What is the best GPS for Geocaching?

[Tones13]

What is the best GPS for Geocaching??

[+Chief301]

Might as well ask what's the best car for driving 😉

 

You'll get lots of opinions. Everybody has personal preferences. I will say this, get the best unit you can comfortably afford, or you'll find yourself wanting it later.

 

Garmin and Magellan are two of the most popular brands. I like Garmin myself.

 

You definitely want to get one that supports paperless Geocaching.....most do nowadays, except for the very lower end models. This will allow you to download all the cache descriptions, hints, and recent logs. You also need to consider what type of interface you prefer....buttons, joystick, or touch screen.

 

Try to stick with models that have an SD card expansion slot. Most handheld GPS devices only have very rudimentary base maps installed, that just show major highways and waterways...no terrain features or local streets. So you'll probably want to install maps, which take up a lot of space. Hence the expansion card slot.

 

I'd say expect to pay $200-$300 for a decent unit that will do everything you need. $500-$600 for one with all the bells and whistles.

 

Folks seem to like Garmin's new Etrex line.....skip the Etrex 10 but the 20 and 30 have a decent set of features. If a touch screen is more to your liking, check out the new Garmin Oregon series. I have an older Oregon 550 and I love it, but I tried a new one at Cabela's the other day and the touch screen is even better now...much slicker and more responsive, almost like a smart phone.

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

Yeah, there is no such thing as "best".

 

Lots of options though...

• 
   
  
• Paperless or not;
  
• touch-screen, button or joystick;
  
• b/w (grey-scale) screen or color;
  
• expandable memory or no;
  
• preloaded with the worlds' most popular caches (don't buy it on that account alone);
  
• mapping -- yes, no or optional/loadable (they all have base maps, base maps suck);
  
• compass -- electronic or non-electronic (they both work fine, just differently);
  
• other things I have probably forgotten --
  

 

Then, there are smart phones. The app you choose is generally the biggest variable -- although I hear some phones are 'better' than others, or is it that some are not as good as others?

 

To a raw beginner in using such devices, NONE of them are easy to use. It takes practice in getting to know/understand the device and how to use/read what it is telling you. With an amount of practice... it becomes second-nature, that is... until you switch platforms and you have to start all over again (but by then, you have the basics already).

 

Garmin units are the most popular -- they also advertise the heaviest (they have MANY differing models available);

Magellan has increased in popularity by leaps and bounds;

Delorme is rock solid (they concentrate on primarily one device instead of 12-15 of them - and their focus is on North America);

Lowrance though not bad, seems to be sitting in the boat without any oars.

Edited May 28, 2014 by Gitchee-Gummee

[+ngrrfan]

What is the best GPS for Geocaching??

The "best" GPSr for caching is the one you currently have until something "better" comes along and catches your eye.

 

Kinda like cars.

[Fangamon]

None of them, come to think of it.

 

 

 

 

~

Edited May 28, 2014 by Odourless

[+Mineral2]

The best GPS for geocaching is one that has paperless caching, which is all modern GPS's (since ~ 2006, maybe earlier.)

 

Of course, the newer the GPS, the faster the processor, the more memory, and the capability to store more geocaches.

[+Shinook & White Juan]

We use a garmin Legend, it is basic but it works fine. We also use a Palm Pilot that includes the decription of the cache etc. This is totally old school but we love it.

[+ADKer]

I have to recommend the new Garmin eTrex line to anyone. They've yet to let me down!

[+DyverDown]

I stillgo back to:

 

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=323087&st=0&p=5393132&fromsearch=1entry5393132

 

DD