+Superman Fam Posted December 19, 2015 Share Posted December 19, 2015 I recently started Geocaching and love that I can combine it with my love for hiking. I always stay on the trails, but with GC I've now discovered great places off the trail both hiking and mtn biking that I can be comfortable exploring seeing as how people before me have blazed the way. Time to get a GPS! Its all about the kids this time of the year so my budget is $200 (Merry Christmas to me). I am comfortable with technology and would like something that won't be obsolete in a year or two. What I've found so far is: Garmin eTrex 20 and Magellan eXplorist 310. Which do you recommend and why? Is there another in this price range you would suggest? Thank you in advance for your advice! Quote Link to comment
+Timpat Posted December 19, 2015 Share Posted December 19, 2015 Here's a thought. How about going with the Garmin 64s Here Quote Link to comment
+Viajero Perdido Posted December 19, 2015 Share Posted December 19, 2015 (edited) Got a smartphone? I'm way happier now caching with a $10 quality app than I was with the old "gold standard" Garmin 60CSx. A Garmin that on many occasions I said, they'd have to pry out of my cold dead fingers. My how times have changed... But between Garmin and Magellan, consider that Garmin has a huuuge ecosystem of maps available, far beyond just the ones Garmin sells. Excellent maps, mostly free. (But then, phone apps - some of them - have that too.) Edited December 19, 2015 by Viajero Perdido Quote Link to comment
+Superman Fam Posted December 19, 2015 Author Share Posted December 19, 2015 Viajero, I have a Droid Maxx, which has probably the longest battery life of any phone on the market. But using GPS, even with having downloaded the coordinates offline is draining. I sometimes go out for a whole day of hiking and caching, so would rather conserve for an emergency. The second is I've been venturing into areas where there is limited or no cell service. Sometimes I can get a text message out, which is better than nothing. I always let my family know where I'm going, leave the coords I'm hunting and when to expect me back. I'm planning a weekend primitive camping/hunt in the mountains so a GPS, along with a Sat phone is necessary. There is zero service. Quote Link to comment
+Viajero Perdido Posted December 19, 2015 Share Posted December 19, 2015 (edited) Ah, but some apps (like Locus) can work completely offline, with no cell service. That's by using pre-loaded maps, and pre-loaded caches via PQs. So the phone can work essentially like a GPS. And if you're worried about draining the battery... Have you priced out battery banks for charging your phone lately? They've become cheap-cheap. On my last week-long wilderness trip, I used the phone daily for caching and general map navigation, and kept it charged with a solar panel (we have long evenings), also now cheap-cheap. The panel also kept a lantern charged; the cook moved the panel to follow the sun while we were off hiking, and she had light for making breakfast. For dire emergencies I carry a PLB (personal locator beacon), but at this backcountry campground, unexpectedly, we had WiFi! That was via solar-powered satellite internet at the ranger cabin, a little money-making venture at $5 per day I suppose. Worth it to me for the weather forecasts alone. On regular caching days, I carry one of these battery banks, but even on the longest caching runs I've done, I've never quite had to use it. (I don't use battery-sucking apps like Facebook and sometimes cache in airplane mode to get me through the day on a single charge.) Edited December 19, 2015 by Viajero Perdido Quote Link to comment
+BAMBOOZLE Posted December 19, 2015 Share Posted December 19, 2015 Here's a thought. How about going with the Garmin 64s Here This is the way to go......I'm opening mine Christmas. Quote Link to comment
+Superman Fam Posted December 23, 2015 Author Share Posted December 23, 2015 That is nice! I looked ar some reviews online. What does is mean by it doesn't come pre-loaded with maps? Quote Link to comment
+Timpat Posted December 23, 2015 Share Posted December 23, 2015 It has basic road mapping- not very useful. Plenty of Free mapping available so no worries. GPSFileDepot, OSM streets for example. Quote Link to comment
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