GPS help

[jtayclay]

I use OnX on my iPhone X, but because of battery drain and loss signal(which I usually download enough map before)—ready for a Garmin... I’m a Texan (and yes... do most hunting not on public land. Forgive me. Haha), but doing some backpacking the last couple weeks In Wyoming and Bozeman area has really discouraged me from using my phone anymore.
I have been looking at the Garmin 64st, Oregon 750t, Montana 610t, and the 680t. Any thoughts?

I hunt and backpack in Texas, Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana mostly if that helps with advice.
Hopefully this was the correct area to post this question.

-J

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

Kinda going the opposite direction of most of us.

When you are in the field are you putting your phone on airplane mode + low battery mode. I have a X, battery capacity is at 80% but it will still do several days on a charge. With a small anker power pack I'm good for a week or more.

I've been using my phone soley for the last 4ish years, MT, WY, CO, AK, etc.

Biggest problem with the old devices is that they are hard to update and kinda clunky.

 

[ntodwild]

I use OnX on my iPhone X, but because of battery drain and loss signal(which I usually download enough map before)—ready for a Garmin... I’m a Texan (and yes... do most hunting not on public land. Forgive me. Haha), but doing some backpacking the last couple weeks In Wyoming and Bozeman area has really discouraged me from using my phone anymore.
I have been looking at the Garmin 64st, Oregon 750t, Montana 610t, and the 680t. Any thoughts?

I hunt and backpack in Texas, Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana mostly if that helps with advice.
Hopefully this was the correct area to post this question.

-J

Disclosur: Im Old school

The Key to using some of the phone apps is as Willm1313 has stated. off-line maps, phone in airplane mode and carry a battery charge device. I can easily get 3 or 4 days out of my phone using it this way (iPhone 10x). On that Note I use Basemap as I like it a little better than On x & it's much cheaper (Thats an entirely different subject) but they are both very similar in use. I find the phone apps most useful if you are hunting in and around private property or for scouting purposes and rarely use it in the field other than checking a reference area I may have marked during scouting. I literally spend hours in the winter scouting on my computer with Basemap, inputting waypoints, areas of interest and so on. It's super nice and seamless integration with your phone (no transferring data, waypoints or any of that).

I am not a fan of any of the touch screen GPS's and personally carry an e-trex 20 with topo micro sd card loaded. It's an amazing little "manual input" gps, cheap $, small, great battery life and it's been bomb proof (It does have it's quirks: the little toggle button requires some serious practice). Ive been using mine for so long it's like 2nd nature to operate so I don't even think about it anymore. Obviously it works for me and I don't need a large screen display or any of the bells and whistles of the larger units, nor do I want to spend that kind of money on a navigation device when I truly can get away with a compass and map. I am an old military trained land nav guy so I still love a good map and compass and if I find myself in a deep hole, can't see land features or I am navigating at night for some reason (almost never) I pull out a map and compass, back it up with the GPS (I just trust a map and compass and it allows me to see the big picture when the big picture is not that great on a tiny little screen.

Why I don't like the touch screen GPS's: I have a good friend with one and they can be a bit finicky, specially in the cold or if you have gloves on (much like a cell pone). The screen size is nice but it also eats batteries quicker. Everything comes at a price and I suppose you will have to decide what works best for you.

 

[dallsheep]

I have both onx and an inReach Explorer. I use onx for my gps and my inReach for communication. onx is so much easier to use for GPS. I run onx on a Iphone5 and just recently had my battery changed for less than $50. I can get days on my onx without a recharge....putting it in to airplane and low battery mode is the key.

 

[GlockZ]

I have OnX on my phone, make sure you turn airplane mode on, and second, make sure your phone battery is good, if not airplane mode is useless. I also own a Garmin 64st and love it. I load it with fresh Lithium batteries every season and use it mostly as a back up.

 

[kwyeewyk]

I have been using a phone for the last few years, but I'm cheap and don't care about having a smart phone, so I bought an old Galaxy S5 purely for use as GPS/camera. It worked okay the first couple years, but then started having problems with it, and it failed hunting in WY in subzero temps for a week last year. I've used all sorts of GPS units over the years and love the compactness, lightweight, and versatility of using a smart phone and will probably be investing in a new(er) samsung this year, but I really hate the fact that they stop supporting them after however many years (planned obsolescence). As I haven't used regular GPS in quite a few years now, not sure if they've gone the same way, but that would be one selling point for me for old school GPS--if they still last without crapping out.

 

[Northwoods Labs]

I hate smartpohnes with a passion, give me a Garmin GPS that is rugged and actually made for the outdoors...……..

 

[Hilljackoutlaw]

If your used to a touch screen phone I would make sure u get a touch screen GPS.

 

[Cullboss]

Been using an OnX chip for years in my Garmin you can't go wrong with it. I just update it every year before hunting season in order to get the latest BMA's and landowner information.

 

[Straight Arrow]

I use OnX on my iPhone X, but because of battery drain and loss signal(which I usually download enough map before)—ready for a Garmin... I’m a Texan (and yes... do most hunting not on public land. Forgive me. Haha), but doing some backpacking the last couple weeks In Wyoming and Bozeman area has really discouraged me from using my phone anymore.
I have been looking at the Garmin 64st, Oregon 750t, Montana 610t, and the 680t. Any thoughts?

I hunt and backpack in Texas, Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana mostly if that helps with advice.
Hopefully this was the correct area to post this question.

-J

I bought a Garmin Oregon 650t sometime ago, which I have never used. It is brand spanking new. I would give you a screaming deal on it, as I don't use it. PM me if you are interested and we will work a deal.

 

[paulblair0]

Here are people suggesting Garmin GPASMAP 64st above all.

7 Best GPS for hunting [Buyer's Guide] (Oct. 2020)

Searching for the best GPS for hunting? After analyzing more than 24 of the top products available on the market, we selected 7 of the best!

wildproofgear.com

But you know...Garmin devices work only with Garmin software which needs a lot of improvement.

 

[lpcoutdoors]

I like the Garmin InReach, just has so many handy features. I like being able to text my young kids and family when I'm out beyond cell range. I've use it here in Texas a lot, still lots of ranches with no Verizon cell service.

And I have a funny story, a friend of mine from here in Texas was hunting Colorado last fall, sit down his InReach, forgot it, and couldn't find it. He used the tracking app through his son, who vectored him in so he could find the Garmin device. Kinda funny how that worked out, but also points to redundancy being important. As they say in the SEAL's, two is one and one is none.

 

[MITCHMO]

I use both. I use a garmin Alpha so I can see my other hunting buddies. You can even text with it although cumbersome. I have a 20,000 mha lithium power pack that will keep my phone going for a week. The power pack is 16oz but the peace of mind is worth it. I also shut my phone off and don’t track unless I need to. I don’t know about onX but Gaia offline maps didn’t seem to burn battery. Lots of good advice in what’s already been posted above!