Handheld GPS System Recommendations?

[Gary Lewis]

I'm looking for recommendations on a handheld GPS system, and preferably one with satellite communications, like Garmin inReach. That's 'cause we had a bunch of issues with not knowing where we were nor where we were going, so I am looking for something that solves that problem.

Yes, I know that Gaia has an app for smart phones, but it works horribly on my iPhone X, freezing frequently and not allowing zooming or scrolling w/o usually causing problems. In fact, it is so bad that I've given up on it as it has failed us many, many times.

And yes, there's Alltrails, which also has an app for smart phones. And it actually works well on my phone w/o freezing. However, there were several instances when we did something wrong and got out of the app and getting back in w/o cellular coverage was iffy and took quite a while. And, it doesn't show altitude nor the ability to take a pic and have it tagged to your location - unless I missed it.

So I'm looking for a dedicated unit that does GPS. And, I'd like the satellite bit since much of the time on the trails we are out of cell coverage, and on the trip we just took we spent two days deep in the Ouachita National Forest and didn't see a soul. So if we have a problem we are out of luck.

Two units I've found that do GPS and have the satellite comm's are:

• Garmin Montana 750i: Yes, it is expensive. And from everything I've read Garmin's UI is antiquated - one reviewer likened it to "your mother's flip phone". But it gets the job done w/o freezing.

• Garmin GPSMAP 66i: Yep, it is also expensive. But the reviews I've read and listened to give it high marks.

So, what are you folks aware of?

[taskswap]

I'm a die hard phone user but I definitely don't use AllTrails or Gaia. My recommendations here are more for Android users but some of these apps are available on both. For all general hiking, hunting, scouting, etc. I use Locus Maps. It has the best general "tools" and has both a free and paid version (well worth it, it's only a few dollars). Locus lets you download an entire state for offline access.

For hunting I also use OnX Hunt and for off-roading I use OnX Offroad. These cost considerably more, but still way less than dedicated hardware and have modern interfaces. You can download offline maps as well, but for high res versions you have to download a 5mi block at a time. I think they do it to prevent map data theft. That's usually big enough for most purposes but sometimes you need to download 2-3 blocks to get the whole area you want.

For "additional data" I use Caltopo. Their app is newer and less mature but they have some interesting layers (recent fire activity, weather high/low gradients so you know which sleeping bag you'll need to bring, etc.). It also syncs to their Web app which I use a lot for scouting/planning. I have also used (and still pay for, as a backup) Basemap, but I find their interface less intuitive. Just my 2c.

Additional apps that have redeeming features:

- Alpine Quest

- Avenza Maps

- COtrex

- Google Earth

- Gohunt Maps

As for hardware, I regularly carry an InReach Mini, which is both a satellite messenger and a GPS in its own right. Its GPS functionality is very basic but when paired with their mobile app it's actually quite good. I use it to send my wife "I'm here, safe for the night" daily check-ins when I'm out alone, and my hunt buddies "need a pack-out here" messages when there's no cell service. Which... Colorado... that's most of the state.

I'm an "ounce fiend" so I have less to comment on the handhelds that contain their own screens, which tend to be bulky and heavy. So I guess this isn't really answering your question, but I thought I'd share anyway in case it helps others.

But if I was forced to carry one ,it would probably be the Garmin InReach Explorer+. That gives you both a modern and functional GPS AND a satellite messenger in one unit. I would personally get this even if I didn't want the messaging. You don't have to use it - but if you ever wanted it, you'd be ready to go. And they have a "Freedom Safety" plan for $14.95 with no commitment, so you just have it for 30 days and then it ends. It's great for "maybe I'll take that trip to Montana some day" folks that just want a decent GPS in the meantime.

[Gary Lewis]

I'm a die hard phone user but I definitely don't use AllTrails or Gaia. My recommendations here are more for Android users but some of these apps are available on both. For all general hiking, hunting, scouting, etc. I use Locus Maps. It has the best general "tools" and has both a free and paid version (well worth it, it's only a few dollars). Locus lets you download an entire state for offline access.

