What's the best GPS?

[gummo]

I need a GPS. I need one that uploads routes and maps. Any recommendations would be helpful. Thanks.

[LosDosSloFolks]

@DixieFlyer
I was fairly certain I was the last person in America to still use a flip phone. Luddites unite.

[DixieFlyer]

@DixieFlyer
I was fairly certain I was the last person in America to still use a flip phone. Luddites unite.

I did finally get rid of my 8-track tape player though!

[LosDosSloFolks]

@DixieFlyer
Off topic, but a story that needs to be told :-)
I had a 1966 VW w/an 8- track player. Where it gets interesting is the fact that it had a 6V electrical system. A 6 to 12 converter was needed to run it.
The car also used a generator (as opposed to an alternator) so when idling at a stop light the music would slow down. It took a lot of talent to feather the gas pedal just right to keep the RPM's of the engine up to play the music properly. That's all I have to say about that.

[rcorfman]

I have a handheld GPSr, it's a Garmin 450T and is old and scratched up now. I use it a lot but I geocache and like to record my trips, something handhelds are currently better at than phones. The latter, just because of the battery needs. When I hiked the PCT and the CT, I left the handheld at home and just used my phone with an app, Atlas Guides' Guthook for navigation and trail beta. It's the most popular app for the major trails and uses crowd sourcing comments which are helpful for water source and trail conditions, resupply, etc.

I think a GPS enabled phone with a protective case, an app such as RouteScout or Gaia, or similar, will be more than adequate for hiking, along with a battery bank (such as an Anker 10,000) to keep it charged up. If you want better tracking than a phone, then get a GPS enabled watch. All this is great for a day or three, but after that, the power constraints will start affecting your choices.

[LindaAnn]

These days, I use RouteScout on all my hikes (iphone) and I exclusively use RS on local hikes and areas I’m familiar with. When running RS in airplane mode, the battery use is hardly noticeable.

When venturing into areas I’m less familiar with, I also bring a Garmin. I’ve had several Garmins over the years, and my current one is the 66st. I also really liked my 64st, that one may have been my favorite, but FOTG has my old 64st now and I think he still uses it pretty often. The 64st is a little more user friendly than the newer 66st, but I do like the larger screen on the 66st.

The main reason I bring the Garmin is because I’ve had a couple of instances where my phone had a software issue while out hiking (not RS, but the entire phone itself) and basically shut down until I did a factory reset on it later. That was a few phones ago, an iphone7, and I’ve not had those same issues with any of my newer iphones, but phones do seem to be a little more susceptible to issues than a dedicated gps device.

[Hansenaz]

A vote from another phone luddite: Garmin Etrex20. Simple and fairly cheap, it easily uploads and downloads with HAZ without an intermediary. When mine wore out (buttons) recently, I bought another. Batteries last several trips...just carry a spare pair of AAs.

[outdoor_lover]

I think a GPS enabled phone with a protective case, an app such as RouteScout or Gaia, or similar, will be more than adequate for hiking, along with a battery bank (such as an Anker 10,000) to keep it charged up.

Exactly what I used for my 4 Day Backpack of Wire Pass to Lee's Ferry. And in Airplane Mode, I didn't have to charge until the 3rd Night so I probably could have gotten 6 Days off of 1 Power Bank.

[Grasshopper]

A vote from another phone luddite: Garmin Etrex20. Simple and fairly cheap, it easily uploads and downloads with HAZ without an intermediary. When mine wore out (buttons) recently, I bought another. Batteries last several trips...just carry a spare pair of AAs.

Yea, old-school me too I guess, but I still like my Garmin Oregon 600 touch screen with the extra Russian satellites and I just finished today setting up a friends brand new Garmin eTrex 35 Touch Screen . I am impressed with the capability of this smaller unit (also with the extra Russian satellites) and no longer any buttons to push! Garmin GPS Receivers through dealers like GPS City and Amazon have had to reduce the profit margin some, which is good! My friend purchased their unit three days ago at $50-75 less (from Amazon) than the present Garmin website pricing here: https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/p/156873

[Sredfield]

Garmin 76CSx. Antique but it's what I started with, so I've picked up two in like-new condition since.

[nonot]

Garmin etrex 20, small, good battery life, and can be gotten new and used for pretty cheap. Wore out the main button on my first one after about 3 years.

[ShatteredArm]

@Jim_H
So for real, backcountry stuff, I think having a topo map and knowing how to use it is the most important thing... Routes are nice, but less important.

