What's the best value for money Garmin GPS for Geocaching?

[+The Lavender Hill Mob]

Hi, I need to upgrade my current Garmin GPS purely due to the fact that I can't upload caches to it, I'm fed up with typing the coords in!

 

What's the best value for money GPS out there?

 

Thanks in advance

 

TLHM

[+ecanderson]

New or used, and which features are the most important to you?

 

[+HHL]

2 hours ago, The Lavender Hill Mob said:

I need to upgrade my current Garmin GPS purely due to the fact that I can't upload caches to it

What Garmin GPSr are you using. You should be able to upload caches even to very old units.

 

Hans

[Keystone]

I moved this thread from the Geocaching Topics forum.

[+CAVinoGal]

2 hours ago, The Lavender Hill Mob said:

Hi, I need to upgrade my current Garmin GPS ...

 

What's the best value for money GPS out there?

 

It's hard to make recommendations when we don't know what you currently have!  I'm using an Etrex 30x that I picked up at Costco for $130; it's simple but it does the job.  And I'm one that typically does drafts in the field even when using the phone on quick outings, so a notebook is part of my gear for making notes.

 

I like the small size of the Etrex 30x, and it's handy for double checking coordinates when hiding caches too.  It does a lotmore that I haven't explored yet, but it does find caches!  And loading caches is as simple as connecting the USB cable and moving a downloaded PQ from my computer to the GPX folder on the device or on the added SD card.

[+Atlas Cached]

You should do a search for the very query you posted. 

 

This question is asked frequently, and there are many many pages here discussing this very topic.

 

Best bang for the geocaching buck is hands down the Oregon 700.

 

You will not find more features for less money.

 

There are some slightly less expensive models, but they will leave you frustrated where the feature set for this unit is worth much more than the difference in price.

[+cerberus1]

5 hours ago, The Lavender Hill Mob said:

Hi, I need to upgrade my current Garmin GPS purely due to the fact that I can't upload caches to it, I'm fed up with typing the coords in!

 

What's the best value for money GPS out there?

 

You don't say which GPSr you have, but even some old-timers can still be loaded online, it just takes a bit more to do.    

I've loaded caches manually since starting, so at a little over 200 finds in thirteen years, that doesn't seem that big a deal to me.   

 

 I feel "value" only means what's important to you.  For me, value is simply having an "accurate", unfailing GPSr.  A 60csx does that...

Unless you plan on going full-steam-ahead on finding hides now, I feel the etrex 30 that CAVinoGal mentioned is a good bet.   

If you're including value as cost, I'd stay clear of the top-o-the-line models,  unless you do plan on caching a lot more than you have been.

Good luck.

 

[+gpsblake]

I was going to say Etrex 30x BUT searching around the a*n site, getting more scarce and can't find one at the cheaper prices that were out there a few months ago. Around $180 on a*n now, when they were going for $120-140 back in May suggesting they are running out of them in supply. 

 

GPSMAP 64 prices have also gone up quite a bit since May. could also be a supply problem. 

 

Oregon 700 prices though have dropped quite a bit, around $210, and at that price, that's the one for the best price value to features I can recommend. 

 

The etrex 10 is about 80 bucks now. It's got quite a few limitations but if you wan a rugged handheld where batteries just keep going and going and can deal with a 1,000 geocache limit and no mapping, it's a good unit, especially if you use a cellphone as navigation to caches for mapping. It's as accurate as you can get. 

[+Sol seaker]

I just did some searching for a friend who is looking for a GPS.

It looks like there are three good candidates for handheld GPS's right now.

I've had older versions of all of these.

 

 

 

There is the Garmin 700 which has a touch screen and "live" geocaching.

https://shop.geocaching.com/default/geocaching-gear/gps-devices/garmin-oregonr-700-with-geocaching-live.html

That looks like a really good GPS and is a steal for that price compared to what I've paid in the past for much lesser units. The prices have really come down.

 

https://shop.geocaching.com/default/geocaching-gear/gps-devices/garmin-etrexr-22x-handheld-gps.html

 

The etrex is a good base model that is good for those on a budget. It's not a touch screen, and won't do Wherigo's, but besides that it's a good GPS. It is "paperless" which means it holds the cache pages in the GPS.

I had an old etrex as my first GPS (different model) . It was one where it was not paperless, which meant the only thing the GPS held was the coordinates, that was it. I used it for years and it was highly accurate but the fact it only held the coordinates got to me and I finally upgraded. The new models now are paperless.

 

My old fav (mine was an old model) was this one:  GPSMap 64CX

https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/p/669286

It is a great GPS and very tough and rugged. It is Not a touch screen and does not do Wherigo's.

It is Paperless. I've heard many times of people accidentally running over this one with their car and it was fine. (old version of this, your results may vary)

It is also highly accurate, (note the external antennae which actually really helps). The Oregon was supposed to have improved accuracy, but I haven't tried the really new ones.

I found this one easier to use, than my Oregon, even though it's not a touch screen. I think it's set up easier to use. I bought a new Oregon and kept going back to using this one. If you absolutely can't adjust to not having a touch screen, then go with an oregon.

 

I think those are the three top models.

 

considerations:

whether you want something that can do Wherigo (Oregon)

Pricing  - Etrex is cheapest although it has the least features. If you won't use a GPS often (phone most of the time) it's a great option

touch screen - Oregon

touch durability, accuracy and ease of use (except no touch screen): GPSMAP series. 

Geocaching "Live"  - a new feature where you don't have to download caches. I haven't used it but it sounds great. NOT on the GPSMap series, but IS on the new Oregons. I can't speak to this feature because I haven't used it, but it does sound worth looking into it more. Also NOT on the etrex.

 

All of these are set up for paperless caching, which is absolutely what you want.

 

I think they're all good choices.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[+Atlas Cached]

Oregon 7x0 will not do Wherigo Cartridges.

 

GPSMAP 66 series does have GCLive capabilities.

[+Mineral2]

Wherigo hasn't been built into Garmin handhelds since the Oregon 450/550 lineup. Unfortunately development for Wherigo has been halted by Groundspeak, leaving its functionality up to users to keep alive. There are several good apps for android and ios devices to complete Wherigo cartridges. And you could purchase an Oregon 450 or 550 but there is the possibility that some cartridges won't work, where they will in the apps. 

[+ecanderson]

Haven't yet had a cartridge downloaded for the right (Colorado) platform not work on my 450 yet.

 

[+BAMBOOZLE]

1. Garmin 78S

2. Garmin refurbished 62S

I have dozens of GPS units and the above are my favorites......the 78 series has a great case unlike the 60 series whose rubberized cover can be destroyed by sweaty hands.

[+Atlas Cached]

19 minutes ago, BAMBOOZLE said:

1. Garmin 78S

2. Garmin refurbished 62S

I have dozens of GPS units and the above are my favorites......the 78 series has a great case unlike the 60 series whose rubberized cover can be destroyed by sweaty hands.

 

I dunno...

 

Considering you can currently get a Brand New Oregon 7x0 for about the same $$ as the two models you mention (which have to be found used or NIB) which are currently out of production and no longer supported, along with all the new geocaching features just added to the Oregon 7x0 with last weeks firmware update to v5.20 - I just don't see how those devices can even compare.

[+ras_oscar]

I found many many caches with my Etrex vista HCX. Replaced the rubber band twice. I upgraded to Oregon 700 when the buttons started getting wonky ( kept turning off when I pressed them)  Far more features than I will ever use, steep learning curve for me, but you can see my progression through the unit if you check out my loooong thread of Q&A entitled )Oregon 700. We are now friends thanks to the patient and kind support of other more experienced cachers on this forum.