For hunting I also use OnX Hunt and for off-roading I use OnX Offroad. These cost considerably more, but still way less than dedicated hardware and have modern interfaces. You can download offline maps as well, but for high res versions you have to download a 5mi block at a time. I think they do it to prevent map data theft. That's usually big enough for most purposes but sometimes you need to download 2-3 blocks to get the whole area you want.

For "additional data" I use Caltopo. Their app is newer and less mature but they have some interesting layers (recent fire activity, weather high/low gradients so you know which sleeping bag you'll need to bring, etc.). It also syncs to their Web app which I use a lot for scouting/planning. I have also used (and still pay for, as a backup) Basemap, but I find their interface less intuitive. Just my 2c.

Additional apps that have redeeming features:

- Alpine Quest

- Avenza Maps

- COtrex

- Google Earth

- Gohunt Maps

As for hardware, I regularly carry an InReach Mini, which is both a satellite messenger and a GPS in its own right. Its GPS functionality is very basic but when paired with their mobile app it's actually quite good. I use it to send my wife "I'm here, safe for the night" daily check-ins when I'm out alone, and my hunt buddies "need a pack-out here" messages when there's no cell service. Which... Colorado... that's most of the state.

I'm an "ounce fiend" so I have less to comment on the handhelds that contain their own screens, which tend to be bulky and heavy. So I guess this isn't really answering your question, but I thought I'd share anyway in case it helps others.

But if I was forced to carry one ,it would probably be the Garmin InReach Explorer+. That gives you both a modern and functional GPS AND a satellite messenger in one unit. I would personally get this even if I didn't want the messaging. You don't have to use it - but if you ever wanted it, you'd be ready to go. And they have a "Freedom Safety" plan for $14.95 with no commitment, so you just have it for 30 days and then it ends. It's great for "maybe I'll take that trip to Montana some day" folks that just want a decent GPS in the meantime.

Thanks for the suggestions. As said, I do want some form of "inReach", but it doesn't have to be Garmin's. However, from what little bit I've read, like on 2022 Best Satellite Messengers | Garmin inReach, Zoleo & Somewear, Garmin appears to be the best.

You carry the inReach Mini for exactly the reasons I want something like that - so others can follow us, so we can tell them "we are there", etc. But please tell me about the pairing it with "their mobile app"?

From what I'm seeing:

• inReach Mini = $357 and has to be paired with a phone to have GPS functionality. And it came out in 2018.

• Garmin inReach Explorer+ = $700, but still needs to be "paired with mobile devices using the free earthmate app for access to downloadable maps". And it came out at the beginning of 2017.

• Garmin GPSMAP 66i = $600 and has its own 3" GPS screen. Doesn't say anything about pairing with a phone from what I've seen. And, depending on the model of 66, it first came out in early 2019.

• Garmin Montana 700i is $700, or $800 with an 8MP camera, and has a 5" screen. And it doesn't seem to need to be paired with a phone either. Plus, it seems to have just come out at the beginning of 2022.

So we have the Mini as the entry level but needing to be paired with a phone for navigation. Seems reasonable but now you have two devices.

But the Explorer+ and the Montana 700 are both $700 and the latter has its own screen for navigation where the former needs to be paired with a phone. So why go Explorer over Montana?

And then there's the 66i, which is $600 but does it all but with a smaller screen than the 700.

Thoughts?

 

[Nothing Special]

Thanks for the suggestions. As said, I do want some form of "inReach", but it doesn't have to be Garmin's. However, from what little bit I've read, like on 2022 Best Satellite Messengers | Garmin inReach, Zoleo & Somewear, Garmin appears to be the best.

You carry the inReach Mini for exactly the reasons I want something like that - so others can follow us, so we can tell them "we are there", etc. But please tell me about the pairing it with "their mobile app"?

From what I'm seeing:

• inReach Mini = $357 and has to be paired with a phone to have GPS functionality. And it came out in 2018.

