Oregon 550 for $257

[azfatboy]

Although I am sure many are aware, with the new Oregon 600/650s coming out in a few weeks, there are some deals to be had on the older Oregon 450/550 models. I bought a 550 last month, and although I've only used it on one hike so far, I am loving it, so I wanted to make sure to spread the word.

It is available on Amazon and eBay for about the same amount.

I chose the Oregon because I liked the idea of a touchscreen. I have an old etrex with the buttons, and I found it very cumbersome to use. I chose the non-"T" version because they charge a LOT more, and the 100K maps that they come with are pretty much useless. And I knew I could download the AZ Topo 24K map for FREE, which as far as I can determine, is as good or better than the $130 SouthWest 24K Topo map-set from Garmin!

Lastly, I didn't care at all about a camera, and I chose the 550 over the 450 for one silly reason--it is only about $7 more than the 450! (it's $20 more as of this writing, which is STILL worth it--read below...)

And in retrospect, I am now very happy that I have the camera. The automatic geo-tagging and the convenience of uploading the photos and route at the same time was more convenient that I gave it credit for. I still take a small Canon for family photos and video, but having quick pics of all the waypoints, campsites, and most scenic moments, that automatically pop into their EXACT map location is really kinda cool!!!!

So, there it is. I hope this helps somebody looking for a GPS unit.

[joebartels]

Oregons rock!

Don't be shy with any digital camera. You can sync your photos on HAZ to a posted GPS Route with a couple clicks. Be sure your camera is set to the correct date/time for easiest syncing. Then you end up with nice maps like this one.

Viewing your backpack photoset you will notice a red pin marker before "Angel Basin Re...". When you click it you'll get a similar map. Yours is missing the route since you did't sync to a route, rather your photos were already geocoded. You can still sync them if you want. Click on the edit icon to the left of "Angel Basin Re..." > "Delete Geocodes" > "Scan GPS Route Geocoding Opportunites" > select your route and viola.

[azfatboy]

Joe,

This was my first triplog/route posting, so it's definitely a little rough around the edges. Thanks for the tip! I will give that a try, especially for future hikes.