Cajunbowhunter: It depends on which model you get. The basic Etrex doesn't have mapping. I bought the Legend which does. The Vista is above the Legend and has mapping with more memory. My legend has 8 MB while the Vista has 23 MB.

David,

I forgot to check your other GPS thread. Did you decide to upgrade to a mapping unit? I am guessing that you did based on your comments above. They are awesome aren't they. I had a great time using mine on several occasions this past season. I used it on Saturday morning to find my way to a stand about a mile back in the woods which I had only visited on one other occasion. It worked very well.

Kip,

You can adjust the level of detail that you see on the mapping screen through your main menu. If you aren't getting enough detail initially then you can probably increase the amount another level or two. I am not sure how much this adds to the topo lines but it does give further info regarding streets and street names.

Glad you like the toy David. Nice country that Booneville, NY. Area around there like Tug Hill Plateau, regularly get anywhere from 1-2 ft. of snow overnite. GPS in those parts will be a great complement to your skills. Your neighbors probably have been scratching their heads about your actions for years. Oh well, we hunters can be a different lot from time to time.

David, you are correct that the topo maps aren't what you'd expect if know what a topo should look like. Unless the gps had a color screen it would be pretty difficult and would clutter the screen. I't seems you've found some good uses(finding your driveway, the bridge, and the pooh you left in the woods).
If you ever get bored and have nothing to do check out http://www.geocaching.com/
I find it a good excuse to get out and play with my gadget. If you don't know about geocaching basically people place cache in the woods and post the coordernates on the above listed site and you can go find them. They usually consist of a log, possiably a finders fee $, key chains, sun glasses or a number of random thing that people have left. It's a good way to become proficent with your gps..

ADAMS:..... now that's cool. I went there. Found several of those cache sites close to the house. Should be a fun thing to do when the deer season ends.

Thats it! I'm moving to Md. My season has been done for almost a month now.

We have 19 days of bow season left. I may just go this afternoon.

Bring the new cell phone Dave. When you bag that monster buck give momma a call and ask her to call Laura Bush. She'll convince George to send over MARINE ONE to airlift that trophy home for you. Go get em'. 19 days, I'm moving south.

David, all this talk you are doing about this do dad GPS is gonna make me go buy one, I guess you know that don't you? I have a few gift cards from Christmas for Bass Pro. I think I will need you to help me out though, playing those games Adam directed you to , I'm no where near as computer savey as you .

For those that want an inexpensive GPS, Garmin makes the Geko line. The Geko 101, (the one I have) regularly sells on Ebay for 50-60 dollars. A very basic unit that is as accurate as devices that cost much more. I only tracks 4 satellites, and is not WAAS enabled, but it has never failed me even in heavy cover. It's real accuracy is typically in the 10 to 15 foot range. It has a convenient Trackback feature that will follow a "breadcrumb" trail of waypoints back the way you came.It will store up to 500 waypoints, as well as elevation, and speed readings. It is tiny and easily fits in a shirt pocket. No bells and whistles, just simple lightweight reliable location mapping. It's waterproof too! Garmin makes a Geko 201 and a Geko 301 as well, with a few more features.