Dual use GPS for road and trail
I want a GPS that does it all; this has got to be one of the most frequent requests I hear.
Several companies have tried to create GPS receivers that will work well on the road or in your hand — for backcountry use, geocaching or what have you. The latest example is the Garmin nuvi 500 series, pictured above at left.
Yet none of the manufacturers have nailed it, and I have my doubts that they ever will. The main reason is that compromises must be made, either on the handheld side or the auto side. Here are my thoughts on sorting through your choices…
Decide what's more important
Since there are compromises to be made, it’s critical to decide which is more important to you – in the car or on the trail.
If you’ll spend most of your time using it to navigate in your car, I’d recommend the nuvi 500. It does a great job on the road, has preloaded topo maps of the entire U.S., and is set up for paperless geocaching. The downside for trail use is weak implementation of the compass feature, at least that was the case when I tested it. Recent firmware updates may have improved it.
If you will mainly use it in the backcountry, the Garmin Oregon series is my top choice. These touchscreen units are right at home on the trail, and when you add City Navigator
Two caveats though – don’t buy a 200 series unit; it has no speaker so you won’t get a “beep” warning you of upcoming turns. Also, I don’t recommend it for fixed mount use in the backcountry, such as on mountain bikes. Here’s why; these high-resolution screens aren’t as bright as other models, but I don’t find it problematic if you are holding the unit in your hand, where you can quickly adjust for the best viewing angle. Regardless, the display is very bright when connected to a vehicle power cable.
The DeLorme PN-40 is another option, but its built-in highway navigation database often leaves a lot to be desired.
Consider buying two separate units
A single unit is nice. You can navigate to a trailhead or near a geocache in your car, and only have to load waypoints to one unit. But if you aren’t wedded to the idea of a single unit, two separate models may be the best solution of all.
By the time you invest in one of the devices above, you may well find that it’s cheaper to buy a basic auto unit and a basic handheld. After all, you can get a nuvi 200 series model for your car and a Venture HC for the trail for under $250.
So now it’s your turn readers. One GPS or two? And if one, what do you think is the best dual-purpose unit on the market?
Related posts:
I have a Garmin GPSmap 60Cx and I have City Navigator North America loaded. I use it for geocaching and for car navigation as well. It was my first GPS receiver.
I also have a Garmin eTrex Venture HC. It’ll be donated to a charity auction soon, but I’ve used it some for geocaching.
If I was going to do it all over again, I WOULD get two. A car model and a handheld.
I recommend that to anyone that asks.
I suspect I could get decent models of both for less money than I paid for both handhelds that I have plus the map data (the 60Cx doesn’t come with anything but a basemap).
I agree. I hope this post will help some folks make the right choice.
I have an old GPSMAP 76CS with city navigator (?) that the 76 holds most of California with the 115mb. I was/is my 1st gps. I have used it for geocaching, and now mostly for car navigation. I’ve often wondered why car navigators have horizontal screens and not vertical… I’ve been very happy with my old 76, and just can’t justify spending the money on getting a new one, i don’t geocashe as much, but do hike some, so would still probably would lean toward a portable gps. My maps are getting old, and the gps freaks out on some of the highway changes, but it still gets me around quite nicely.
thanks for your tidbits..
dave
I use a 60CSx and a 2720 or 2610 on my d/s bike or Gold Wing. The 60CSx is especially important for me because I have the tracking being stored to the micro SD card. For my car, I recently purchased a MIO MOOV 500 and am pleased for its use there.
I am a real estate broke in San Antonio, TX and will operate primarily in San Antonio. However, I own approx. 65 acres in Sallia, MS
(16 miles SW of Kosciusko, MS)where we grown pine trees and hunt. Would like to know the best unit(s) for operating in both areas.
I belong to an ATV/UTV club in Arizona. We have over 200 members and others that join us on outings. I would like to have a gps that can be mounted on the dash of my UTV but it must show jeep and other trails. The screen should be 4 inches or more in size. I would like to be able to recommend this to other members in the club. Any suggestions?
Doug Stiltner
White Mountain Open Trails Assoc. (Menber)
Is it possible to convert a Magellan RoadMate 1440 to a GPS loaded with Topo Maps?
Doug Stiltner
Getting good trail maps is the biggest problem. I suggest getting a Garmin since there are so many free maps and trail maps for them. But don’t expect to find one product with all the 4WD roads and trails you want. The nuvi 500 would best suit your needs in terms of screen size, but you won’t be able to load trails (.gpx tracks) to it. That’s why I would suggest a Garmin Oregon model. I’d stay far away from the Magellan, but yes, you should be able to load Magellan topo maps to it.
Why limit yourself to two? It’s possible to have enough gps units, but it’s not possible to have too many.
But seriously, I think you’re right about needing two, if you want the best of both worlds, but the profiles feature in the Oregons comes very close to being just that, the best of all possible worlds.
You can customize a profile so it’s near perfect for either application – roads or trails and everything in between. A profile for bicycling, another for walking, geocaching, of course needs its own as well… The possibilities are endless.
In comparing both Nuvi 500 and Oregon 450, I found that SD cards (2) Topo US 100K and City Navigator didn’t show compatible with Oregan 450 and maybe Nuvi 500. What is going on?
City Navigator NT cards work fine on the Oregon and nuvi, as does Topo US 2008. Garmin often leaves out compatible units on their website.
Your recommendation for both road & trail is over a year old now. What would you recommend today?
Another reason I’m looking for a dual use GPS is because where I live I have to be able to take my GPS out of my vehicle when I’m not in it because of the thieves.
Still the Oregon series. Ideally the 450. Though I don’t think they have a night mode, which makes it very bright at night. You would want to crank the brightness down then.