New Cacher in Search of a GPS Unit

March 21, 2012

Hey, everyone!

Although I've only recently begun caching (today was my first day, actually), I'm already very intrigued, and I'm in search of a GPS that's going to do the trick. As of now, I'm using Google Maps Navigation on my HTC Droid Incredible 2 smart phone, and it's horrible; it's obviously not meant for use while on foot, and it's also not meant for use in the woods, which is where most of the caches out in my area are going to be found. Therefore, it lags terribly, it shuts off or "arrives at the destination" when I get within 300 feet of the cache, and is generally more of a hassle than it is a help, hence my search for something that's going to fit the opposite description.

Now, from what I've been reading, a regular GPS meant for driving in your car, such as a Garmin Nuvi isn't going to work all that well, as it's going to cause the same problems that my current GPS system does (although it would be nice if I could use one of those, as I want one for regular driving anyways). No, from what I've been reading, it's best to go with a hand-held GPS meant for hiking, hunting, and outdoor activities. The problem is, there are a lot of brands out there, and a wide variety of prices. I haven't the slightest clue which brands are and are not reputable, and I'm not exactly made of money either, so the lower the price (while not sacrificing functionality and reliability), the better. I'm open to buying used it I have to, but I prefer to buy electronics new.

With that being said, I'm hoping that the lot of you can help me find something that's going to work well for me, and not break the bank either. I've been looking a little bit at the Garmin eTrex 10, and it seems to be alright, and I've also looked a bit at the Magellan GC, but I've heard that it's not the greatest option because you can't add new maps to it. Those are both decent prices, but I'd honestly lean more towards the eTrex in terms of price, but as I've said, I don't know how functional and reliable either of these models are. So, if you could all be so kind as to help me out; post the names (or more preferably, links) of some models that I should look into, as well as any other information that you think may be of help to me, I'd greatly appreciate it. I'm in serious need of a more efficient GPS system for my caching adventures!

Thank you!

- Shadow

18.9k · March 21, 2012

Garmin has a very good repuation for quality devices as well as great customer service.

I'd tend to lean toward the eTrex 20 for the ability to add maps (even free ones). Worth the extra money.

March 22, 2012

Garmin has a very good repuation for quality devices as well as great customer service.

I'd tend to lean toward the eTrex 20 for the ability to add maps (even free ones). Worth the extra money.

The Garmin eTrex 20? I'll take a look at it! It's probably out of my price range though; I'm out of a job at the moment, so money is tight with bills that have to be paid and all...

March 22, 2012

if you have a store that has multiple models/brands on display like REI or similar,. the best option is go look , touch feel take it out in bright light to see how it is. Being from the states you have a bit more options for brands then we do here north of the border. You have Garmin, Magellan, Delorme and Lowrance. in Canada, Garmin and Magellan are realistic as far as maps go. All offer both styles of interface, touch or button. I have owned a variety of Garmins and Magellans and find for me, the Garmin touch screen models are my preference but this is partially because i also ATV and being able to quickly mark a waypoint and edit it is a huge advantage. I currently am using a Montana 600 but i lucked in and got a terrific deal after they had been out for a couple months. I haven't yet seen such a sweet deal yet, close but not that low yet. mind you in Canada prices are always higher, smaller market and less competition.

March 22, 2012

if you have a store that has multiple models/brands on display like REI or similar,. the best option is go look , touch feel take it out in bright light to see how it is. Being from the states you have a bit more options for brands then we do here north of the border. You have Garmin, Magellan, Delorme and Lowrance. in Canada, Garmin and Magellan are realistic as far as maps go. All offer both styles of interface, touch or button. I have owned a variety of Garmins and Magellans and find for me, the Garmin touch screen models are my preference but this is partially because i also ATV and being able to quickly mark a waypoint and edit it is a huge advantage. I currently am using a Montana 600 but i lucked in and got a terrific deal after they had been out for a couple months. I haven't yet seen such a sweet deal yet, close but not that low yet. mind you in Canada prices are always higher, smaller market and less competition.

Unfortunately, I don't have that luxury; there aren't any stores that carry and display these types of GPS.

March 22, 2012

Unfortunately, I don't have that luxury; there aren't any stores that carry and display these types of GPS.

You must be in a pretty out of the way place if you are in the US? Aren't within an hour's drive of a Walmart or a BestBuy.

Visit company websites (Garmin lets you compare units), and other GPSr sellers like Amazon, GPSCity, Cabelas for pricing.

