In the market for a new gps!

[rowdycwby1]

I need to upgrade from my old gps and I was wondering what are y'all guys using and what are the likes and dislike about the one your using? I'm leaning towards a Garmin just not sure witch one....any advice would be great. Thanks in advance!

[Rangerz]

I like Garmin. Seems to have the most aftermarket support (map chips, etc.). One thing to be aware of with the touch screen ones, if they are subject to a lot of dust the screens will scratch without some sort of screen protector.

[Wapiti]

I just bought the Garmin Rhino for GPS capabilities and also the 5 watt radio !! With that system you can see on the screen where your other buddies that have a Rhino are right on your screen !!

That's what all my buddies use so I went to that as well

[Indian Summer]

I like the ability to see where my partners are with the Rhino. But they have to have theirs on for that to work and we don't leave our radios or GPS on all day. So I use a GPS and separate radio units.

I like.. no LOVE a color unit. So much easier to know what you're looking at. I'd never buy black and white again and that goes for fishfinder units too. I really like my Garmin Montana 650. I have the 650T which has a camera too. I like the touch screen. Quick position acquisition. Good battery life. Not cheap but when I buy things like optics and electronics I plan to keep them so I buy the best I can afford and never look back.

[wb]

I would make sure that the OnXMaps, http://www.huntinggpsmaps.com, chip works in whatever you buy. I know it does for the Garmin GPS's but I am not sure which others it is compatible with. With the OnXMaps chip, you can see who owns the land, whether it is some government agency, like BLM or Forest Service, or you can get the name of the land owner if it is private. To me, especially for bird hunting, this is gold on my gps.

I believe they update their chip yearly and you get one update with the purchase of the chip.

[rowdycwby1]

Thanks for the in put guys I've narrowed it down to the Garmin Oragan 600t the rino 650 or the Montana 600. I have a old black and white system and after I've been using my Trimble gps app on my phone there's no way I'd go back to color. The only problem with getting the rino 650 is none of my buddies are willing to spend the money on the stuff like I will..

[ElkNut1]

Yes, garmin makes some great ones! We use the 655T & also recommend the SD chip, we use this one here http://www.koutdoorproducts.com/ - Too, they are a Sponsor & have an outstanding product! Good luck there are many GPS units these days, it can be confusing!

ElkNut1

[Kirsch]

I need to upgrade from my old gps and I was wondering what are y'all guys using and what are the likes and dislike about the one your using? I'm leaning towards a Garmin just not sure witch one....any advice would be great. Thanks in advance!

Garmin is the only way to go. I have developed maps over the years for Garmin, Magellan, and Lowrance. My company only develops for Garmin at this time because they are simply the best units out there.

Rino series is good, but only if you have buddies who have the Rino series. Otherwise there are better choices.

Montana: Good GPS but fairly big and bulky. 4" screen. If you want one that goes in your ATV/UTV, Boat, vehicle and on land, it might be a good choice. At one time, their price point was so high, I recommended an Oregon and a Nuvi. This way you had a bigger unit and better auto navigator for the truck and bit smaller and better GPS for the field and still saved money. However, the Montana has come down in price enough where it may make sense for many people.

Oregon Series: 600 is a nice model unless you need the camera, then you step up to the 650. "T" version is not needed if you buy maps such as the TRAX maps as they come with topo, but if the price isn't a lot more for "T" version, may as well get it. Oregon have the best daylight visibility of any touchscreen GPS, connect to US and Russian (GLONASS) satellites for faster acquisition, faster processor, multi-touch screen allowing for pinch and grow (like a smartphone) for screen zoom and screen rotation and more.

62s or 64s: The 64 has replaced the 62, but either are still good options. There wasn't a lot of change to the 64 and there are times some stores may be clearancing out their older 62 models. This is the most rugged of all the Garmins. It is the model I recommend to guides.

eTrex: Most affordable option Garmin makes. Go with the 20 or 30 as the 10 does not accept memory cards. Small profile GPS good for hiking or activities where you want the smallest GPS possible. OK GPS but I would rather go with an Oregon or 64s if you can afford it.

When it is time for mapping, first make sure you are buying a Garmin which accepts a memory card. When you have the Garmin selected, their units come with virtually no map at all. Their base map will show you the major highways and that is it. The GPS is fine for marking basecamp and spots you may wish to mark, but that is about it. To make this into a real outdoor asset, you can purchase a TRAX map http://www.koutdoorproducts.com . This will show you the hunting units, public ground, private ground, sections, lakes, rivers, 24K topo, and more. For certain western states and counties, it even shows private land owner's names, their city and state of residence, and contact phone numbers.

[8upbowhunter]

If you decide to get a touchscreen model, remember to lock the screen if you leave it on and put it in your pocket. I learned this the hard way on my first one, when I took it out of my pocket a lot of settings got changed.