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

I'm thinking about getting a handheld GPS unit for a backpacking trip this September and was wondering if anyone with knowledge about GPS could direct me to some helpful resources. And don't worry, its not replacing my topo maps and compass. Its more for fun.

The two units I'm looking at right now are the Garmin GPSMAP 60CSx GPS and the Garmin eTrex Vista HCx GPS. I'm open to opinions, advice, etc. Thanks.

both good choices - I use the Vista and doubt I will need to replace the unit with anything fancier unless I lose or destroy the unit.

Good to hear. That's what I'm leaning towards. I like the cheaper price and the fact that its smaller. Other than screen size and the antenna, it doesn't seem like there are major differences between the two units.

I find the antenna in the CSx to be worth the extra $$. It picks up signals underneath a jungle canopy low down on Kilimanjaro. They're both still great models though.

I agree, the antenna is worth it. I was skeptical at first, but tried 2 models, one with an antenna and one without. The reception was a lot better with the antenna model.

If you want to save some $$$ just get the GPSMAP 60.

I use Lithium batteries in mine. They are more expensive than alks.but they seem to last about 3 times longer - lighter weight - work better in cold weather.

love my 60csx - use it on the motorcycle hard wired, and in the mountains I use Lithiums (get 'em on ebay - much cheaper). On normal AA batteries in low power mode, the 60 csx runs about 18 hours, with Lithiums about 80 hours, or about 5 days. Note that Lithium batteries are also 30% lighter than regular alkalines.

Side note - the regular 100k topo map is good enough for basic orientation. The new 24k maps are much more detailed in terms of contours, but actually include less trails. they also are completely useless for on-computer use to plan routes. You cannot load the 24k garmin maps into their mapping software.

I mostly use the GPS to keep my kids motivated while hiking - the readout about daily miles completed, moving time versus resting time, altitude gained, all that brings about all sorts of math games (because they get cash for some of these things).

Turns out most trails are quite a bit longer than maps indicate. At the end of this summer, I'll post what my Garmin thinks the actual distance of the John Muir Trail is, but I am already quite certain it's well more than the official number.

Dont leave your compass or maps at home - the one thing I miss on a GPS is a good area overview - there's nothing like a big map spread out on a log to plan the next day.

I guess I'm just a little skeptical as well. I'd be willing to spend the extra money if I was convinced that the antenna on the 60 would be a major improvement. The more I read about the two units, the more unsure I become on which to get. I'm going to check them out in the store today. Maybe that will help me with my decision.

This is good to know. I was considering buying the 24k topo garmin maps to load on the unit. Would you suggest getting the 100k over these then if I'm planning on using them mostly on the unit? For trip planning on the computer I was thinking about purchasing the Nat. Geog. maps.

I can't really tell you how much better the 24k maps are, because I can't look at them until I am in the state again... actually, now that I think of it, I guess I could zoom out massively and then scroll over to California and zoom in somewhere 1800 miles west of my actual location. Have to try that when I get home.

I only have the 100k maps for nationwide use and it is really good enough for orientation, especially on the motorcycle when running down forest roads, etc.

The 100k stuff is good enough to realize that you're lost and how to get back, which is probably all you really need if you also carry a map and are not completely clueless about how to use them.

I like to plan road trips with the topo maps because you can then turn these tracks into directions while you're driving when the GPS will tell you a turn is coming up you need to take. On a hiking trail, all that stuff is rather pointless, which is why I got the 24k maps, allowing for more detailed terrain representation. I missed a turn last year once in 200 miles, only because the 100k map on the GPS was too crude for the area this happened in. Less 1 mile later I was aware of the mistake, though. The Garmin 100k topo maps are not good enough to do any serious planning of a sierra hike to a place where orientation is critical.

I used the GPS more for tracking speed and as a barometer than anything else. Also helped that most of the trails we hiked I'd been on several times before.

The Vista HcX - has a good sensitive chip - I have never had reception problems anywhere in California and even get satelite lock inside my house. It worked well within my budget - so antennae should not be the "no sell" factor. Personally the $$$ factor would be my decision maker. Both units accept the same mapping software and data.

regarding reception - I never lost reception with the 60csx ever, Sierras, deep in valleys and canyons, nor while abusing it on a dirt bike in the wisconsin woods. Basically, it is built like a tank, and probably overkill for somebody who just needs a unit for hiking. Mine spends most of its use hours here:



None of my tracks in the mountains were ever interrupted unless I ran out of batteries or shut the unit down.
My 60 csx lasted through 1300 miles of rain at highway speeds, riding back from Idaho to WI and never missed a beat, never leaked. It boots up in the house and finds some satelittes. Outside it grabs almost always 12 satellites at full or near full reception when in the open.

