HikeArizona.COM

I am looking to get a gps hand held device. I know there are a lot out there. So I guess what I really am looking for is the biggest bang for my buck.
any input would be great thanks

The question was " what is the best gps device" the answer is a map (thanks chums) and compass and know how to use them - they don't need batteries when you go on a 4+ day trip.

That's one thing I have never used a GPS for--to find something. I only use it to record where I've been, so I can post it here, and to keep track of my miles and AEG. The map on it is too small, the screen is too small. I do not know how anyone can get a feel for landscape without a map. When I am out walking around in Arizona, I have a feel for direction, for what is beyond the next mountain, and for the watersheds nearby. I nearly always know which watershed I'm hiking in. In eastern Arizona, the Black River leads to the Salt River, the Blue River leads to the SF and Gila, and the LCR runs northwest to Grand Canyon. Any place I am standing in Arizona I have a feel for what is around me. I learned this not only from hiking and driving around, but also from MAPS, large scale MAPS and the De Lorme Arizona Atlas! Not from some tiny screen!

I can sit in my house with that Arizona Atlas and study it for an hour, then go get some topo maps, and maybe a guidebook or other information, to get an overview of an area before I drive there to hike a particular route. I also use the Arizona Atlas for daydreaming about places I'd like to see. Can you do that with a GPS? I think not--the screen is too small.

The Eagle wrote:Another set of reviews
http://www.outdoorgearlab.com/Handheld- ... ws/Ratings

Wow there was some really bad interweb stuff attached to that. Some bogus Microsoft malware alert.
So I never did open your link.... ;)

That's your operating system, not the web site.

kingsnake wrote:That's your operating system, not the web site.

Nope I'm pretty sure The Eagle formerly known as Coanbru was behind it....
I just clicked on it again and it was fine. My wife saw it and said what ever you do don't run that file.

@Alston Neal
Walk towards the light Alston...Walk towards the light....Pay no attention to what that lady is saying..

The Eagle wrote:@Alston Neal
Walk towards the light Alston...Walk towards the light....Pay no attention to what that lady is saying..

Do mean the light, like in the movie Men In Black?

@The Eagle
I got your light right here baby, just step this way....

So I Think I'm landing on this cuz, well why not? I don't know squat and I figure this is good to start with.
The question...do I need the $90 TOPO U.S.? If not then I'll just buy the unit.
What else am I required to purchase with this?
http://www.rei.com/product/828736/garmi ... gps-bundle

Yeah I'm cheap, I'm Irish and besides I hate buying stuff I can't sell and make money on..

@Alston Neal
maybe not the 90 dollar US Topo...but the Southwest one is pretty good, way too much at REI, but cheaper everywhere else..maybe 60-70..assuming its compatible and all that stuff...I think savy people find ways to download for free off web though ;)

Okay, yesterday, my Garmin 60csx went to the Great Snake Hole In The Ground (i.e., I lost it).

Rather than try to learn new map software, and phsyical layout -- muscle memory matters! -- I will persist with Garmin. Touch screen is a non-starter (affected by scratches and, as my iPhone has shown, impossible to operate with gloves on). Since new 60csx units are on the Amazon antique market for $489+, or more than Garmin's latest top-of-line touch screens, a 1-for-1 replacement is also a non-starter. So, it looks like my choices are a 62-something or a 64-something, probably an s-model for the 3-way stabilized compass. (No need for t-model topo, and hate dual use devices, so no need for a c-model camera.) The 62s gets 20 hours to the 64s 16 hours, both on two AA batteries. The 62s only has 1.7g memory, to 4.0g for the 64s. I read somewhere the 62 may have some ruggedness/noise issues, though physically they appear identical. (Even their dimenions, weight, etc. are the same.)

So, 62s versus 64s ... opinions?

kingsnake wrote:as my iPhone has shown, impossible to operate with gloves on

[-X
gazillions of choices for conductive/touchscreen gloves. try the google machine.

I've been extremely happy with my 76csx for years, but since it is a bit limited on tracks/waypoints/etc., I figured it was time to upgrade before the only choices are touch-screens, which I simply detest.

So... after looking around at the options I settled on the GPSMap62st. I really did not like the pricing at Garmin ($449.99 for 62st & $349.99 for the 62s) so I kept checking around and ended up buying it from Your Electron Zone (through Amazon) for $298 & no sales tax.

The 62stc was a no go because I didn't need, want, or want to pay extra for the camera feature, besides my Olympus TG-2 w/geocoding works great.

The 62st with topo wasn't necessary but I bought it because of the 4.7 GB of built-in memory compared to only 1.7 GB on the 62s. And since it has a world-wide topo and I'll be going to Tanzania next year I thought it wouldn't hurt to have that feature.