The point about having one in your hand is to determine how you feel about touchscreen vs. button interface. That's hard to sense on the web and while some folks like touch screens, I prefer buttons.

Edited March 22, 2012 by seldom_sn

March 22, 2012

Unfortunately, I don't have that luxury; there aren't any stores that carry and display these types of GPS.

You must be in a pretty out of the way place if you are in the US? Aren't within an hour's drive of a Walmart or a BestBuy.

Visit company websites (Garmin lets you compare units), and other GPSr sellers like Amazon, GPSCity, Cabelas for pricing.

The point about having one in your hand is to determine how you feel about touchscreen vs. button interface. That's hard to sense on the web and while some folks like touch screens, I prefer buttons.

Well, yes; I am close to both Wal-Mart and Best Buy. However, they don't have the handheld GPS models on display, and as far as I know, Wal-Mart doesn't even carry them in the store. Best Buy does, but they have a very limited selection, as the majority of them are sold on their website. That's why I said that I don't exactly have the luxury of being able to go out to the store and get a feel for what I like more; touchscreen, or button interface.

I've been looking around on Best Buy, Wal-Mart, Target, Cabela's, eBay, Newegg, and other websites, but they all seem to have around the same pricing for the handheld GPS units. However, eBay does have the Garmin eTrex 20 from a reputable seller for $139.95 with free shipping.

March 22, 2012

I see what you mean. My local Walmart only has one TomTom. That's a good price on the Etrex 20. Make sure it's new or that you get the right to transfer registration to yourself. Also, a memory card slot is a good thing to have. Lots of free maps from GPSfileDepot and www.garmin.openstreetmap.nl .

Edited March 22, 2012 by seldom_sn

March 22, 2012

I see what you mean. My local Walmart only has one TomTom. That's a good price on the Etrex 20. Make sure it's new or that you get the right to transfer registration to yourself. Also, a memory card slot is a good thing to have. Lots of free maps from GPSfileDepot and www.garmin.openstreetmap.nl .

The only thing with the eTrex 20 is that it doesn't have a warranty unless you pay extra for it $29.99 for a year, or $39.99 for 2 years. Also, I'm very impatient and I don't know if I can wait for one to ship to me, as there are a lot more caches out there that I want to find! Best Buy does have a Magellan eXplorist GC in stock that I could go pick up and bring him right then and there. Is that worth it? I don't know if it's a good piece of equipment or not.

March 22, 2012

I see what you mean. My local Walmart only has one TomTom. That's a good price on the Etrex 20. Make sure it's new or that you get the right to transfer registration to yourself. Also, a memory card slot is a good thing to have. Lots of free maps from GPSfileDepot and www.garmin.openstreetmap.nl .

The only thing with the eTrex 20 is that it doesn't have a warranty unless you pay extra for it $29.99 for a year, or $39.99 for 2 years. Also, I'm very impatient and I don't know if I can wait for one to ship to me, as there are a lot more caches out there that I want to find! Best Buy does have a Magellan eXplorist GC in stock that I could go pick up and bring him right then and there. Is that worth it? I don't know if it's a good piece of equipment or not.

Check out the free maps available at the sites I mentioned above. They only work on Garmin units.

March 22, 2012

I see what you mean. My local Walmart only has one TomTom. That's a good price on the Etrex 20. Make sure it's new or that you get the right to transfer registration to yourself. Also, a memory card slot is a good thing to have. Lots of free maps from GPSfileDepot and www.garmin.openstreetmap.nl .

The only thing with the eTrex 20 is that it doesn't have a warranty unless you pay extra for it $29.99 for a year, or $39.99 for 2 years. Also, I'm very impatient and I don't know if I can wait for one to ship to me, as there are a lot more caches out there that I want to find! Best Buy does have a Magellan eXplorist GC in stock that I could go pick up and bring him right then and there. Is that worth it? I don't know if it's a good piece of equipment or not.

Check out the free maps available at the sites I mentioned above. They only work on Garmin units.

Well, I'm more concerned with finding an actual GPS unit before I worry about where to find new maps... I know that the eTrex 20 is a decent unit, because the reviews on it are all relatively high, however I can't find it in stock anywhere around me, and as I said, I don't know if I can be patient enough to order one and wait for it to get here, as I want to go out and find more caches! Best Buy has a Magellan eXplorist GC that I can buy and take home the same day.

March 22, 2012

Check Craigs list for gps you can hold it and ask questions of owner. Also pawn shop is a possibility. Just a thought

March 22, 2012

Check Craigs list for gps you can hold it and ask questions of owner. Also pawn shop is a possibility. Just a thought

I'm way ahead of you regarding Craisglist; there was only one listing in my area for a handheld GPS, and it's already been sold.

