 

So........ here I am, back again, only this time... interested! I did a search of caches in the Show Low area and there seem to be plenty so I'm getting a little excited about getting started but....... am so confused about the choices of units.

 

Basically I want a unit that can/will:

 

1. Be capable of leaving a "bread crumb trail" if we go out hiking in order to help us not get lost if we make some wrong turns.

 

2. Be able to "Send to my GPS" when I want to upload a cache location from this website.

 

3. Display in color.... I like color!

 

As long as it stays under $500, price isn't that big of a consideration but if I can get similar functionality from a cheaper unit I would certainly consider one. From what I have read so far, the units I find most appealing are the Garmin GPSMAP 60CSx and the newer Garmin GPSMAP62st.

 

I'm leaning towards the newer unit because it has built in topo maps but before making a purchase, wonder if they will be that useful in everyday hiking and geocaching!

 

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

Edit: Oops......... I just noticed there was another sub-forum for "GPS related discussions", please excuse a newbies mistake for posting here. Hopefully I will find some answers in the other forum as well but feel free to advice me on anything in this thread as well!

 

Is that you Matt?

[texatdurango]

 

Is that you Matt?

 

Nope, just little ole me, George, from Ft. Worth, Texas now transplanted to Arizona

 

Thanks for all the replies folks! After starting this thread I found the GPS dedicated forum and read quite a few messages and it seems that I won't be going after theGPSMAP 62st afterall and looking into a squeaky GGPSMAP 62s instead since a visit to the local ranger station today showed me that there are plenty of topo maps available online for this area and, as I understand it, that's the only difference between it and the 62st. I found the 62s online for $298 shipped so unless I run across a great deal on a 60csx, I'll probably jump on the newer unit.

 

Again, Thanks for the insights.