Which GPS should I buy?

[jckerns24]

New to elk hunting.......midwestern whitetail has always been my thing. Need to buy a GPS for upcoming DIY elk hunt in Colorado. Need some suggestions as to which make and model you guys suggest. If there are any to avoid that would be helpful to know as well. Thanks!

[mandrroofing]

The Garmin Rhino series has some awesome features especially if you have a buddy that has the Garmin Rhino series also, my brother has this GPS and I'm bout to order mine especially nice where there is no cell phone coverage you can actually text back and forth from GPS to GPS and also you can see where your buddy is on the mountain. His unit has weather radio and is has two way radio capabilities from unit to unit or other independent 2 Way radio and other neat features that make this unit the best in my opinion

[Triplebhunters]

I'm liking my Garmin stc. It does not have the txt or radio communocation. Takes pics that you can put on puter or use camera for quick way points.

[G Posik]

I have the Garmin Etrex 30. Does everything I need it to. Good price, and good display. Battery life is great.

Glenn

[no limits]

Any Garmin that will take the micro sd card encase you want to buy state maps on these cards. Very nice option.

[mtelkkiller]

Hated my garmin rhino

Ate a lot of batteries fast

Have a 62st....it will run for days


Buddy has an Oregon. It seems to do pretty good for a lower priced one.

[ST52V]

If you have an i phone I probably would not buy a gps. The company that makes the chips for each state just released an app for the i phone. I would look in to that and the goal zero solar charger or new trent battery. Both will keep u charged and you could buy the spot in reach thing instead. You could send text, and have gps.

[Broken arrow]

I have them Garmin 450t and I like it a lot. Battery life is ok if you don't leave it on.

[wideangle]

Garmin HcX

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This Garmin is a nice size and has excellent features.

[eriks.]

Cabela's is putting the Garmin 62s on sale for cheap. I can't remember for sure but think it's only $269. I have one and believe it's going to be a good purchase for me. I like the external antennae and the screen is big/bright.
I'm still trying to figure all the features out...it's smarter than me at the moment.

[Kirsch]

I like my smartphones as much as anyone but not as a serious hunting GPS. They have poor battery life with GPS on, are hard to see in bright sunlight, don't have as strong of an antenna as a good GPS, typically not waterproof and the list goes on.

On the Garmin side, the new Oregon 600 series are very nice GPS units but as they are new they are priced really high. The Oregon 450 is discounted in many stores as they were replaced with the 600 series.

My choices would be in this order:

1) Oregon 600 or 650
2) Oregon 450
3) 62S (if you need a more rugged GPS then these are a great option)
4) Dakota 20
5) eTrex 20 or 30

For the person on a really tight budget, the eTrex (#5) may be the way to go, but their screens are very small. Some people like the toggle wheel and some hate it, so you may want to try them before buying but they are a very small profile GPS.

The Rinos are nice as long as you party hunt and they have the same units. Otherwise, I would stick to the handhelds.

[ABQ_Chica]

I was a total newbie to GPS units, and splurged on a Garmin Oregon 450 just a couple of months ago. For me, it's been idiot proof and easy to use. If you're used to using touch-screen smartphones, the navigation is fairly intuitive. The major complaints I've heard from other people were that the screen wasn't bright enough and batteries didn't last long enough. But I haven't had a problem with either. I love mine, and will never go into the field without it now.

[Madison COunty]

What kind of GPS does everyone else use? I was looking at portable units and some reviews say that the touch screen units can get scratched easy, it that true?