Trail GPS

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comradealexie
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Trail GPS

Post by comradealexie »

I am going to be doing a fair amount of riding in places that I have never been before, and would like some kind of GPS to assist with finding my way back to civilization. I will have my phone with me, but would prefer to have something smaller, more durable, and with better battery life to strap to my handlebars. I have seen some reviews pointing towards the Garmin Montana, but it's a bit expensive for me at the moment. The Garmin Etrex 20 and Garmin Oregon seems to have used available at a more affordable price. I don't need a GPS with a ton of features, I just need something I can put a map on and use to navigate to waypoints. I am not married to any particular brand. Any thoughts or recommendations?

here are some listings I've found for the Etrex and Oregon
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Garmin-Oregon- ... SwAitdD1pS
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Garmin-eTrex-2 ... Sw2EZdDOIL
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bufftester
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Re: Trail GPS

Post by bufftester »

I run RidewithGPS on my smartphone for recording GPS tracks, and have an old Garmin eTrex Vista C that I use as a backup. It has a track back feature and comes with a decent set of maps. Avenza app on smart phone allows GPS enabled maps from multiple sources and works offline. I use to have an old Garmin Edge 200 cycle computer that was great at recording tracks and providing track back, but one of my crashes a while back rendered the screen unreadable lol. The eTrex 20 is the newer version of the Vista, and the Oregon a newer version of the 20. All can be easily mounted on the bars, or clipped to a pack strap. I also have a RAM mount for the Vista, but usually use that on my road bike. I usually turn them on and stick them in the back pocket of my backpack and they work fine. The small hand helds are good as you can use them off the bike as well, but don't believe that you'll be reading them while the bike is moving, the screens are just too small. You can take a look over at ADV Rider they have an entire forum devoted to GPS navigation HERE
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ericr
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Re: Trail GPS

Post by ericr »

I use a Garmin Montana myself but it's the mapping that's important. If you use a Garmin, you'll need the Topo 24k maps. If you're in the Northwest, there's an overlay for those topo maps that provide all the trail names. It's called Northwest trails from switchbacks.com. I think similar overlays are available for other regions from various sources. Using Garmin's free Basecamp software, you can plan your route on a PC and download to the device.
It can then give you turn-by-turn route guidance on the trail - just like a car! An inexpensive alternative is to use an old smartphone with Maprika, a free app for iOS and Android. I'm not familiar with it but have heard people say it's great.
'02 KDX 200, '02 KDX 220 - My restoration thread
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VTMTcowboy
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Re: Trail GPS

Post by VTMTcowboy »

Not trying to hijack the thread, but does anybody use the Garmin GPSMAP 64 S or ST? Not a tech guy, so I am not sure if the extra $50 is worth it for the ST. Never used a GPS, but I tend to ride alone more often than not and figure it might be smart investment. The Montana's look nice, but a little more than I would like to spend.
1997 KDX 220
2004 KDX 200
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bufftester
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Re: Trail GPS

Post by bufftester »

The difference between the S and the ST is that the S doesn't come with the TOPO maps, you'd have to buy them separately. Its a decent unit, very similar to the Etrex line. It is pairable to a Iphone, but as I said before, I prefer Avenza or Maprika on a smart phone.
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VTMTcowboy
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Re: Trail GPS

Post by VTMTcowboy »

bufftester wrote: 11:23 pm Jun 27 2019 The difference between the S and the ST is that the S doesn't come with the TOPO maps, you'd have to buy them separately. Its a decent unit, very similar to the Etrex line. It is pairable to a Iphone, but as I said before, I prefer Avenza or Maprika on a smart phone.
Right on, I'll certainly check out those apps prior to any purchase. Thank you.
1997 KDX 220
2004 KDX 200
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