I need a GPS recommendation

[rutwad]

I would like to get a GPS for off-road use. I do not want to spend much money on it since I probably won't use it that much, but I do want a fairly nice, capable unit.

What would you suggest?

thanks

 

[Shimon]

Do want one that can display maps? Color? Or do you just want a basic lat/long/compass type?

 

[archerynut]

What features are you looking for in particular? Garmin in general has worked very well for me in the past. What kind of price range would you like to stay within?

 

[LarryD]

I've got a Garmin Etrex Vista that I've used to point my way back to camp. No color screen but a big arrow that has always been dead on, depending on good open sky. It is an older model but has worked well for my needs.

 

[LGinIA]

I have a Etrex Vista, color model CX which works great. As others have mentioned, Garmin is good and you can pick up a lower cost unit that will probably meet your needs.

 

[johnk]

I have a Garmin 60cx and its great. The only way you can get lost is have the batteries go dead..............

 

[billbill1]

Garmin is the only one I've had my hands on but it was straight forward and easy to use. The one I played around with was about $150 new if I remember correctly.

 

[rich_ncal]

Some thing like the "Magellan eXplorist 400 Handheld GPS with SD Card Slot", would work for off road use. They have these on Amazon for about $160. I have the Magellan Gold which is an older model that works well for me.

Options I prefer for a carry or off road unit include, down load maps from a PC, a SD card and have AA batteries. I can carry spare batteries. I use rechargeable AA batteries that I also use in my camera and LED flash lights.

I purchased a Garmin c320 for my gal for X-mas. It is great for on road use but that is a different type of animal. I would not recommend that for off road use. It is designed to run on the car power supply and does not have batteries that can be replaced. Also the way these on road units give the directions and show information is not what is needed for off road use.

 

[caver]

My first GPS (Magellan) was right before they came out with 12 satellite units in the 90's. I used it for a week or so and took it back. The newer units came out and were much better with 12 satellites. Currently I have a 276C Garmin
for off road (motorcycle) and general travel. I also have a Garmin 76C for hiking. I've dropped the Garmin on concrete and they have always held up. I also have their software for maps so have stuck with the brand. I prefer the bigger screens and faster pan speed of the larger units. The 276C was recently bought to replace my older 176C.

 

[Jstpssng]

I would like to get a GPS for off-road use. I do not want to spend much money on it since I probably won't use it that much, but I do want a fairly nice, capable unit.

What would you suggest?

thanks

What, exactly, are you going to be using in for? I'm partial to Garmin myself; but that's all Ive owned for the last 10 years. Magellan is just as good; they just offer different bells and whisltes.

No matter what you buy, if you are venturing offroad please also learn and use good map and compass skills.
GPS will crap out due to dead batteries, dense cloud cover, (especially with snow) or heavy forest canopy. Also other factors... Sept 11 2001 I was in Upstate NY working on a timber cruise and couldn't figure out why my GPS was 1/2 mile off; I never found out what was going on until I got back to the truck at around 5 PM. Had I depended on GPS only who knows where I'd have ended up.