Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board GPS Suggestions

I am looking to getting a GPS unit for hiking. Any suggestions?

Thanks

After many years of faithful service, I upgraded my Garmn Vista to a Garmin 60CSx. I wanted a color screen with better illumination under low-light, and one that tracked satellites more quickly and stayed "locked on" better. Overall, I've been satisfied with it.

For slightly less money, consider the Garmin Vista HCx. It's nearly identical in performance/features to the one above, and is less $$.

For either model, consider getting Garmin's Topo 2008 software, which can replace the factory basemaps provided in the GPS as well as other useful functions. Eventually, you may want to invest in NG Topo state series, or other excellent programs on the market.

Garmin has two new product lines - Colorado and now Oregon. It may be a little early to determine whether the features justify the additional expense.

I also have the Garmin 60CSx, and am very happy with it. I added the Garmin Topo's for Calif, Oregon, Nevada and Washington. Too many features to mention. Best Tip- I bought mine from Amazon, which was $100 less than REI.

I carried my 60csx down the Muir Trail this summer. It sucks batteries even on the low power setting - about 2 AA every 12-16 hours. Not a huge deal if you do shorter trips, but for a long hike like the Muir, I will probably only carry a GPS again if I am doing a lot of off trail hiking.

I'm not impressed with the Garmin Topo maps either - they are barely ok to locate yourself properly if you compare the display to a proper topo map. On the open road, when traveling, I have found 20 year old roads not included in the Garmin Topo map.

I primarily use it on my motorcycle and for that use (hardwired, high quality mode) it is perfect. Rain has not bothered it (75mph cross country, at least 1000 miles in the wet)

It is a great unit and from what I understand it still is a top model, even thhough I bought it 2 years ago.

Fishmonger - the newer 60Csx are somewhat better re: battery consumption.

I use primarily 2700 mAh NiMH with my 60csx. I've turned off WAAS and the compass, and get about 20 hrs on 2AAs. On Li, it lasts a LONG time.

NiMH and alkaline do poorly in the cold; often the battery meter (which is based solely on output voltage) will show only 1/4 charge right away on a cold day... yet I have gone for 10 hours on what was initially 1/4 battery.

Nowadays, if I'm doing something that requires a fair amount of time investment, I use Li. E.g., this summer I packed up to Shepherd Pass one day, climbed Tyndall and Williamson the next, and packed out on the third. One set of Li AAs lasted the entire trip, plus the next weekend.

The battery meter for Li is bogus; it will read full for a long time, then give you about 15 minutes of suddenly declining indicator before the unit gives off the beep-beep alarm. Li batteries have a fairly flat voltage profile until they go fully discharged.

Li batteries must be slightly discharged before use in a 60csx -- e.g. put them in a flashlight for a few minutes.

I sold my Garmin 60CSx so that I could get a Garmin Oregon. So far, it's worth it's weight in gold! The touchscreen is SO nice. I haven't had the opportunity to use it on a hiking trip yet, but I've used it for geocaching and the accuracy is very good. Can't wait to get this baby out on the trail!

Once you've had a chance to hike with it a few times, perhaps you can share with us the features you found useful which your other Garmin didn't have.

I will definitely make a post after I've hiked with it.