GPS Units

OK all of those that are smarter than me - which is everyone.
 
What are your thoughts for GPS units for the Jeep and to use as handheld?

I eally like my Jeep Trail Guide.  Just don't buy the kit.  It's actually cheaper to get the Garmin Quest II GPS and then get the base unit and wiring harness through a dealeship.  When I built mine I got everything for half of what you can get the whole thing together.  If you want I can ty and find the Jeep part numbers for the base and wiring kit.  Check out ebay on the Quest II.

I have had really good luck with my Etrek Legend.  Its small, very portable and the screen is easy to see even in the sun.  I got mine used for less than $100 a few years ago but I think you can now pick one up for around $100 new!  It doesnt talk to you, its not a color display, wont give you directions if you get lost and wont read your speed if your going over 100mph but for a handheld it works GREAT at showing you where you are on a map. 

I love my Garmin Nuvi 660. It comes with everything you need to get real time traffic updates, it has a large screen so for those of us that can't hear a thing in our jeeps that's a bonus. It is a little more expensive and not quite as portable as others but with all that it offers you for everyday use I think it makes up for those shortcomings.

One thing to keep in mind is that with alot of the vehical GPS systems you cant do the mapping that follows your path and shows you the trail you took which is usefull when your offroad and wheeling parks to see where youve been. My GPS doesn't have it so im going to have to buy one of the smaller GPS's that are made for being carried all the time for camping and trailing.  Just something to look for when your picking one if thats something your intrested in. 

I agree.  The Etrek Legend has the ability to leave an electronic breadcrumb trail that you can download into your laptop or computer called waypoints.  You can build your own trail maps using this sytem.  Its fun to use and with an updated topo map downloaded into the GPS you can see where you have been via waypoints and actually see the elevation changes on the topo.  Kinda cool feature that I have used alot...  I built trail guides for most of the county roads in NW Arkansas when I lived there along with all the trails I rode with yall when we were in Hot Springs.  Course, that computer is dead and gone so I have no way to retrieve them now.

I'll have to check and see if mine will do that. It says it will do water navigation as well as land. I had no clue about the "breadcrumb" type thing.

ORIGINAL: rooney77

I'll have to check and see if mine will do that. It says it will do water navigation as well as land. I had no clue about the "breadcrumb" type thing.

 
Breadcrumb is basically just storing your route...I think...so you can backtrack if needed.

My Quest has the ability to do an electronic breadcrumb as well.

Billy. If you want the badest one out there look at the Lowrance BAJA. It is fregging AWSOME! I love mine. It is kind of big for a Jeep but it "shiz the nit" for an offroad GPS......Jim

for everyday driving i like my garmin nuvi something or other. it lets me type in chik-fil-a and tells me where every single one is located within 1000 miles. all of the yellow page listings are in there i guess. It works as a speedometer, compass, tells me my arrival time, and lots of other stuff. just dont **** her off or the talking lady will get mad at you when she has to "recalculate". but like mentioned... it can't track your hike or offroad adventure. at least i dont think it can.

Most of the driving GPS units dont come with option of the tracking feature ..if you want that you need to go to one of the ones designed for the hunter that let you set all your waypointswhen you are out in the field then you can download them when you get back home into your computer... then you can overlay those points on a program like Google Earth and you can go back to the exact same place every time down to the inch...or you can load the map program and set the points you want to go to and then load into the GPS and it will take you to the spot you want, you just have to make the road if there are none around

Its fun doing the overlay on google maps and seeing how accurate it is. Helps know what trails youve been on in the woods where the trails go EVERYWHERE.

Really could of used one in BC.  Until I bought a real map the tourist maps were of no use.  Also the hiking trails were a challenge.  I am going to research on one that is portable..heck just walking around in a strange place can be a pain. 

ORIGINAL: crazydave

Really could of used one in BC.  Until I bought a real map the tourist maps were of no use.  Also the hiking trails were a challenge.  I am going to research on one that is portable..heck just walking around in a strange place can be a pain. 

The smaller hand held ones run around 100 I believe and they rock for walking trails and around town because they fit in  your pocket or on your wrist. Make sure to get one for the car as well sense getting lost and waisting gas ****s alot.

Is there one that can do both?  Small enough to walk with but be able to tell me where something is when driving.

Mine for my car is one that sticks on the windshield and I can fit it in my shirt pocket (button up work shirt) when im not in the car. It has a option to switch between road and walking mode but it doesnt do the trail marking to see where youve been before. The walking mode gets a gps lockdown on your location within feet and its good for walking around down if you need to use it for that. Battery last a few hours but i'd still rather have one of the small ones to carry on my backpack when hiking to keep track of where I am because the battery in them laster forever and there small enough to put in my pants pocket and its not too bulky. 

so many decisions - maybe Santa can figure out by Christmas - (Tracie - hint, hint)

Getting a GPS is also something I've been considering.  Since I like to go hiking and bike riding, I think a handheld with the trailmarking option would be best for me.  I still remember the time I almost got lost hiking in the Apalachicola National Forest in Florida one time.  Dread came over me when I couldn't find my way back.  That was about 17 years ago before GPS was available, though.  Anyway, I think it might be good for exploring new, scenic trails in a 4x4, too.  There's supposedly an easy, scenic trail near Clayton called the "K-Trail Loop" that makes a big loop starting from the Clayton area, getting into southwestern Arkansas and looping back into Clayton that I'd like to try one of these days.  I understand the trail is relatively easy, but the expedition/exploring part of it sounds like fun.  I'd hate to get lost out there, though, and maybe a GPS with that backtracking option would be good for something like that.

Wondering if anyone knows if this is a good one:
 
http://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/ele/821547827.html