3.3k · March 22, 2012

I see what you mean. My local Walmart only has one TomTom. That's a good price on the Etrex 20. Make sure it's new or that you get the right to transfer registration to yourself. Also, a memory card slot is a good thing to have. Lots of free maps from GPSfileDepot and www.garmin.openstreetmap.nl .

The only thing with the eTrex 20 is that it doesn't have a warranty unless you pay extra for it $29.99 for a year, or $39.99 for 2 years. Also, I'm very impatient and I don't know if I can wait for one to ship to me, as there are a lot more caches out there that I want to find! Best Buy does have a Magellan eXplorist GC in stock that I could go pick up and bring him right then and there. Is that worth it? I don't know if it's a good piece of equipment or not.

Doesn't have a warranty unless you pay extra? I find that hard to believe. Are you sure you're not dealing with a pushy salesman who wants the commission from getting you to sign up to an extended warranty?

I'd be surprised if it's even legal to sell a brand new unit with no warranty at all. If that's really what the salesman told you I'd talk to Garmin directly.

March 22, 2012

I see what you mean. My local Walmart only has one TomTom. That's a good price on the Etrex 20. Make sure it's new or that you get the right to transfer registration to yourself. Also, a memory card slot is a good thing to have. Lots of free maps from GPSfileDepot and www.garmin.openstreetmap.nl .

The only thing with the eTrex 20 is that it doesn't have a warranty unless you pay extra for it $29.99 for a year, or $39.99 for 2 years. Also, I'm very impatient and I don't know if I can wait for one to ship to me, as there are a lot more caches out there that I want to find! Best Buy does have a Magellan eXplorist GC in stock that I could go pick up and bring him right then and there. Is that worth it? I don't know if it's a good piece of equipment or not.

Doesn't have a warranty unless you pay extra? I find that hard to believe. Are you sure you're not dealing with a pushy salesman who wants the commission from getting you to sign up to an extended warranty?

I'd be surprised if it's even legal to sell a brand new unit with no warranty at all. If that's really what the salesman told you I'd talk to Garmin directly.

I looked into it more, and it still comes with the one-year, user-activated warranty from Garmin. He simply offers extended warranties.

March 24, 2012

Does anyone else have any input? I'm not sure what I should be looking into in terms of GPS units, and I need one badly in order to continue caching effectively!

March 24, 2012

There are several other units other then Garmin to take a look at. They are Delorme (pn-40 is the one I use), Magellan (710 is the one I use), and Lowrance (no experience here). For right now, because your starting, my suggestion is until you know what features your looking for, choose something that is low price but has some features to it. I use to use a Garmin Etrex about 10 years ago, at that time it did not have paperless geocaching. If you get any unit one feature you definitely want is the unit to have paperless geocaching. Past that it is going to be up to taste. I used enough units to figure out *I do survey work* that selecting points on a map is a necessity for me. The magellan does not have the feature, or it is hard to use. The Delorme, from my research and experience, is harder to use but once you figure it out, it works like a charm. Anyway, my suggestion is to start with something cheap that has the paperless geocaching. Once you find you need other functions, upgrade your unit to what you need. Oh and one other thing. Customer service for things is important. Delorme has one of the best that I know not only out of gps units but out of any item that I have had to call about. Magellan was eh...

Edited March 24, 2012 by Dr. Dragon

March 24, 2012

There are several other units other then Garmin to take a look at. They are Delorme (pn-40 is the one I use), Magellan (710 is the one I use), and Lowrance (no experience here). For right now, because your starting, my suggestion is until you know what features your looking for, choose something that is low price but has some features to it. I use to use a Garmin Etrex about 10 years ago, at that time it did not have paperless geocaching. If you get any unit one feature you definitely want is the unit to have paperless geocaching. Past that it is going to be up to taste. I used enough units to figure out *I do survey work* that selecting points on a map is a necessity for me. The magellan does not have the feature, or it is hard to use. The Delorme, from my research and experience, is harder to use but once you figure it out, it works like a charm. Anyway, my suggestion is to start with something cheap that has the paperless geocaching. Once you find you need other functions, upgrade your unit to what you need. Oh and one other thing. Customer service for things is important. Delorme has one of the best that I know not only out of gps units but out of any item that I have had to call about. Magellan was eh...

Thank you!

