About to purchase a GPSr

[+micropterus-rex]

My wife and I frequently take the kids out on full day hikes and I remembered reading something about Geocaching when we returned home from our last trek through the park. I popped online yesterday and found this site and a very generous number of caches located near us. We live just outside of Harriman State Park in NY. I know from experience that there is little to no cell reception deep inside the park and was thinking the GPSr would be a good purchase.

 

I am an avid fisherman/hunter as well and have been wanting to purchase a handheld for a while now, this may be just the thing to give me that final "yes you should buy this" push.

 

I'm looking at spending up to 200ish for the unit. Right now I have the Lowrance Endura Out&Back in my shopping cart on a favorite outdoor site but before I make the purchase I would like to know if anyone else has this unit and if anyone has any opinions pro/con. I'm not committed to the Lowrance but being a bass fisherman it seems like it might be the best unit to satisfy my first and second outdoor fixes along with this new one. (Lowrance is one of 2 of the biggest names in GPS/Sonar for Bass Tournaments)

 

I have a very good new Android phone as well and I do plan on using that for park&grabs on my commute from work but from what I've read it looks like the GPSr is gonna be the way to go for long hikes. My family and I are planning to do a good portion of the Appalachian Trail this fall or next so I definitely want something with good battery life but I could always purchase extra batteries for the phone if it will serve my purpose as well as a handheld.

 

Thanks in advance!

[+JBnW]

First, Welcome to the addiction game! Second, you're other hobbies and uses for GPSes sound a lot like mine, and you sound like someone who could use a GPS! But don't let me spend your money for you. I've not used a Lowrance GPS and have little good/bad to say about them, but don't be too swayed by their sonar popularity as it relates to handheld GPSes. One tiny little drawback is they aren't yet completely compatible with the Groundspeak site, as they have not yet developed a "Send To GPS" feature. A minor issue that could be dealt with easily. For the price range, you may wish to also look at the Garmin eTrex 10 or 20 (leaning towards the 20) before you pull the trigger. Garmin has developed an add-on program that allows you to "Send to GPS" with a single click, and also there are a bunch of free maps available at gpsfiledepot.com. Another thing to consider, if you're planning to boat a lot, do you want a GPS that is waterproof but sinks, or waterproof and floats? If you want one that floats, you may wish to consider the GPSMap 76CSx (older dicontinued model, great GPS) or its updated version, the GPSMap 78 series. In the end, it all boils down to what features you wish to pay for. Good luck!

[+micropterus-rex]

What about the Garmin Dakota 10 or Dakota 20? They are on sale.

[+JBnW]

What about the Garmin Dakota 10 or Dakota 20? They are on sale.

The biggest difference between the Dakota 10 and 20 is that the 20 has an SD card port, onto which you can load loads of maps and Points of Interest (POIs). The electronic compass and barometer in to 20 get mixed reviews; the experienced navigators will say the electronic compass is not as good as a real compass and probably so; but it does work well for "light duty". The 20 also has the ability to do wireless data sharing with other Garmins. From my personal experience, I like to have a big SD card, load my maps once and not have to worry about that part again, and have someplace to put my hunting/fishing POIs without tying up space for caches. Hope this helps!

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

The eTrex 10 has only a grey-scale screen. If you are used to color screens (like on the sonar/GPSr Lowrance) you probably would not want to take a step back to grey-scale. Also, it (I believe) has only basic mapping -- that is major roadways and little else. Without memory card capability, there is no way to add good mapping. Well, maybe mapping could be added, but then, you just ate up what memory it has for routes, waypoints and geocaching -- there is just no way to increase it.

It's a fine unit, don't get me wrong, but it is a base model and that is it.

 

Garmins most all come with basic mapping. You either must purchase from Garmin, or get some downloads from the web. Some are free, some are not. You have your choices of touch-screen or button, depending on model.

 

Delorme units (PN-40 and PN-60) come with Topo 9 on disc. You can load it to your computer, download it to your unit -- pass info back and forth through between those two devices. Create tracks with the GPSr or make routes on the computer and switch them to each other. Likewise with Points of Interest (POIs), waypoints and geocaches. The topo contours and water features seem very accurate -- Oh yeah, it includes Canada and Mexico, too.

 

Not really trying to sell you, but it is an option that you should look at. Garmins are far more popular, but then Garmin is big into marketing, also. How many Garmin commercials do you see approaching Christmas time?

[+micropterus-rex]

Right now I'm leaning towards the Dakota 20. I found one at a reputable website for 249 and I have a 20.00 coupon for the site. I think the extra features will be useful for hunting/fishing/hiking and I definitely want the SD card slot. I'm a computer guy so the tech stuff doesn't worry me at all, as long as it can be done I'll figure it out. I spent a night lost in the woods a few years back and ever since I don't go anywhere without a real compass so if the electronic one isn't 100% i'll manage. Gonna check out the Delorme units before I buy. I would really like to get the Lowrance Safari but 379 is more than I'm willing to spend on my first Handheld.

 

I located about 12 caches on my commute home and can't wait to check some of them out tomorrow morning. My son asked if he could wake up early with me and do the ones near our house!

 

Looking forward to this new hobby that fits right into all the other stuff I do!

[savant9]

Not sure what store you are looking at but if you are set on a Dakota 20 they can be found for much cheaper than that.

http://www.gpscity.ca/garmin-dakota-20.html

[+micropterus-rex]

not stuck on any model, stuck on trying to get a good value for around 200. Will pay a little more if worth the extra.

[+Lineman101]

not stuck on any model, stuck on trying to get a good value for around 200. Will pay a little more if worth the extra.

 

e-Trex 20

[+micropterus-rex]

Ended up getting a sweet deal on a lowrance endura safari ($379.00 list) for $169 new in box. I was initially looking at the Endura because of price but I wanted the features in the Safari (also same features in the etrex-20, dakota-20) but I didn't bother mentioning it because 379 was more than I was willing to spend. After Savant sent me the link to the better priced website I decided to do some smarter searches and found what I wanted for the price I was willing to pay. Gotta love the internet!

 

Off to cache with my son for a few hours, got 15 caches marked within 2-3 miles of home.

Edited September 8, 2012 by micropterus-rex