Handheld GPS System Recommendations?

[taskswap]

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.

Since smart-watches came up let me chime back in. I have a Garmin Instinct Tactical watch. You can tell which one right away because I think it's the old one they sell that's Flat Dark Earth in color (medium brown).

It's a better than average watch. It's a terrible GPS. It takes forever to establish a lock if you go from indoors (where it doesn't work at all) to outdoors. The info on the GPS screens is too small for me to read with my aging eyes and I'm not throwing on reading glasses just to do that. And the controls are confusing to me. This isn't "VCRs are hard to program" here. I'm a software engineer by trade, and I'm here to say that four buttons and a small screen do not make a useful GPS. I literally never use it for that purpose.

I'm not hating on Garmin, they have plenty of good products. But save your money - as a watch, this is not a winner. (I have a friend who says good things about the Fenix but it wasn't worth the money to me.)

[Gary Lewis]

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.

Yes, it is very frustrating when the GPS lags, and it does on my phone with either Gaia or AllTrails. We had several instances of having to stop and wait for it to catch up since we made the wrong turn a couple of times with bad info. And on some of those turns we had to back out 'cause turning around wasn't an option given the narrowness of the road.

As for getting the screen wet, no thanks. If it is raining I'll stay inside. One reviewer said the Montanas don't work in the rain and showed it under the faucet in his sink. Another said they work in a light shower. Personally, I'll stay inside as this is supposed to be fun and getting rained on isn't fun to me. (I lived in the UK for a while and got rained on a lot. Liked the place but not the weather.)

My Apple watch is fairly basic - the way I have it configured. My iPhone never rings. Instead, the watch buzzes. So I don't worry about going to church and causing a distraction. And I use it for some really quick canned text responses. But nothing more than that, and since I'm not planning to replace it I'm not even thinking about switching to a Garmin watch.

[Nothing Special]

Yes, it is very frustrating when the GPS lags, and it does on my phone with either Gaia or AllTrails. We had several instances of having to stop and wait for it to catch up since we made the wrong turn a couple of times with bad info. And on some of those turns we had to back out 'cause turning around wasn't an option given the narrowness of the road.

As for getting the screen wet, no thanks. If it is raining I'll stay inside. One reviewer said the Montanas don't work in the rain and showed it under the faucet in his sink. Another said they work in a light shower. Personally, I'll stay inside as this is supposed to be fun and getting rained on isn't fun to me. (I lived in the UK for a while and got rained on a lot. Liked the place but not the weather.)

My Apple watch is fairly basic - the way I have it configured. My iPhone never rings. Instead, the watch buzzes. So I don't worry about going to church and causing a distraction. And I use it for some really quick canned text responses. But nothing more than that, and since I'm not planning to replace it I'm not even thinking about switching to a Garmin watch.

Gary, you say you don't want a vehicle-mounted unit, but at least most of the reasons I've seen you give don't really apply to the "something intended for a vehicle" that I'm thinking of.I like the function of the Garmin hand-helds, but as was said, the UI isn't incredibly intuitive and the screen is small, really it's too small to use while you are driving. You either need a navigator looking at it or you need to stop to use it.

That said, I'm not suggesting something like my Garmin Drive 52. All that does is road navigation, which I know isn't what you are looking for.

But Garmin has products that are intended for vehicle use off road. On their website you can go to "Automotive - Off-Road" and get some. The Montana and inReach Mini are there, but so are Zumo, Tread, Overlander. I don't know about any of them in particular (other than that they are out of my price range for my fifth GPS!), but I'd definitely look into all of them before getting a hand-held for use in a vehicle.

As far as using them out of the vehicle, even my Drive 52 will connect to BaseCamp, and you can use any of it's features to get it set up while sitting in the house (or tent). It just doesn't have features that are very useful off road. So I'm sure any vehicle-oriented off-road-oriented unit will do that as well. The only downsides they have as a hand-held are that they tend to be a worse form factor to carry in your hand or a pocket, and the battery life may not be great since they'll usually be plugged in anyway.

So yes, look at mapping GPSs that will give you the features that the road navigation systems don't have. And if you want a GPS that you will hold in your hand (like for hiking) by all means get a hand held. But if you want it for use in a vehicle I'd really recommend looking at units that are intended for that.

And for what it's worth, here's a

I saved a while ago about GPSs for vehicles off-road. I haven't looked at it in a while, so I don't remember what it says. But I though enough of it to bookmark it, so you might find it helpful.

[Gary Lewis]

Gary, you say you don't want a vehicle-mounted unit, but at least most of the reasons I've seen you give don't really apply to the "something intended for a vehicle" that I'm thinking of.I like the function of the Garmin hand-helds, but as was said, the UI isn't incredibly intuitive and the screen is small, really it's too small to use while you are driving. You either need a navigator looking at it or you need to stop to use it.

That said, I'm not suggesting something like my Garmin Drive 52. All that does is road navigation, which I know isn't what you are looking for.

