Gps

[deerhunterone]

I am in the market for a new GPS and what do ya'll think is better one on the market.
I want one with a ferture that I can see the lines of public and private lands,large screen,load maps, low energy draw and VERY user friendly.
The one Randy uses look like what I might want but do not know what it is,
Any advice?

 

[mfurseth]

I bought one this fall after struggling to figure out the same thing. Ended up buying a Garmin Oregon 450T refurb from Cabelas for $299. You can guy a card for this GPS that shows public/private land. The "T" means the topo is already there. Don't buy a garmin that isn't a "T". I would strongly recommend this unit. I just can't believe how hard it was to figure out the differences between all the different Garmin models.

 

[WT_in_MT]

I bought one this fall after struggling to figure out the same thing. Ended up buying a Garmin Oregon 450T refurb from Cabelas for $299. You can guy a card for this GPS that shows public/private land. The "T" means the topo is already there. Don't buy a garmin that isn't a "T". I would strongly recommend this unit. I just can't believe how hard it was to figure out the differences between all the different Garmin models.

With the huntinggpsmaps chip in, is the "T" of any use? Meaning, does the unit overlay the topographic data on top of the chip's data? Or can you turn off the chip data to view the topographic data?

 

[mfurseth]

I haven't tried the public land chip but you still want the topo data. Atleast that is how I understand it. I don't think the chip will give you the locations of geographical features like streams and ridges. I

 

[Carrion Carrier]

I own an Oregon 550. It has the low-res camera onboard and I only bought it because I got it new for $249. You can pick up the 450 new for $199 if you keep your eyes peeled. I would not buy the T because it is a waste of $$$. You can download Garmin Basecamp for free and you can get the maps for free from gpsfiledepot.com. No need to buy the hunting maps. I have all of the western states and didn't spend a cent.

If a large screen is important, consider getting a Montana 600.

Let me know if you have any questions. I will try to keep up with this thread.

 

[Carrion Carrier]

I haven't tried the public land chip but you still want the topo data. Atleast that is how I understand it. I don't think the chip will give you the locations of geographical features like streams and ridges. I

All of this information is available for free download from www.gpsfiledepot.com


They even have an elk winter range map for MT.

 

[Carrion Carrier]

Oh yeah, The "T" package comes with 100k topos and the downloads are 24k topos so you will get much more detail.

 

[mfurseth]

Again, I found this all very confusing. Can you download the topos and the public land chip and use them at the same time. I was told that you could only do that with a T and could not with the base models.

 

[Carrion Carrier]

Again, I found this all very confusing. Can you download the topos and the public land chip and use them at the same time. I was told that you could only do that with a T and could not with the base models.

Yes, you can overlay multiple maps at the same time. I currently have 6 going, just of MT.

 

[Carrion Carrier]

And yes, trying to understand the difference between the Garmin units is confusing at best.

I am pretty happy to have a camera onboard. Other than my first elk, where I happened to have a cameraman, I have not had much record of my hunts. I have a camera, but am weight obsessive and it always seems to have dead batteries or I can't find it. Not so with the GPS, I won't leave home without it!

It still has dead batteries too often, though

 

[Southwind]

My only 2 cents is to go with either a Oregon or Montana with larger screen. I have a Dakota 20 which works fine for me with the exception of me wishing it was a little bigger screen.

 

[dustinf]

I have the Garmin 450T, and I'm very pleased with it. I used it without a chip in Arizona, Wyoming, Illinois, and Pennsylvania this year. I bought it for $299 at Cabelas.

Simple to use, and decent battery life.

 

[jryoung]

I use the Backcountry Navigator pro app on my smartphone, I can toggle between a couple different 24k topos, satellite images and more and it was only $10. I get a far better display, and it is at a minimum 30% lighter than most Garmins, often up to 50% and a back-up battery is way lighter than an extra set of AAs.

 

[Selkirk]

Yes, you can overlay multiple maps at the same time. I currently have 6 going, just of MT.

CC - do you mind sharing what 6 overlays you use? I am trying to learn best practices. Thanks.

 

[WI avidhunter]

I have a Oregon 450. I bought online at at Cabelas around black friday for $200. I have been very pleased with it. I have a WI GPS hunting chip and have used the feature to determine boundries for public and private land, which works well.

 

[canvsbk]

+1 on the 450 Garmin, techno moron here, found it simple and precise

 

[Carrion Carrier]

CC - do you mind sharing what 6 overlays you use? I am trying to learn best practices. Thanks.

I don't mind at all.
The overlays I have loaded right now are:

Deer, Elk and Lion HD boundaries
Montana trails
MT Cadastral 2012
MT topo public land
MT Elk winter range
MT 27,000 Points of Interest - has Fishing Access Sites, restaurants, etc.

They can be toggled on/off right on the unit depending on what I'm doing,

 

[Selkirk]

Thanks. My hot wife thinks I'm nuts, but it's stuff like this I need to research and play with more.

FYI - I have a Garmin 60CSx, which has served me well.

 

[Carrion Carrier]

I really think they are all great units!

My last GPS was an Etrex Legend. What a step up the 3 position axis is! Real time compass, not walk 20 yards while it determines my direction.

 

[seidelm]

Personally, I would not buy a Garmin GPS with the T version. You can get any 24K topo you need through GPSfiledepot and it is also standard on all of our Hunting GPS Maps chips that show landownership. The T does not make any difference what so ever on the functionality of the GPS all it means is that it is loaded with Garmin's 100K topo and usually costs 100 dollars more than the non T versions.

The most popular models seem to be the 62 GPSMap, Oregon 450, Montana 600, and Rino 650. The biggest screen and easiest to use is the Montana touchscreen. If you don't like touchscreen you are gonna want a 62 most likely. The new Oregon 600 will also be out this spring, brighter screen, and lighter weight. We tested it out at SHOT show and it looks like a winner. If you have any specific questions on GPS units let me know or give our office a call we are willing to help you out even if you don't need a map. 208-GPS-MAPS

Here are a couple answers to some other questions in this thread.

Our maps do show geographical features such as ridges, streams, mountains, historical sites, etc.

You will not need to download topos to use with our chip, 24K topo comes standard.

Cheers,
Matt