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GPS for hikers

Hikers_with_gps_hiking When selecting a GPS for hiking, two key criteria come to mind. It’s likely that a hiker will want a unit that’s good for navigation and that will not encounter reception problems.

Reception is important

So for one thing, I’m limiting my recommendations to high-sensitivity receivers, such as those with the SiRFstar III or MediaTek chipsets. With these receivers, you can stick them in your pocket, or a mesh pocket on a day pack, and you are still likely to have adequate reception. Some of this is dependent upon how the satellite constellation is positioned relative to your location on any given day, but overall, I think you’ll be happy with the performance of these units.

Navigation and maps

The other important thing is getting a receiver that is set up to navigate. Not all GPS receivers can accommodate topo maps. If you’re content with a receiver that won’t let you add detailed maps, check out the Garmin eTrex 10. Otherwise, stick with a mapping unit.Etrexventurehc Be aware though — most units don’t include detailed maps. Fortunately, there are plenty of free (and legal) topo maps for Garmin units. One other note before we get into the recommendations — you may also find it helpful to check out my Garmin handheld GPS comparison chart.

Budget GPS for hiking

Our choice: Garmin eTrex Venture HC

  • Sunlight-readable color screen
  • Can accept detailed topo maps (sold separately)
  • Comes with a USB cable for transferring waypoints, tracks and routes to and from your computer
  • The retail price is $170, but I often see the Venture HC for sale anywhere from $115 to $130

Other budget units:

  • The Garmin eTrex 10 (Amazon link) is a new model that has a monochrome screen; you also lose the ability to load maps. The eTrex 10 is available for just over $100 at the time of this update. I hope to have a hands on review posted soon.
  • The Garmin eTrex 20 adds lots of features not found on the Venture HC. As of this posting the eTrex 20 can be found for about $180. If you can swing the price, this is the one to get.


Mid-range GPS for hiking

Our choice: Garmin Oregon 450

Shop more garmin oregon 450 at Bizrate


Other mid-range units

  • The Garmin Dakota 20 is a smaller version of the Oregon. Once its been on the market for awhile, it should start to show up at a discounted and very attractive price.
  • The old standby used to be the Garmin GPSMAP 60CSx. A solid performer, but lacking a tri-axial compass, aerial/custom imagery and advanced track navigation capabilities. I’ve recently seen it on sale for as low as $199.
  • The Delorme PN-60 can accommodate aerial imagery and real USGS topos. It has a smaller screen than the Oregon (albeit more legible in most daylight conditions) and comes with powerful but complex software. Available for around $260 at the time of last update.

The top of the line GPS for hikers

There are several units to consider here; all have a barometric altimeter and tri-axial electronic compass.

  • Garmin Montana series – I recently reviewed the Garmin Montana 600 and have been very impressed with it. Yes, it’s a bit on the big side, but that really didn’t both me much. And it’s the best dual-use unit Garmin has ever offered.
  • Garmin GPSMAP 62s – Perfect for those who don’t want a touch screen unit. It brings all the latest features such as paperless geocaching, BirdsEye aerial imagery, custom maps and advanced track navigation. Step to the 62st for pre-loaded 1:100,000 scale topo maps of the entire US.
  • The Garmin Oregon 550t, combines a high resolution, touch screen interface with pre-loaded topo maps of the entire U.S and a built-in 3.2 MP geotagging camera.
  • The DeLorme PN-60w with SPOT Satellite Communicator is a special case. This combo allows you to comunciate with the outside world, even where there is no cell signal. If you venture far off the beaten track, or go it alone, this one is hard to pass up.



Other high end units:

  • Another option is to get a couple of Rino 650 units for you and your outdoor adventure partner. That way, you get most of the advantages of the 62s, plus you can see their position on your screen (and vice versa)!

Related posts

Comments

122 Responses to “GPS for hikers”
  1. Kathy Stashkiw says:
    June 8, 2011 at 11:16 am

    I’m a horseback rider and am looking for a GPS to keep track of where I’m going and where I’ve been. Also when I return home I’d like to down load my recent trail ride and print out a map for use at a later time. Thanks for any advice you can share.

    Reply
  2. Barry says:
    June 20, 2011 at 1:56 pm

    Hi,
    Great site w/great info! I am looking for recommendations on a Hikers GPS.. My (soon to be) 60 year old Mother is an avid Hiker, and really needs a solid, dependable device. Would need to be easy to use, easy to upgrade/update, probably touchscreen with an altimeter, topo, etc, etc. I don’t have a strict price-point in mind.. I just want something that will guide her (and ease our minds) when she’s off hiking. Thank you!