• Garmin inReach Explorer+ = $700, but still needs to be "paired with mobile devices using the free earthmate app for access to downloadable maps". And it came out at the beginning of 2017.

• Garmin GPSMAP 66i = $600 and has its own 3" GPS screen. Doesn't say anything about pairing with a phone from what I've seen. And, depending on the model of 66, it first came out in early 2019.

• Garmin Montana 700i is $700, or $800 with an 8MP camera, and has a 5" screen. And it doesn't seem to need to be paired with a phone either. Plus, it seems to have just come out at the beginning of 2022.

So we have the Mini as the entry level but needing to be paired with a phone for navigation. Seems reasonable but now you have two devices.

But the Explorer+ and the Montana 700 are both $700 and the latter has its own screen for navigation where the former needs to be paired with a phone. So why go Explorer over Montana?

And then there's the 66i, which is $600 but does it all but with a smaller screen than the 700.

Thoughts?

I don't know that I can help much here. I don't have any experience (and very little knowledge) of satellite communications. From what I think I know, the inReach type units are pretty limited in how much you can communicate. I think they are text only (no voice), with a limited number of messages, and limited number of characters per message. Might be fine for what you want, but don't think it's a cell phone for when you don't have cell phone service.

I do have a little experience with hand-held GPSs. I have an OLD Garmin 60 CS and about a 6 year old Garmin Astro 320. They have the same size screens, which are adequate for hand-held use, but are pretty hard to use when mounted on the dash in a vehicle. Unless you want something to be able to use while on foot I'd recommend getting something intended for a vehicle rather than a hand-held. Although something that pairs with a phone to use a larger screen would take care of that issue too. Then again, while I'm recommending a bigger screen, I'm not following my own advice anytime soon. I use the Astro for bird hunting, so the small size is important there, and it works well enough in a vehicle that I don't plan on getting a second unit.

For what it's worth, the Astro has an interesting feature where you pair an additional GPS receiver with it and it will show on your one screen where you are and where the other receiver is. The other receiver is attached to a collar that you can put on a bird dog, so it's a good way to keep track of your dog(s) while hunting (and you can pair several collars with the same hand-held to track several dogs at once). Since I have it I've thought about the possibility of putting the collar in another vehicle in the group so you can see where your tailgunner is for instance. But I wouldn't buy an Astro if I wasn't using it to track a dog. But other than the dog tracking it's very similar to other Garmin hand-helds in function.

Another thing I now think of is buttons vs. touch screen. For dog tracking Garmin has the Astro with buttons, but they also have the Alpha which has a touch screen. Not needing real estate for the buttons the screen can be larger. But I've heard people complain that you can't use it with gloves on, which is a pretty big factor for me while bird hunting. I don't think that would be as much of a factor for in-vehicle use, but it might be something to keep in mind.

And as I ramble a bit here, some features that are important to me are the ability to create and use waypoints and tracks. Probably any GPS will have some ability to load them from a computer and display them on the screen. But at least the less expensive road-oriented versions don't seem to create waypoints or tracks very easily, if at all.

[taskswap]

I don't know that I can help much here. I don't have any experience (and very little knowledge) of satellite communications. From what I think I know, the inReach type units are pretty limited in how much you can communicate. I think they are text only (no voice), with a limited number of messages, and limited number of characters per message. Might be fine for what you want, but don't think it's a cell phone for when you don't have cell phone service.

Absolutely true. They're limited to very short messages, they're not satellite phones. But for a lot of folks like me that's all we really "need" - just enough to send "I'm safe, I'm at these coordinates."

Gary, I'm just showing how dated my knowledge is with my earlier response. The Explorer+ was the only model they had the last time I looked at these. And it frankly didn't seem worth the money. I just got the Mini and paired it with my phone. But the Montana is brand new and looks much better. Definitely worth a look if you want a standalone unit.

[Gary Lewis]

I don't know that I can help much here. I don't have any experience (and very little knowledge) of satellite communications. From what I think I know, the inReach type units are pretty limited in how much you can communicate. I think they are text only (no voice), with a limited number of messages, and limited number of characters per message. Might be fine for what you want, but don't think it's a cell phone for when you don't have cell phone service.

