PN-60W or Dakota 20 or Oregon 450t

[+doingitoldschool]

Hello fellow cachers - i am looking to buy a new GPS, and I am leaning toward the PN-60w. The only thing holding me back is the relative rareness of it; Are there any users out there who have had a chance to put these babies side by side and see which one delivers the best geocaching buck?

If not the PN-60w, then it's one of the garmin units listed in the title. Would love to hear your feedback!

[+Team CowboyPapa]

I use the PN-60w for geocaching and have been very satisfied with it. OTOH, I can provide no side-by-side comparisons.

 

In addition to geocaching, I also use it for back country, 4WD exploring and sightseeing. Used in conjunction with the inReach device, one can send and receive messages when beyond cellphone coverage. Again, I have no comparative, side-by-side experience; however, such is not possible with other units.

Edited February 28, 2012 by Team CowboyPapa

[+Panda Inc]

I Dunno if this will help but if you're thinking of a 'bundle' with the PN-60W, Topo USA comes with routable Canadian and Mexican maps. We have the the plain 'ol PN-60 and have absolutely no complaints, it has never failed us!

 

Cheers,

PandA Inc

[+cliptwings]

No question about it - Dakota 20. I've got two of 'em. I have owned over 50 GPSr's over the years, and the '20 does everything I need with ease, accuracy and reliability. Yeah, no maps come with the basic unit, but that's easily remedied by the freely available topo and street maps on the 'net. No, I don't have stock in Garmin, but I have owned Magellans, Delormes and Lowrances - Garmin ain't perfect but it's the best of the bunch in my opinion.

[+Triple Crown]

For the Garmins, I like the Oregon 450 much better than the Dakotas because I prefer the larger screen.

 

The DeLormes generally give you a little more bang for the buck on features, but in my opinion, the Garmins are more intuitive & user friendly out of the box, especially for geocaching.

 

Some retailers (like REI) have demos of all of them that you can hold and play with...definitely worth doing!

Edited February 29, 2012 by Triple Crown

[+doingitoldschool]

Thanks for some great replies guys - I appreciate the input so far! The Dakota is starting to move it's way up in the running; especially since I can get it with garmin topo for under 300 bucks...

[ao318]

You can get the PN-60 at jr.com for just under $220 shipped for a limited time.

[+Team CowboyPapa]

You can get the PN-60 at jr.com for just under $220 shipped for a limited time.

And that has everything in the box. Nothing else to buy or obtain otherwise from third party sources.

[+Team CowboyPapa]

BATTERY CHANGING – A LOST ART IN OUR FAMILY

I’m going to buy my wife a tablet computer – she won’t be taking the back off to change batteries:

http://www.samsung.com/global/microsite/galaxytab/10.1/index.html

I have a handheld media player – I don’t take the back off to change batteries:

http://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-Sansa-Fuze-Video-Player/dp/B0015L451I

My grandchildren have handheld game machines – they don’t take the backs off to change batteries:

http://www.amazon.com/Apple-iPod-touch-8GB-Generation/dp/B001FA1O0O/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1330662545&sr=1-1

I have a smart cellphone – I don’t take the back off to change batteries:

http://www.samsung.com/us/mobile/cell-phones/SGH-I727MSAATT

I have a handheld GPSr – I don’t take the back off to change batteries:

https://shop.delorme.com/OA_HTML/DELibeCCtdItemDetail.jsp?item=29306&section=10095

[39_Steps]

You can get the PN-60 at jr.com for just under $220 shipped for a limited time.

And that has everything in the box. Nothing else to buy or obtain otherwise from third party sources.

The Delorme PN-60 box usually includes two starter Alkaline AA primary (non-rechargeable) cells in the bundle. The device also supports lower voltage NiMH AA rechargeable cells and higher voltage Lithium primary chemistry AA cells (non-rechargeable).

 

However, for those users who dislike removing battery covers and normally stay within tether distance of 5 volt USB connector power, at home or in the car, the Delorme PN-60 can also be used with optional rechargeable Lithium Ion battery packs.

[+dakboy]

You can get the PN-60 at jr.com for just under $220 shipped for a limited time.

And that has everything in the box. Nothing else to buy or obtain otherwise from third party sources.

The Delorme PN-60 box usually includes two starter Alkaline AA primary (non-rechargeable) cells in the bundle. The device also supports lower voltage NiMH AA rechargeable cells and higher voltage Lithium primary chemistry AA cells (non-rechargeable).

I think they switched to Energizer Lithium cells in the box with the 60.

[+ByronForestPreserve]

The Garmin Dakota 20 and the Delorme PN-60 are both on sale at Amazon (well, at least it says they're 45% off, but it's Amazon). I have both in my cart right now, lol. I want to pull the trigger and can't decide.

 

According to the descriptions, the Delorme has way more built-on memory, and I like the topo maps included. Both have slots for SD cards...Dakota is touch screen as opposed to Delorme's buttons...Hmmm...but the Delorme has an optional "Cache Register" download for "enhanced geocaching functions."

 

They look pretty similar...did you decide? Do you like what you chose?

[+dakboy]

According to the descriptions, the Delorme has way more built-on memory, and I like the topo maps included. Both have slots for SD cards...Dakota is touch screen as opposed to Delorme's buttons...Hmmm...but the Delorme has an optional "Cache Register" download for "enhanced geocaching functions."

Buttons are very nice, as you can easily operate them even with bulky gloves, and can see the whole screen while doing so. You can also operate by touch.

 

Cache Register is not a big deal. It's just a simplified program for transferring PQs from Geocaching.com onto the device. You can do the exact same thing through Topo North America 9 (bundled with the device). If you're a GSAK user, you can just just export GPX files & put them on the SD card, then load from the SD card into memory. The current version of Cache Register (2.0) is a step backwards in functionality from what 1.0 offered, IMO. If you're using a netbook and need an impromptu PQ run & loaded onto the device, it might be nice, but that's really its only niche. The only thing it's got going for it is that when you sync the device, it'll upload your Field Notes - but you can also just set the device in "connect to computer mode" and upload the file yourself.