Personally, I have a Garmin Fenix 5X, which has nice topo maps with trails conveniently located on the wrist, although the GPS accuracy sucks. For backpacking, I have a Garmin eTrex that I bought years and years ago, but still works nicely if I don't need the convenience of having something on my wrist. Phone is unreliable, unless you have an app that can store all the topo maps...I'm not aware of one. Trailforks, Alltrails, Trail Run Project...nice to have if you're doing a popular route, but it feels like the majority of the stuff I do aren't on those apps. Really all you need is topo maps with zero dependency on internet, and the old-fashioned GPS devices work pretty well for that.

[RedRoxx44]

I win the non award for Luddite's in this category. I've tried a couple of Garmin wrist GPS, ugh, just not my thing. So I hike without a GPS, without a Spot or whatever. The ancient Globalstar sat phone if I take it is in the vehicle; too heavy for a pack. Sometimes I even hike without a map! Especially in the more open desert with good sight lines. Orient the vehicle with whatever landmarks necessary and do a fair amount of back trail checking to make sure it will orient when I get closer. Even though my last hike was less than 5 miles, because I took a different route back it was fun; as I approached the vehicle I could not see it due to the rolling nature of the terrain and vegetation until I was about 50 yards from it. I was pleased that I was dead center on it, from reckoning using the hills around me.
I do have a smart phone that is smarter than me. The only time I carry it with me is if I am afraid there might be a break in at the vehicle.

[Tough_Boots]

Phone is unreliable, unless you have an app that can store all the topo maps...

Unreliable how?

The gps phone apps I've used have been much more reliable than the two Garmin units I've owned, they store loaded routes and multiple layers of offline maps, and connect and keep satellite signal faster and more accurately (probably more the phone than the app's doing). I would never dream of buying a gps unit again-- they are obsolete.

[ShatteredArm]

@Tough_Boots
If you (a) have all the maps you need pre-downloaded before you visit the area (easy to forget if you're traveling) and (b) you manage your battery life well and have backup power, sure, it's reliable enough. I personally don't like the idea of having to rely on my phone having juice after several days, though.

[Tough_Boots]

(a) have all the maps you need pre-downloaded before you visit the area (easy to forget if you're traveling) and

There are apps where you can download maps on the fly.

(b) you manage your battery life well and have backup power, sure, it's reliable enough. I personally don't like the idea of having to rely on my phone having juice after several days, though.

Why would you mind carrying a small power source for recharging? You'd carry extra batteries for your gps if going out for several days.

[ShatteredArm]

@Tough_Boots

There are apps where you can download maps on the fly.

You need an internet connection to do that. You still have to pre-download them, unless you're certain you're going to have service.

Why would you mind carrying a small power source for recharging? You'd carry extra batteries for your gps if going out for several days.

I've owned three portable phone chargers over the years, and all of them have failed while I've been out on an adventure. Spare AA batteries for a GPS unit are light, don't take up much space, and are all but guaranteed to work if they're fresh. If I could rely on portable chargers, I would probably just use the watch all the time instead of bringing the standalone GPS unit.

[Alston_Neal]

Someday I'm gonna get a cell phone, the landline really sucks for hiking.

[RedRoxx44]

Sorta GPS/ cell related. Usually the park/ monument website information on roads/backcountry/ difficulty I take with a grain of salt but the Parashant one is pretty good, with good pics and it's information is not too overprotective IMO
https://www.nps.gov/para/planyourvisit/ ... safety.htm

[Tough_Boots]

You need an internet connection to do that. You still have to pre-download them, unless you're certain you're going to have service.

You can download pretty large areas or multiple mapsets. I've never left to backpack one area and then ended up 200 miles away without 4G somewhere in between.

I've owned three portable phone chargers over the years, and all of them have failed while I've been out on an adventure. Spare AA batteries for a GPS unit are light, don't take up much space, and are all but guaranteed to work if they're fresh.

Everyone must decide which technology to trust. They all fail eventually. Though I've never had as many failures as with handheld gps units-- well, maybe pump filters.

[markthurman53]

I have used the Garmin 650T for the last 8 years and never had an issue except forgetting to turn it on (no fix for stupid). The other issue and it probably applies to all who aren't caring around a lap top the map can be like looking at an elephant from a straw. I don't like the compass on it because I have seen it pointing in the wrong direction at times.