Guest echo2000 Posted September 2, 2001 Share Posted September 2, 2001 And so I wait. And wait. And, you guessed it... wait. The Vista, which I can sold myself on, hovers tantalizingly around the $250 mark only to jump a few tens in the frenzied last few mnutes, yea seconds! of bidding. The main frustration is waiting. To quote The Princess Bride, "I hate waiting". Should I, in everyone's opnion, break down and grab a $100 Garmin Etrex base unit and get going or should I hold out for the "Caddy of Garmin Units"? E2 Quote Link to comment
Guest Elwood Posted September 2, 2001 Share Posted September 2, 2001 i love my vista, and would have been unhappy if i had settled for a lesser unit, sheesh i could have had a V-8, you know that feeling? Quote Link to comment
Guest echo2000 Posted September 2, 2001 Share Posted September 2, 2001 That, my friend, has been the ugly truth living in the recesses of my soul. My instinct tells me to hold out for what I really want. The "Evil Side" tells me to drop a C-note and get on the trails tomorrow. Please regale me with stories of the Vista's ultimate coolness, El. E2 Quote Link to comment
Guest echo2000 Posted September 2, 2001 Share Posted September 2, 2001 That, my friend, has been the ugly truth living in the recesses of my soul. My instinct tells me to hold out for what I really want. The "Evil Side" tells me to drop a C-note and get on the trails tomorrow. Please regale me with stories of the Vista's ultimate coolness, El. E2 Quote Link to comment
Guest JasonW Posted September 2, 2001 Share Posted September 2, 2001 Just Do It? Seriously what do you think you're going to gain from the more expensive unit ? I'm using a Mag 315 (bought at a closeout sale for $54+sales tax) and while it wasn't my first choice it certainly does everything I want it to do so far...... Quote Link to comment
Guest JasonW Posted September 2, 2001 Share Posted September 2, 2001 Just Do It? Seriously what do you think you're going to gain from the more expensive unit ? I'm using a Mag 315 (bought at a closeout sale for $54+sales tax) and while it wasn't my first choice it certainly does everything I want it to do so far...... Quote Link to comment
Guest echo2000 Posted September 2, 2001 Share Posted September 2, 2001 I have unit envy. Basically, I looked into what I wanted and, although the basic unit will do what I need, I know the Vista will do everything that I eventually want to do. But... then again... what was that thing they say about "beggars"? Please! Won't a Vista fall of a truck somewhere? E2 Quote Link to comment
Guest echo2000 Posted September 2, 2001 Share Posted September 2, 2001 I have unit envy. Basically, I looked into what I wanted and, although the basic unit will do what I need, I know the Vista will do everything that I eventually want to do. But... then again... what was that thing they say about "beggars"? Please! Won't a Vista fall of a truck somewhere? E2 Quote Link to comment
Guest ClayJar Posted September 2, 2001 Share Posted September 2, 2001 quote:Originally posted by echo2000:To quote The Princess Bride, "I hate waiting". FYI, The Princess Bride: Special Edition is released on DVD this Tuesday, September 4, 2001. I have read clips of one of the commentaries, and let me tell you... it is NOT left-handed! Quote Link to comment
Guest ClayJar Posted September 2, 2001 Share Posted September 2, 2001 quote:Originally posted by echo2000:To quote The Princess Bride, "I hate waiting". FYI, The Princess Bride: Special Edition is released on DVD this Tuesday, September 4, 2001. I have read clips of one of the commentaries, and let me tell you... it is NOT left-handed! Quote Link to comment
Guest Ttepee Posted September 2, 2001 Share Posted September 2, 2001 Another way to look at it would be: How many prosepective cachers in your team/family? I picked up a Garmin 12 immediately when I first heard about geocaching... now that I'm learning more about gps usefullness (3 months later) I'm seeing the benefits to the extra frills with the more expensive models... but by now everyone in the family has gotten quite attached to the gps too... son loves geocaching and plan for him to have his own gps sooner or later... and boyfriend would have loved to have taken it bear hunting with him up in maine but dadgum'd if I was going to let it go during my vacation. So if you've got the $100 now.. and have other family members that are going to be competing for the unit.. get what you can afford for the moment and you get the upgrade when the time comes and hand down old faithful. That's my plan anyways [ ] Quote Link to comment
