GPS reviews, news, tips, tricks and deals
Garmin Adventures hasn’t been officially announced to the general public yet, but there’s enough information available to give you a good peek at what’s coming. Basically, it seems to be a social/outdoor adventure sharing website, that integrates with BaseCamp, allowing you to download “adventures” to your Garmin (see screenshots below). read more
UPDATE: Read my hands on review of the Garmin fenix.
The Garmin fenix (pronounced Phoenix) was announced by the company this morning. It appears to update the rather clunky Foretrex line with a slimmer form factor built on the Forerunner sportswatch platform. The fenix is a full-fledged navigator with the ability to store and navigate waypoints, tracks and routes; and get this – it is even setup for paperless geocaching! A barometric altimeter and tri-axial compass are also squeezed in. It seems to have just about everything except the ability to add maps. read more
The Garmin GPSMAP 62sc
The Garmin GPSMAP 62stc adds a 5MP geotagging camera to the GPSMAP 62st, allowing you to snap pictures on the go, and have those images automatically tied to a location, without having to carry another device. You’ll also get added memory, NiMH batteries and charger and a picture viewer. Like the 62st, this one also comes with pre-loaded 1:100,000 scale topos of the US.
I’ve accumulated quite a few Garmin map downloads over the last few years. Some, like City Navigator or Rails to Trails maps, can be downloaded for a year from the purchase date. Others, like BirdsEye imagery, are offered as an annual subscription. Many of us were reassured about the latter when Garmin told us that “imagery downloaded to your device or a micro-SD card does not expire if your subscription lapses.” Ah, but the devil is in the details.
Alright intrepid trekkers, the travel and backpacking season has arrived and at least a few of our readers are heading to Europe with backpacks in tow. The good news is that Garmin has topo maps available for most of the continent. What you need to know is how to get them for $30 instead of $300. read more
The Garmin Forerunner 910XT
read more
I’ve been trying to do some barometric altimeter field testing for awhile now, and I keep running into problems on nearly every outing. On the last foray, my Montana 600 shut down twice. I’ve had this happen before and it seems to be due to vibration. This time it was while mountain biking, but I’ve had it happen when hiking too. read more
I started using the Garmin Trailhead Series Appalachian Trail map soon after it came out last year, so it’s high time I posted a review. It includes a routable, 1:24,000 scale topo map of the entire AT, complete with a searchable points of interest (POI) database. read more
While prepping a review of the Garmin Trailhead Series Appalachian Trail map, I wanted to verify that it couldn’t be used in BaseCamp. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it did indeed work! The screenshot above shows a route on the AT in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. read more
