I will be going on a week long kayaking trip along the Maine Cost in a few weeks and have been spending the 2 months researching GPS Units and see that there are many mixed reviews on almost all of the handheld units. I would love to hear about the GPS units that some of you use and what you love and hate about it. Thanks, *Ally *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
For me the features of downloadable topo maps, and being "water proof" are essential features. I have a Garmin 12MAP for kayaking and will probably replace it with the successor to the 76 MAP. Cya *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Would recommend avoiding the eTrex by Garmin. It's relatively inexpensive, and it is claimed to be waterproof, but Garmin is talking only of the receiver and not of the battery compartment --- which will flood and short out in a heavy fog! And they know and acknowledge that! But they still claim it's waterproof. Garmin has good products, but the eTrex is one to avoid. Jack Martin *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
> Would recommend avoiding the eTrex by Garmin. It's relatively > inexpensive, and it is claimed to be waterproof, but Garmin is talking > only of the receiver and not of the battery compartment --- which will > flood and short out in a heavy fog! And they know and acknowledge that! > But they still claim it's waterproof. > > Garmin has good products, but the eTrex is one to avoid. Jack makes some valid points, and I won't attempt to dispute them, but there's always other things to consider. With that said, here's the opposite side of the coin. First, bear in mind that while it may or may not be a consensus on this forum, it's at minimum highly suggested by quite a number of people that all so called "waterproof" or "water resistant" electronics be contained within a waterproof pouch... REGARDLESS. So, you can spend significant bucks on a truly waterproof item, or $30 on a waterproof pouch (just make sure the pouch is truly waterproof). Second, I bought a used Etrex, from a fellow P'Wiser a couple years ago. It's been wet and still works fine. Higher end models with mapping capabilities are "neat" and many find them very useful, but the etrex, as a back up to manual navigation, does everything I want it to do. And, when not navigating (generally the case) I use it to measure speed, miles traveled, time on the water, etc., and it does a very good job of it. Point being, the Etrex is clearly on the low end of the GPS scale..... so what. If it does the things that you need it to do - no more, no less - then it's a "quality" item because it satisfies your specific needs. Just be sure that you have clearly defined your needs. Rick - Poquoson, VA *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Ally, I've had my Garmin 12 XL since it first came out several years ago and I still love it. It's reasonably compact and had a reasonably large screen with adjustable contrast. Make sure the one you buy has adjustable contrast as this is especially important if you use it over a wide range of temperatures. The waterproofing is very good, though I still normally use it in transparent-front, padded floating miniature dry bag just in case. When it was NOT in the case once, I dropped in in the Raritan Canal and had to forage for it on the very muddy bottom about arm length depth for a good 5 minutes (great fun). It just had a tiny drop of water in the battery compartment when I got it out. It still worked fine. It's very intuitive and easy to use. It lacks the optional map modules that the newer models have. And when I use it under a heavy canopy tree canopy, it sometimes understates the logged distance traveled. Generally though, I've been very happy with it. I love it and never paddle without it and I consider it a critical item for navigation and safety. Al Vazquez KayakGuide.com - Places to Paddle - On Wednesday, July 23, 2003, at 10:39 AM, Ally Pike wrote: > I would love to hear about the GPS units that some of you use and what > you > love and hate about it. > > Thanks, > *Ally > KayakGuide.com - Places to Paddle - *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
> [Original Message] > From: Al Vazquez <alvazquez_at_kayakguide.com> > -- I dropped in in the Raritan Canal and had > to forage for it on the very muddy bottom about arm length depth for a > good 5 minutes (great fun). > It's very intuitive and easy to use. It lacks the optional map modules > that the newer models have. And when I use it under a heavy canopy tree > canopy, it sometimes understates the logged distance traveled. > Generally though, I've been very happy with it. > I'll second the recommendation for the Garmin 12. I still use mine a lot... I now also use a Garmin 72, which is a thinned-down version of the 76. No map capability (partly why it's cheaper) but other useful features. The 76 (and the 72) is presumably waterproof. They went to some effort to gasket off the battery compartment. I haven't dropped it in the D&R Canal yet, but it could happen.... WRT to that, the 72 uses 2 instead of 4 batteries and they seem to last longer than in the 12 (which is pretty good in that department). As mentioned above, it is considered waterproof, AND it floats! Also, I haven't tried uploading Mapsource stuff to it so I don't know how well that works, but it does have the USA tide tables included in it, and at least for places in NJ it's pretty accurate... Joe P. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