Guest Ttepee Posted September 2, 2001 Share Posted September 2, 2001 Another way to look at it would be: How many prosepective cachers in your team/family? I picked up a Garmin 12 immediately when I first heard about geocaching... now that I'm learning more about gps usefullness (3 months later) I'm seeing the benefits to the extra frills with the more expensive models... but by now everyone in the family has gotten quite attached to the gps too... son loves geocaching and plan for him to have his own gps sooner or later... and boyfriend would have loved to have taken it bear hunting with him up in maine but dadgum'd if I was going to let it go during my vacation. So if you've got the $100 now.. and have other family members that are going to be competing for the unit.. get what you can afford for the moment and you get the upgrade when the time comes and hand down old faithful. That's my plan anyways [ ] Quote Link to comment
Guest echo2000 Posted September 2, 2001 Share Posted September 2, 2001 Clayjar... A Princess Bride: Special Edition? Inconceivable! I'll be there with a bow on, dammit! Ttepee... Your plan smacks of deviousness. Which is why I like it! A rational, logical reason to buy more toys! Woo hoo! But, alack and alas, it would only probably be me. I've been trying to get my friends into but have been met with altering degrees of indifference and skepticism. The godless heathens! Still, I could get the BASIC and then sell it on Ebay thus deferring my final costs. The mind reels with the possibilities. Hmmmmm... E2 Quote Link to comment
Guest echo2000 Posted September 2, 2001 Share Posted September 2, 2001 Clayjar... A Princess Bride: Special Edition? Inconceivable! I'll be there with a bow on, dammit! Ttepee... Your plan smacks of deviousness. Which is why I like it! A rational, logical reason to buy more toys! Woo hoo! But, alack and alas, it would only probably be me. I've been trying to get my friends into but have been met with altering degrees of indifference and skepticism. The godless heathens! Still, I could get the BASIC and then sell it on Ebay thus deferring my final costs. The mind reels with the possibilities. Hmmmmm... E2 Quote Link to comment
Guest DaveA Posted September 2, 2001 Share Posted September 2, 2001 You can't really go wrong whether you wait until you can get a Vista or go with a base model. The price of the base etrex today is what the vista will be tomorrow. I bought a Magellan 315 a couple years back for around $200.00. Today if you shop around you can find them for around a hundred and for less than that if you find a store liquidating what they have left before the Meridians hit the shelves. All it is going to take is another technology shift and the Vista(or Meridian) becomes a doorstop and is priced accordingly. For what it is worth, I pre ordered a Meridian Gold a couple weeks ago from a discount supplier and paid about $40 more than I paid for my 315 when it was new. Anyway, an option you might consider is getting the legend instead of the Vista and buying earlier since it costs less. The onboard compass the vista has is 100% worthless for navigation (it is accurate to +/- 5 degrees, the same as a $2.00 Walmart compass) and the altimeter would only be used by pilots or possibly rock climbers. BTW, the compass reduces battery life by over 40% Just an idea. Quote Link to comment
Guest Ttepee Posted September 2, 2001 Share Posted September 2, 2001 quote:Originally posted by echo2000:I've been trying to get my friends into but have been met with altering degrees of indifference and skepticism. The godless heathens! I hear ya there. Everyone really seems to think it's a great thing for me to be into... but other than kids I have not really gotten any friends involved...not enough to go out and buy a gps anyways...they want to borrow mine but always when I have plans for it... have to keep it close...ya just never know quote:A rational, logical reason to buy more toys!E2[/b] My unofficial title at work is "keeper of the toys"...gotta love it Quote Link to comment
Guest Ttepee Posted September 2, 2001 Share Posted September 2, 2001 quote:Originally posted by echo2000:I've been trying to get my friends into but have been met with altering degrees of indifference and skepticism. The godless heathens! I hear ya there. Everyone really seems to think it's a great thing for me to be into... but other than kids I have not really gotten any friends involved...not enough to go out and buy a gps anyways...they want to borrow mine but always when I have plans for it... have to keep it close...ya just never know quote:A rational, logical reason to buy more toys!E2[/b] My unofficial title at work is "keeper of the toys"...gotta love it Quote Link to comment
