Any GPS suggestions?

[swmalone]

Okay, so I'm going to be the only person to suggest garmin wearables. It really depends on what you want to use them for. I cycle, run, hike, etc and in addition to those activities I get enjoyment from tracking my overall fitness stats which the wearables allow. So with that in mind I will give my 2 cents. My wife has a garmin forerunner watch, I can't remember the model, but it is primarily for running so won't do the tracback function. She likes it but is considering changing to something in the fenix line. I have had a fenix 2 for a few years now. It can be used for running, cycling, swimming, snowsports, hiking, navigating, and several other preprogrammed methods. It does allow tracback and can be paired with ant+ devices like heart rate straps, cadence meters, power meters, speedometers, etc. It also syncs via bluetooth and can provide notifications on the screen. The fenix 2 does not do 24/7 activity tracking. We are considering the fenix 5 which covers everything listed above as well as 24/7 activity tracking, optical heart rate or pair with a chest strap, 3rd party apps, etc. All of the newer watches also have an accelerometer that learns your running movements so they can be used when running indoors or on a treadmill. If this is something you are interested in I would highly recommend reading the reviews for them that DC Rainmaker puts out.

Quick edit - I forgot to mention the new fenix 5 comes in three sizes, but if you want the ones with the built in maps, other than the bread trail, you would have to get the fenix x which is the largest and only comes with the sapphire glass.

 

[Bob]

Garminsoftware does take getting used to. Use web file convertor for any format you want for any program.

We use avenza for the go to topo on wildland fires

 

[SKLund]

I've owned a couple of handheld GPSs, and I never used them and ended up giving them away. Usually where I hike there's lots of good navigational markers, as it's typically desert.

But, after literally being off my feet for over a month this summer (pulled ligament), I would like to get back in really good shape. I was looking at GPS units on REI, and I noticed all these watches. It got me to thinking, why not get a watch that will tell me how far I hike for fitness purposes, as well as being able to do a trackback? I could see the allure of wearing a watch over a handheld, but I could go either way. It appears you can't download maps onto the watches, but I'm not sure I would use it all that much in that capacity anyway, given my past history. A built-in altimeter and barometer would be nice also.

Any thoughts on getting a good GPS? (I did a search here and didn't find anything on this.) In theory, it would be nice to have it all, map capability plus trackback plus distance - well, you get the idea, because then I could do maps if I decided I wanted to. And in spite of owning a couple, I really don't know much about how to use one, so ease of use would be a nice feature too. I thought about just getting a pedometer, but I actually would like to have the trackback feature, as I hike a lot off trail and hope to spend more time in the mountains in the future. I will add that I've been temporarily lost a couple times in forests (Uncompahgre Plateau and Cedar Mesa), so I think I would probably be advised to use one in places like that.

Your suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance. (And I have a PLB so a Spot isn't on the list. I don't have a smartphone nor plans to get one.)

A watch GPS is not accurate enough in my opinion. Phones are better especially when both GPS and cell signal are on. Battery use is an issue but can be worked around by shutting down apps. None of the navigation apps I have used are worth it. A combination of a good handheld loaded with pre-set waypoints along with a downloaded PDF map loaded to phone or printed are best. The map should have those same waypoints on it.

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