Trad Gang
Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: Onions on May 18, 2016, 09:58:00 AM
-
Going on a Wyoming hunt this Sept, and going to delve into using a GPS.
I am a "newbie" to GPS.
Curious to what y'all use? I have been looking at two models right now:
Garmin 401 Foretrex and Garmin Montain 600 or 650.
Do I need the more expensive model, with all the bells and whistles?
Thanks!
chris <><
-
IPhone 6s!
If you already have a smart phone then you don't need a GPS. Why carry more when you can carry one device that has multiple functions? I use my phone for emergency communications (yes, cell service is spotty, but Verizon is you best bet in the west), camera, maps/GPS/navigation (with the GAIA GPS app), weather forecaster, etc. etc.
Honestly, I've had several GPS devices and the map quality and functionality of my iPhone with GAIA is better than any GPS device I have ever used.
-
Originally posted by ProAlpine:
IPhone 6s!
If you already have a smart phone then you don't need a GPS. Why carry more when you can carry one device that has multiple functions? I use my phone for emergency communications (yes, cell service is spotty, but Verizon is you best bet in the west), camera, maps/GPS/navigation (with the GAIA GPS app), weather forecaster, etc. etc.
Honestly, I've had several GPS devices and the map quality and functionality of my iPhone with GAIA is better than any GPS device I have ever used.
I have had bunches of gps's, and now mine gathers dust. My phone with GAIA does the trick. If, however, I was going to get a gps, Garmin would be my choice.
-
I'm the oddball here I guess. I like a GPS because it was MADE to be used for navigating. Much tougher than any phone on the market too. I like the tracking log functions of a GPS and you can't match this feature with any phone app IMHO.
Any of the Garmins will do, but you don't need all the extra "options" on the higher end models.
-
I use a garmin etrex 30x and love it. One thing I don't like about using my phone is how it KILLS YOUR BATTERY! When you use a gps, "new life", is only a couple new batteries away!
Yes, you can carry an external battery power source for your iphone, but I just prefer my gps.
-
GAIA GPS does tracking as well and I find it very accurate - as accurate as a Garmin. It does, however, use up your phone's battery. I have a Mophie, which is an external battery that is the size and weight of my phone and will give it 3-4 full charges - enough to be in the filed for several days with full tracking.
Also of note, you can use apps like GAIA GPS and have your phone on airplane mode, so as not to be constantly searching for a signal when there isn't one. There are certain tricks to maintaining battery life, such as this and closing all used apps, that will allow you to conserve battery power for days.
To each unto their own. I know those that are dedicated to using their GPS instead of their phone won't readily be convinced... just like Ford drivers aren't going to buy a Chevy. But I am sold!
-
Yeah, I have a droid smartphone and it does everything I need including tracks. I download the map tiles at home so i don't need cell service plus it's a touch screen color monitor. You will need a good power pack to recharge it. I use Backcountry Navigator App, been using it exclusively for five seasons now, I do carry a super cheap backup GPS but I did that when I carried a regular GPS also. If you already have a smart phone, the App I use costs less than twenty bucks and for a few more bucks you can buy add ons that show GMU and private property boundaries and these are one time costs! If you don't have a smart phone, them the type of country your in will dictate what you might need, I prefer one now that shows at a minimum topo lines, you can get into some steep stuff fast without them.
-
This is a screen shot of the track we made on a local hike.
(http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f43/wachatz/18-05-16_11-51-38_zpsut7ppoy8.jpg) (http://s44.photobucket.com/user/wachatz/media/18-05-16_11-51-38_zpsut7ppoy8.jpg.html)
-
Nice hike old goat. I will say that a large I-phone or Samsung would give you a MUCH larger screen than any of the GPS on the market that I'm aware of.
-
And for any of you that might be Coors lovers, those black squares at the bottom of the picture are part of the Coors Brewery :bigsmyl:
-
Nice view of Coors. :) didn't know there is a trailhead on easly road.
I also use Back country Navigator and it works fine for me. In airplane mode the battery will last several days.
I don't go that far in anymore but due to a bad leg I need to pick travel routes carefully to stay out of trouble. Back county let's you download topo, aerial photo maps with markups and FS maps. You can switch between maps and your tracking and waypoints follow. It makes it easy to avoid places that I can't bushwhack like I used to.
