Which GPS do you recommend?

[newfydog]

I got a private message about what GPS I use, and thought I’d post it here.
What I want for my trips is a GPS with:
• Long battery life, preferably runs on AA batteries
• Waterproof
• Daylight readable screen
• Ease of loading multiple maps and tracks
• Enough memory to store each days travel for several weeks
• Strong antennae and no need for internet connection
• A good bike handlebar mount
Not too heavy or expensive

There are apps to make a phone do about anything, but they flunk on the battery and waterproof criteria. I hear they tend to lose signal too.

I use the Garmin Dakota 20. You can load maps into the unit, or use a map preloaded on an sd card. It will hold many tracks in memory and the screen is best in direct sun. I get three days of continuous recording from two AA batteries, or a charge of enelop rechargeable batteries. I turn it on in the morning, turn it off at night. On some more primative trails a good track is invaluable, on others it is not so important, but in the end I have a nice google earth record of each day of the trip, with detail right down to where I sat at the outdoor patio, and what bush I went behind to pee. The Garmin maps have all sorts of info on restaurants stores banks etc. It can be attached to a handlebar with a goos clip, worn around the neck, or stuck in a pack and will record fine.

Any others people like?

 

[BlackDog]

Well I'm running a Garmin foretrex 401 that does not meet your criteria. It does run on AA batteries but as I've been using cheap ones rather than a good brand I've not found the battery life to be good. I'm going to switch batteries to a decent brand on the next swap-out.

It doesn't have maps but as I've got a route and waypoints loaded then I'm not bothered about mapping. Google Earth is a useful tool for setting things up. And afterwards if I've gone wandering the track info can be brought into Google to see where I've been.

The foretrex is worn on the wrist but there is a bike mount. As I'm walking the camino then bike mounts aren't of interest.

One of its pages can display time, distance, moving speed, actual speed etc and you can select which four fields you want to display on that page. So, I can be sure of my direction and keep a check on my progress. It's useful as I find that I start walking too fast and that means that I start to hurt sooner rather than later, so the GPS enables to check my speed to a more realistic pace without the same wear and tear on the legs and feet.

The track page shows the usual waypoint info and gives warning of direction changes by using a bent arrow rather than a straight one. So for either preplanned routes or tracking where I've been I find it useful without being in the way.

 

[Andrewere]

I use a UK made Satmap 10 which meets your criteria though you may find it heavy and expensive at 222gms/ £250 - £300.

I find it a faultless piece of kit and it has maps of the Camino @ 1:25000 scale, though this additional mapping will be expensive.

Andrew.

 

[dougfitz]

I used a Garmin etrex Legend Cx in 2010. Don't know if it is still available new, or whether you could get a bike mount now, but it fills the other criteria. It would be worth looking for a good second hand one if you were reluctant to carry a newer but more expensive model on the Camino.

Open Street Maps can provide fairly good mapping and there are a number of places where routes and waypoints are available for download.

The Cx uses a micro SD card, and I didn't have a problem loading up maps etc for the whole Camino. I had tried on my older Legend C, but it didn't have enough memory.

Regards,

 

[Arn]

I didn't use any...though the first time I walked the CF I carried a SPOT device. More for a backwoods experience...has a "I'm here" locator, a HELP button (sends msg to preloaded emails/msg addees) and a respond 911 capability. In some locations it will dispatch a helo.

This last time, I took my IPhone...has the Map capability which tells me where I am and how to get where I want to go.

But to be honest...the Camino is not the back woods...it's civilization. There are way marks, signs and lightweight books that tell you where you are...or aren't.

Unless you want to know "exactly" where you are within 10 meters, how far you've gone , or just like to keep looking at your wrist instead of the beautiful scenery...take your phone.

Buen "only 10 km to go...sez so right on this marker" Camino

Arn

 

[newfydog]

But to be honest...the Camino is not the back woods...it's civilization. There are way marks, signs and lightweight books that tell you where you are...or aren't.

