How Much Memory For Geocaching

November 9, 2004

How much memory is a decent amount for a GPS.

I want to mainly use it for Geocaching but would also like it for some road navigation.

8 mb seems like it would be too little and 24 costs more than I really want to spend.

2.4k · November 9, 2004

Get a Magellan Meridian, and thanks to the ability to use SD cards, you can have about as much memory as you'd like......... I haven't tried (yet), but have heard the 1 GB cards will work in a Meridian.

That said, how much memory you need for maps depends on a couple things. How much area do you typically travel in? If you rarely leave your home county, 8 MB would be plenty. If you're routinely traveling a several state area and want to keep maps of all the areas in your GPS at all times, 24 MB might not be enough..... Do you want just street maps? Just Topo maps? Both?

2k · November 9, 2004

Are you looking at the Garmin Legend (8mb) and the Garmin Vista (24mb)?

I have the Legend so I could tell you how the 8mb works for me.

First off the 8mb memory for the Legend is for maps only.

You can store 1,000 waypoints in the legend without using any of the 8mb memory.

For the 8mb memory I have 1/2 the state of South Dakota and another 3-4 Minnesota Map loaded into my Legend using the MetroGuide v6 software. Them maps use jp all of my 8mb of memory.

It is more then enough maps loaded for me. I use the maps more for work then geocaching.

If I would move out of the area or go on vacation I would just load the new maps that I would need into the Legend.

If you live in a large city 8mb may not be anough memory for the city map, let alone any rural area.

2.6k · November 9, 2004

I have 8 megs in my Legend. I have downloaded topo maps for a radius of about thirty miles, I keep 300 waypoints on it at a time, and I let my track log run until I get around to deleting it, and I think 10% is the most memory I've ever used.

I don't know how they squeeze the map data down so small, but when you think about it, wapoints and tracklogs are tiny.

As IV Warrior said, though, it depends on how much territory you cover, and whether you'd need things like city maps in great detail. Any appliance that uses removable memory storage is handy to have.

November 9, 2004

Are you looking at the Garmin Legend (8mb) and the Garmin Vista (24mb)?

I have the Legend so I could tell you how the 8mb works for me.

First off the 8mb memory for the Legend is for maps only.

You can store 1,000 waypoints in the legend without using any of the 8mb memory.

For the 8mb memory I have 1/2 the state of South Dakota and another 3-4 Minnesota Map loaded into my Legend using the MetroGuide v6 software. Them maps use jp all of my 8mb of memory.

It is more then enough maps loaded for me. I use the maps more for work then geocaching.

If I would move out of the area or go on vacation I would just load the new maps that I would need into the Legend.

If you live in a large city 8mb may not be anough memory for the city map, let alone any rural area.

Yep I'm mainly looking at the Garmin Legend (8mb) and the Garmin Vista (24mb). Good guess.

So would a topo map of Wisconsin fit on 8mb? I really don't know much about the maps that get uploaded into these units. How much memory would I need to load street maps for all of WI or do people just load for areas they will be in?

Also how much did the MetroGuide v6 software run you?

oh and do any of the sub $300 GArmin offer SD card slots?

Edited November 9, 2004 by Lostby7

38.2k · November 9, 2004

For my Legend I downloaded Mapsource Topo maps of all of northern NJ, Southern NY up to and including the Catskills and southern VT from the Mass border to Rutland with room to spare.

On a trip out west I fit Sacramento and the surrounding area for about 60 miles, the entire American River valley, to Lake Folsom and the corridor to San Francisco on my Legend with room to spare.

Bottom line, if you plan to travel a lot, you'll want more memory than the Legend provides (I eventually upgraded to the Vista), but if you plan to use your GPS mostly in one region, 8 meg is plenty.

None of the Garmins offer expansion slots. Garmin feels that it would be a point for water entry.

I don't think you'd fit all of WI on your Legend, but I bet you could get half. I don't know for a fact, but I believe Topo takes up less room tham Metroguide.

As far as which to buy (Metroguide, City Select or Topo) it depends on your use. City Select has autorouting, which is used in the GPS V, Garmin 60 series and I think the new color versions of the Vista and Map 76. Metroguide is basically City Select without the autorouting feature. Topo, of course, shows contour lines.