    Reply
  3. Amanda says:
    July 1, 2011 at 12:23 pm

    I am setting out on the Pacific Crest Trail, much of which is under snow and hard to follow. I am looking for a unit into which I can load a trail map with way points. I’m not real good with tec stuff so simplisity of operation is a pluss as is weight. Thanks

    Reply
    • Rich Owings says:
      July 2, 2011 at 7:22 am

      Hi Amanda. Unfortunately, handheld GPS are pretty complex beasts. Much more so than auto units. How long will you be out? You’d do good to get a full day out of most units on a single set of batteries.

      Reply
  4. Mark says:
    July 5, 2011 at 1:09 pm

    I have a Garmin eMap. It is in great shape and I have all the accessories, external antenna, bike mount, memory card reader, data cables and all. Am I still stuck with the old Topo and US maps that Garmin released for the eMap and eTrex or can I download Google maps and some of the public domain maps to this device. Or, is this device archaic an in need of donation to the Smithsonian? For driving directions and such I have my iPhone and an old iPaq 2200 with the Tom Tom maps and external GPS so the eMap is only for outdoor stuff although in typing this it is painfully evident how dated my collection of GPS toys is….
    Thanks!

    Reply
  5. Steve B says:
    July 5, 2011 at 2:01 pm

    I conduct fieldwork in some remote parts of the West, and I need to know if any of the Garmin products have technology like a SPOT gps unit? My manager wants us to be able to send a distress signal or test if necessary. Thanks!

    Reply
  6. Tom A says:
    July 14, 2011 at 9:53 pm

    Rich
    I do a lot of fly fishing where i have to hike into remote spots in the mountains in the southeast and Colorado. I’m also looking to do some hiking in Hawaii in a few weeks. Any suggestions of what would be a good solution to get me to mountain streams and to some nice spots during general hiking.

    Thanks

    Reply
    • Rich Owings says:
      July 15, 2011 at 8:02 am

      Before I give a recommendation, I need a bit more info. Is this your first handheld (vs. car) GPS? And do you have a budget in mind? In the interim, you might also want to check out this post…

      http://gpstracklog.com/buyers-guides/handheld-gps-buyers-guide

      Reply
      • Tom A says:
        July 15, 2011 at 8:04 pm

        Yes first non-car GPS, do have topo map reading experience and certainly not technology challenged. What I was looking for is a device to take fishing/hiking specifically, I have a car model. Back country mountain streams are the favorite, finding the headwaters and getting back out is often the challenge. Would like to take the worry out of knowing where I end up after working a stream hard and be able to mark the “good” spots for the next trip.

        Screen resolution, ability to load maps, ruggedness are all important. I’ve been looking at the Oregon 450t so that would be the price range I think would be right.

        Thank you for the time and response.

        Reply
  7. Rich Owings says:
    July 16, 2011 at 9:43 am

    You should be in good shape, but handheld units definitely have a bigger learning curve. This series should help…

    http://gpstracklog.com/category/handheld-sport-gps/handheld-gps-101

    I’d consider the Oregon 450m instead of the 450t. The 1:100k maps on the 450t aren’t very detailed, and you can get great 1:24k scale maps for free from http://gpsfiledepot.com.

    Let me know if you have any other questions. We’re here to help!

    Reply
  8. Tom A says:
    July 16, 2011 at 10:20 am

    Last question before I make the purchase.
    I read your review on the DeLorme PN-60w and liked the idea of having the “spot” available. Safety is always in the back of my mind as I’m crawling over rocks and through streams in areas where my cellphone doesn’t work. What would I give up other than touch screen and screen size by going with the DeLorme? It looked like your review was pretty strong on that unit also.

    Thanks again for the help, I really appreciate it.

    Reply
  9. Rich Owings says:
    August 23, 2011 at 9:58 am

    @Bob, what you can do is set the map to not show shaded relief and turn land cover off. That should improve visibility dramatically.

    Reply
  10. Mike C says:
    October 26, 2011 at 5:06 pm

    I have a Garmin Vista and I dont know how the tracking feature works.
    I have read the blurp in the book more than a few times and I still dont get it.
    Does it start tracking as soon as you turn it on and start walking?
    Do I have to put in waypoints along the way or just continue to my destination?
    How do I save the track so I can get back to where I started?
    Does it track back in a straight line or does it show every turn as I walked?
    Once i save it will it stay in the GPS memory till I delete it?
    Thanks for your help in advance.