BTW, if you want to see a crazy me on our Tanzania 2015 trip intro video, check this out:
http://www.changephoenix.com/gv.html
Yup, I had to be a bit crazy to make up for Tracey's like-a-dead-fish enthusiasm, or lack thereof.

Oh yeah, more about the 62st:
While I like a number of features to the 62st, I still think my 76csx is/was a better unit. If Garmin had just added more waypoint/tracks capability along with more internal memory I would have bought one. (Are you listening Garmin? Right... I thought not)
Cons:
* Although both (62st & 76csx) have the same overall accuracy and the actual tracks are almost identical, the trip computer mileage error is unacceptable... 19% higher than actual! While I believe the trip computer mileage error is inherent to Garmins, my 76csx was only 2%.
* I do not like how long it takes to start up and connect with satellites, over 3 times as long as my 76csx.
* I don't like that I cannot shut it off and turn it on to start a new track (which I used to do with my 76csx)... it just tacks it on.
* Have to go deeper into menus to do the same things as my 76csx.
* I don't like how it turns on automatically with eternal power, and shuts off when it loses it. Why is that a problem? Well it doesn't have a solid connection for in-car use, or shall I say, in my Cherokee... the USB connection falls out easily, and when it does the unit shuts off. Sure I only have to re-insert the connector, but that is a big problem in my book....
So although I already own it and eventually I'll find a way to get along with its quirks, I'll continue using my 76csx in the vehicle.

Progress, for progress' sake isn't progress in my book...

I got by with my old eTrex Legend until it absolutely wouldn't function any longer; then I bought another one for $40.00. To make it usable, I went so far as to create custom topo maps so they'd fit in its puny little 8 meg memory space (8MB's!! - who'd ever need more than that!? ).

When Liz offered to sell me her 60cs, I was (and am still) elated. Granted, the firmware has some glitches I wish Garmin would fix (not likely...) but overall, it's a solid unit with enough features to keep me happy for a while. I'm not crazy about the touch-screen models mainly because they draw more power and don't really provide the extra usability to justify the cost (...for the record - there are some nice gloves available that work with touch screens...). And even though I pretty-much hate BaseCamp, I know how to make it do what I want (and when I can't, Route Manager is awesome for fixing all the deficiencies). I hope my unit continues to function for several years; by then, maybe Garmin (or a competitor) will introduce a product based on actual customer feedback!

I just bought the 62s on closeout. I think it must be pretty good.. ;)
Grasshopper in a great pm gave me some good info, that 2 weeks later I'm starting to grasp.
I loaded Basecamp, no prob, loaded a free AZ. topo to my laptop.....1.5 hours....... :tt:
Now getting it to the gps.....
I think I may go with the Garmin topo which should be easier and hopefully better detail.
BTW, I don't even own a cellphone so this is all a tad foreign.

PLC85501 wrote:I'm not crazy about the touch-screen models mainly because they draw more power and don't really provide the extra usability to justify the cost

I thought it was interesting that a number of the touch-screen Garmins have a larger screen than the 62's for instance, yet taking into account how much of the screen is used for buttons the usable space is a fraction less.

PLC85501 wrote:maybe Garmin (or a competitor) will introduce a product based on actual customer feedback!

I'm thinking the folks who design them don't actually use them... kind of like engineers designing software only they can understand, instead of real world people doing the look/feel/flow design work then turning it over to the programmers to make it work that way.

Alston Neal wrote:I just bought the 62s on closeout. I think it must be pretty good.. ;)
Grasshopper in a great pm gave me some good info, that 2 weeks later I'm starting to grasp.
I loaded Basecamp, no prob, loaded a free AZ. topo to my laptop.....1.5 hours....... :tt:
Now getting it to the gps.....
I think I may go with the Garmin topo which should be easier and hopefully better detail.
BTW, I don't even own a cellphone so this is all a tad foreign.

A "tad foreign?" I'm on my third GPS and still don't know how to work the damned things. What's Basecamp? What's Mapsource? I tried to find out one time but it was, well, all too foreign for me. ;)

Alston Neal wrote:BTW, I don't even own a cellphone so this is all a tad foreign.

What, no cell phone? - a take off from the movie Second Hand Lions....

@Alston Neal
If you loaded base camp did you get SW topo with it, it's real user friendly for putting onto GPS..it will be under a diff. Icon called map install maybe you are like duh I know that, but it took me a minute to figure out on Saturday myself...

@Alston Neal
Holy, Pumpkin!! You posted at 1742 hours... wife got you stranded at the shop (because you probably don't drive, either... ;) )!?

PLC85501 wrote:@Alston Neal
Holy, Pumpkin!! You posted at 1742 hours... wife got you stranded at the shop (because you probably don't drive, either... ;) )!?

Yes art walk night....the Mrs. is making me talk to the people who are walking in.

FriendofThunder, I went to gpsfiledepot and downloaded just AZ. So I think I'll just get the Garmin SW, it's got to be easier