New to geocaching with Garmin 450

[+nicknmadison]

After moving to a new part of the state and having my kids want to get out and explore, I entered the world of geocaching. REI has the Oregon 450 on sale for $250 with another $50 rebate so took the plunge.

 

After using a Nuvi 1100 in my car for a couple years I'm wondering what mapping software I need for this 450....

 

Not sure if it makes a difference but I use only Mac computers...

 

Thanks...

 

Nick

[+mpilchfamily]

You don't really need any maps to cache. So whatever maps you want to get will depend on your needs.

[+dfx]

For geocaching, you want a good topo map. Why? Because it can make all the difference between being on this side of the creek and being over there, where the cache is. Or between bushwhacking through the thorns and walking leisurely on a trail And last but not least, there's many good free topo maps available online.

Edited September 1, 2011 by dfx

[+Chrysalides]

Get free street (and some topo) maps at OpenStreetMap.

 

http://garmin.openstreetmap.nl/

 

It may not have all the features of either Garmin's Topo 24k or City Navigator, but you can't beat the price.

 

Edit to add : if you haven't already, check out the Garmin wiki at http://garminoregon.wikispaces.com/Geocaching

Edited September 1, 2011 by Chrysalides

[+skraeling]

Depending on your location, you may be able to find some good (and free) topo maps here: GPS file depot. You will need mapsource or something similar to get them on to your gps.

[Keystone]

I am moving this thread from the Geocaching Topics forum to the GPS and Technology forum.

[+toil&trouble]

In my opinion, it depends on how you cache. We do a lot of urban, so City Navigator is essential, for lite hiking, on established trails, we've found the built in maps to be fine.

[+pppingme]

I have an Oregon and still want a Nuvi in the car for getting to the cache. When I load my Oregon, I load the Nuvi at the same time with cache info.

 

The Oregon is a great GPS, but its just not geared toward driving.

[+Chrysalides]

I have an Oregon and still want a Nuvi in the car for getting to the cache. When I load my Oregon, I load the Nuvi at the same time with cache info.

 

The Oregon is a great GPS, but its just not geared toward driving.

Same here. PilotSnipe's macro with GSAK FTW

 

And, for the times when I forget to bring my Oregon with me, it can be used to get me to GZ on foot.

[+ecanderson]

After moving to a new part of the state and having my kids want to get out and explore, I entered the world of geocaching. REI has the Oregon 450 on sale for $250 with another $50 rebate so took the plunge.

 

After using a Nuvi 1100 in my car for a couple years I'm wondering what mapping software I need for this 450....

 

Not sure if it makes a difference but I use only Mac computers...

 

Thanks...

 

Nick

If you're happy with your automotive nav unit, duplicating that function by paying for CityNav doesn't make much sense. Your 1100 has a bigger and better screen and will serve just fine getting you to the general area.

 

As you can tell from the above, a lot of us like the free topo maps from gpsfiledepot.com. If you select the right ones, those also include streets, and as someone already noted, they're great for putting you on the right side of the ditch. Even in suburban areas (vs. outright wilderness), that can be REALLY handy at times. Out in the boonies, it can make the difference between finding a cache and having to bag it for another day. Certainly has saved me time more than once!

[+luvvinbird]

Not to argue with my esteemed colleagues, and trust me, they're pretty smart. But, if it's mostly urban, around town kind of caches, you'll be happier with City Navigator NT North America on a micro SD card ($75). Every street you need to drive on and then off road to the cache.

[+ecanderson]

Not to argue with my esteemed colleagues, and trust me, they're pretty smart. But, if it's mostly urban, around town kind of caches, you'll be happier with City Navigator NT North America on a micro SD card ($75). Every street you need to drive on and then off road to the cache.

Guess it depends upon how good your eyes are and whether you're used to spoken street name navigation. There are a lot of nice features in a decent automotive unit that throwing CityNav maps on an Oregon don't duplicate (starting with a much larger screen). I'd only recommend using the Oregon that way if a person did not already have a decent automotive unit and could not afford one. There are many threads here on the "can I use just one" topic, and most people don't recommend it if there's a choice. Since this guy already has a Nuvi, there's a choice. Many of us load our PQs onto our automotive units as a POI to keep urban caching really simple.

[+luvvinbird]

Not to argue with my esteemed colleagues, and trust me, they're pretty smart. But, if it's mostly urban, around town kind of caches, you'll be happier with City Navigator NT North America on a micro SD card ($75). Every street you need to drive on and then off road to the cache.

Guess it depends upon how good your eyes are and whether you're used to spoken street name navigation. There are a lot of nice features in a decent automotive unit that throwing CityNav maps on an Oregon don't duplicate (starting with a much larger screen). I'd only recommend using the Oregon that way if a person did not already have a decent automotive unit and could not afford one. There are many threads here on the "can I use just one" topic, and most people don't recommend it if there's a choice. Since this guy already has a Nuvi, there's a choice. Many of us load our PQs onto our automotive units as a POI to keep urban caching really simple.

I don't have any difficulty using two profiles, automotive for on road use and geocaching for off road, and to the cache use. Why use two different GPS units? The Oregon 450 is my all-in-one GPSr and works for me.

[+ecanderson]

Why use two different GPS units?

For all of the many reasons specified in roughly monthly threads started here where this question comes up. I provided a couple, but there's no point in repeating all of the thread discussions. They're here to read.

The Oregon 450 is my all-in-one GPSr and works for me.

Because you don't mind the small screen and lack of features, it works for you. Some people have much higher expectations for a GPS as an automotive navigation device. I certainly do. I've grown very fond of being able to use my GPS to do a LIVE Google local search on any business and no longer have to rely on someone populating a POI file to guess what my needs might be. Search / Type Name / Navigate To. Sweet. Don't even need to pull out the cell phone. Just one additional example.

[+BAMBOOZLE]

Not to argue with my esteemed colleagues, and trust me, they're pretty smart. But, if it's mostly urban, around town kind of caches, you'll be happier with City Navigator NT North America on a micro SD card ($75). Every street you need to drive on and then off road to the cache.

 

I agree....the high resolution on these units make the maps look great ( I have detail maps on ALL my handhelds.) We criss-crossed the whole U.S. for over 5 years using only Magellan Platinum handhelds w/maps for driving and had no problems.

 

I do now drive with a Nuvi 780 ( I load the GSAK macro as a backup but never use it )