Hayley Jane Posted May 8, 2011 Share Posted May 8, 2011 I just started geocaching this past December and I'm officially obsessed. My friend and I have always done it together and she is the one with the GPS (she has an app on her phone). We usually only see each other on weekends and I'd like to do some caching on my own...that's where you guys come in. I tried finding some help in other threads but I got a little overwhelmed...can anyone give me suggestions for a GPS device? I don't need something that will store locations...I'll use my iTouch for that. I just need something that will give me driving directions and point me in the right direction once I'm on foot. Pretty basic, I think. I don't want to spend a lot of money on it, poor college kid Any advice is greatly appreciated because I'm clueless when it comes to GPS devices. Quote Link to comment
+bcblues Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 Do you have a smartphone? There are apps available for most modern smartphones. Geocaching for the iPhone There is an app for the Android as well, but I cannot find it at the moment. Quote Link to comment
Hayley Jane Posted May 10, 2011 Author Share Posted May 10, 2011 Do you have a smartphone? There are apps available for most modern smartphones. Geocaching for the iPhone There is an app for the Android as well, but I cannot find it at the moment. I don't have a smartphone. I was looking to upgrade to one just for Geocaching but I think getting a GPS would be cheaper. Quote Link to comment
+bcblues Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 You can find some great deals on GPSr units either used or new. Look in the GPS Garage Sale Forum or keep an eye out for great deals on new GPSr units. Quote Link to comment
Hayley Jane Posted May 10, 2011 Author Share Posted May 10, 2011 What about this one? http://www.walmart.com/ip/Garmin-Legend-H-Handheld-GPS-Navigator/12537955 Quote Link to comment
+CacheFreakTim Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 I try to sway people away from those etrex models. They can be very accurate but I find them to be slow and non intuitive. At this point if I were buying a GPS just for Geocaching I would go with at least the Dakota 10 which you can find for $150-$230 depending on the day and the deal. The reason I say start with that is the less expensive units cannot do either mapping or paperless. It just makes sense to get one device that can do it all unless you really want to save money. Quote Link to comment
Hayley Jane Posted May 10, 2011 Author Share Posted May 10, 2011 I looked up the Dakota 10 on Amazon and the least expensive ones were way out of my price range. Like I said, all I really want with a GPS is for it to tell me where to go - whether I'm in my car or on foot. I actually like writing out all the caches because the hints usually help me a lot... Quote Link to comment
+CacheFreakTim Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 If that's all you need you can go with almost anything. The most inexpensive is the Geomate jr. for $60ish. Getting up to a $100ish you can get the etrex models. For $125ish you can get the Magellan GC. Biggest advantage there is paperless and a touchscreen. Quote Link to comment
+DanOCan Posted May 11, 2011 Share Posted May 11, 2011 I just need something that will give me driving directions and point me in the right direction once I'm on foot. Pretty basic, I think. I don't want to spend a lot of money on it, poor college kid Any advice is greatly appreciated because I'm clueless when it comes to GPS devices. Driving directions can be a tricky thing. The maps are a big determining factor as to whether or not you will get any useful routing data (or any at all). The base map which comes on most units is pretty basic and won't be of much use. A commercial routing map product is pretty pricy. There are free maps, but the ones I use don't provide auto-routing. Since you are fine with using your iPod Touch for storing cache information, I would say go with one of the older units which doesn't do paperless caching -- that will save a lot on the budget. I'd go with something like a 60Cx, especially if you can find one at a blow-out sale (it is a discontinued model) or if you can track down a cacher selling a used one cheap. It can do basic auto-routing (beeps, not voice directions) if you can get maps with that functionality. Quote Link to comment
Hayley Jane Posted May 11, 2011 Author Share Posted May 11, 2011 That Magellan one looks great, thanks so much for the help! Quote Link to comment
+Clint Cachewood Posted May 11, 2011 Share Posted May 11, 2011 (edited) That Magellan one looks great, thanks so much for the help! You can get the Magellan GC on ebay for well under a hundred dollars brand new delivered. You'll needto pay the $30.00 dollar premium membership to take full advantage of all the features. Good luck and have fun. Edited May 11, 2011 by Clint Cachewood Quote Link to comment
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