What Gps Unit Best Fits My Needs?

[smurfus]

Here are my needs:

 

I am new to GPS's and have done some research and can't make up my mind. I would like to ask the input from an experienced group.

 

I am most interested in these features:

 

Resolution/clarity

Great topo maps

Compatable with NG Topo!

Accuracy

Battery life

Durability

Storage & features I can't comprehend yet

 

Areas that I like to hunt, fish, camp and just generally walk-about are either poorly mapped or not mapped at all. I want to collect information that will allow me to make a map of roads,trails, and landmarks on National Geographic's Topo! program that I can share with friends who also use those areas.

 

Thanks in advance for the input.

[+raouljan]

Well .. welcome to the wonderful world of comercial GPS units.

 

If you are trying to get "great" topo maps into a maping GPSr I think you have some time to wait. I have found that the MapSource maps and the Gamin units to be a pretty good combination.

 

By resolution and clarity I assume that you are talking about the units display. In which case bigger is always better and color does help out.

 

NG Topo has great maps, but they dont download to any unit I know of. All units work with Topo, but only on a laptop or your desktop.

 

As far as accuracy goes... all units are pretty much the same. WAAS gets a lot of talk but I have not found that it delivers all that much more accuracy. A good external antenna is probably a better solution.

 

Battery life is something of which we all need more of. My Garmin 76s runs about two 8 hour days in battery saver mode. Face it, GPS owners subsidize the battery industry. Rechargeables are the way to go.

 

As far as durability goes... IMHO durability is inversly related to the number of buttons something has... The Garmins are known for being pretty tough units, but most other units match... The one thing to be aware of is that the screens tend to be pretty soft and scratch... screen protectors are a very cheap bit of insurance.

 

Hope this helps ... choosing a GPS is just slightly more difficult that picking a spouse... IMHO