best places to physically see/hold GPSrs?

[+Deuce & Spark]

It's one thing to read about an item online and another thing to see it in person. If anyone in eastern Iowa, central Iowa, or western Illinois knows which stores physically carry a large selection of GPSrs, could they please let me know? It would save me a lot of potentially fruitless driving and phone-call-making. Thanks so much! --Spark

[+Lord Cadogan]

REI has several GPS's in their stores. I have been able to have the sales person allow me to take one outside so that I could see how well it works and if it was indeed readable in the sunlight.

Edited January 26, 2012 by Lord Cadogan

[+dakboy]

REI has several GPS's in their stores. I have been able to have the sales person allow me to take one outside so that I could see how well it works and if it was indeed readable in the sunlight.

Unfortunately that doesn't help the OP, as the only stores REI has anywhere near his location (as seen in his post & cache history) are in Chicago, Wisconsin and Minnesota - several hours each way.

 

Most hunting/outdoors stores (Gander Mtn, Bass Pro, etc.) carry a few handheld GPSrs, but you may not find all the models you've researched online. Best thing to do is to meet other local cachers & check out what they're using.

[+user13371]

Visit the websites of any retailer that has physical stores -- most of them have a "store locator" link prominently placed on their front page. I'm partial to REI but don't know how close any of their stores are to you.

 

REI

SPORTS AUTHORITY

DICKS

BASS PRO

 

Those are the ones that come to mind immediately. Hit their websites and call the local stores you find first to see what they have in stock.

[+dakboy]

Visit the websites of any retailer that has physical stores -- most of them have a "store locator" link prominently placed on their front page. I'm partial to REI but don't know how close any of their stores are to you.

 

REI

SPORTS AUTHORITY

DICKS

BASS PRO

 

Those are the ones that come to mind immediately. Hit their websites and call the local stores you find first to see what they have in stock.

Just an FYI, make sure that you go to www.dickssportinggoods.com on that 3rd one. Attempting to get there by "shorthand" will land you on a website you might not want to see. Especially if you're browsing from work.

[+Deuce & Spark]

Thanks, folks! REI is indeed out of range, although I know a lot of people who are crazy about that store. Of the other three mentioned so far, two are in Des Moines (good excuse to visit my best friend, whom I haven't seen in a while). The fourth store, just 25 minutes from me, is Dick's (ROFL, dakboy!).

[+coachstahly]

I can't speak for your Dick's Sporting Goods stores, but the ones here in Indianapolis have a VERY limited selection on hand.

[+dakboy]

I can't speak for your Dick's Sporting Goods stores, but the ones here in Indianapolis have a VERY limited selection on hand.

Same with my local stores. Limited selection & the staff isn't well-versed in them, especially on the caching angle.

[+Red90]

Camping or hunting supply stores are usually your best bet.

[+user13371]

...make sure that you go to www.dickssportinggoods.com on that 3rd one. Attempting to get there by "shorthand" will land you on a website you might not want to see...

Oooh, good point

I didn't even notice or think about that when I typed it.

 

ANYHOW... maybe Google is Spark's best friend?

Google Maps, Outdoor Supplies near Cedar Rapids IA: http://g.co/maps/628sx

 

Hmm, someone already mentioned Gander Mountain, didn't they Gander Mountain Store #142 shows up in that search and their own website gives the store's coordinates.

Edited January 27, 2012 by Portland Cyclist

[+Deuce & Spark]

Well, we went to Dick's and Gander Mountain in Davenport yesterday. Our experience in Dick's echoed what other posters have written. They did, however, have an Etrex 20 that I was able to play with. I liked it better than I thought I would. I was also able to pick up two 2011 Garmin brochures that gave overall views of the handheld and car models.

 

The guy at Gander Mtn. went out of his way to help us, even though he didn't know much about geocaching (I gave him the name of the geocaching.com website). He actually went back and got a brand new Nuvi 500 out of the box and plugged it in and let us play with it. Didn't try to hard-sell us or anything.

 

For the benefit of other posters who may see this thread, the store we had the best overall luck with yesterday was...Best Buy! We were in there looking for other things, and I decided to see if they had any GPSrs. They had 10 or 12 car units sitting out and plugged in for the express purpose of allowing customers to play with them. They also had a few handhelds.

 

I think I ended up with a pretty good idea of what is out there and what I like and don't like, without making a huge road trip. Thanks to everyone for their suggestions!

[+dakboy]

For the benefit of other posters who may see this thread, the store we had the best overall luck with yesterday was...Best Buy! We were in there looking for other things, and I decided to see if they had any GPSrs. They had 10 or 12 car units sitting out and plugged in for the express purpose of allowing customers to play with them. They also had a few handhelds.

That is really surprising. Glad you were able to find a good variety of devices to check out.

 

But that company won't ever get my money again. Buncha ripoff artists. I'll go in to physically check out something before I buy, but I'll buy it online & wait 2 weeks for delivery before I give them a penny.

[+Deuce & Spark]

Ended up buying a Nuvi 500 from Gander Mountain today. The customer service was great, and they even price-matched the amount I found it for on Amazon. I had about 30 min. to play with my new toy today, and it was extremely user-friendly. Very gently sloping learning curve. It will be great fun when I get the whole cache-loading thing figured out. I think I am going to be very happy with this GPSr.