Oregon 650 vs Montana 650 vs GPSMAP 64s

[+GrayHawk613]

I'm considering getting one of these GPSRs. I've read the manuals of all of them. Could people tell me their personal preferences? It would be nice if a lot of people replied to this post.

Edited December 9, 2014 by GrayHawk613

[+Red90]

YOU need to go and look at them. They are all different sizes, screens and input types. They all work fine, but which one YOU LIKE is a very personal choice.

[snakyjake]

My concern with the touchscreens is usage with gloves and rain.

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

I think you'd be better off picking one which you preferred for reasons OTHER than accuracy. Besides, I don't think there is a hill's beans worth of difference between them as far as "accuracy" goes.

 

They are all mass produced items... one would be hard-pressed to say that one is more accurate than another. Of course, being mass produced, there is always the chance of a lemon... you takes your chances there, just as any other purchased commodity.

 

If the intent is to use it primarily for geocaching, accuracy plays a lesser role yet.

Inasmuch as geocaches are placed by myriads of folks using myriads of differing devices, how would true "accuracy" help you?

If your device is spot-on 100% of the time, remember that you are seeking what is usually NOT spot-on, anyway.

 

Pick your unit based upon the features it has or you can afford. Don't sweat the elusive or imaginary "accuracy" factor.

[+Chrysalides]

My concern with the touchscreens is usage with gloves and rain.

Using my Oregon 450 (similar screen to Montana) with gloves and when raining is not an issue. I haven't tried the 600 with gloves yet. Some people reported it doesn't work with gloves - unless you use gloves that work with capacitive screens.

 

For the OP, I suggest you start by asking if you want a touch screen. Some like it, others don't.

 

If you want a touchscreen, ask if you want / mind the larger size of the Montana. Some don't mind, others do.

 

Do you really want the camera? If so, you'd want the 64sc, not the 64s, for a button unit. If not, for touchscreen models, look at the Oregon 600 / Montana 600.

 

I considered these choices and ended up with an Oregon 600, but again, a personal choice. What's right for me may not be right for you.

[+GrayHawk613]

My concern with the touchscreens is usage with gloves and rain.

Using my Oregon 450 (similar screen to Montana) with gloves and when raining is not an issue. I haven't tried the 600 with gloves yet. Some people reported it doesn't work with gloves - unless you use gloves that work with capacitive screens.

 

For the OP, I suggest you start by asking if you want a touch screen. Some like it, others don't.

 

If you want a touchscreen, ask if you want / mind the larger size of the Montana. Some don't mind, others do.

 

Do you really want the camera? If so, you'd want the 64sc, not the 64s, for a button unit. If not, for touchscreen models, look at the Oregon 600 / Montana 600.

 

I considered these choices and ended up with an Oregon 600, but again, a personal choice. What's right for me may not be right for you.

 

Well I've heard that the Oregon 6xx series have been "losing" geocaches. The users download geocaches to the unit but the geocaches just do not show.

[+Chrysalides]

Well I've heard that the Oregon 6xx series have been "losing" geocaches. The users download geocaches to the unit but the geocaches just do not show.

So far those cases I've tracked are either the user has filtered out the geocaches, or it is over 100 miles away from the user's current location (which shows up in map - at the correct (configurable) zoom level - but doesn't show up in a search.

 

Edit to add : and one user who didn't disconnect safely, I believe.

Edited December 9, 2014 by Chrysalides

[+coachstahly]

I have the Montana 650 and have loved it, especially once they worked out some of the bugs. I don't know if I was lucky or not, but the first one I got never experienced any of the issues they had at the initial launch. Eventually the screen became unresponsive and Garmin sent me a refurbished unit, free of charge. Touch screen is NOT a capacitive one, nor is the Oregon, so use with gloves, which can be bulky, should be fine. I have a good friend who has the Oregon 600 and loves it as much as I love my Montana. The redraw is super fast and the UI has been tweaked a bit from the Montana UI. If you load the Montana into a speaker mount, it will talk to you like a Nuvi, if you have routable maps. Otherwise it just beeps when your turn is coming. I'm not sure what the Oregon or 64 series does. My assumption is beeps if your map is routable. I have 2 friends who have the 64 series and they've had completely different experiences. One of them has had no issues whatsoever while her good friend is on his 4th one, the three previous having separate issues that led to replacement.

