Looking for a easy to use hand held GPS for hunting. Readable color screen, good battery life, 100 plus waypoints, excellent reception in heavy cover, dependability and durability a plus. Do not need to download maps, etc. Cost is a consideration. Your recommendations and suggestions would be appreciated. :banghead:
My wife bought me a garmin etrex 20 for my bday, it has worked well. It is color and battery life has been great with just two AA batteries. It can be had for <$200.00.
I have a Rino 530 HCx. I travel pretty far back country from the Northern Maine Big Woods to Ohio, Montana and Colorado. This GPS is OK has a lot neat functions, I don't use. It also has some neat features that don't work too well. This one has a battery that has to be charged in a charger, which is kind of hard to do in the back country. They have a battery pack for it that takes 4 batteries that doesn't work too well either. I also had a Garmin 60 CSX. I never used the CSX because at the time I had the cheap eTrex and I sold the 60 CSX.
Before I had these I used a Garmin eTrex for many years. The little yellow cheap one that is under $100. It worked great, was simple to use, got me where I wanted to go within the same amount of feet as this more expensive one.
If you just want to get from a to b, the little yellow eTrex is fine and will do that. If you want all kinds of extra stuff you may want to buy one the more expensive ones.
If I had to do it all over again, I would get the little yellow cheap eTrex.
Just my opinion from
I have the Garmin Dakota 20. Very accurate and gets and holds great reception. You can even download a Google map (kmz file) as an overlay on it (aerial come in as an overlay), geo-referenced in. MAY be small for older eyes ..... if so, pony up some more money and get the Oregon 450.
I've used several brands and recommend Garmin above them all.
Though I now use my iphone 4s... its unreal.
We all have the Garmin GPSMAP 60CSx and love it.
Mike
I got the Garmin Etrex 20 for my birthday this year. Really like it and have used it during turkey season this year.
Garmin 450T.
Garmin 62st is what i use.
Garmin 62s for me as well !!
I will break from the trend here and recomend the Delorm PN60. It comes with great map software. I use it for hunting, geocaching, and fishing. Love it.
QuoteOriginally posted by wingnut:
We all have the Garmin GPSMAP 60CSx and love it.
Mike
Same here. I can also say that having needed support in years past, Garmin support is top notch.
I used to have a yellow Etrex, but now I use an outdoor GPS app on my smart phone. I think it's just as reliable and if worried about battery life, I can carry an extra battery. I also have a NOAA weather app, a lightning meter app, a street navigator app, a lunar calendar, and a ballistic calculator app. I don't use any of them much, but they are there when I need them. Not to mention, it has a great digital camera and a phone all in one package.
Judd
I meant to say Garmin Oregon 450T. It works like an iPhone. You don't need a book to figure it out. Super simple. It locks onto satellites quickly. Gets great reception. There are a lot of times I get satellite reception indoors. The T model has all the topo maps pre loaded. I also have an Oregon 400T. It works just as good. It was replaced by the 450. You won't regret buying this one.
QuoteOriginally posted by BowHunterGA:
QuoteOriginally posted by wingnut:
We all have the Garmin GPSMAP 60CSx and love it.
Mike
Same here. I can also say that having needed support in years past, Garmin support is top notch. [/b]
Me, too. It's a great little unit. I think I bought mine used, but in great condition for around $150. I just added a Rino 655T, which is a really fantastic piece.
Used to use a Garmin GPSMAP60Csx like others above. Uncle RobTattoo talked us into using Cabelas Recon app on my Droid X2 phone and now I have everything I need in my phone. No need to carry both. I would think in a few more years that handheld GPS units may be a thing of the past.... ? JMHO
Been using the Garmin GPSMAP60Csx since they came out and haven't got around to half the features on it yet. Got one that's suppose to be good in my digital camera I carry, but haven't tried it yet.
QuoteOriginally posted by Brazos:
I meant to say Garmin Oregon 450T. It works like an iPhone. You don't need a book to figure it out. Super simple. It locks onto satellites quickly. Gets great reception. There are a lot of times I get satellite reception indoors. The T model has all the topo maps pre loaded. I also have an Oregon 400T. It works just as good. It was replaced by the 450. You won't regret buying this one.
