Help With GPS...Want to buy

[kj]

I have owned several GPS units. I prefer the Garmins. They seem to be the most user friendly. The E-Trex units are the most compact and will do what you want and then some. Make sure it is a color unit if you are getting one with mapping capabilities. There really isn't a unit (brand) that works better than another. All lock into the same satilites. There are just different bells and whistles and ease of use. I would first find the software that I am interested in. Then I would buy the GPS unit that reads that software. All GPS units are software specific. All software can be down loaded onto any computer, the way points can be transfered back and forth, but the mapping software can only be loaded onto the specific brand the software is made for. IE: Garman uses Mapsource, Earthmate uses Delorme and Magellin uses National Geographic. The need for a SD card is debatable as you can load different areas of maps onto your unit and if you need a different area but are out of memory, simply down load a different map area. My Garmin e-trex will hold a little more than 3/4 of the state of Utah. I have never needed more than that. If I am traveling to another area, I simply down load the area I want to visit. You don't have to buy mapping software as the unit will come preloaded with maps. It will be very general and won't show much detail however. If you want the best, get state specific mapping software and you will get the best detail. Map source software is 3 cd's for the entire world and actually has pretty good detail. My Delorme has 7 disks just for Utah. My National Geographic has 5 or more disks for just Utah. You can imagine the detail difference. I use mine more for hunting and ATV riding, so the 3-d versions are quite helpful and useful. Hope this info helps.
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