 

The Montana IS larger than the other two units, but although many want to say it's huge, it's only slighly bigger. It's 1/2 an inch wider (side to side), 1.2 inches longer than the Oregon and 64s and .6 inches shorter than the 64s, .1 inches thicker than the Oregon (same as the 64s), and is the heaviest of the three at 2.8 ozs more than the Oregon and 2.1 more than the 64s. It's even heavier with AA batteries instead of the rechargeable one.

 

As already mentioned, accuracy is negligible. For these three, it mostly comes down to your personal preference. Below is a chart from Garmin comparing the three models.

 

https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/catalog/product/compareResult.ep?compareProduct=140022&compareProduct=113520&compareProduct=75227

Edited December 9, 2014 by coachstahly

[+Chrysalides]

(Montana) Touch screen is NOT a capacitive one, nor is the Oregon, so use with gloves

Montana and Oregon 550 and earlier have resistive touchscreens. The screen feels a little soft and flexible.

 

The Oregon 6xx has a touchscreen. I'm not sure if it is capacitive, but it feels just like a capacitive touchscreen. It has multi-touch capability (pinch - zoom). It's glass-like, smooth and rigid. It works with (some) gloves but is less responsive with them. The same gloves does not work with my phone.

 

The Montana IS larger than the other two units, but although many want to say it's huge, it's only slighly bigger. It's 1/2 an inch wider (side to side), 1.2 inches longer than the Oregon and 64s and .6 inches shorter than the 64s, .1 inches thicker than the Oregon (same as the 64s), and is the heaviest of the three at 2.8 ozs more than the Oregon and 2.1 more than the 64s. It's even heavier with AA batteries instead of the rechargeable one.

 

If you go by measurements, it may not seem like much, but by percentage, it's quite a lot bigger. Some people love the larger screen. Some people cannot deal with the physical size. Best advice for someone is to go into a store and hold one.

 

This is the best image I could find online :

 

[+GrayHawk613]

(Montana) Touch screen is NOT a capacitive one, nor is the Oregon, so use with gloves

Montana and Oregon 550 and earlier have resistive touchscreens. The screen feels a little soft and flexible.

 

The Oregon 6xx has a touchscreen. I'm not sure if it is capacitive, but it feels just like a capacitive touchscreen. It has multi-touch capability (pinch - zoom). It's glass-like, smooth and rigid. It works with (some) gloves but is less responsive with them. The same gloves does not work with my phone.

 

The Montana IS larger than the other two units, but although many want to say it's huge, it's only slighly bigger. It's 1/2 an inch wider (side to side), 1.2 inches longer than the Oregon and 64s and .6 inches shorter than the 64s, .1 inches thicker than the Oregon (same as the 64s), and is the heaviest of the three at 2.8 ozs more than the Oregon and 2.1 more than the 64s. It's even heavier with AA batteries instead of the rechargeable one.

 

If you go by measurements, it may not seem like much, but by percentage, it's quite a lot bigger. Some people love the larger screen. Some people cannot deal with the physical size. Best advice for someone is to go into a store and hold one.

 

This is the best image I could find online :

 

 

Thanks for the advice. Do you know if there are any cases for the Montana?

[+Chrysalides]

Do you know if there are any cases for the Montana?

Would love to have a silicone sleeve to slip over it, but I guess there's not enough demand for the factories in China to mass produce one. The only one I've come across online, never seen it in person or used one, is the GizzMoVest case.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-Montana-Heavy-Duty-Black-Lanyard/dp/B005XDASYC/

[+GrayHawk613]

Do you know if there are any cases for the Montana?

Would love to have a silicone sleeve to slip over it, but I guess there's not enough demand for the factories in China to mass produce one. The only one I've come across online, never seen it in person or used one, is the GizzMoVest case.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-Montana-Heavy-Duty-Black-Lanyard/dp/B005XDASYC/

 

I just found this case.

[+Chrysalides]

Do you know if there are any cases for the Montana?