March 24, 2012

Best Buy still has the Magellan eXplorist GC that I could pick up... Should I go for it, or look for something else? I paid for the Geocaching app on my phone, but it's still not as precise as I'd like it to be; yesterday, it said I was 50 feet from a cache that I found 4 feet to my left...

2.1k · March 25, 2012

Roger that, Dr. Dragon!

March 25, 2012

I'm loving my Etrex 20. Order one, you'll have it in a few days.

March 25, 2012

Best Buy still has the Magellan eXplorist GC that I could pick up... Should I go for it, or look for something else? I paid for the Geocaching app on my phone, but it's still not as precise as I'd like it to be; yesterday, it said I was 50 feet from a cache that I found 4 feet to my left...

Shadow your not going to find the perfect system, not at least your first time. If your looking for a yes or no, your not going to get it from anyone unless they own and love their unit. If your looking for some reviews go here GPS REVIEWS . I have used enough units to know that they all have the same basic functions. Just accessing them are different. All the units should theoretically have the same accuracy. We all know there are variations. My standard is long as the unit is within 30 feet it should be good. Just pick up one and go have fun. On and do not forget that we have a sale area on this site. Here I saw units going up for half the cost. Just realize that there is not going to be a warranty on them. Also check online. From what I recall the unit I happened to want was 80 less then at any other place close to me.

Ben

Edited March 25, 2012 by Dr. Dragon

March 25, 2012

Thanks, Dr. Dragon.

2.7k · March 25, 2012

If your looking for some reviews go here GPS REVIEWS . I have used enough units to know that they all have the same basic functions.

Ben

I was wondering how you could look up specific GPS units. It took me longer than it should have to find the Browse by Manufacturer drop box. That should be placed in a more prominent location on the page instead of being sandwiched between banner ads.

The two GPS units that seem to be the popular pick among beginners are the eXplorist GC and the Etrex 20.

I don't know why people get hung up on having to wait for a firmware upgrade to get map updates. This seems to be a real issue for some people. If you think it will be an issue for you then simply go with the next higher model or if you are tech savvy there are instruction in forum on how to install the eXplorist 310 firmware on an eXplorist GC.

March 27, 2012

So, I went on the Best Buy website and saw that my local location had a Garmin Dakota 20 in stock, and I began looking up prices on Google Shopping, as Best Buy has a phenomenal price matching policy. I was able to find the unit on a website called GPS City for $199.95 plus $5 for shipping, and Best Buy matched the price! I got a brand new Garmin Dakota 20 that Best Buy was selling for $279.99 for $204.95! That's a great deal if you ask me! I already tested it out on a local cache that I had previously found, and it got me within 2 feet of the cache, whereas my cell phone said that I was still 23 feet away when I was standing right next to it!

I love the Geocaching app that I bought for my phone, but the GPS system that the phone and application use just doesn't cut it. Although I paid more than I would like to have spent on a GPS unit, it seems to be worth it, and although I'm now extremely low on money, I'm sure I won't regret it in the long run.

March 31, 2012

So, I went on the Best Buy website and saw that my local location had a Garmin Dakota 20 in stock, and I began looking up prices on Google Shopping, as Best Buy has a phenomenal price matching policy. I was able to find the unit on a website called GPS City for $199.95 plus $5 for shipping, and Best Buy matched the price! I got a brand new Garmin Dakota 20 that Best Buy was selling for $279.99 for $204.95! That's a great deal if you ask me! I already tested it out on a local cache that I had previously found, and it got me within 2 feet of the cache, whereas my cell phone said that I was still 23 feet away when I was standing right next to it!

I love the Geocaching app that I bought for my phone, but the GPS system that the phone and application use just doesn't cut it. Although I paid more than I would like to have spent on a GPS unit, it seems to be worth it, and although I'm now extremely low on money, I'm sure I won't regret it in the long run.

Just checking back in to find out what you picked out to use. Glad to hear that you found a unit.

March 31, 2012

Now you need to spend another $30 and become a premium member to get he most out of it (pocket queries are great )

March 31, 2012

Agreed.

April 6, 2012

Just checking back in to find out what you picked out to use. Glad to hear that you found a unit.

Thanks, Dragon! I'm loving the Garmin unit that I went with! It hasn't let me down yet, and I love the features that it has built into it! It was definitely worth the money that I spent, and I couldn't be happier with it, especially seeing as Best Buy price matched an hooked me up!

Now you need to spend another $30 and become a premium member to get he most out of it (pocket queries are great )

I plan on doing that as soon as I can!

New Cacher in Search of a GPS Unit

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