But Garmin has products that are intended for vehicle use off road. On their website you can go to "Automotive - Off-Road" and get some. The Montana and inReach Mini are there, but so are Zumo, Tread, Overlander. I don't know about any of them in particular (other than that they are out of my price range for my fifth GPS!), but I'd definitely look into all of them before getting a hand-held for use in a vehicle.

As far as using them out of the vehicle, even my Drive 52 will connect to BaseCamp, and you can use any of it's features to get it set up while sitting in the house (or tent). It just doesn't have features that are very useful off road. So I'm sure any vehicle-oriented off-road-oriented unit will do that as well. The only downsides they have as a hand-held are that they tend to be a worse form factor to carry in your hand or a pocket, and the battery life may not be great since they'll usually be plugged in anyway.

So yes, look at mapping GPSs that will give you the features that the road navigation systems don't have. And if you want a GPS that you will hold in your hand (like for hiking) by all means get a hand held. But if you want it for use in a vehicle I'd really recommend looking at units that are intended for that.

And for what it's worth, here's a

I saved a while ago about GPSs for vehicles off-road. I haven't looked at it in a while, so I don't remember what it says. But I though enough of it to bookmark it, so you might find it helpful.

Bob - You have a good point. I'm not against something intended for a vehicle, I just don't want something that is to be permanently mounted in a vehicle. So I'll look at the Garmin offroad offerings, which I really haven't done.

However, I do have a navigator. When Janey and I are going she navigates, and when our son and I go whomever is riding shotgun will be the navigator. So I'm not against a handheld if it has a big enough screen, which the Montana 700i and 750i seem to have.

So, let me do some high level looking:

• Tread® - Overland Edition: You have to go to the 8” All-Terrain Navigator version to get inReach, and that takes the price up to $1300. There is a neat bracket that could be put in one of the cup holders and the unit could be placed there when we hit the trail. But I wonder if the navigator could hold it if s/he wanted to? I think so as it has its own built-in battery, so maybe the navigator could hold it if so desired.

• Overlander®: I'm not seeing any inReach capability with this one, and that is a requirement. Maybe I'm missing it?

• zūmo® XT: Has to be paired with an inReach device, like the Mini, so doesn't have that feature.

• Montana Series: The 700i ($700) doesn't have a camera, but the 750i ($800) does. And the "i" designates inReach. The display size is only 5" diagonal, but my iPhone X only has a 5.85" display.

I'll do more research on the Tread, but it looks like it is the only one besides the Montana that does what I want - has GPS and inReach. However, the $1300 price tag is offputting, and the main thing I think it has is the larger screen size. Janey and I just talked about it and agreed that the iPhone X display was adequate so we think the Montana's would be as well.

But, I am no where near ready to buy so this kind of study will continue. I'll do more reading on the Montana vs the Tread and see what I find. Thanks!

 

[Nothing Special]

.... And for what it's worth, here's a

I saved a while ago about GPSs for vehicles off-road. I haven't looked at it in a while, so I don't remember what it says. But I though enough of it to bookmark it, so you might find it helpful.

I watched this video again. There are two things that might be useful to you in it.

One is the GPS unit he uses off-road, which is the Magellan TRX7 CS. He describes it as an almost perfect product with the worst on-line web interface that has ever been devised. I Googled it quickly and found a price under $500. But I emphasize "quickly." I really don't know anything about this other than that this guy recommends it.

The other is the OnX Offroad app. It works on an iPhone or iPad. Again, I know nothing about it other than that he recommends it.

[Gary Lewis]

.... And for what it's worth, here's a

I saved a while ago about GPSs for vehicles off-road. I haven't looked at it in a while, so I don't remember what it says. But I though enough of it to bookmark it, so you might find it helpful.

I watched this video again. There are two things that might be useful to you in it.

One is the GPS unit he uses off-road, which is the Magellan TRX7 CS. He describes it as an almost perfect product with the worst on-line web interface that has ever been devised. I Googled it quickly and found a price under $500. But I emphasize "quickly." I really don't know anything about this other than that this guy recommends it.

The other is the OnX Offroad app. It works on an iPhone or iPad. Again, I know nothing about it other than that he recommends it.

Bob - I forgot to say that I also watched that video and noted his statement about the "worst on-line web interface that has ever been devised". And that was a huge turnoff for me as you use the website to set up trips to then download to the GPS device.

Anyway, I think I'm getting a much clearer picture of the situation, probably due to having spent over an hour with a tech at REI and then 45 minutes with a tech at Garmin. And here's where I am:

Need/Desire: An accurate and speedy GPS unit that doesn't crash/freeze and can be used both in the vehicle as well as taken on a hike - if desired. And satellite comm's, like Garmin's inReach, which can provide those at home with location updates, provide the ability to text when out of cell phone coverage, and send an SOS if needed.

Possible Solutions: It looks to me like there are two ways this can be solved:

• Two Devices: There are a number of approaches to meet the need/desire by using two devices. For instance, I could go with a Garmin inReach Mini, which gives inReach as well as supplies better GPS coordinates to the phone, which would be running Garmin's app and Garmin's maps. The Mini costs $350, but that doesn't get all of the maps needed so you have to add to the cost. But that combo would, in theory, meet the needs - assuming the phone doesn't freeze/crash, which is a big assumption.

