ETREX 20 or DAKOTA 20?

[carpsniperg2]

I have been bombing around looking at gps units. I was wondering if anyone is running either of these units? I am looking for a new gps to use with the huntingmaps sd chips. So I am open to other options as well. I have looked at most of the units compatible with these sd cards and these two stick out the most to me. So any info would be great! Thanks...

[Mudman]

Im using the rino 655t with huntsdcard and love everything it does.  Awesome unit but pricey.  The best screen of two you listed would be a consideration.

[carpsniperg2]

By best screen do you mean the biggest?

[Mudman]

Yes and color resolution.  If you can download birdseye sat. imagery on these that is a great feature to have and only cost like 30$. It really helps to have this to get your bearings and find clearcuts, creeks,swamps etc.

[carpsniperg2]

Gotcha thanks.

[Fisherdave10]

I recently got an eTrex 20 and used it for the first time earlier this month for a weekend of elk hunting.  I really like the unit and I love being able to load all kinds of (free) community created maps onto it.  My favorite features include the tracker, the GPS+GLONASS satellite accuracy (I had it down to 9ft accuracy in the woods) AND lock-on speed, and then plugging the unit into the computer and importing my tracks onto Google Earth to see where I have been, which is extremely easy.  The battery life has also impressed me.  I had it on the entire time we were moving during the elk trip (including driving), and it still (now) shows 4/4 bars in battery life.

Things I don't like:  Navigating around the maps using the thumb stick.  You can't move diagonally, only up/down and to the sides.  Not a big deal if you're just using it, but annoying if you're trying to look around the map.  I also wish the screen was a little larger, but it is very usable as it is.

I bought the Garmin carabiner clip accessory so I can clip it to my shoulder strap of my backpack.  It is very handy there.
This GPS unit is a huge step over what I previously had (Magellan eXplorist 210).  I definitely recommend it.  My dad said he wants one for Christmas after seeing it in action on our hunting trip.
Free maps -> http://www.gpsfiledepot.com/maps/  I have a 1:24k (high quality) Topo map and NW trails map loaded onto it.  It shows ALL trails.  I use an 8GB microSD card.

[carpsniperg2]

Thank you, great info!

[Bofire]

I have the etrex 30, works good but, the screen is too small and the map it comes with is VERY general, I had to drop $100 on a chip to get good Topo for Washington, Oregon and Idaho.
Carl

[adamR]

carp, I've got a dakota 20... I really like it but the wife is prego so I have to start selling some toys.  It's only a year old and I have only used it maybe half a dozen times in the field but it's like brand new. 
Pm me if you want to save a little money.

[Fisherdave10]

Don't pay Garmin for maps either.  The topo map I got is excellent and it cost $0.  There are a lot of free maps out there.  I even got a property ownership map.  They're all free. 

24k topo: http://www.gpsfiledepot.com/maps/view/95/
http://www.gpsfiledepot.com/maps/state/wa

[huntingfool7]

tagging

[300rum]

I used an Etrex 20 for the first time this season.  I was debating going with the Oregon unit but went with the Etrex 20 for price and battery life.  I used it in Montana and Idaho in two places I have never been before.  I did subscribe to Garmin's Birdseye topo and imagery subscription.  The Topo was great and bailed us out once when trying to find water in Idaho.  The imagery is o.k., I don't think it is necessary but, for instance, in Idaho we kept on finding bucks in bitter brush pockets on South slopes in the morning.  We could easily find "green" pockets using the imagery and set up to spot them where maybe you would overlook them because they were down in the canyon or out of sight when on top of a ridge.  In Montana, just got back two days ago, I used it with the chip. 

The Etrex 20 really is great, I couldn't have done the hunts without it.  It easily scrolls to different pages and is simple, very simple to use.  The battery life is excellent, I mean more than needed.  I think that it says the batteries last 30 hours or so and that is plenty of time.  The only thing that I don't like about the 20 is that inside your pocket the toggle will get pushed/moved and you will find yourself on another screen and other times you will find that it has marked 10 waypoints in your pocket.  This isn't that big of a deal though as a couple pushes of the "back" button and you are on the screen where you left it.  The 20 also has plenty of internal storage for downloading the Imagery and Topo maps from Birdseye, you can also use another micro chip to download more but I find that it has plenty of internal space for the maps.  The unit it very small and light and I like that it easily fits in a breast pocket.  The screen is plenty big and it is kind of fun to be able to see all the blm and state land available as you are driving down the road.     

[huntingfool7]

The sales guy at Sportco in fife says the Dakota has a much better antenna than the Etrex. 

[LeeMajors]

I just ordered a Rino 650.  I like the Dakotas, but having the radio as well as touchscreen GPS is a better option for my purposes.

[carpsniperg2]

Thanks guys real quality info

If I go that route adam I will let you know. The wife has been saying xmas present so I don't know what she is going to do