UPDATE: Check out my hands on Garmin nuvi 500 review to read about a nuvi with paperless geocaching ability built-in.
Geocaching is an awesome sport, that gets technology enthusiasts (and often their kids) outdoors, albeit with a gadget in their hands!
A handheld GPS designed for outdoor use is the best tool for this high-tech treasure hunt, but many GPS enthusiasts only have a car unit. Fortunately for those of you with a Garmin nuvi, a method has been developed to allow you to give the sport a try without investing in any more equipment.
A member of Groundspeak, geocaching.com’s message board, has put together a tutorial on paperless geocaching with a Garmin nuvi. By paperless, this means that you can hunt for a geocache without having to print out cache descriptions, logs, etc. I haven’t tried this yet with my nuvi, but from what others are saying, it works quite well.
I do have a couple of caveats for those who wish to try it:
- Your nuvi is a fragile device, and even if you don’t drop it (touch screen down) on a rock, remember — it’s not waterproof. A ziplock baggy offers some protection when the environment is a little moist, though I wouldn’t rely on that in rain.
- Unlike handheld GPS recievers, your Garmin nuvi doesn’t have a compass screen to point the way to a cache. Still, the tutorial walks you through how to get around this, and it’s a great way to try out the sport.
There’s a discussion / support thread at Groundspeak.
Thanks to Mike for reminding me about this.
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About Rich Owings
In your evaluation of the new nuvi 800 series you state: ..
The nuvi 850 will include all of the 880′s features, minus Bluetooth and MSN Direct access.
The Garmin site has a comparison site that states the nuvi 850 does have MSN Direct access.
Did you error or was this added later after your report?
Harold
Harold,
Both are MSN compatible. The 880 comes with an MSN receiver and 3 month subscription. It’s an add-on for the 850. But it may be cheaper to buy the 850 and receiver separately. I *think* you’ll get a one year subscription that way too.
My family just stated geocaching at MN State Parks and are looking for a good all around GPS. I’ve been looking at the Garmin 265WT, 500, 765WT and looking for your input. I like the idea of free traffic alerts but can live without those. Which one would you pick?
Kevin
Kevin, the 500 would definitely be the best, as it is the only one that supports paperless caching out of the box. But read this first…
http://gpstracklog.com/2009/04/dual-use-gps-for-road-and-trail.html
Then let me know if you have more questions.