I'll second the idea of the waterproof pouch but throw in one caveat. A friend of received the wonderful gift of one of the Garmin mapping units. The problem is that it has a little joystick as its primary interface. Put one of these into a pouch and you run into problems. On the Garmin unit the joystick can also be depressed as the "enter" button so that in addition to moving constantly it was always selecting things. You could solve this by getting one of those small dry boxes but then you'd have to open it to control the unit. You could also put some foam (like a foot corn pad) or something around the joystick so that the bag is lifted away from the joystick. -Patick (still using the old Garmin 48 with the marine database) *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
"Patrick Maun" wrote: > I'll second the idea of the waterproof pouch but throw in one caveat. > A friend of received the wonderful gift of one of the Garmin mapping > units. > The problem is that it has a little joystick as its primary > interface. Put one of these into a pouch and you run into problems. > On the Garmin unit the joystick can also be depressed as the "enter" > button so that in addition > to moving constantly it was always selecting things. That's one of the strong points of the 76S, it can be operated without problems while in a waterproof bag. I've used both the eTrex Vista and the 76S, and now only use the 76S while paddling. The Vista is used on dry land (cycling and walking). (I also have a GPS-V for in my car, b.t.w., and still own a 12XL and a GPS-III. yes, I admit I'm a GPS freak) regards and don't get lost, Kees *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Handhelds are not intended for map viewing, even though many have built-in map and uploading capabilities. Display is too small, and you need to scroll up/down/left/right to see anything except for tiny fraction of the map. Text labels of cities, ports, roads etc also could be too small for many people especially in poor light conditions. Absolutely necessary is to carry a normal paper map and compass in addition to handheld GPS (even though some models have electronic compass). I have Garmin Legend - built-in map, map uploading capability, no compass. It failed me once in an open area with 100% sky visibility 5 km off shore, - said it could not see any satellites (out of regular 10), but it happened just once. 2 hours later on campsite it showed my location all right. Battery life is a serious problem for many hadnheld units. Manufacturer's time is either overstated or quoted for long-life batteries AND with compass and other fancy options "off". Rechargeable batteries will last about 30-50% shorter. Water-resistance of my Legend is OK, - it was immersed once. Alex. > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Ally Pike" <ally_at_thepikes.org> > To: "Paddlewise" <PaddleWise_at_paddlewise.net> > Sent: July 23, 2003 7:39 AM > Subject: [Paddlewise] GPS unit > > > > I will be going on a week long kayaking trip along the Maine Cost in a few > > weeks and have been spending the 2 months researching GPS Units and see > that > > there are many mixed reviews on almost all of the handheld units. > > > > I would love to hear about the GPS units that some of you use and what you > > love and hate about it. > *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
I just had to replace my GPS unit and I opted for a Magellan Meridian. I like the map feature and the reason I chose it over Garmin was the SD storage card capability. I purchased a card reader for it which allows me to download maps at USB speeds. I have the Mapsend topo software which is extremely accurate in my area, but I have heard that is not true everywhere. Their trail information is limited, but I like it for my whitewater boating because it has some rapids and even campsites. Garmin has a better interface, but they don't have a unit with storage card memory accept for the PDA combo, which makes me nervous from a battery life perspective. The Garmin Emap GPS has storage card memory but the storage is really expensive, non standard, and it is not very water proof (IPX2). The Meridian is "waterproof" to IPX 7 and it floats but I still use a soft case. Downloading maps are a breeze and only take a couple minutes. The Bluewater software maps Magellan sells is really bad. Bluewater software allows you can to upload one small chart at a time and you can only have 1 map on a storage card. If your heart is set on Bluewater maps Garmin is a better way to go. Hopefully Magellan will clean up their Bluewater issues. I bought the Marine version and the Marine database is pretty good. I really like my Meridian and I really like the map feature. If you want to read about it from a user's perspective take a look at this group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Magellan_Meridian/ They have some great hacks in their FAQ section, including one that will change the splash screen to your name and address. Good luck with your choice. -- MZ visit my website: http://www.mzuschlag.com *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.4.0 : Thu Aug 21 2025 - 16:33:34 PDT