If you are going in for an extended stay you will need some kind of battery support. When I floated a river for two weeks we used a solar charger for GPS, cameras and SAT phone and that worked fine even with a lot of overcast.
Funny thing, were set down on the river without knowing our exact location. The GPS had us on a high ridge several miles from the river. My partner had a new camera with GPS built in and the camera immediately pinpointed our location with accuracy of about ten or twelve feet.
-
I stayed old school with my GPS until last fall, even though I carry a smart phone. Finally took the plunge and got Trimble Maps package and was very pleased. Better maps with more features than I had through my GPS.
You do need to put your phone in airplane mode to avoid draining the battery, but in that setting it will last multiple days.
If you have a smart phone that really is the way to go. Put your money into a good waterproof case and a solar charger. An auxiliary battery on a solar charger back at camp, and then charge your phone off the aux. battery as needed.
If you don't have a smart phone then I like the Garmin GPS units. But with all the guys switching to phones lately I'll bet you can pick up a decent used GPS pretty cheap on Craigslist or the auction site.
-
I have a Garmin etrac 20 it does everything I need and hasn't got me lost yet.
-
62S Garmin. However I haven't experimented with others enough to make a fair assessment. I do like it's prompt signal.
-
Guys, Thanks for the info. I like the idea of using a smart phone. I have a Iphone 6plus.
Three apps were mentioned:
Back Country Navigator
GAIA GPS
Trimble
Has anyone had experience with them all, and decided that one was better then the others?
Great info!
Thanks again!
chris <><
-
I've used Backcountry Navigator and GAIA GPS. For me GAIA GPS was much much easier to navigate and very intuitive. It's a one time $20 purchase - expensive for an app, but cheap compared to buying topos or a GPS! Maybe BN has gotten better in the last several years, but when I purchased it 5 years ago I had a really hard time doing anything with it. Then when I wanted to download more maps I had to buy them. With GAIA GPS, you pay a flat fee and all the maps are downloaded for free. Just my $.02 but the reality is that I use this app almost daily for my job guiding. I think in the end, any of them will be good (including a GPS), just depends which one you are most proficient at using.
-
Unless it changed, Backcountry Navigator wasn't compatible for iPhone, I've heard nothing but good stuff about gaiaa
-
I just researched and bought a new one this year - decided on a Garmin 64ST - gives you topo maps as well.
Phones suck and you loose signal, then you are done - use a phone as a back up not your main unit unless you hunt in a city. I had the 60S prior to this one. There are a few models better and higher priced in the Garmin line but I'm not spending $500.
Mine was $300
The stuff you can do with them is crazy now - downloading stuff from internet and sending it to your GPS - don't think I will ever have that kind of free time but you never know
-
Originally posted by rraming:
I just researched and bought a new one this year - decided on a Garmin 64ST - gives you topo maps as well.
Phones suck and you loose signal, then you are done - use a phone as a back up not your main unit unless you hunt in a city. I had the 60S prior to this one. There are a few models better and higher priced in the Garmin line but I'm not spending $500.
Mine was $300
The stuff you can do with them is crazy now - downloading stuff from internet and sending it to your GPS - don't think I will ever have that kind of free time but you never know
You download the maps at home and then you don't need cell service to operate! I've had two GPSs blackout on me, never had one of my phones do that!
-
...What old_goat2 said...
My phone will function as a GPS anywhere a Garmin will, period.
If you don't know that then you are not reading the previous posts and don't know how to operate the app on your phone. It's worth getting to know the app, otherwise you're wasting your money.
Plus, I can literally be in the field, take a picture of a something, (a landmark, a kill, anything) and then drop a pin on my GAIA app, then upload the photo to the way point I just created... all on one device and in about a minute or less. For me it's the multi functionality of my phone and the user friendly interface of the GAIA app that makes a difference. My phone is smaller and more packable than almost all GPS units out there and does so much more!
-
Will the Gaia app Work on an Android?
I've been using BCN to great satisfaction and the maps available without upgrading have so far served well, but David has me thinking about more maps and maybe Gaia is a more economical answer.
