Best handheld GPS for adventuring, quading, and hunting

CreeperSleeper

Looking for bigger rocks.
First off, I am a GPS noob. I have no idea what I'm doing, so I need something that is easy and quick to use. I will be using it in my wheeler, on my quad, and in my pack. I want topo maps and POI like old mines and stuff. I also need it to show roads (even old ones) and be able to add my own roads and mark them. Should be all basic stuff. I'm thinking about buying a Garmin GPSMaps 64s and adding 24k Topos to it. Is there a different unit that I should consider instead? What are the best 24k maps to get? Is there something I'm missing? Any advise would help, I'm wading into completely unknown waters!
 

deserteagle56

Adventurer
Garmin Montana series.

At last count I believe I have 5 different GPS units and for convenience and utility, the Montana has them all beat. Yes, it's expensive if a new unit - but I'm hearing that the refurb units Garmin sells are just as good as the new ones.

1. Power source. There is an accessory for the Montana called the AMPS Rugged Mount that the Montana clips in to. That mount not only holds the GPS unit but also provides 12 volt power - allows you to have a bright, always-on screen. Every other unit I know of uses USB for power - and the USB port will not stand up to heavy use and vibration. I've had my Montana 600 since they came out several years ago and it has never failed me. I used it in my Jeep, my quad and on my dirt bike...and it's survived some horrendous crashes better than my body did. I also hike with it - you can lock the screen, stick it in your pocket, hike for hours and the battery will still show the power level as almost full.

2. Download Garmin's Basecamp (free) and learn to use it. People complain about how difficult to use Basecamp is but I'm an old computer-illiterate dummy and I have no problems with it. Then go to gpsfiledepot.com and download the maps you want. Also free. Whether you want to spring for the Garmin 24k topo maps is up to you. I did, because the Garmin maps are routeable which most other maps are not. So when I want to create a track to follow I first create a route in Basecamp and then have Basecamp convert the route to a track. (If you've not used routes or tracks, a route will always try to guide you to your destination. Works well on-road, not so good off road. A track is just a line on the GPS unit, a highlighted road for example, that you can choose to follow or not.) The Garmin 24k maps are sadly out of date - there's a lot of back roads they don't show. There are other maps out there, some free, some not. Open street maps is one with no topo data. Abovethetimber.com has great maps for hiking. I have multiple mapsets loaded onto the microsd card on my Montana and choose the one I find most handy for the riding I'm doing.

Here's my dirt bike near Kanab Point north of the Grand Canyon, with both Delorme PN-60 and Garmin Montana units mounted:


This is a shot of the Montana showing the SB Point area. There are many different parameters you can have the Montana display along with the map:


Or you can turn off the informational display and just see a bigger map:


If you prefer the portrait orientation the Montana will automatically compensate:


The gpsfiledepot topo maps provide even more detail when loaded onto a automotive type GPS unit. This is my 7" RV760LMT. The green squares are public land. You will not find this level of detail on most other maps.


Any more questions, ask away!
 

rayra

Expedition Leader
The older Garmin eTrex and Legend series were (are) also great at those uses, and handlebar mounts etc were made for them. You should be able to find many varieties of those secondhand for very little money. Their software and functions haven't changed a great deal, so anything you learn on one would carry over to a newer model. So there's a path there to start for very little cost to see how it suits you and learn firsthand what features you like or find lacking, before spending a good bit more on a sexier new model.
memory capacities and memory card options have grown greatly in recent years, allowing you to shove all sorts of detailed into in these handheld devices.
 

CreeperSleeper

Looking for bigger rocks.
Thanks for the suggestion. I'm having a lot of people telling me to get a IP68 Android phone and use Giai GPS. I've been trying to research that out and it seems a lot more confusing than just running a handheld GPS. What do you guys think?
 

Airmapper

Inactive Member
Thanks for the suggestion. I'm having a lot of people telling me to get a IP68 Android phone and use Giai GPS. I've been trying to research that out and it seems a lot more confusing than just running a handheld GPS. What do you guys think?

While using a smartphone as a GPS can be wonderful, smartphones eat battery for lunch especially when GPS is active. I'd look very closely at anticipated power consumption and availability of power sources before using it as my only option.

If you are only going to be out a few hours or have decent access to 12V power to keep it topped off, a smartphone can work. However, I think standalone handheld units do much better for rugged use. I remember going out on kayak trips and hiking, and running a handheld GPS all that time, for 6 hours+ on a few AA batteries.

Smartphones can also get glitchy. Older handhelds usually have extremely stable software and internal mapping, meaning if it does goof up, with just a reset or taking out the batteries, and it's probably going to come back around and probably won't loose any data. Also touch screens and dirty hands is probably a bad combo, tactile buttons are easy to manipulate even when they are filthy.

I'm not saying a smartphone is a bad idea, I use mine as a handheld GPS and love it. But if I was going out away from a vehicle for the day, and wanted to keep the unit on most of the time for checking progress and recording a track, I'd probably stick with a rugged IP rated handheld clipped to my backpack strap, and leave my phone powered down in a waterproof container safely inside the pack saved for an emergency.

A good quality dedicated handheld can take a beating, I used to Geocache a lot and more than once dropped them on pavement, had them out in the rain slinging water off them wet, even fell down once and caught myself with the GPS in my palm screen down in the gravel, and they always kept on ticking. My main Geocaching unit was waterproof, and I put on a screen protector and had it in a fitted case with a belt clip and lanyard on it, it looks beat to hell but take it out of the case and put a new protector on it and it's like new.

All depends on your use, if you stay close to a vehicle and won't be endangering the unit excessivly, you can go a lot more fancy and modern. If toughness is key, I'd keep it old school.
 

CreeperSleeper

Looking for bigger rocks.
That is kinda what I was thinking. It seems a handheld would be more durable and reliable. I also think it would be easier to use. I just want to make sure I'm not out of like on that thinking.
 

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