Outdoor GPS choices, choices……help?

Ok, i have had a couple of posts about outdoor GPS units. I basically want one to use on and off the bike, not for performance cadence or anything just navigation mainly. I need it to be easy to use as i’m a bit daft with tech, i also want a decent map set up preferably preloaded but i will entertain a unit that can download maps etc.

Units i have in mind…..

Memory Map 2800…£180 full GB map/bike mount

Garmin Etrex 20…..£148 no OS mapping supplied

Satmap Active 10 Plus….£280 Full GB mapping

Garmin Dakota 20….£250 Full GB mapping

Memory Map 3500….£280 Full GB mapping/bike mount

I really cant decide as the choice is bewildering, my fave if i am honest is the Garmin Etrex due to size and robustness but i’m unsure of the downloading of maps etc.

So opinions please, genuinely.

Garmin Etrex 20 WITH mapping bundle is £180 at Taunton Leisure ATM.
That would be my choice but I don’t need a new GPS.

I went through a similar process a few months back after my trusty Geko eventually failed on me. I opted for the Dakota 20 and one of the main advantages I saw in it was that it uses AA batteries. That means no recharging issues if out and about for several days away from mains power.

flatfish…thanks for the heads up but that is a limited area map and can be had cheaper elsewhere.

Have Satmap and recently Garmin 800.
Satmap has a great display but suffers from being a bit big for the bars (although it can sit there, you won’t want it on every ride). The screen also shuts down to conserve battery life and you have to poke it every now and again to check that you are on course. Software is also a bit naff – especially on the Mac.
Garmin is much better sized and sits easily on the stem without getting in the way. Screen is big enough to navigate with – esp if you follow a preplanned highlighted track. It can also be useful on a roadbike as has turn by turn road navigation with the OS maps. The screen can stay on all the time even on long rides without draining the battery. Software seems much better. One nice feature is that you can view your OS map on a computer and plot routes etc. I know there are online sites that offer this but sometimes they are slow and I occasionally holiday away from the internet but like to look at maps.
So for MTB I would say that the Garmin is best suited. It will also do the training stuff if you are inclined. You also have the option of downloading free OS maps – see related thread on this.

sorry for hijacking – i have a garmin dakota 20 new/unused with unopened discoverer full GB maps and a bike mount for sale in the classifieds, just in case you were interested

gaz yuo have mail

djflexure – you can change the settings to stop the Satmap switching the screen off to conserve power.

I’ve got a Satmap and haven’t seen anything I’d rather use. Yes it’s quite big but it also has the biggest screen which is a big advantage when riding as you can see more of the map and it’s easier to read.

The software isn’t great but I create my routes on a couple of websites anyway.

The Satmap lithium battery lasts very well and there is a AA battery carrier you can use as a back up.

A friend has a Dakota and I thought the screen was too small and the operating system less intuitive.

The other half bought a Garmin Dakota, one of the early ones, about 4 years ago. It’s awesome, we haven’t looked back since.

We spent a week biking in the Lakes using just this piece of kit. Downloading routes of the internet and riding other peoples trails. Niether of us had any experience of riding in the Lakes so being able to go out and ride at a decent pace all day without getting the map out at every junction was an absolute god send. I don’t even recall getting significantly lost.

Theyre also nice on a road bike, opens up the lanscape a bit as you can never ride off your map! You can adopt a “well lets see whats down there” attitude without worrying about it, instead of doing your rehearsed loop all the time.

If you’re a technophobe it may not be so easy. You need to use alternaticve software to plan your route and then export this to the unit. It’s too small and fiddly to plot a route on the unit itself, certainly on a Garmin.

The other option is to use someone elses route off a navigation/GPS site. This can then mean converting formats to get the one your specific unit requires. Again a bit fiddly and you end up flicking between sites to convert files on the web.

However the rewards are def worth it and I now have a wealth of rides on my pc I can call on at anytime, and also the understanding to use anyones route, anywhere in the UK! Thats a lot of riding and has to be the future of MTB.

Also being able to used AA batteries is an adavantage, especially if you dont have a OS map to back yourself up (not reccomended) Please use this approach with care if you are out somewhere remote!!

Happy trails 😀

Had a Satmap for a couple of years now and it’s largely been great. Ours has a few niggling issues (you have to pop the SD card out and put it back in before it recognises it) but they’re proper tough, you can plan routes just using the unit (it automatically switches backgrounds as you zoom in and out), and you can set the screen to be on or off as much as you like.

Accuracy is really, really good – you can usually see if you’ve strayed off your path within about 20 metres.

Battery life is OK with the rechargeable pack, great with Energizer AA lithiums (over 8 hours easy).

It’s a bit clunky in the current age of sexy touchscreen devices (which is fine) and I’ve never managed to get the route planning software to work properly (which is also fine, there are plenty of alternatives and we mostly plan on the device anyway).

djflexure – you can change the settings to stop the Satmap switching the screen off to conserve power.

Sure – I just got close to draining the battery a couple of times on long rides so tended to conserve power. The Garmin does seem to have markedly better battery life so I was much more confident leaving it on all day. Now I can add 1:25K maps for free I like it even better.
Satmap is still great I agree – just wish it were a bit more compact.

err, this “free OS maps”, … ?

Download Mobile Atlas Creator 1.8 and you can do it – the maps are included.

There is another thread on the subject.

Bit restricted to individual map size but can apparently add 100 small maps. To date I’ve got 1:25K of my local area on top of the 1:50K UK map that came bundled.

Sorry not much help, but where did you get the sat map one for £280?

Does the etrex 30 run on AAs?

Sure – I just got close to draining the battery a couple of times on long rides so tended to conserve power

how long are these rides?

I carry a spare battery for my satmap but have never got close to needing it.

plus there’s the AA battery casing if you need more.

Mines been great – I like the way you can show inactive routes as well as you ride, helps you get familiar with an area and allows you to switch to another route as you know you are at the cross roads.

I’ve had the Satmap for 3 years+ and its great.I use mine on the bike for routes i don’t know and it sits on the stem very well. Its size could be an off put ,but the large screen makes it easy to follow while riding.There is also many options on the display, so you can show things such as Speed, Avg speed, Distance, Ascent and the such like.As has been said above,you can change the settings to leave the screen on all the time if you wish.If you wanted to use a GPS for training, then a Garmin Edge would be better, but for just navigation then the Satmap is hard to beat.

bikehike

You can use sites such as this to plot routes on an OS map (for free) and export GPX files to upload to your device. You can also import GPX or TCX plus more, there’s a few sites out there with this capability if you don’t like this one!

One huge advantage of the Satmap for me is the ability to operate it without taking gloves off, which I had to do with my Memory map unit. It is a brick though.

Had one of the Garmin (training focused) units a while back but found it a faff to use so I sold it and got a second hand Satmap (off ebay).

FWIW Trail mag really rate them.

I like mine and it’s a lot easier to use and follow a trail on than the garmin one. Can’t say I’ve noticed the size and weight in a negative way. The bike mount is very good – really stable and simple to use.

You could always get one on ebay and sell it on if you don’t get on with it – when I was looking there were a few for sale – people seemed to sell them on after only a few uses.

how long are these rides?

Possibly out for 6-8 hours. I can’t remember if it ever actually died and I agree you can take spare batteries (just more stuff to carry). I do remember that the battery indicator frequently got into the red on long rides. I took the view that it was better to conserve battery power.