Recommend GPS Units

[scott_killian1]

Can anyone recommend any particular brand or model of GPS unit? I've considered getting one for some time, mostly to keep track of how to get back to my car when hiking in remote locations. It would also be nice to mark locations that I might want to come back to at some point. I'm also wondering if they can be used to navigate backroads - are the maps detailed enough to do this?

 

I know plenty of hikers and backpackers use them, but I was looking for the perspective of fellow photographers.

 

Thanks!

[brooks short]

Scott,

 

For Backpacking you'll want a smaller unit. One that can load topo detail would be a good choice. For car or motorcycle a gps with a larger screen, larger buttons and the ability to load street level detail is a good choice.

 

In the Long Distance motorcycle community, Garmin is the recognized leader for gps road navigation. I would recommend the StreetPilot or the 176 for the car or bike. For backpacking the Etrex is reasonably priced but there are several other models worth looking at.

 

Go to www.tvnav.com and check out all the Garmin GPS models.

[alex_hawley]

Scott, another resource to check are the outdoor sports catalogs like Cabelas or Bass Pro. There are several hand held models available. Don't use one myself so can't make any recommendations. My Delorma atlas has GPS grid markings on all the maps.

[z_z1]

I use a Garmin e-Map. It's great and very accurate. I GPS all my picture spots. I also use it to predict where the sun will be at any given time so when I am travelling I can make sure I'm in the right place hopefully at the right time.

[don_miller2]

When working an area, I keep mine on during the day to track where I've been. (I like to wander) When I get home I download the track to my home computer. I then use this info planning future trips. I have the Magellan 330 and their U.S. map. This unit is three years old now but I have no plans to replace it. Garmin is the market leader and a good choice, but paying for a U.S. map from that company is relatively expensive. (Most of these units contain a general map of interstates and most state roads. But for lesser roads and other detail you need to download a section map from purchased PC software. The size of the memory in the unit determines the size of the detail map it can hold. For example, my unit can store a major metropolitan area or a small state.)

<BR><BR>

 

A couple of points. <BR><BR>

-GPS often does not replace paper maps and compass, especially for wilderness hiking.<BR>

-When deciding on a model, look at total cost including software and accessories. The units themselves are fairly inexpensive but the software maps can be somewhat costly.<BR>

-Consider using waypoints to mark photo locations. If you number your shots sequentially in a notebook, just enter that number as a waypoint in the gps. <BR><BR>

 

I recommend starting with a fairly inexpensive unit. At first you may try to do every map function with the unit, but after a month or two you will use it less and only in the situations where it's the best tool. I'm sure many people here have these devices so when you get down to looking at specific units someone should be able to help.

[dave_mueller]

I use the bottom model of the Etrex for marking locations, and a paper map for roads. USGS 7.5 minute maps are about $5 apiece and a lot easier to read than a little LCD. The Etrex will keep a track of your path, and will allow you to navigate backwards on the track. I'm happy with it so I haven't bothered to look at the newer units that have mapping built in. The USGS maps are usually very accurate and do include 4x4/dirt roads, I don't know if the electronic maps would have them. If you look around, you can usually find a website with maps for your state. Search for for "drg usgs topographic" and include your state. They're big TIF files, but helpful to determine which maps you want to buy.

[brian_c._miller]

Map and compass. Or something equally cheap and reliable.

 

Last year I went with friends to the central Oregon desert. My friends are amateur geologists. I thought that they could read maps.

 

Wrong.

 

He brought a GPS and then left it at camp. I brought an old GPS which could get sattelite lockup only in open fields, so it functioned just great in the desert. We went trekking across the farm back roads of Oregon in my truck.

 

My friend said, "The GPS shows us to be up here on the map, but I know we're down here. The GPS must be wrong." So we drove around a bit, and finally I stopped at a local farmer's house for directions, to the agonized protests of my passengers. The old farmer who answered the door said, "You have an old map!" We got accurate directions and we were on our way.

 

We got to the paved road, missed the turn to our original destination, and then went on a tour of Oregon's more bleak spots, including the no-so-bleak Lost Forest. (its like the forest lost its way going to the mountains, not that somebody forgot where they put it) And along the way we went though a ghost town which was no longer there.