Absolutely true. They're limited to very short messages, they're not satellite phones. But for a lot of folks like me that's all we really "need" - just enough to send "I'm safe, I'm at these coordinates."

Gary, I'm just showing how dated my knowledge is with my earlier response. The Explorer+ was the only model they had the last time I looked at these. And it frankly didn't seem worth the money. I just got the Mini and paired it with my phone. But the Montana is brand new and looks much better. Definitely worth a look if you want a standalone unit.

Yes, the satellite comm's are just for text messaging and SOS. But there's another aspect of it that I'm interested in - the ability for others to see where you are. It would be very comforting for Janey to be able to see where we are, compare that with our planned route, and see that things are going well. So I've been planning to get an inReach device for some time and just didn't know what one.

Then, after trying first Gaia's iPhone app and then AllTrails I've come to the conclusion that I want a dedicated GPS device. And as I looked at them I realized that I can get both in one device.

But, I don't think I want a vehicle-mounted device. I don't need it for driving on the highways as Google Maps on my phone does what I want there and gives me turn-by-turn guidance through my stereo system. But Google Maps doesn't have the forest roads we were on and doesn't have the ability to work offline. So I want the handheld that I can take with me into the house to set up routes, into the tent when we are on a trip so we can discuss tomorrow's route, etc. And as with Gaia and AllTrails, I'll use an on-line app to set up the routes initially and then download that to the device. I think Garmin calls that Base Camp, and it is on there that you create the waypoints and tracks.

I think I really like the Montana series. The 750i because it has the camera that allows you to take pictures and know exactly where they were taken. But the camera isn't that great of a unit so the 700i is of interest as well - especially since it is the same price as the older Explorer+.

And going back over my "wants", I want something that isn't fiddly such that looking at it crosswise won't send it into a tizzy. Gaia and AllTrails both do that, with Gaia being the worst, by far. And when they go into a tizzie I have to stop and sort them out.

Plus, I want something that is quick. Both Gaia and AllTrails lag so much that several times I took the wrong turn because it hadn't caught up with us. In fact, we got to the point where we'd pause at an intersection long enough for it to catch up since we found that turning around on some of those trails was a huge pain.

I haven't purchased yet and probably won't for some time, so please keep those suggestions coming in.

[Megiddo]

Yes, the satellite comm's are just for text messaging and SOS. But there's another aspect of it that I'm interested in - the ability for others to see where you are. It would be very comforting for Janey to be able to see where we are, compare that with our planned route, and see that things are going well. So I've been planning to get an inReach device for some time and just didn't know what one.

Then, after trying first Gaia's iPhone app and then AllTrails I've come to the conclusion that I want a dedicated GPS device. And as I looked at them I realized that I can get both in one device.

But, I don't think I want a vehicle-mounted device. I don't need it for driving on the highways as Google Maps on my phone does what I want there and gives me turn-by-turn guidance through my stereo system. But Google Maps doesn't have the forest roads we were on and doesn't have the ability to work offline. So I want the handheld that I can take with me into the house to set up routes, into the tent when we are on a trip so we can discuss tomorrow's route, etc. And as with Gaia and AllTrails, I'll use an on-line app to set up the routes initially and then download that to the device. I think Garmin calls that Base Camp, and it is on there that you create the waypoints and tracks.

I think I really like the Montana series. The 750i because it has the camera that allows you to take pictures and know exactly where they were taken. But the camera isn't that great of a unit so the 700i is of interest as well - especially since it is the same price as the older Explorer+.

And going back over my "wants", I want something that isn't fiddly such that looking at it crosswise won't send it into a tizzy. Gaia and AllTrails both do that, with Gaia being the worst, by far. And when they go into a tizzie I have to stop and sort them out.

Plus, I want something that is quick. Both Gaia and AllTrails lag so much that several times I took the wrong turn because it hadn't caught up with us. In fact, we got to the point where we'd pause at an intersection long enough for it to catch up since we found that turning around on some of those trails was a huge pain.

