sick4x4 Posted March 28, 2011 Share Posted March 28, 2011 Hi all i have read reviews and product descriptions but am still kind of confused. I'm looking for something made for the electronically simple minded lol...So heres the units at the top of the list nothing over 150.00 Garmin etrex venture hc..119.99 garmin vista hcx 169.99 kinda high buts its a bundle garmin h 99.00 magella explorist GC 149.00 magella explorist 210 99.00 im still new and i have a backtrack but something i can use thats simple and i dont mind paper....something that will be easy to program and is pretty ease of use..not care for the bells and whistles unless its affordable as a student something that will last at least 4 yrs while in college....thanks wayne Quote Link to comment
+popokiiti Posted March 28, 2011 Share Posted March 28, 2011 I definitely need the K.I.S.S. type of electronic wizardry, and even I can operate the Magellan Explorist GC. It is paperless and with Premium Membership you can view logs. (Not sure about basic) Quote Link to comment
+jeffbouldin Posted March 28, 2011 Share Posted March 28, 2011 On your list the Magellan eXplorist GC is the easiest to use. The 210 is a great unit, but discontinued. The Garmin's are good but older units. You can add maps to them (at least the HC and HCx, not sure about the H). However you have to run the pocket queries through another software to get them onto the unit, and you do not get full info. The eXplorist GC loads on your MAC or Windows PC as a drive and you drop the pocket query onto it and you have all the cache info. However you can not add anymore maps to it. This is not necessarily a bad thing. My PN-30 has Topo maps and it is nice, but I cached for years with an eXplorist 210 and 500 with no maps. Quote Link to comment
+StarBrand Posted March 28, 2011 Share Posted March 28, 2011 I definitely need the K.I.S.S. type of electronic wizardry, and even I can operate the Magellan Explorist GC. It is paperless and with Premium Membership you can view logs. (Not sure about basic) Strictly for Geocaching use - this is the unit on your list that I would choose. Quote Link to comment
+mpilchfamily Posted March 28, 2011 Share Posted March 28, 2011 I was thinking about upgrading to an eTrex Vista HCx but now i'm thinking the Explorist GC will be a much better option. Sticking with a $160 max budget. Quote Link to comment
sick4x4 Posted March 28, 2011 Author Share Posted March 28, 2011 Thanks everyone...i think the magella seems to be what im looking for since i want out of the box use and dont need to get lost with needing to find anything like extra cords or programs lol.....i was just worried since in the reviews, alot of people say its hard to get used to and understand right off the bat.... Quote Link to comment
+Is_907 Posted March 28, 2011 Share Posted March 28, 2011 Just FYI, I saw the eXplorist GC on clearance at a Target for $99 the other day. Not sure if it's that cheap at all Targets but worth checking your local store, for sure! Quote Link to comment
+hukilaulau Posted March 28, 2011 Share Posted March 28, 2011 I started with the explorist 200 and found it easy to use. I have now used an explorist 500 for about 4 years and haven't had any desire to switch to anything else. Certainly if I saw a GC for 99 bucks I'd give it a try. Quote Link to comment
sick4x4 Posted March 28, 2011 Author Share Posted March 28, 2011 Just FYI, I saw the eXplorist GC on clearance at a Target for $99 the other day. Not sure if it's that cheap at all Targets but worth checking your local store, for sure! man the target website has it for the 149...to bad though, thats a great deal... Quote Link to comment
+Is_907 Posted March 28, 2011 Share Posted March 28, 2011 Just FYI, I saw the eXplorist GC on clearance at a Target for $99 the other day. Not sure if it's that cheap at all Targets but worth checking your local store, for sure! man the target website has it for the 149...to bad though, thats a great deal... Yeah, I haven't had a chance to check my local target. I saw this deal at the Target in New Providence, NJ, last week while on work travel. (I personally took advantage of the Cabela's deal on an Oregon 450 for $249 yesterday, though.) Quote Link to comment
sick4x4 Posted March 28, 2011 Author Share Posted March 28, 2011 Just FYI, I saw the eXplorist GC on clearance at a Target for $99 the other day. Not sure if it's that cheap at all Targets but worth checking your local store, for sure! man the target website has it for the 149...to bad though, thats a great deal... Yeah, I haven't had a chance to check my local target. I saw this deal at the Target in New Providence, NJ, last week while on work travel. (I personally took advantage of the Cabela's deal on an Oregon 450 for $249 yesterday, though.) to many functions for me haha..i need it to be simple to load and simple to use lol....i use a backtrack when out in the field soo yes i like simple... Quote Link to comment
sp1tf1re Posted March 28, 2011 Share Posted March 28, 2011 We use the GC and its awesome, while you can't add new maps it comes pre-loaded with a worldwide map so other than wanting a topo map you really don't need to get a new one. Quote Link to comment
+mpilchfamily Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 We use the GC and its awesome, while you can't add new maps it comes pre-loaded with a worldwide map so other than wanting a topo map you really don't need to get a new one. That alone is enough for me to not by one of these. So much for this being my next unit. Quote Link to comment
+popokiiti Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 We have the Explorist GC as the back up unit to the Garmin 60CSx. We're loving the paperless side of things, and for the price it isn't a bad starter unit. Keep your eyes peeled for sales on whichever unit you consider, and also see if you can exchange that unit, no questions asked. I've heard some stores do that. Good luck! Quote Link to comment
ff171 Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 You might do well to check the GPS garage sale section here or a site like Craigslist and pick up a used unit. Get the best GPSr you can find within your target price range if you're getting into caching and also get a premium membership. Quote Link to comment
sick4x4 Posted March 30, 2011 Author Share Posted March 30, 2011 You might do well to check the GPS garage sale section here or a site like Craigslist and pick up a used unit. Get the best GPSr you can find within your target price range if you're getting into caching and also get a premium membership. the membership is after the GPS, i want to get a working knowledge of the cach only gps, plug and go kinda thing...I like sales to but when i go hunting i use the kiss method so i want to keep that same way of thinking with GPSr...wish it was a compass only thing lol thats my speed haha im an apple guy that loves low tech..... Quote Link to comment
+Is_907 Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 Just keep in mind that without a premium membership you'll have to send cache locations and info to your GPSr one at a time. If you go Premium, you can send over 1,000 (in two .gpx files). Then again, if you're the kind who plans all your caching trips in advance, one at a time may work well for you. Either way, good luck with your purchase (= Quote Link to comment
+StarBrand Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 ......wish it was a compass only thing lol thats my speed haha im an apple guy that loves low tech..... It can be. There are a number of cachers that use only a compass and maps to locate caches. Some have found literally thousands that way. Quote Link to comment
sick4x4 Posted March 30, 2011 Author Share Posted March 30, 2011 ......wish it was a compass only thing lol thats my speed haha im an apple guy that loves low tech..... It can be. There are a number of cachers that use only a compass and maps to locate caches. Some have found literally thousands that way. koo, didnt it know that could be done..is there a tread that explains how they do it or is it a general knowledge kind of thing? Quote Link to comment
+StarBrand Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 ......wish it was a compass only thing lol thats my speed haha im an apple guy that loves low tech..... It can be. There are a number of cachers that use only a compass and maps to locate caches. Some have found literally thousands that way. koo, didnt it know that could be done..is there a tread that explains how they do it or is it a general knowledge kind of thing? Ask this guy. Quote Link to comment
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