 

My recomendation: if you really, really, really want one, then buy something cheap. They all do the same things, its just a matter of how many bells and whistles they have. My Garmin from the age of the dinosaurs will keep track of your trail, its just that it has problems getting sattelite lockup, eats batteries, and its big and heavy.

[pemongillo]

Scott,

 

I have used a few different kinds of GPS units for work and recreation. My vote goes to the Garmin etrex. Inexpensive, light, easy to read, very easy to use and will run on the same batteries all day. This is the unit I use for recreation and it is also the unit I use for my fish survey crews during the field season here at work. The only disadvantage it has is very small. You have to be moving for the direction it points in to be correct. The more expensive models have a buit in magnetic compass for this, but I think you pay about $100 for that feature. You have to have a compass anyway in case the unit breaks. I wear the GPS and an inexpensive compass around my kneck when I'm navigating. Works great !

 

Paul

[eric_burgess]

I second (and third) the vote for the eTrex. It's cheap and does the job. I always bring a hard copy of a topo map if I'll be out awhile, or if I have a specific point in mind.

 

The only negative with the eTrex (and I'm not sure if it is with all GPS units), is it is pretty poor in heavily forested areas. It really needs to have a clear view of the sky. I don;t know if more expensive ones are any better.

[ardea]

I would NOT get a GPS unit without "trackback" capability. That said. I would not venture far afield or upon the ocean without a good chart of the area and a descent compass and the knowledge to use them for a back when your GPS goes south....Happy Navigating!

 

Regards,Richard

[ardea]

That should read "back up"

[dick roadnight cotswolds]

I use an Etrex Summit for walking off-road, and tom tom (for the Nokia 9100) for roads and driving.

 

The Etrex is good for finding the spot you can see from which you can take a pictue of where you are.

[garrett_kwakkestein]

Here are my thoughts on GPS units in the field. The most important thing to remember is that they are SECONDARY sources for information. Your PRIMARY source needs to be a topographical map and compass. Then mastering their use. GPS units will give you coordinates, mini maps, sunset times, where your partner fell over board, instructions on how to tie your shoes, but will fail to guide you to your destination if they malfunction. The old adage of �putting all of your eggs in one basket� is very representative of the usage of GPS�. Please don�t get me wrong, I am a self confessed gear nut. I love the technology, and the asset they provide. However, being a backcountry photographer, I will rarely bring my GPS with me. The ability to terrain-associate the contours of the 7.5 minute topographical map, and shooting an azimuth with a compass is much easier, safer, lighter, and reliable in most conditions. (ie but not in a deep canyon, in heavy dense trees, sometimes at night, and on the water in my kayak � where the back up is nice). It sounds like your use of interest lies in the documentation of the locations you�re shooting, and how you get too and from.

 

But with that said, I just noticed Garmin has a new ultra light (3 oz) GPS called the Geko. Two versions: 101, and the 201. The prices are ~$100 to ~$140 respectively. They are very small and simple providing only really necessary info that�s needed. The other Garmins are about 5+ oz though. This new thing seems like a good supplement to a navigation system. I just can�t emphasize how important a map an compass are. There are soooo many people going into the backcountry with just a GPS, and running amuck. After working on a Mountain Rescue team for several years, my understanding of navigational aids and their importance comes with first hand experience.

 

Here is what I carry at all times: Silva Ranger compass, 7.5 minute maps of any anticipated area I might venture into, back up wrist compass, gallon and quart size Ziploc bags to hold maps. This system is the most reliable system hands down, period.

I have found that the wiz bang toy-factor of having a GPS is more common than their necessity, in most conditions. Once I had the epiphany and realized their cost-benefit ratio of weight vs. necessity of information they provided and reliability, I found I left it at home more often than not.

 

Good luck in your quest for success.

[garrett_kwakkestein]

www.rei.com

 

http://www.garmin.com/outdoor/

[stephen_altman]

My etrex broke, but until it broke it worked very well. It gives your bearing relative to points which you mark in the unit (either while you are at the point or while you are entering its coordinates from a map) which means that, with a compass, one can look in the direction of one's destination even if that destination is out of sight. This is very useful in low visibility, rugged terrain, etc. I have found this to be the most useful feature of the etrex since, if you have any map/compass skills, you will only need to turn it on for a second to get your bearings. I used it for about a year on a regular basis (once a week or so) without changing the batteries. But now it's broken...