Thinking of buying a GPS. Need your feedback.

[camperholland]

I have the TomTom one and its great for the price. When you connect
it to the Internet it always updates the software.
Happy Camping
Bill

[mjsmith1223]

I have a Garmin GPS12 that I got quite awhile ago.  It's not as fancy as today's units, but it does a great job at marking waypoints and guiding me to a waypoint.  It basically has the same features and funtionality as an eTrex.  I've used it for fishing in Lake Michigan to mark where a fish hits.  It helps to be able to troll over the same spot when there are no visual references to bring you back.  I've also used it to navigate back to the pierheads when fog rolled in.  It's next job will be on my kayak to mark bluegill holes on some local lakes.  It has been knocked around inside the boat by waves on Lake Michigan, soaked by rain and spray, knocked onto the floor of the car, dropped in the woods while hiking and it keeps going.  Garmin builds them tough.  I can't speak to the acquisition performance in valleys or mountains as I live in Michigan.  It does seem to do fine in heavy tree cover.  Hope this helps.

[chasd60]

The new Delorme Earthmate GPS PN-20 has been getting good reviews.

http://shop.delorme.com/OA_HTML/DELibeCCtpSctDspRte.jsp?section=10106&minisite=10020

[AlaTex]

I have 2 Garmin GPS hand held units - The oldest one (eMap) is no longer sold.

The newest one I have is a Garmin GPSMAP 76CSx with color display. I have had it about a year.  It has a 1 GB memory chip in it.  Will hold a considerable map base.  It has auto routing and is waterproof.  I use it in the auto on portable mount when traveling and carry it by hand or in pocket.  I use it on most trips, also boating.  It was very useful on recent trips to Alaska, Hawaii, and Europe last year.  I always take it camping.  I have had no problem with it.

I leave for a 850 mile trip to Texas tomorrow and will be going camping in GSM NP next week.  I will use the GPS on both trips.  The routes are already loaded for both trips as well as a recent camping trip to Florida.

[campdaddy]

We have an old Garmin Rino 110. Very basic unit but it does what we want, and it does it real well, which is mostly for geocaching or for hiking. It can be real handy to find your way back to your starting point. It also has the  FRS  two way radio which can be a real nice feature if you have family members that you want to communicate with in other nearby areas.

[sacrawf]

I got a Garmin Etrex Vista in a package set at Gander Mountain Sports which included a case, the MapSource topo maps CD's, and a computer attachement cord.  I added to that a bicycle handlebar mount and a suction cup windshield mount.  Waterproof and tough, it has served me well for a year of hiking, boating, bicycling, and geocaching.  The MapSource software is great for checking out a new camping location, scouting fishing spots, and just desktop exploring of the topo maps. The download routes function is great for saving and printing bicycle century rides or training ride data and hiking routes, including the elevations.  The disadvantages are: occasionally debris gets stuck around the control button and it is difficult to dislodge while on the trail, and the monocolor display screen washes out and becomes difficult to read in direct sunlight.  Memory for topographic map download space is limited. For the price, I would get another one.

[CC777]

TomTom Go 510 here.  We call her "Lola."  Lola has almost been thrown out the bloody window and only escaped after we found out the cause of the confusion was...ahem..."user malfunction."

It is actually a very useful tool.  I don't think it replaces a nice atlas because I tend to like to map out routes as we are going.  We went from Myrtle Beach to Charlotte and enjoyed taking some back roads...couldn't have done it without my handy dandy atlas.  

I'll let Lola come on more trips as she's rather good at getting us "unlost" and finding restaurants and such.


CC

[mykwalker1]

I have a Treo 650 Smart phone and found the Tom Tom Navagator works great for me.  I have only run into one missing/closed road situation and only a couple of restaurant closures.

I love the fact that you can add routes/waypoints to direct your driving to the ways that you'd like to go and always know how far you have left.  

It makes driving a lot more enjoyable ... no more looking for a left on route 34 or whatever.  I can enjoy the sights a lot better now.

I'm sure once you use it ... you'll be happy with anything that you get.

Good Luck!

[campdaddy]

You need first to determine what your needs are. If it's just a basic unit from here to there and back or do you want one with all the bells and whistles? Topo maps? Dual use hand held and street directions? FRS radio? There are endless possibilities, however I would recommend whatever features you want to get a Garmin. There are other manufacturers but in my experience you won't go wrong with a Garmin of almost any model.

[GeneF]

I have the TomTom 510.  We have had it about 2 years and the more we use it the more we like it.  Really great for getting unlost.

[CajunCamper]

Thanks for all the help, I went with the Garmin eTrex Legend. Now all I have to do is play with it and learn the different functions.

CajunCamper

[wynot]

I have put it off long enough. I now want a GPS and would like to know from those of you that own one what you like and dislike about your GPS and what features you feel are necessary and which ones are un-necessary.
 
CajunCamper

We have a Garmin StreetPilot 360.  Does what we need, but we learn new things all the time.  One thing to note - I think every screen has a corresponding setup screen - makes it challenging to find things with your thumb going 65 miles an hour.
 
Courtesy of our GPS, we have forded several creeks, driven down dirt roads, gone to restaurants that weren't there (never had been), and found delightful routes that we wouldn't have known to take.
 
Wouldn't be without it, but sometimes, you just get upset with it too.  Don't think you can give up your maps.

[wynot]

TomTom Go 510 here. We call her "Lola." Lola has almost been thrown out the bloody window and only escaped after we found out the cause of the confusion was...ahem..."user malfunction."
 
It is actually a very useful tool. I don't think it replaces a nice atlas because I tend to like to map out routes as we are going. We went from Myrtle Beach to Charlotte and enjoyed taking some back roads...couldn't have done it without my handy dandy atlas.
 
I'll let Lola come on more trips as she's rather good at getting us "unlost" and finding restaurants and such.
 CC

Ours is named Agatha.  Sometimes Aggie forgets that we can't make turns after passing the corner...  By and large she is reasonable.  Make her recalc about 6 times in 5 minutes and you can hear her getting absolutely irate.  Sometimes we do it just to irritate her...

[aw738]

I have a Magellan Maestro 3100 and used it to get to the Eastern Ralley last year. It work as I expected it would. It was very helpfull finding lodging and resturants as well as up comming exits.

[GeneF]

The prices are certainly dropping.

Best Buy had a Garmin for $299 and TomTom for $199 after rebates.

Could new models be coming out and time to get rid of the older units?