Looking to buy a GPS

[Elliott]

I am (like the title says) looking to buy a good handheld gps unit that i can use to track my whereabouts while hiking/hunting etc. Anybody have any good recommendations, looking to spend about $200

[pianoman9701]

save your money until hunting season and get a better one. By then, a Garmin Rino 655T should be about $400 and you'll never need another. Radio is included. So are 100K maps. 24K are $20 extra, so are sat images.

[Heredoggydoggy]

I doubt if you'll find much of a GPS for $200.    

[HighCountryHunter88]

If your set on the 200$ price range your looking at the etrex series. Like already stated i would save a little and get one a little higher end. I recommend the 62 series. 

[Bob33]

A new Garmin eTrex 20 lists for $200; street price is $180 at REI, and probably around $150 if you watch for it to go on sale. It does the GPS basics very well.  Adding more money buys you bigger displays and additional features like magnetic compasses and radios, but if you want to accurately mark waypoints and tracks, add maps, etc. then it would do very well.

[Heredoggydoggy]

I had a GPS a few years back.  I got tired of trying to read a map on a tiny screen, and went basck to maps.  A GPS is good if you get lost.  I never worry about getting lost.  I've found some good places by getting lost.... 

[Alchase]

Where a GPS shines is in what I call the "way back" or backtrail function 

I never worry about getting lost, but I do worry about going miles out of my way in the wrong direction, LOL

Some people call that being lost, I call it scouting in extreme conditions 

Way points and backtrail, I use allot. I record it when I get home on my PC with notes of the hunt. I can then see some cool spots near where I was, that I did not even know were there and probably walked right past.

[yajsab]

For that amount, try searching for the 60C series.  I have one and it's performing well.

If I had my GPS, me and my friends wouldn't have circling around all night in the cold forest.  We knew where we were at, but just couldn't get to the truck.

[timberghost72]

For that amount, try searching for the 60C series.  I have one and it's performing well.

If I had my GPS, me and my friends wouldn't have circling around all night in the cold forest.  We knew where we were at, but just couldn't get to the truck.

  Thats what I was going to respond with. Find a used 60CSX. One of the best GPS's out there IMHO.

[KenPCPilot]

The Garmin Oregon Series is a reliable yet inexpensive unit.  You can pick one up your price range.  With additions of map software cards you can navigate on and off road.  I just upgraded from an Oregon 400t to a Montana 650t so my son can use on on his motocross bike.  I have found it very useful for scouting and hunting.  I can mark waypoints to rememeber like game trails rubs, bear sign etc.  You can create and save tracks for getting into a hunting area.  I upload my saved files easily into Google Earth to get a birdseye view of the areas I am hunting.  This last year it was extremely dry hunting elk.  I was able to find water sources that I would have otherwise bypassed without the GPS and sure enough the game was much more concetrated around water.  My only grip about the Oregon series is battery use.  Realistically I get about 4 hours of continuous use with alkaline batteries.  I use the d/c adapter in my car for road navigation.  I have a ram mount on my dual sport motorcycle and love it for going way off road and finding trails to get away from road hunters.  Tracking and animal is the other important use.  This year we found the blood trail and then it just stopped.  However with the tracking inidicator showing on the map view I could see the direction the deer seemed to be headed.  We did circles and found the deer.  With the bread crumb tracking you can visually see on the map areas you have already searched for an animal and waste less time being redundant.  I GPS is a tool that I always use in my hunting trips and scouting.  Good luck in your purchase.  There are some real cheap units out there but have very limited use other than to get you back to the truck if you get lost. 

[KenPCPilot]

The Garmin Oregon Series is a reliable yet inexpensive unit.  You can pick one up your price range.  With additions of map software cards you can navigate on and off road.  I just upgraded from an Oregon 400t to a Montana 650t so my son can use one on his motocross bike.  I have found it very useful for scouting and hunting.  I can mark waypoints to remember like game trails rubs, bear sign etc.  You can create and save tracks for getting into a hunting area.  I upload my saved files easily into Google Earth to get a birdseye view of the areas I am hunting.  This last year it was extremely dry hunting elk.  I was able to find water sources that I would have otherwise bypassed without the GPS and sure enough the game was much more concetrated around water.  My only grip about the Oregon series is battery use.  Realistically I get about 4 hours of continuous use with alkaline batteries.  I use the d/c adapter in my car for road navigation.  I have a ram mount on my dual sport motorcycle and love it for going way off road and finding trails to get away from road hunters.  Tracking and animal is the other important use.  This year we found the blood trail and then it just stopped.  However with the tracking inidicator showing on the map view I could see the direction the deer seemed to be headed.  We did circles and found the deer.  With the bread crumb tracking you can visually see on the map areas you have already searched for an animal and waste less time being redundant.  I GPS is a tool that I always use in my hunting trips and scouting.  Good luck in your purchase.  There are some real cheap units out there but have very limited use other than to get you back to the truck if you get lost.

[Heredoggydoggy]

I had a Garmin 60CS.  The 60CSX is the next model with the advanced circuitry.  When my newest computer with Windows 7 wouldn't accept the map programs, I boxed it up and Ebayed it down the river.

[Bob33]

For that amount, try searching for the 60C series.  I have one and it's performing well.

If I had my GPS, me and my friends wouldn't have circling around all night in the cold forest.  We knew where we were at, but just couldn't get to the truck.

  Thats what I was going to respond with. Find a used 60CSX. One of the best GPS's out there IMHO.

The 60CSX is a great model. Unfortunately, if you find one it will probably be selling for more than you paid for yours. Amazon sells new ones for $639. If you find a used one under $300 you'd better grab it.

[bobcat]

I wish I'd of bought at least five of the 60 csx's when Cabelas had them on sale for $199.   

[Mudman]

What?  600$???  The 650 series does so much more then 60 series, why would you want 60 for that kind of money?  655/650 does everything great!  Nothing better.