If you want to use your GPS mostly for outdoor pursuits like geocaching, camping, hiking, hunting, etc... Topo is the way to go. It shows most roads and can be used for navigating in your car, but does a much better job of showing the lay of the land than City Select, or Metroguide. It shows most streams and lakes, where the latter two don't have a lot of them.

Now if you're planning on using your GPS mostly for navigation in your auto and finding your way around town, go with Metroguide, or CSelect. You'll lose what I think are very useful topo lines, but you'll gain things like the ability to find restaurants, barber shops, supermarkets and many other businesses. You'll also find a lot more street names. Topo has the streets, but only has names for the major ones.

Edited November 9, 2004 by briansnat

2k · November 9, 2004

So would a topo map of Wisconsin fit on 8mb?

Not sure on the Topo as I only have the MetroGuide for the streets, sorry.

How much memory would I need to load street maps for all of WI or do people just load for areas they will be in?

I just check the state of WI and you are looking at about 21.4MB

That is using Garmin MetroGuide v6.

What city or part of the state do you live in?

Feel free to email me if you don't want to post that info here.

You can email me from my profile.

Also how much did the MetroGuide v6 software run you?

I paid $99 at Cabela's for it.

oh and do any of the sub $300 GArmin offer SD card slots?

Not that I know of.

Edited November 9, 2004 by Milbank

4.5k · November 9, 2004

It sounds like you won't be happy with the Legend so save a while longer and get the Vista. It comes with on board electronic compass and altimeter that the Legend does not have in addition to the 24M memory which I found very useful when loading Metroguide street maps which take up a lot of memory. Good luck.

4.5k · November 10, 2004

It sounds like you won't be happy with the Legend so save a while longer and get the Vista. It comes with on board electronic compass and altimeter that the Legend does not have in addition to the 24M memory which I found very useful when loading Metroguide street maps which take up a lot of memory. Good luck.

One other suggestion that I'm familiar with as I use it myself. Instead of paying for Metroguide for street detail, get Mapopolis autonavigation software at the same cost and buy a separate Pocket PC. Add money to the savings you'll have with stickjing with the Legend and not getting a Vista, and you'll have a far superior autonavigation system in color. Then use the Legend loaded with Topo maps only and you don't need as much memory.

Also, with the PPC, you can use it for games, work programs (ie. calender To Do's appts, tel lists, etc as well as for PQ's and paperless caching. This is what I've upgraded to and had I to do over again with the equipment available today, I would have gotten the Legend and PPC as described and skipped my Vista.

Just another good option.

Edited November 10, 2004 by Alan2

November 10, 2004

It sounds like you won't be happy with the Legend so save a while longer and get the Vista. It comes with on board electronic compass and altimeter that the Legend does not have in addition to the 24M memory which I found very useful when loading Metroguide street maps which take up a lot of memory. Good luck.

One other suggestion that I'm familiar with as I use it myself. Instead of paying for Metroguide for street detail, get Mapopolis autonavigation software at the same cost and buy a separate Pocket PC. Add money to the savings you'll have with stickjing with the Legend and not getting a Vista, and you'll have a far superior autonavigation system in color. Then use the Legend loaded with Topo maps only and you don't need as much memory.

Also, with the PPC, you can use it for games, work programs (ie. calender To Do's appts, tel lists, etc as well as for PQ's and paperless caching. This is what I've upgraded to and had I to do over again with the equipment available today, I would have gotten the Legend and PPC as described and skipped my Vista.

Just another good option.

Yeiks!

I'm going to be glad when I finally find a unit and get on with life.

Thanks everybody for your help.

(I hate being a noob)

24.7k · November 10, 2004

8mb will not be enough for Topo for your state.

November 10, 2004

I hope the Caching Veterens don't mind a noob throwing his .02 cents in....

I've learned that it is much better to have too much and not need it than it is to need it and not have it....

As laim as it may sound, that was one of the main reasons I chose the Vista, and have no regrets about it!

3.8k · November 10, 2004

For grins, I grabbed MapSource Topo for all of Wisconsin. It's right at 30 MB. For 8 MB, you get everything from the Illinois line up to a parallel running from about Shaboygan to La Cross. 24 MB gets you as far north as Escanaba. That gets me past my brothers in Appleton and Sturgeon Bay, but not all the way to Duluth.