Would love to have a silicone sleeve to slip over it, but I guess there's not enough demand for the factories in China to mass produce one. The only one I've come across online, never seen it in person or used one, is the GizzMoVest case.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-Montana-Heavy-Duty-Black-Lanyard/dp/B005XDASYC/

 

I just found this case.

 

Do you want a case to carry it around in (in which case a bunch of small camera cases by LowePro and other manufacturers will work) or do you want one where you can use the unit while it is in the case?

 

I have this Garmin case. The material is thin (hardly any protection from knocks), the zipper doesn't work smoothly, and it's not custom fitted for any model, so the Oregon fits in very loosely. Worse, when I have the belt clip installed, it doesn't fit properly.

[+coachstahly]

I have the GizzMoVest for my Montana and it certainly increases the size factor. However, they do make it for almost all the Garmin models and it increases the size factor for them as well. On the plus side, the cord and clip make carrying it easier, you can drop it anywhere but on a sharp rock directly on the screen, and it won't damage the unit, and it floats in the water with the unit in it (I've field tested it when kayaking!).

 

According to the Garmin site, the Oregon should work with regular gloves.

 

Touch and Go

Oregon 650 has reflective display technology for the most brilliant, sunlight readable touchscreen we’ve ever made. It's as vivid in full bright sunlight as it is in shade. The screen has been strengthened for impact resistance but still accommodates gloved operation. And with dual-orientation, multi-touch screen, you won’t just look at maps, you’ll interact with them when you zoom in, pan out and rotate the display.

[+coachstahly]

One advantage I like in the touchscreen models is that field notes go much faster, if that's something you use. I make notes while out in the field since I don't usually log finds on my phone and it's so much faster than the buttons. In fact, waypoints with comments, next stage multi coordinates, and field notes are done much faster than pushing buttons to get the letters you need. If you don't use those features, it's not something to worry about. Entering coordinates on a button model isn't really that much slower, just a bit more annoying.

[+GrayHawk613]

One advantage I like in the touchscreen models is that field notes go much faster, if that's something you use. I make notes while out in the field since I don't usually log finds on my phone and it's so much faster than the buttons. In fact, waypoints with comments, next stage multi coordinates, and field notes are done much faster than pushing buttons to get the letters you need. If you don't use those features, it's not something to worry about. Entering coordinates on a button model isn't really that much slower, just a bit more annoying.

 

I hadn't thought of that.

[+GrayHawk613]

Well I've heard that the Oregon 6xx series have been "losing" geocaches. The users download geocaches to the unit but the geocaches just do not show.

So far those cases I've tracked are either the user has filtered out the geocaches, or it is over 100 miles away from the user's current location (which shows up in map - at the correct (configurable) zoom level - but doesn't show up in a search.

 

Edit to add : and one user who didn't disconnect safely, I believe.

 

What do you mean by disconnect?

[Pacific NW]

Usually, you need to "safely eject" (Windows) or put the drive in the "trash bin" (Mac), before unplugging the GPS from the computer, as they are seen as external drives.

[+GrayHawk613]

h. To tell you the truth I don't do that because the Windows Computer says that I can't eject it.

[+Chrysalides]

h. To tell you the truth I don't do that because the Windows Computer says that I can't eject it.

The first time you connect, sometimes Windows won't let you safely remove. Subsequently, it will as long as you don't have a file on the device open. Sometimes, even an Explorer window open on the device can prevent it from being safely removed.

 

If you really want to make sure it is safely removed in that circumstances, leave it connected until you shut down your computer, then unplug.

[+Chrysalides]

Or browse to it in Explorer, right click and select Eject. That always works.

No, I've had that failed when it is the very first time I install a USB MSC device on Windows (when you get the "Windows is installing drivers..." in the tray). Why it would need to install drivers for a new MSC device is beyond me. On Linux, it just works.

[+GrayHawk613]

h. To tell you the truth I don't do that because the Windows Computer says that I can't eject it.

The first time you connect, sometimes Windows won't let you safely remove. Subsequently, it will as long as you don't have a file on the device open. Sometimes, even an Explorer window open on the device can prevent it from being safely removed.

 

If you really want to make sure it is safely removed in that circumstances, leave it connected until you shut down your computer, then unplug.