Buen "only 10 km to go...sez so right on this marker" Camino

Arn

Arn, I agree with respect to the Frances. On the other extreme, I doubt one could follow the new Voie Aurellianne from Menton to Arles without GPS. The guide book is not yet out, the marking inconsistant, but I made a GPS track from the preliminary sketch maps of the Amis de St Jacques, and that is now on their website.

I recently read a blog of someone who got lost repeatedly on the Via Toulousanna. We did it without a glitch, without having to look at a paper map, or bury our noses in a guidebook to read a trail description. A glance at the tracklog tells you you did or didn't make the right turn. I now have a nice Google Earth track of our daily travel. Our next route will be the Francigena, and the French part is poorly marked.

GPS is not needed for the Frances, but even there it can be nice to have and record your trip. Elsewhere it can be a real asset, and make the trip much more stress free.

 

[Arn]

I agree with you about the "Camino less traveled" and consider the Google Earth a cool way to plan and track your journey.

I have an app for my IPhone "Path Tracker"...I used it on the Caminho Portuguese last October.

It shows the Distance Traveled...time to cover the distance...average speed...lat/long,...estimated accuracy (within 17m) and altitude at each way point.

The display shows (Google Earth) in either topo, or Sat the path you actually followed. Pretty cool.

Arn

Draw back is that, as can be expected, it drains the battery quickly

 

[AJ]

What's a GPS?

 

[BlackDog]

What's a GPS?

Global Positioning System. Also described as Sat Navs usually in relation to those used in vehicles.

 

[Davroos]

I have walked twice with a Garmin Legend HCX. I use rechargeable batterys, and generally got around 23 hours out of them. I set my camera up on the same time as the GPS and then use the site http://www.everytrail.com They have unlimited space and use google maps.

I rode il Primitivo and used a Garmin Vista HCX, but was not happy with this or the other. Over big bumps, the batterys move and it loses connectivity.

On the via de la Plata, I've bought a Garmin Edge 800. Personally, I don't like the fact that you have to charge via a usb plug, but for tracking, it is nice and it never shuts down

I also use OSM maps, which I've never had a problem with

 

[voxmox]

The point is not what kind of gps you have, important is your maps; should be newest map. I have Garmin Colorado 300 and it is old but works fine. My maps are Topo spain v4 and suport my other maps and guides.
Recommend the use of lithium batteries as they are lighter than of alkali or any other batteries.

 

[RonelT]

Hi we are a group of 5 from South Africa that will be doing the Primitivo from 25th April. I am reading the posts about the GPS and was wondering if I should take a GPS along. I received the GPS as a gift to take along, and do not really know where to download the latest Maps for the Camino Primitivo, any suggestions please. (links)

 

[dutchpilgrim]

I was wondering if I should take a GPS along. I received the GPS as a gift to take along, and do not really know where to download the latest Maps for the Camino Primitivo, any suggestions please. (links)

I walked my Camino with a Garmin GPS 60Cx.
It wasn't of any use.
But I kept a track of my walking, just for fun.
I bought my maps from the Garmin web-site.

Ultreya,
Carli Di Bortolo

 

[Anniesantiago]

I got a private message about what GPS I use, and thought I’d post it here.

So I've been looking at the Garmin Dakota 20 for when I'm walking routes other than the Frances. I understand there is a lot of construction after the Embalse.

I also do a lot of hiking and mushrooming here in the US, and think it would be a great thing to play with.

I can see some Garmin's on sale so I know their price, but is there a map of Spain you would suggest?

Also, some of the reviews say the Garmin is difficult when adding maps. Do you find this true?

How do you carry it? Is it heavier than a phone?

I tried to PM you, but again, I"m having difficulties.
If you'd like, you can PM me back.
Thanks Doug,
Annie

 

[newfydog]

The world of any tech, GPS especially, is always changing.

For most people hiking , I would now recommend an iphone and MotionX app

The Garmin Dakota is still one of my favorite devices, but I would only recommend it if:
You need to have it out in the rain, rafting or sailing.
You want to record your daily track and need more than 6 hours of battery life or need your phone always charged up for calls, photos etc.
You want a day light visible screen on a bike handlebar with continuous display. Leaving a phone in a bike jersey pocket is a good way to lose it, and you need to stop to look at it.
Your iphone has limited memory and you want a lot of offline maps.

