GPS Units

[dusty montgomery]

Hey Guys,
I am in the market for my first unit, but I do not really know what to look for. Do hand-helds and the ones you mount on your dash serve the same function? Basically, I want a unit that gives directions. But do people use these same units in the field to mark way points? Is there a single unit that does it all? What units do you guys use?

This is the one I am thinking of getting:http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-780-Widescreen-Bluetooth-Navigator/dp/B0011UEUNG/ref=sr_ob_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1249930340&sr=8-8

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you,
Dusty

[Mark Schafer]

I have the Garmin dash mount

[Zach Matthews]

Dusty –

Great timing.

[dusty montgomery]

Looks like having two units would be the best: say a Nuvi for the road, then an Oregon for the trail. Am I understanding your suggestions correctly? Do you know of a unit that does both?

Thanks for the input Zach.
D.

[Bob Riggins]

Oddly enough, I don’t know of any units that do roads and trails and marine.

[Bob Riggins]

Actually, I may have jumped the gun.

[Zach Matthews]

I would just get the $100 Nuvi and a separate trail unit.

[Steve K.]

My Garmin Etrex can be loaded with City Navigator which will give you detailed street maps, restaurants, gas stations and points of interest. It will also beep as you near your turns when using the trip calculator.

Load the National Parks software and you have USGS quads with hiking trails, streams and campsites along with points of interest.

There is also marine software for coastal regions.

It’s strongpoint is portability. I primarily use it for backpacking and driftboating rivers. I do have a windshield mount and use it to and from the trailhead as well. I like it.

[Mark Schafer]

Map features are nice but if your traveling turn for turn is great.

[Michael Phillippe]

I have the Garmin eTrex for hiking and a (cheap) Magellan for the car. As Steve notes, you can get the map software for both road navigation and topo maps. But, I find trying to use the eTrex in the car is difficult. The small, inexpensive auto units are much better for that.

[Steve K.]

Yeah…the tiny screen is it’s downfall when used in the vehicle. I’d say it’s made for off-road use first….and street use second. A very capable compromise but not the best of both worlds.

[dusty montgomery]

Thanks for all of the input guys. It has been very helpful. It is starting to look like two units would be the best option. But, I did find this dual-purpose unit from Garmin: https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=134&fKeys=FILTER_SERIES_NUVI500&ra=true Plus, buying only one unit would save quite a bit of coin.

One of the cons though is it does not have Bluetooth capabilities. But the reviews I have read of the Bluetooth capable units say that that feature does not typically work well anyway. So now I am wondering about the practicality of carrying this bigger unit in the field. Any other thoughts?

Thanks,
Dusty

Garmin Nuvi 500

[Mark Schafer]

The price looks very good,but it is kind of big to tote around. Surly you could lower your beer standards for a time and save the difference to  buy two units.
MS

[dusty montgomery]

Surly you could lower your beer standards for a time and save the difference to  buy two units.
MS

Mr. Schafer,
What kind of man is the one whom does not stand by his principles? Lower my beer standards…

On a happier note, I think I will end up with the Nuvi 780 for now, and later I may get a trail version. I think y’all are correct about the hassle of carrying a large unit around in the bush. Plus, I think if I get an all-in-one I will be sacrificing too many features.

One more question though: Do the trail units come loaded with the software Drifter was referring to, or would I have to buy software every time I wanted to go somewhere different?

Thanks guys,
Dusty

[Steve K.]

Dusty,

If you go to http://www.garmin.com you can see the coverage and detail of each software package. It’s pretty amazing stuff. I have City Navigator (for streets and highways in the U.S.), National Parks East (which has a bunch of National Forests as well), and Alaska…..probably $300 worth of mapping software. It ain’t cheap but it’s nice to have when you need it. All of these are very detailed.

If you want to save some cheese…..you can get the U.S. Topo Maps instead of East, Central and West.

[shane cavitt]

Are Garmin units now compatible with Macs? I haven’t checked in awhile, but one of the reasons I have held off on a GPS is the lack of software compatibility with Apple. I only have Macs now so it is a big deal for me that the software be Mac compatible. If not Garmin, what would someone recommend as far as a trail unit that is Mac compatible?

[dusty montgomery]

Thanks Shane!! Great point.
I am Mac only as well, and I would be very upset if I unwrapped a new unit only to learn it was not compatible. Hopefully someone can clue us in, and I will dig around in the meantime as well.

D.

[Zach Matthews]

Yes, completely.

[dusty montgomery]

Thanks Zach! You just saved me a twenty minute wait on hold with Garmin.

D.

[Rich Kovars]

Here is the link to the Garmin page for Mac software.

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