It is heavier than other GPS units, though, but tolerable at 200 grams (7.1 oz). I think there's a reason this particular model has been for sale for several years now, and the price hasn't changed either. I think I went through two firmware upgrades since I got mine in 2006.

Well, after checking them out at REI I went with the 60CSx. I really went there thinking I would get the Vista, but I didn't like the controls. So the decision was rather easy. Thanks for all the helpful info!

A question on maps. Has anyone used the free maps out gpsfiledepot? I'm downloading a CA topo map from there now. I figured I'd try it out before shelling out money for garmin's maps. Just wondered if anyone has used both and how they compare.

Thanks!

My two cents worth, if it's worth that.
I have used a Garmin GS Map 60CS for the last couple of years and have had absolutely no problems with. It takes 2 AA batteries and to me, personally, it's not to heavy. I clip it to my packs chest strap and I don't even know it's there. It tracks great and even when I'm in the middle of nowhere, it will call up the closet restaurants, as if that was really important. I love using it but always have my map and compass at the ready.

Based on really very little direct experience with the new ones, I had seen and liked the Garmin 60csx. What impressed me was the built in map set. Good scale and seemed (?!) usable in the backcountry. Other GPS units I've seen just have a background color, an occasional lake or peak and maybe the Muir Trail once you get away from a road or city.

Which is all to say what would be important to me would be the maps included. If you're going to buy additional maps (which seems like kind of a rip-off, since USGS digital maps are freely available), then the 24K set is the most useful for the backcountry. Magellan stuff imports Topo! maps and used to include their software & maps. I think Garmin you've got to buy their sets for various zones (there is software that will convert to their proprietary standard, but it's not really ready for prime-time).

I think accuracy of all these things is certainly good enough for almost all uses: +/- 30 feet at worst has been my experience.

As a side note, I use a PDA loaded with ArcPad (mapping software from ESRI) & 24K USGS maps and a bluetooth GPS.

g.

geek

I never had a different brand GPS so I don't know how good those 100k Garrmin topo maps are. They are ok and there's plenty of detail. It even has names for "first crossing" and "second crossing" for the places where the Fish Creek trail crosses the stream.

I downloaded a 1GB sized free 24k topo map somebody created for Garmin, but never installed it after reading the small print that they had some serious trouble matching up the metric 24k maps wit the non-metrics along the contour lines. I spend $76 to get the Garmin 24k map instead

I just downloaded and tested out that same map. I don't like it very much so I think I'm going to just get the garmin map.

I have personally tested the Hcx, 60csx and 76csx. If you want to just whip it out once in a while and get a location, either the 60csx or Hcx will do; they both are good at locking onto signals and have similar feature sets. But for serious GPS use, the 60csx is much better in 2 important areas:
1. The screen is much easier to read.
2. I found some serious tracklog problems with the Hcx. On some occasions the tracklog would shift several hundred feet off course for an extended period. Probably a multipath rejection problem; this usually occurred when hiking next to a rocky 45 degree slope.
So I use the 60csx and the little guy got ebayed.

The 60csx has a shorter battery life, but still you get 2 full days of hiking on one set of good quality rechargeables (Sanyo). The 76csx has nice big buttons, but the reception is less sensitive - it's targeted for the marine market where users have a clear horizon. Battery life is inversely related to sensitivity. The 60csx is pretty much considered the gold standard in accuracy in consumer grade models - just check the reviews on Amazon for these units and rechargeable batteries; you can also find map loading workarounds there (I haven't tried that yet - my legacy paper map investment is huge).

George, what kind of PDA are your using? A Juno? I just won a Juno on ebay this weekend, and soon will be trying one out...

I ended up getting the 60csx. I ran into a strange problem with it. I would be zooming in on one of the free maps that I downloaded from gpsdepot and the screen would slowly fade and then the unit would turn itself off. It happened multiple times. Well, after some internet searching I found that others have had a similar problem. Rather than messing with it, I exchanged the unit. The same thing happened with the next unit. I bought the garmin maps when I exchanged the unit. I decided to get rid of the free map and switch it with the garmin one. For some strange reason, the unit is no longer turning itself off. I'm going to continue to play with it. Hopefully, it was just a problem with the particular map - although I'm not sure why that would be causing the problem.

did you update the firmware of the unit? You can do that from within the Mapsource software. May help. I never had that problem with my unit, but I also never used any non-garmin maps.