Guest echo2000 Posted September 3, 2001 Share Posted September 3, 2001 DaveA... Thanks for the info. The main thing that catches my interest is the 24M. HOw many maps you figure I can download with that vs. Legend's 1M? Thanks. Quote Link to comment
Guest CrashT Posted September 3, 2001 Share Posted September 3, 2001 I just got into GeoCaching about a month ago. I went and bought the e-Trek and my family and I have been burning up the countryside around where we live. I plan on picking up another unit probably around Christmas. $100 will not break the bank. Think about it, how many movies, dinners, (or my favorite addiction, computer games) will $100 buy you? When you finally do get your dream system you can sell the e-Trek, use it as a backup, keep it in your car, loan it out, or just about anything else you want to do with it. Because in a few months time you will have gotten your $100 of entertainment out of it and it will be paid for! That's how I quantify purchases. You can also use the analytical approach and divide the cost by the number of hours of entertainment and get an hourly rate (for the bean counters out there). After a few months your GeoCaching will be very cheap entertainment indeed. That will be the time to make another investment in your sport So get off the mark and get that e-Trek and start having fun. Quote Link to comment
Guest Markwell Posted September 3, 2001 Share Posted September 3, 2001 Rather than selling on Ebay - we do have our own "Garage Sale" area here. I would suggest buying a basic model, playing with it for a good couple of months and then saving up for the upgrade model. There are always people coming on the boards saying that they can't afford the $100 for even a base model eTrex. Benefits of this type of plan: A) You get to start caching NOW; You can always upgrade when you get the extra cash; C) someone else down the road gets the benefit of your generosity when you decide to sell it. Would that I got my first little yellow in this method. Maybe by now, I'd have a top-of-the-line model. Quote Link to comment
Guest rogerswin Posted September 3, 2001 Share Posted September 3, 2001 Go ahead and buy the Vista, if you can. You won't have to be concerned with upgrading for a long time, and with 24 MB of map space you'll have all you need. I have one and it's great for geocaching. Quote Link to comment
Guest DaveA Posted September 3, 2001 Share Posted September 3, 2001 quote:Originally posted by echo2000:DaveA... Thanks for the info. The main thing that catches my interest is the 24M. HOw many maps you figure I can download with that vs. Legend's 1M? Thanks. Ah, so you want s maps and want to be sure your unit can hold all the maps you will ever need. OK. First of all, the Magellan 330 and the Garmin Legend both have 8mb for map storage. The Vista has 24mb. The Venture has 1mb. If you can wait a month or so, the Meridian line from Magellan has no uploadable memory as standard , but uses memory cards from 8mb to 64mb(extra cost). OK, now you know the units. So, how much map area can you fit into a given size? That depends! :-) Some areas have more data associated with them than others. For example, if you had an 8mb unit and were using the Magellan Topo software then a map chunk from California's southern border to its east and west border and as far north as 25 miles above LA would fit into 8mb chunk. If you wanted maps in Wisconsin, 8mb would hold 2/3rds of the state. Different map software packages have differing sizes for the same area, but the topo software generally uses the most room. I just bought the Meridian Gold with a 64mb memory module (cost me about $360 for both) and realize that I have more storage area for maps than I will ever use with the present software. It is my humble opinion that an 8mb unit offers sufficient map storage for all but serious globe trotters. Buying a unit that uses memory cards (Meridian line) guards against running out of room in the future. Now, what about those units with 1mb or so of memory for maps? As a rule, if you want to store maps of your town and few few neighboring towns, this is sufficient. Quote Link to comment
Guest echo2000 Posted September 3, 2001 Share Posted September 3, 2001 Ah-HA! Thanks for the info everybody. I think I'll hold out another couple of days and see about that Vista. Otherwise, I think I will break down and get the Basic. My prime concern was to have enough memory to hold NYS and maybe NJ, PA and maybe CT. But CrashT is right. $100 ain't much for some entertainment and to get my foot in the door sooner than later. Since I'm going to wait 23 more hours or so, I'll check into the Magellan series too. Again, thanks for the input everyone! See ya on the trails... E2 Quote Link to comment
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