I hope this gives you some idea of coverage.

November 10, 2004

Or you could always just spend $200 for a Magellan Meridian Gold and have unlimited SD card capability.

November 10, 2004

I have a Meridian Gold and I bought a 1 GB card for it. More than I'll ever need. It works great with the Direct Route Software. Worth every penny.

November 10, 2004

For grins, I grabbed MapSource Topo for all of Wisconsin. It's right at 30 MB. For 8 MB, you get everything from the Illinois line up to a parallel running from about Shaboygan to La Cross. 24 MB gets you as far north as Escanaba. That gets me past my brothers in Appleton and Sturgeon Bay, but not all the way to Duluth.

I hope this gives you some idea of coverage.

Cool. Thanks for the research.

38.2k · November 10, 2004

I have a Meridian Gold and I bought a 1 GB card for it. More than I'll ever need. It works great with the Direct Route Software. Worth every penny.

But its a Magellan.

Edited November 10, 2004 by briansnat

November 10, 2004

I have a Meridian Gold and I bought a 1 GB card for it. More than I'll ever need. It works great with the Direct Route Software. Worth every penny.

But its a Magellan.

lol.

I sense a bit of rivialry in GPS manufacturer. I'm guessing that this is a very common event here.

November 10, 2004

I have a Meridian Gold and I bought a 1 GB card for it. More than I'll ever need. It works great with the Direct Route Software. Worth every penny.

But its a Magellan.

Good point snat... the Meridian is an advanced, powerful, and complex device. It might not be appropriate for 'challenged' users.

38.2k · November 10, 2004

I have a Meridian Gold and I bought a 1 GB card for it. More than I'll ever need. It works great with the Direct Route Software. Worth every penny.

But its a Magellan.

lol.

I sense a bit of rivialry in GPS manufacturer. I'm guessing that this is a very common event here.

Yeah, its generally a good natured rivalry (except when a Garmin owner was calling Magellan owners un-American and a Magellan owner was calling Garminites xenophobes). In reality both brands make excellent units that have their strong and weak points. Its just a matter of preference.

Most people tend to be pretty loyal to the brand they originally choose. Once in a while though, you'll find someone who brought a Garmin and hated it, then brought a Magellan and loved it and for every one of them you'll find someone whodid the opposite.

2.3k · November 10, 2004

I have a Meridian Gold and I bought a 1 GB card for it. More than I'll ever need. It works great with the Direct Route Software. Worth every penny.

But its a Magellan.

lol.

I sense a bit of rivialry in GPS manufacturer. I'm guessing that this is a very common event here.

Yeah, its generally a good natured rivalry (except when a Garmin owner was calling Magellan owners un-American and a Magellan owner was calling Garminites xenophobes). In reality both brands make excellent units that have their strong and weak points. Its just a matter of preference.

Most people tend to be pretty loyal to the brand they originally choose. Once in a while though, you'll find someone who brought a Garmin and hated it, then brought a Magellan and loved it and for every one of them you'll find someone whodid the opposite.

Then there are those of us who own some of each brand and have no problem with either!

2.4k · November 11, 2004

Most people tend to be pretty loyal to the brand they originally choose. Once in a while though, you'll find someone who brought a Garmin and hated it, then brought a Magellan and loved it and for every one of them you'll find someone whodid the opposite.

Then there's those of us who bought one, switched for a particular feature, still wasn't *completely* happy with either and would like to "build our own". Take this feature from this one, plus that from the other, plus.......

November 11, 2004

OK maybe I missed it, but could someone clarify... Is there a good mapping product that includes both topo and streets?

Also how important is autorouting; is it worth an upgrade to?

November 11, 2004

OK maybe I missed it, but could someone clarify... Is there a good mapping product that includes both topo and streets?

Mapsource Topo is based on USGS 1:100,000 scale maps. They show roads too but are out of date. Smaller roads may only be identified as "road". Some rural type roads on Metroguide Ver. 4 were taken from the USGS 1:100,000 scale maps. That is if I switch the map view from Topo to Metroguide V4 the roads are identical except that Metroguide also shows their name. Other roads have been updated in Metroguide V4 as compared to Topo. Metroguide V5 and V6 uses a different data source so I'm not familiar with the combinations.