 

Thanks a lot! I've downloaded geocaches to my Nuvi and recently they haven't been showing up.I'll bet it's because I don't disconnect. The weird thing is that they show up when I view the files on the computer but not on my GPSr's map.

Edited December 14, 2014 by GrayHawk613

[+Chrysalides]

Thanks a lot! I've downloaded geocaches to my Nuvi and recently they haven't been showing up.I'll bet it's because I don't disconnect. The weird thing is that they show up when I view the files on the computer but not on my GPSr's map.

Hmm, that may be a separate issue. Has it worked before? If not, how are you copying the geocaches to your Nuvi?

[+GrayHawk613]

Yeah it's worked before. The way I downloaded them was I went to the cache page and clicked the "Send to GPS" button. I have the latest version of the Garmin plugin and the computer detects the GPSr but the geocaches are not showing up on the map or a search even though I can see them when I look at the files on my computer. It should also be mentioned that this Windows XP computer is at least 9 years old.

[+GrayHawk613]

Yeah it's worked before. The way I downloaded them was I went to the cache page and clicked the "Send to GPS" button. I have the latest version of the Garmin plugin and the computer detects the GPSr but the geocaches are not showing up on the map or a search even though I can see them when I look at the files on my computer. I got my Nuvi used and it has some weird bugs.Maybe that's it. I have the Nuvi 1300. It should also be mentioned that this Windows XP computer is at least 9 years old.

 

 

Oh. and I tried to eject my Nuvi but the computer STILL wouldn't let me eject. I tried to turn the computer but it refused to turn off until I unplugged the Nuvi.

[+ecanderson]

My concern with the touchscreens is usage with gloves and rain.

No problem for either with resistive screen units (e.g., Oregon 450), which is another reason I'm hanging onto mine. It's the capacitive screens that can be an issue in that regard, though there are gloves designed just for that purpose, or a stylus for capacitive screens could be used in a pinch if you could get some skin on it somewhere.

[+Chrysalides]

My concern with the touchscreens is usage with gloves and rain.

No problem for either with resistive screen units (e.g., Oregon 450), which is another reason I'm hanging onto mine. It's the capacitive screens that can be an issue in that regard, though there are gloves designed just for that purpose, or a stylus for capacitive screens could be used in a pinch if you could get some skin on it somewhere.

To my surprise, normal gloves seem to work with the Oregon 600, though it is a little less sensitive than finger. Those same gloves do not work with my smart phone. The downside of this is that the screen is really touchy. Put it in your pocket, and all sorts of random things get "touched". Having the screen flush with the bezel doesn't help. I've had my map and compass data fields changed to all sorts of strange things. The work-around is to configure the big button as "screen off", and press that before putting it in your pocket or clipping it to your belt.

[+Chrysalides]

Yeah it's worked before. The way I downloaded them was I went to the cache page and clicked the "Send to GPS" button. I have the latest version of the Garmin plugin and the computer detects the GPSr but the geocaches are not showing up on the map or a search even though I can see them when I look at the files on my computer. I got my Nuvi used and it has some weird bugs.Maybe that's it. I have the Nuvi 1300. It should also be mentioned that this Windows XP computer is at least 9 years old.

 

Oh. and I tried to eject my Nuvi but the computer STILL wouldn't let me eject. I tried to turn the computer but it refused to turn off until I unplugged the Nuvi.

Not sure what's going on here - are you exceeding the maximum number of favorites entries with the Nuvi? That shouldn't affect the "safely eject" part though.

[+GrayHawk613]

Yeah it's worked before. The way I downloaded them was I went to the cache page and clicked the "Send to GPS" button. I have the latest version of the Garmin plugin and the computer detects the GPSr but the geocaches are not showing up on the map or a search even though I can see them when I look at the files on my computer. I got my Nuvi used and it has some weird bugs.Maybe that's it. I have the Nuvi 1300. It should also be mentioned that this Windows XP computer is at least 9 years old.

 

Oh. and I tried to eject my Nuvi but the computer STILL wouldn't let me eject. I tried to turn the computer but it refused to turn off until I unplugged the Nuvi.

Not sure what's going on here - are you exceeding the maximum number of favorites entries with the Nuvi? That shouldn't affect the "safely eject" part though.

No. My link