-
Originally posted by monterey:
Will the Gaia app Work on an Android?
I've been using BCN to great satisfaction and the maps available without upgrading have so far served well, but David has me thinking about more maps and maybe Gaia is a more economical answer.
Not sure where you are going with this, if you use the right maps, they are unlimited and free, same with satellite. Also pretty sure Gaia is Apple only anyways.
-
I have the Garmin 650T and love it. The touch screen is AWESOME compared to having to toggle. I also like the fact that it is waterproof.
I also use a phone for basic navigation but there are many places that I hunt with no cell service in both Geogia and Quebec. I hunt over vast areas so downloading maps to compensate for loss of cell service is not really an option for me. I also like the micro SD option for ultra high resolution maps that my Garmin provides.
I use the 650 for marking waypoints for off shore fishing as well and it can pinpoint tiny wrecks as small as a single sunken car 14 miles off shore and can keep you on it with a compass arrow. I tried this with a phone and it wasn't even close.
For some folks a quality GPS is worth ever penny.
-
for a few more bucks you can buy add ons that show GMU and private property boundaries and these are one time costs!
I was refering to the quote above. I looked at some of the "premium" maps in BCN that I don't use at this time but I'm not sure which you are using.
I'm guessing that you are also using some of the BLM boundary maps.
I find that the only one that shows private property boundaries in the basic app is the Forest Service 2013.
Maybe I'm overthinking this?
-
Montery, look at Add-ons, not maps, it's another one time fee for each but they only cover one state for that fee. I probably wouldn't buy the GMU add on again as it gets too busy when you get in areas that have both standard GMU and Sheep/Goat GMU. The private property boundary add on is well worth the cost. Look at your map screen and select the little three dot icon in top right corner, you will see purchasing add ons. When you get a new phone you will have to go there again and re download but you won't have to pay again
-
Thanks again to all for your advice!
I took the $20 "plunge" for the GAIA GPS today.
Looks like a small learning curve, but so far its pretty user friendly.
Thanks again!
chris <><
-
Hey Chris, PM me if you have any questions about GAIA GPS. I'd be happy to share what I know about it. Also, don't be afraid to push buttons and see what it can do for you. You can't break it!
As for downloading layers (maps), I download whole mountain ranges at a time when I;m connected to wireless. You could, in theory, download a whole state in a relatively short amount of time and that would always be on your phone. You could also drop a pin (waypoint) in the middle of the wilderness (or cornfield for that matter) where your kill is as you pack loads out. You could then navigate back to that kill, using your phone, in the dark to carry your last load out. It works just like a GPS because it is a GPS, on your phone.
Not all map apps are equal though. You get what you pay for. Free map app? Probably not so good at finding your kill in the dark.
-
See it now. Looks like the Colorado BLM is the one?
-
Yeah, that's it Monterey! Shows more than just BLM, shows state, federal, private etc..
-
Great! Going to download it right now.
-
If it had been my hike, it would have gone straight to the brewery! I use a Garmin, but when hunting on my own place (most of the time), I don't need it. I use it so seldom, I have to review the instruction manual every time I want to use it.
-
1 brewery, 2 sewage disposal plants :scared:
-
OK, goat, I got it working. I like the way the overlay can be turned on and off. It can be a lot of clutter if you are zoomed out, but very handy when zoomed up close.
-
Is the Gaia app a one time fee or yearly fee?
The two sewage plants is because Monterey is full of it.. :)
-
The phone does work and if you put it one airplane mode it uses no battery at all, nice info!
-
Originally posted by Sam McMichael:
If it had been my hike, it would have gone straight to the brewery! I use a Garmin, but when hunting on my own place (most of the time), I don't need it. I use it so seldom, I have to review the instruction manual every time I want to use it.
Yeah, wasn't worried about getting lost, mileage thing!
-
Originally posted by monterey:
OK, goat, I got it working. I like the way the overlay can be turned on and off. It can be a lot of clutter if you are zoomed out, but very handy when zoomed up close.
Glad you did, I never messed with that and always hated having all the Sheep and Goat boundaries in there, made it hard to figure out what I was looking at sometimes in some places! Didn't know I could turn some off and leave some on! Thanks for the hack Monty!