You can go to the Garmin web site and check out the maps with map viewer:

http://www.garmin.com/cartography/

2.6k · November 11, 2004

OK maybe I missed it, but could someone clarify... Is there a good mapping product that includes both topo and streets?

I can't speak for City Select, but Mapsource Topo, to my surprise, is complete with roads and streets, even in town. I haven't found a road yet that wasn't on there, including some very narrow gravel tracks through state forests, but the names aren't complete.

I was sure I'd have to get both topo and city maps to do everything I need, but Topo had sufficient detail for me.

As for routing...haven't a clue. I'll be interested to see the answer to that one, too.

3.8k · November 12, 2004

Also how important is autorouting; is it worth an upgrade to?

Auto routing is really not all that important for geocaching, IMHO, since you can print maps from the cache pages that do the trick.

That having been said, I took my C60 to Dallas yesterday (Southwest flies Houston to Dallas at 29,000 ft at 525 mph--fun stuff). I got in the cab and got a blank stare from the cabbie when I told him where I wanted to go. I punched the address into my C60 and gave him turn-by-turn directions. Weird, I know.

If you are directionally challenged, or wander into uncharted parts of an urban area frequently, auto routing is really nifty. If you are principally looking for Tupperware in the woods, you won't need it.

November 12, 2004

I've resisted as long as I could. I just can't hold back any longer. Allow me to apologize in advance.

How much memory do you need for geocaching?

I usually manage to get by with the memory that I've always had. But then again I can't even remember what I had for lunch yesterday.

It's odd, though, that I can drive by a park that I haven't been to since I found a cache there two years ago and can remember that I found a cache there and about where it is. Sometimes I can even remember what I took from the cache.

Well, like my old pappy used to say:

I've got a good memory. It's just short.

3.8k · November 13, 2004

How much memory do you need for geocaching?

Well, like my old pappy used to say:

I've got a good memory. It's just short.

My pappy used to say, "Memory is the second thing to go. I can't remember the first thing."

2.5k · November 13, 2004

I hope the Caching Veterens don't mind a noob throwing his .02 cents in....

I've learned that it is much better to have too much and not need it than it is to need it and not have it....

As laim as it may sound, that was one of the main reasons I chose the Vista, and have no regrets about it!

Actually, that's what I was just about to come in and say.

If you want it for mapping, you're better off saving the extra money so you have too much as opposed to ending up with not enough. Especially since you want the whole state in there.

2k · November 14, 2004

If you are familier with the area City Select is not that important, but if you travel like I do you need the ability to find where to start caching from. City Select saves an awful lot of time. Once I am in hiking mode I switch to Topo to follow trails. It is really nice to have 56 meg of memory so I can download both. Of course when I was working in LA recently the size of LA maps was great enough that I was unable to download Topo maps of that area also.

:blink:

November 14, 2004

A GPS w/ 8MB is fine for geocaching, but might be a bit small for road trips. FWIW, I can get about 1/4 of Oregon into my Sportrak Map, a bit more if I turn off the topo and POIs and only upload roads.

Really, the most important thing to remember when geocaching, is where you parked the car...

November 14, 2004

it sounds like if you were going on a trip, it would be useful to have the street maps AND the topo maps, like nightstalker said.

but, depending on the area, it might not be possible to load both into memory.

so if you were in a large area, like LA or travelling across several states, you would need to have your laptop to download new areas into the GPSr OR have a GPSr that used memory cards that could be switched out.

do i have this right?

1k · November 14, 2004

Also how important is autorouting; is it worth an upgrade to?

FYI, there are two flavors of autorouting. MapSource MetroGuide (for the Vista) will autoroute on your PC and you can then download the routes to your GPSr. The newer units (e.g. Garmin 60C/CS or 76C/CS) will autoroute from the GPSr with MapSource CitySelect (i.e. no need to route on the PC and then download).

If you don't think you'll need "on the fly" autorouting (i.e. if you plan your routes in advance, or carry a laptop PC with you), you can save yourself some money by getting the Vista and MetroGuide vs. the more expensive units and CitySelect.

If you plan to give taxi drivers turn by turn directions, then the more expensive GPSr units with built in autorouting are for you!

How Much Memory For Geocaching

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