Glad to hear that review. I just purchased one of these and downloaded 24K maps for AR, TX, & CO. Planning on using it on this year's elk hunt.
Before this one I used an eTrex for years. Never had a minute's problem out of it and it worked extremely well. Why did I replace it, you might ask? I got spoiled to a picture on the screen on my iPhone.
I won't be using the iPhone on the hunt because of battery life. No way will it last a week without charging.
Delorme pn60
http://shop.delorme.com/OA_HTML/DELibeCCtpSctDspRte.jsp?section=10043&minisite=10020
Fast great maps and comes with everything yuo need (others start cheap then youhave to buy extras like mapping)
My Garmin eTrex Vista HCx works well.
Thanks for the info. I'm leaning toward a Garmin. Something simple like the eTrex but the Oregon 450 has some appeal as well. How important is the map function and how easy is it to use? I understand some have free downloads of particular areas. I'm hunting Public land in Oklahoma? Thanks again for your help.
Cabelas has the 450s (as well as virtually all Gramins) on a great sale right now
How about a Map and a Compass..... Or is that a lost art.
We use the Delorme system for my job. I am a Firefighter / Search Team Manager for TXTF2 USAR. We use their InReach Device with PN 60 GPS or Smart Phones. The InReach connects by Bluetooth to your Smsrt Phone and basically with the Delorme App, you can have a GPS. It also is a SPOT Emergency Beacon and will allow you to send texts home or to whom ever ( additional cost for texts) . Even with all this I still Preach Map and Compass to my guys.
Tu Compadres, Sutty
I have a Garmin GPSMAP 60CSx. I've had it for a few years so I don't know if anything better has come along but it does everything I need.
Whatever you get make sure it has an electronic compass. It's no fun in the dark to have to be moving for the compass to work.
QuoteOriginally posted by NoCams:
...using Cabelas Recon app on my Droid X2 phone and now I have everything I need in my phone. No need to carry both. I would think in a few more years that handheld GPS units may be a thing of the past.... ? JMHO
IMO I would be cautious about that.
I am a huge fan of GPS's and smart phones and would offer that the current state of the art requires both. I would never trust the GPS on a smartphone in the mountains unless that is the last thing I had available. I also don't think the battery time on a smart phone would last very long using the GPS feature as most phones will search for (non-existent?) cell service using more battery. Now if I was just poking around the family farm, that is likely a different story, yet I don't use GPSs in those environments.
Garmin 450 - it is the same as the 450T without the maps preloaded. Save yourself some money and download the maps from http://www.gpsfiledepot.com/index.php
Its easy and amazing quality.
QuoteOriginally posted by Suty:
How about a Map and a Compass..... Or is that a lost art.
You're right about that. I see my gps as a supplement to my map and compass, but not a substitute.
One thing I like about the Rino 655T is that it's a good gps, a great radio, and a decent camera. The radio feature has come in handy when hunting with other guys, especially in thick swamps. We can keep tabs on each other very easily, and make sure to stay out of each other's way. We hunt a lot in areas with no cell reception, and we're all the age where it's wise to be able to keep in communication.
How about a Map and a Compass..... Or is that a lost art
True sir!
I Don't own a GPS, good Compass & good map is cheaper...
Getting "a bit" lost is all part of the game?
I have a Garmin Colorado and it works great even in heavy cover.
Fully agree about map/compass but something new every now and then ain't all bad. The Garmin 60 csx and the Garmin Oregon 450 or 450T are interesting, as is the simple Garmin eTrax. Will always have my compass with me neverless. Just thought I'd take a look to what others on TG find helpful.Thanks to everyone for your suggestions and comments.
I have a 530, it may be over kill. I pack maps and compass also. The thing I like best with the gps is going in and out to a stand in the dark. Set up right you can follow your track right to your stand with your eyes closed lol.
