UKH

Hi

Looking to buy a usable GPS for mountain walking, guiding, mainly in peak district, and north wales. Always relied on map and compass although have been in situations where a helping hand would have been welcome.

Done a little research and looking at garmin etrex 30x at 189£ at Cotswold.

Any other suggestions very welcome

cheers

In reply to llanberis36:


Have you tried your phone? For much the same as you say, I've found my phone is perfect. I've been using the OS app where you buy map tiles via Amazon and then they are kept on your phone, but there are various possible systems.

In reply to TobyA:

Thanks toby. Unfortunately have a very old phone without even a camera.....

Really need something robust, weatherproof etc. Would worry about using a phone in poor conditions, dropping etc

thanks anyway

In reply to llanberis36:

If it is just a back up co ordinate check the E Trek 10 is a simple unit that may be suitable. Cheap, robust.

In reply to llanberis36:

I currently use memory map on my smart phone for both work and play, have the full UK OS @ 1:50,000 and works great. The only issue is in winter conditions, as its touch screen you need to take your gloves off, and even if inside cover when its bleaching down with snow on the screen it doesn't like to cooperate! At the moment for play, weight and space are an issue, so I leave my old dedicated GPS back at base. So if buying a dedicated GPS the 2 things I would go for are button control and moving map, preferably OS so your familiar with the lay out.
If using a smart phone check you have enough storage space first, the maps tend to be big, mines around 4GB.

In reply to llanberis36:

Get a GPS watch with a coordinate button on it to confirm location.

In reply to olddirtydoggy:

I'm selling a Garmin Oregon 300 with extra OS maps on it. I might be just what your after.

I've sent an email.

In reply to llanberis36:

I use the etrex 20, it doesn't over-complicate the issue.

For a short time I owned a Garmin Oregon, but it drove me mad & went back to the shops after about 10 days.

In reply to llanberis36:

I'm a big fan of the Garmin Foretrex 301. All the benefits of a classical eTrex-style Garmin, but mounted on your wrist. I've had one for several years and it's a reliable workhorse. Before that, I owned an original eTrex.

I also use ViewRanger on my phone, which is an indispensable navigational tool. But dedicated GPS units still occupy important niches: winter use, terrible weather, and battery-friendly GPX logging.

In reply to JEF:


Me too. Unless you really *need* the extra features of the 30 (e.g. full electronic compass, barometric altimeter), it already offers the crucial advance over the 10 in terms of mapping.

In reply to llanberis36:

I highly rate the Garmin GPSMAP64s, have used it for a few years now, battery life is good with the included rechargeable battery which is basically a pair of AA's fixed together, then it can easily take standard AA batteries if you need a backup.

Its a very rugged unit, seems to keep water out pretty well, it did get a dunk in a stream last year and stayed dry inside.

GPS performance is spot on, gets a fix in a few seconds when outdoors.

When planning routes I always use memory maps with OS 25k then transfer to the garmin, the included OS 50k is fine for navigating, but lacks detail for planning.

I back it up with a Garmin Fenix 3 GPS watch.

In reply to llanberis36:

Basic etrex 10 yellow recent version, not the old one as the newer one is easier to operate & more cold resistant!

I use mine as a back up...however I have memory map 1:25K mapping on computer at home, so I create waypoints/marks on main hills, & nav points all on the MM 1:25K... plug GPS to computer & transfer these points over

I print off A4 at 1:25K or 1:50K the area I will be walking which includes the waypoint/marks on the map & put those A4 sheets into an A4 ortlieb clear mapcase.

I set GPS to track on least often setting. I use map & compass for primary nav. If in doubt I look at GPS which does not show OS mapping, but shows the waypoints I created & current track all in relation to each other as if map.

Making waypoints at home is best as doing infield is a nightmare in winter, also having same on map print out..all info is across the lot, no need to cross check..


Of just buy very expensive OS mapping on fancy GPS Memory map do some which will show you real time where you are on a nice touch screen with OS mapping..