I haven't purchased yet and probably won't for some time, so please keep those suggestions coming in.

Since you are looking at being remote, I would make sure that it carries the maps you want in memory and doesn't require an internet connection to update the maps.

If you are looking for just faster GPS position updates you can look at Garmin GLO or Bad Elf receivers. They connect other devices via blue tooth and take position fixes about 10 times more often than the receiver in your phone. They don't have a map display but can make your phone or other device (even some Gamin GPS units) much more accurate.

[JimJam300]

My dad and I have been using the older Garmin GPSMap units since the early 2000s. I have a 2012-ish GPSMap 62 and it's not much different than the older ones, so I'm not sure how much different the latest and greatest is from mine. The interface is not the intuitive and it's slow, screen is a bit small, but rugged and reliable. Mine uses AA batteries which is convenient if you don't have a place to charge it. There are better options if you're ever planning on mounting it to a vehicle. I only use it for heavy-duty navigating now that I have a Garmin Instinct Solar.

A couple of my motorcycling buddies use the InReach because it has the SOS button. However I've heard rumors that searchers will often ignore your calls for help via GPS because false alarms happen so frequently.

I will tell you that even the worst Garmin is still good because you can get maps of dang near anything.

[Gary Lewis]

Since you are looking at being remote, I would make sure that it carries the maps you want in memory and doesn't require an internet connection to update the maps.

If you are looking for just faster GPS position updates you can look at Garmin GLO or Bad Elf receivers. They connect other devices via blue tooth and take position fixes about 10 times more often than the receiver in your phone. They don't have a map display but can make your phone or other device (even some Gamin GPS units) much more accurate.

Megiddo - The Garmin i700's come with a lot of maps, but as tcbaklash said, you can get maps of just about anything.

But I hadn't heard about Garmin GLO or Bad Elf receivers. One of those might help on the speed issue we've had, but there are so many other issues I'm just ready for a dedicated unit that will, hopefully, solve the many problems. However, I'll read up on those receivers.

tcbaklash - Good to see that Garmins have been good for quite some time. I've never owned one but have heard good things about them.

But I don't want to mount something in the truck. However I do want to create a place for it to be placed - maybe on the front of the console.

As for the Garmin Instinct Solar, I have an Apple watch. And while mine is several generations old I still love it so am not ready to change. But if I did it would be to a later model of the Apple watch so it could connect with other things. (When I fired up Gaia I discovered that if I had a later model watch it would connect and give me turn-by-turn on the watch.)

So, I'll be fine with any Garmin? Great! (But the UI isn't intuitive. )

[JimJam300]

Megiddo - The Garmin i700's come with a lot of maps, but as tcbaklash said, you can get maps of just about anything.

But I hadn't heard about Garmin GLO or Bad Elf receivers. One of those might help on the speed issue we've had, but there are so many other issues I'm just ready for a dedicated unit that will, hopefully, solve the many problems. However, I'll read up on those receivers.

tcbaklash - Good to see that Garmins have been good for quite some time. I've never owned one but have heard good things about them.

But I don't want to mount something in the truck. However I do want to create a place for it to be placed - maybe on the front of the console.

As for the Garmin Instinct Solar, I have an Apple watch. And while mine is several generations old I still love it so am not ready to change. But if I did it would be to a later model of the Apple watch so it could connect with other things. (When I fired up Gaia I discovered that if I had a later model watch it would connect and give me turn-by-turn on the watch.)

So, I'll be fine with any Garmin? Great! (But the UI isn't intuitive. )

If you're just on foot, the speed at which you and the GPSMap work together is probably not that big of a deal. I feel more frustrated when using it for off-roading. I think something to consider is that touch screens are more convenient than physical buttons, but not if the screen is wet.

The Garmin watch has satellite GPS, but as far as I know, you can only track yourself or view your surroundings (including pins you place on the map). I don't think you can get any directions on it. It's an extremely basic device.