    Reply
    • Rich Owings says:
      October 27, 2011 at 8:22 am

      It starts recording your track as soon as it locks onto satellites, unless you have disabled tracking.

      You do not have to add any waypoints, though it does help to have one for your destination.

      Which Vista do you have? The original or the Vista HCx? Let me know and I can try to find out how to start a “trackback.” Trackbacks show all your turns.

      I think saving it depends on the unit and your settings. Yes, it should save it, but it may truncate it to 250 points.

      This series may help BTW…

      http://gpstracklog.com/category/handheld-sport-gps/handheld-gps-101

      Reply
  11. Carolyn says:
    November 23, 2011 at 11:19 pm

    My son is 16 and looking for a hand held GPS for hiking do you have any suggestions for a good starter system.

    Reply
  12. kristin says:
    November 24, 2011 at 9:52 pm

    looking for a handheld unit as a gift for my boyfriend… we’re avid hikers, but don’t need anything too complex as it’s our first unit… and most importantly want a mac-friendly device. nothing too expensive since, like i said, we’re newbies w/ the handhelds. suggestions?

    Reply
  13. Mike Eischen says:
    November 27, 2011 at 1:31 pm

    If I buy a Garmin nüvi 50 for my car (5 inch screen) can this be used while I hike and bike? Thanks, I’m new at this.

    Reply
  14. Jack Nance says:
    December 10, 2011 at 11:17 pm

    I work for DoD in Germany. I have been taking short hikes with the Trails App in Germany for about a year and it’s great here with my iPhone service and a backup battery. The Trails App information is clear, accurate and easy for a novice to follow..just follow the dashed line.

    I’m now venturing into France and much longer hikes. I’ve been researching and I think the Oregon 450 is for me, at 269.95 at Amazon.com. No need for the 450t US maps and the 450t with Europe maps is nearly twice the price of the 450t with Europe maps everywhere I’ve looked (not available except on UK sites like Amazon UK. So I’ll have to settle for the World maps that come with the 450 I can purchase at Amazon US.

    The French topo maps are VERY expensive…400 dollars for France! The GPSFiles Depot with the hiking filter on shows no maps.

    I haven’t seen a handheld gps and my main concern is that the maps will just be topo without the easy to follow trails (dashed lines) that I see the in the iPhone App.

    So my question is the information provided on the World maps that come with the 450 Oregon similar to that I see in the Trails App?

    Reply
  15. Steve Cracknell says:
    December 11, 2011 at 3:13 am

    Yes the Topo France maps are expensive relative to some other GPS maps, but they do have paths marked, particularly long-distance paths – see http://www.la-rose-des-vents.fr/gps-randonnee-topo-alpes.php for some screenshots (at bottom of page).

    Reply
  16. Rich Owings says:
    December 11, 2011 at 9:17 am

    Jack,

    This website is dated so I’m not sure all the links work, but there are URLs for the sites that hosted the topo maps in some cases…

    http://mapcenter.cgpsmapper.com/maplist.php?cnt=73&rgn=&cat=4

    For trails, you might want to look at online track/.gpx sharing sites such as Garmin Connect.

    Reply
  17. Jack Nance says:
    December 11, 2011 at 12:19 pm

    The feedback on the poor quality of the World Topo included with the 450t (US Topo) is most useful. Perhaps the 450t (European Topo) is worth the the cost in my case.

    Reply
    • Boyd says:
      December 11, 2011 at 3:58 pm

      Again, go to Garmin’s site and look through the maps section to find the version you are interested in. You will be able to view the maps for yourself on the website. In the US, the 450t pre-loaded maps are the 100k US Topo’s.

      Reply
  18. Dawn says:
    December 27, 2011 at 9:37 pm

    I have experience with Garmin GPS units. I started with an eTrex Vista several years ago and now own a 60CS. The 60CS loses signal very easily and now it is always turning off no matter how new the batteries are. I’m thinking it is time to upgrade. I am trying to decide what to get next. I do a lot of hiking, some bushwhacking, backpacking and long distance hiking. I hope to hike either the PCT or CDT in 2013. I realize I can do most of what I need with my Android phone, but as you have mentioned, phones are not durable enough to rely on for this and the battery does not last. Do you know if there are plans to integrate the functions for a back country phone/camera/gps/personal tracking/SOS capability with durability and use of AA batteries? I know, wishful thinking. I am looking for a GPS that has highly reliable reception and reasonably accurate. Any suggestions?