I do have my MM OS 1:25K also on my ipad mini which has A-GPS built in (via mobile signals)....in the car quite good, I would take on hill though as not true GPS & cold proof enough for winter

In reply to llanberis36:

Fair enough - I was going to add to my original post that I bought a new phone at Christmas time that cost a bit less than the GPS unit you mentioned, but my older Motorola had worked fine for 3 year previously.

I think I'm pretty hard on my phones. They are permanently in my pocket and come out doing outdoorsy things at the weekends etc. I've dropped them while riding my bike in the past on a number of occasions with no harm done! I did drop one down a toilet once (yeah, I know... ) but even that didn't break it. So I understand the concerns but I guess you can knacker a GPS unit if unlucky also and a phone could cost less than one of them.

In reply to llanberis36:

Etrex 30 worth the extra few quid over the 20 IMHO for the compass, which means the arrow on the screen points the way you are holding the device when stationary making it much easier to orient yourself (the 20 without compass only points they way you are travelling when moving).

Etrex 30 plus TalkyToaster mapping for a tenner is a great set-up (and is what I use) - https://talkytoaster.co.uk/product/single-tt-150k-look-n-feel-map-for-self-...

In reply to llanberis36:

I have an etrex 30 and find it very good. I wouldn't go for one of the more expensive touchscreen models if you're likely to use it in winter or in the rain. The etrex 30 operates with a little joystick toggle which works fine with gloves on.

I bought mine on ebay where £100 seems to be about the going rate for a second hand one.

In reply to petestack:

I bought the Etrex 10 recently and it's great in many ways, but I did underestimate how useful a better compass is. The inability to show direction when stationary makes it more of a hikers tool IMO. It's not always possible to start walking around in different directions when you're on a cramped ridge, or belay station etc.

On the other hand the battery life is genuinely amazing (1 set of AA's lasted me through all my waypoint loading, practicing with the device, frequent play on a 12 hour train ride and then three days of intense use on the mountain), not sure how long colour screens/feature rich devices would manage with the same use.

In reply to r0b:


I use my compass if I need a compass, but still prefer the immediacy of a mapping GPS to one with just grid refs. Hence the 20 for me.

In reply to purplemonkeyelephant:


Do you need your GPS often on cramped belays?

In reply to llanberis36:

I've had an eTrex 30 for a couple of years which I use for walking, on/off road cycling and sea kayaking. It performs reasonably well in all three roles. The user interface is pretty clunky, certainly if you're used to a modern smart phone, but on the other hand it survives being immersed in salt water regularly and the batteries will easily do a weekend.

I use the openstreetmap maps from talkytoaster and also have some French and Swiss ones in there. The mapping is quite nice, particularly for being able to set waypoints by hand in the field without having to input grid references manually. The compass is nice but not essential - I guess if you're leading a group being able to set off in the right direction will inspire a bit more confidence than having to walk around a bit to let the gps decide which way you're going.

When I'm walking it normally stays turned off in my bag and I'll attempt to sort any issues with just the map and compass. Occasionally though if the weather is bad and I've had enough it's nice to be able to know exactly where I am so I can keep moving rather than having to do aiming off, pacing etc (although these are still essential skills).

It also has the ability to use routable maps which is quite nice for mountain biking.

In reply to petestack:


Well if you're mountaineering, up a steep snow slope for example, and looking for a waypoint (such as a gully entrance or camp etc) it's not so easy to keep checking your GPS as you're moving. Yes on proper climbs you are much less likely to need a compass bearing I guess, but still it could be useful to know whether to trend east or west on bigger routes, and when you don't have visible terrain maps it's quite hard to get a sense of where you are or where you're heading.

In reply to llanberis36:

Anyone use Satmap?

In reply to Jim Walton:

A know a few how do and really like it. I prefer my 62s though, mostly down to the size an UI.

As a primary / frequent use nav tool, the satmap is better: larger, better quality HD screen and faster processing than garmin 62/64s. A fair bit bulkier though so if it's going to spend 90% of it's life buried in rucksack not much advantage.

Cheers,

Stu