Help me buy a GPS.
 

Hey all i was looking into buying me a GPS to use while out hunting. What i would like from it is to get me into and out of the woods and mark bedding areas, scrapes, rubs, etc... I was wondering if any of u guys would have any suggestions at what GPS i should look into buying that will be good for what i want it. Any suggestions would be really appreciated. Thank You.

RE: Help me buy a GPS.
 

I am a big Garmin fan.Great product,great customer service! If you intend to hunt in area's with a lot of over head canopy,ask as to which units are the best under those circumstances (least likely to lose signal).They are a fantastic scouting tool.Good luck!

RE: Help me buy a GPS.
 

I picked up a Magellan Sportrack Map about a year and a half ago and have been entirely pleased with its performance for hunting and other activities. The mapping function is invaluable in my opinion and makes using the unit much easier. I would highly recommend it especially considering the price.

RE: Help me buy a GPS.
 

I was looking at the Garmin Legend and was wondering if anyone knows if its any good?

RE: Help me buy a GPS.
 

I have the Etrex Legend, I figured it would be a good mid level unit for doing the same things you say. You will definitely want to get the Mapsource topo cd. If your looking for all kinds of info and extra goodies get the Magellan, for a no frills get it done unit the Legend is the way to go.

RE: Help me buy a GPS.
 

I consider myself an expert in the areas of GPS/GIS, considering it's my profession as a map maker. Let me first say that for hunting and fishing you want to go with something that is WAAS enabled, the accuracy is great.

Garmin Etrex Legend is great for the price.

~Vin

RE: Help me buy a GPS.
 

Vinnybugg,

With your experience you would be doing us all a favor if you could give us "commoners" a comparison of some of the better GPS units on the market.

RE: Help me buy a GPS.
 

Antler Eater and all of above posters,

What you want to look for in GPS units a thing called WAAS (Wide Area Augmention System). What it does is get you within + - 3 meters whereas without it, you are looking at approxiametly 15 meters. As I reread the original post, you are looking for something to mark bedding areas and such. We all know that many times in the thick brush or even overgrowth it's hard to see 15 meters, yes it is also sometimes to see 3 meters but I'll take those odds any day.

Also what you may want is the ability to upload maps into the GPS, Personally I like to see where I am on a map and see what's ahead of me rather than going into unfamiliar terrian 'blind'. Garmin makes in my opinion (and it is just my opinion) a great overall GPS which includes all of the listed above.

I use a Garmin eTrex Legend and Vistamyself in the woods, and Trimble units at work.

RE: Help me buy a GPS.
 

Etrex Legend. Great unit, won't break the bank.

RE: Help me buy a GPS.
 

E TREX LEGEND best bang for your buck

RE: Help me buy a GPS.
 

Garmin supports their units - I just downloaded new firmware for mine today from them. I recently upgraded to a color GPS that has the ability to take downloaded topo maps. I find color adds a lot to these devices.

RE: Help me buy a GPS.
 

Well i would just like to Thank all of u guys for ur input on this post. I went to Bass Pro today and bought the Garmin E trex Legend. Was playing with it for about an hour and im starting to get to know it. From the few features i saw im liking it already. Has alot of nice little features and who knows what else it has. 2morrow im going to spend hours reading the manual and trying it out. I will post a review here after i get to use it fully.

RE: Help me buy a GPS.
 

I too am a GIS Professional and have to worry about GPS units for work. I personally own a Garmin eTrex Legend for the reasons already stated here. I'm all for the WAAS enabled GPS units and will always own one, but I'm also from the Rocky Mtns. The WAAS signal is hard to pick up out here. Keep this in mind when bringing your units out West. The coasts it's great, but I find myself without the signal more than not here. With that in mind, if you come out to the West and aren't getting the WAAS signal, disable it and save your batteries.

You made an excellent purchase. Like Vin, I use Trimble at work and wish I could take them to field!! :D