    Reply
  19. Gareth says:
    December 28, 2011 at 10:45 pm

    I have just recieved an Etrex 10 for Christmas from my girlfriend. I have never had a GPS system before, so I rather unsure what to do next. I know that this model does not support detailed maps, and I do not know how and where to download calculated routes to download onto my GPS. I need someone to explain everything to me and hopefully tell me where I can find these existing waypoint routes. We usually go walking in the lakes and enjoy climbing mountains like skiddaw and scafell etc. All i want is to be able to get info onto my gps so that I can walk routes safely and so that I know where I am going!

    Reply
    • Rich Owings says:
      December 29, 2011 at 7:04 am

      Congrats Gareth. I think you’ll really like it. If you didn’t see it, I’d check out this article…
      http://gpstracklog.com/2011/12/a-bakers-dozen-tips-for-your-new-handheld-gps.html
      and this series…
      http://gpstracklog.com/category/handheld-sport-gps/handheld-gps-101

      One option you have is to search the Web for .gpx files for whatever park, hike or trail you are interested in. I just searched for “gpx skiddaw” without the quotation marks and came up with quite a few files to download. These go into the unit’s GPX folder (just drag and drop them). Some will contain tracks (sort of like trails), while others will have waypoints too.

      There are also numerous mapping software options that will let you place a waypoint on a map or aerial photo on your computer and then transfer the waypoint to your eTrex.

      Hopefully that is enough to get you started. Feel free to chime in with more questions. Have fun!

      Reply
  20. Gareth says:
    December 29, 2011 at 11:03 am

    Thank you for the very helpful response. However, would you be able to elaborate on the mapping software options please? I have spent all day trying to find a way to get a map, upon which I can create my own routes, with no luck! I know I must sound like a total fool, but I just cant seem to get to grips with all of this!

    Reply
  21. Paul says:
    January 8, 2012 at 9:58 pm

    Hi,

    I am a mountaineer and regularly visit Indian and Nepal Himalayas. Can anyone suggest a GPS tracking unit that would track my progress and keep my family informed as to where am I? I already have Garmin Oregon 450 but what I am looking for a GPS unit that would transmit my location real time to my family.

    Some people in this forum have suggested Spot. However, as per their website it doesn’t have coverage in India and Nepal.

    Would appreciate if someone can help me.

    Cheers

    Reply
  22. shaun! says:
    January 19, 2012 at 8:36 am

    hey rich,

    it’s great to see you taking the time to respond to everyone’s comments.

    i’m here in the US and primarily would like a GPS unit to help me find water springs, usually i have the coordinates and a google-maps idea of the vicinity, but would like something to help me pinpoint the springs out in the field. often these are in rural areas, accessible by small roads into the area, then it’s up to me from there.

    i also hike often, but have never owned a GPS before, so it would just be an extra tool for that.

    looking in the lower- to mid- price range area.

    any suggestions?

    thanks!

    Reply
    • Rich Owings says:
      January 19, 2012 at 9:31 am

      I’d look at the eTrex 20 or Oregon 450.

      If you are looking for hot springs, there are plenty of points of interest (POI) files that can be added to the GPS for those. There are less of these available for other types of springs.

      Some of the free topo maps at http://gpsfiledepot.com have searchable water features and some don’t. The Garmin 24K maps do, but they only turn up named springs.

      You may find this series helpful BTW…

      http://gpstracklog.com/category/handheld-sport-gps/handheld-gps-101

      And you may find mapping software useful. It would allow you to (on your computer) create waypoints for springs based on USGS maps and transfer those to your GPS. Hmm, guess I should add a mapping software post to my handheld GPS 101 series!

      Reply
  23. Pat McNamar says:
    January 20, 2012 at 11:35 am

    Hi Rich, I have a Garmin Edge 800 and would like topos that show shaded relief. I am a road biker and would like to beable to see detailed topo so I can see hill grades etc while I bike. Do the Garmin Topo’s work well for this? Hate to spend the money on them if there is something equally good out there.
    Thanks.

    Reply
  24. Hiker says:
    January 26, 2012 at 11:38 pm

    I am interested in a gps unit in a few months, it would be my first purchase. I am an avid hiker and backpacker and am moving to another part of the country and want to try my hand at some kayak fishing as well (as opposed to just going for trout around here). I will probably post some questions, I am looking at the garmin oregon/montana and the gpsmap units with the high fidelity receivers, but haven’t decided on touch screen (I assume their battery life is weaker) or the gpsmap units.

    I wanted to thank you for this site and all the helpful comments, sure got some reading and researching to do.

    Reply
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