  Or, I could go with the Mini and a dedicated GPS device, like the Magellan TRX7 CS, which sells for ~$500 depending on where you buy it, for a total of ~$850. But you have two devices to keep track of, like with the phone, although the GPS device would surely be better than the phone.

• Single Device: From what I can tell no one but Garmin has both satellite comm's and GPS in one device. And there are two different devices there. First is the Montana 700i ($700) and the 750i ($800) which adds a camera. They both have a 5" display and are handheld devices that come with seemingly all the maps you could want, but you can add maps if you need to do so. And they are portable, meaning they can be used in a vehicle or thrown into a pocket or backpack to take on a hike.

  Or, there's the Tread Overland 8" ($1300) that has both inReach and GPS but doesn't have a camera. And it appears to come with all the maps you could want, but others can be downloaded as well. But it is designed to be mounted in a vehicle, not taken on a hike

I'm still in research mode, but it is starting to look like the Montana 700i or 750i is the way to go. From what the gentleman at Garmin said the main differences between those and the Tread Overland is that the latter has a bigger display but is designed to be used in a vehicle. And since Janey and I think the display on the Montana 700i is big enough, the ability to use the device on a hike and the much cheaper price makes the Montanas look like the way to go.

But I'm still open to other ideas.

[Nothing Special]

Bob - I forgot to say that I also watched that video and noted his statement about the "worst on-line web interface that has ever been devised". And that was a huge turnoff for me as you use the website to set up trips to then download to the GPS device....

That may be true, I'm not familiar with Magellan. But Garmin has the BaseCamp program you've mentioned where you don't need to access any web site for setting up trips or anything. If Magellan has something similar (and they may not) then their web interface might not be a big deal.

And one other thing you may not know, but there are tons of free maps available for GPSs. Sometimes you get what you pay for, but I've been pretty happy with most of what I've got.

[Gary Lewis]

Bob - I forgot to say that I also watched that video and noted his statement about the "worst on-line web interface that has ever been devised". And that was a huge turnoff for me as you use the website to set up trips to then download to the GPS device....

That may be true, I'm not familiar with Magellan. But Garmin has the BaseCamp program you've mentioned where you don't need to access any web site for setting up trips or anything. If Magellan has something similar (and they may not) then their web interface might not be a big deal.

And one other thing you may not know, but there are tons of free maps available for GPSs. Sometimes you get what you pay for, but I've been pretty happy with most of what I've got.

Bob - I found a copy of the owner's manual on the Magellan eXplorist TRX7 here. But looking through it I haven't figured out for sure whether you set up your trip on the device or the web via the device.

Literally the first thing they have you do after firing up the device is to connect to wifi. And from there I can't tell what requires internet access and what doesn't. But at one point it says "You can also create your TRX account or sync the account you created on your TRX7 with TRX Web, the TRX online application optimized to search for Trails as well as organize and publish your Track data." So that seems to imply that the way you set up a trip is via TRX Web.

However, I'm not sure how deeply I want to delve into that as I've realized that the TRX is a good-sized tablet that measures 10.4 x 6.5 x 4.5 inches, which compares closely to the Garmin Overland 8" measurements of 8.1 x 6.7 x 1.2 inches. Surely the 4.5" thickness of the Magellan is including a bracket, but basically it is as big as the Overland, and I think the Overland is too big.

I'm not ruling either of them out, but just saying that neither of them give the flexibility that I'm hoping to get - the ability to use it both in the truck as well as put it in a backpack to go hiking.

[Gary Lewis]

Bob - I forgot to say that I also watched that video and noted his statement about the "worst on-line web interface that has ever been devised". And that was a huge turnoff for me as you use the website to set up trips to then download to the GPS device....

That may be true, I'm not familiar with Magellan. But Garmin has the BaseCamp program you've mentioned where you don't need to access any web site for setting up trips or anything. If Magellan has something similar (and they may not) then their web interface might not be a big deal.

And one other thing you may not know, but there are tons of free maps available for GPSs. Sometimes you get what you pay for, but I've been pretty happy with most of what I've got.

Oops, I forgot the map bit. I see that there are maps to download of the various national forests, and I'm sure other great maps.

In fact, when we went to Lake Powell a few years ago we downloaded a map of the lake at the specific water level for when we were going. That let us know what obstacles would be a problem and what wouldn't. That map cost quite a bit, but was well worth it.

But having talked to the REI and Garmin guys today I think the ones that come on the Garmin devices, and probably the Magellan, will be a good start.

[JimJam300]

And the controls are confusing to me. This isn't "VCRs are hard to program" here. I'm a software engineer by trade, and I'm here to say that four buttons and a small screen do not make a useful GPS. I literally never use it for that purpose.

Effectively using bad user interfaces is a skill in itself. I'm unfortunate enough to have developed this skill through the nature of my career, which makes me a happy owner of the Garmin watch.