I'm sending a PM with some sources and info on garmin maps which I don't want to say in public.

 

[NicoZ]

Battery life can be an issue with standalone units also. The ones mainly aimed at in car use don't have huge batteries. The hiking models are better .

You can get around the battery issue to some extent by using an external battery. There are USB lipstick batteries. They more or less look like a tube of lipstick . You charge it by plugging into an USB port. They charge your device via an USB cable. The battery is about the size of a midsize smartphone charge. If you have a twin port USB charger then you can recharge both the battery and phone at once.

If that's not big enough you can get ones with a battery charge multiples bigger (4X or even more) but the bigger battery packs are bigger. I have one the size of a 5" phone but maybe a few grams heavier. It's 12000 mAH IIRC . Even bigger models exist for those not counting grams.

On memory if you use Google maps I can't imagine an average smartphone having trouble downloading all the Spanish maps in advance. Or you could download in stages. Downloading when you find a WIFI connection or using the phone GSM data.

Google's Mytrack does a good job recording tracks. The current version on my phone uses about 25% of the battery after 2.5hours. Add in simple export to the various Google services. Not an issue for the camino but it also can accept the data from a Polar heart rate sensor. Useful for training.

 

[NoQ]

I have a Dakota 20 and love it. It was so useful when I walked the Frances in the summer, with distances to next villages being very handy and maps with cafes marked on. It's light (I wore it round my neck) and battery life is good. It doesn't need to be on all the time, just switching it on when wanting to get distances or look at the layout of a village etc, so I would say I changed the 2 batteries every 5 days. As far as loading maps, it is really easy to use an overlay from OSM. I didn't pay for expensive interactive maps, but was very happy with the free map that has all the trails, details, shop names, bars etc from OSM. Well worth the tiny extra weight and mine will definitely be with me again when I am on the Ingles in April.

 

[lynnejohn]

The world of any tech, GPS especially, is always changing.

For most people hiking , I would now recommend an iphone and MotionX app

The Garmin Dakota is still one of my favorite devices, but I would only recommend it if:
You need to have it out in the rain, rafting or sailing.
You want to record your daily track and need more than 6 hours of battery life or need your phone always charged up for calls, photos etc.
You want a day light visible screen on a bike handlebar with continuous display. Leaving a phone in a bike jersey pocket is a good way to lose it, and you need to stop to look at it.
Your iphone has limited memory and you want a lot of offline maps.

I'm sending a PM with some sources and info on garmin maps which I don't want to say in public.

@newfydog -
Is there a similar capability on android?

 

[nick mottram]

@newfydog -
Is there a similar capability on android?

Yes- back country navigator ap- you can also down load maps for spain for free. cost 10 dollars from play store. I have used it a lot in uk and it works extremely well.

 

[NicoZ]

Nokia has made it's mapping software free. You can get it from the Google Play store. Just download the maps you need. I've only played with it a little but it seems to work offline fine. Including routing. It's different then the Google maps. In some places better. Some places worse. The routing doesn't give you the same sort of options.

 

[weradln]

For downloadable Camino cycling maps my favorite site is ridewithgps. You can custom make maps and download them directly into Garmin GPSs.

Have used a Garmin 450 GPS for cycling tours for a number of years. Waterproof, replaceable AA batteries, long battery life, replaeable memory card. Only negative was it was hard to see in certain direct sunlight conditions. This model has been replaced by the Oregon 600 which fixed the display problem and is highly popular.

 

[MTtoCamino]

I scored when walkers felt the need to have them & left them on the road as they must have been too heavy I donated them to my hunting friends

 

[newfydog]

We reached the city limits of Bourges last night in rush hour just ss the rain was strarting. The gps brought us right through the maze of little streets to our hotel. Worth every ounce for that alone.

 

[Harington]

Global Positioning System. Also described as Sat Navs usually in relation to those used in vehicles.

I suspect he knew....irony alert?

 

[BlackDog]

I suspect he knew....irony alert?

Blimey you're digging up the deceased now. That was over 3 years ago.