The 60csx is the best do it all model I've found. They can be had cheaper now that the 62csx has replaced it. I've been through everything with mine and its never missed a beat. :thumbsup: And you can put their City Navigator software on it and it will do turn by turn directions for usin it in the car.
I just returned from an eight day float in Alaska and, because my parents are having severe health problems, I left my trusty 60csx at home and bought a Delorme with InReach so I could get word if things went south in a hurry. I think highly of Garmin gear and personnel, but this Delorme was so fast at getting a fix and the InReach so easy I'm selling my SPOT and Garmin.
Fact is, they all are pretty exceptional tools, and, as mentioned, they all need to be backed up with paper map, compass, and skills. I'm ambivalent about losing my self-reliance with these gizmos anyway, and all you need is one gear failure or dead power to be forced back into the classics...
Incidentally, if my bud had one of these sets instead of his Garmin, the two rafts wouldn't have lost each other for four days...though that was more about miscommunication than anything.
For hunting: Garmin Oregon. I would never give it up unless it was an improved model. It's unbelievably easy to learn, use, and batteries last. It's like an iPhone GPS.
Mine has elevation and the maps, and you just use your thumbnail or fingernail to move around the screen.
I have used it extensively in the CO mountains.
Thanks for everyone help. After considering my options I decided to buy a Garmin Oregon 450T. Had everything I wanted and then some. Should have it by the end of this week. Now if I can just figure out how to use the thing. :thumbsup:
QuoteOriginally posted by elkbreath:
I've used several brands and recommend Garmin above them all.
Though I now use my iphone 4s... its unreal.
Have you tried asking Siri where the elk are hiding at? :)
Tracks What app are you using on your iphone?
Mike
QuoteOriginally posted by lt-m-grow:
QuoteOriginally posted by NoCams:
...using Cabelas Recon app on my Droid X2 phone and now I have everything I need in my phone. No need to carry both. I would think in a few more years that handheld GPS units may be a thing of the past.... ? JMHO
IMO I would be cautious about that.
I am a huge fan of GPS's and smart phones and would offer that the current state of the art requires both. I would never trust the GPS on a smartphone in the mountains unless that is the last thing I had available. I also don't think the battery time on a smart phone would last very long using the GPS feature as most phones will search for (non-existent?) cell service using more battery. Now if I was just poking around the family farm, that is likely a different story, yet I don't use GPSs in those environments.
Garmin 450 - it is the same as the 450T without the maps preloaded. Save yourself some money and download the maps from http://www.gpsfiledepot.com/index.php
Its easy and amazing quality. [/b]
Roger all that, but I think Jimmy is right. It will ALL be on your phone within 10 years. And it will be better than what we have now in two seperate units.
I have an etrex Summit HC for sale on the classifieds right now. I moved up to an Oregon 450t. You can't go wrong with Garmin.
As a former military como officer 23 years with real world experience garmin 60CSx I've had mine side by side with the real deal just as accurate easier to use and has a sirf chip.
I wouldn't get one with the newer chip set to find out You can get this info from your 60CSX by entering MENU>MENU>SETUP>SYSTEM>MENU. Choose "Software Version". After doing some research on the internet I discovered that the new unit with the "m" in the GPS SW ver. utilizes a MediaTek chip while the old unit has a SiRF III chipset designated by the "s". The SiRF III has an excellent reputation for sensitivity, fast satellite acquisition and ability to stay locked on even in heavy over growth.
Adam and I use the Garmin 60CSX. They have worked well including returning to the Elk kill way after dark!
I used to have a Garmin GPSMAP60CSx and loved it. However, just not going to carry both to the woods again now that the technology of phone GPS is so good now.
I used my Droid X2 and Cabelas Recon app last season and left my GPS on for hours and hours just to see if it would kill my battery like I had read on the tech reviews. I do have the extended battery but I still only used about 10-20% of the battery on a all day hunt.
I guess if it were a true backwoods excursion with no juice for a week then yes, a Garmin with lithium batteries + spares would be a good thing. JMHO.... :coffee: