Best GPS for under $400

T

Tomas

New member
I'm handing down my trusty Garmin eTrex to my son this year at elk camp and want to buy another GPS for hunting. I've been looking at the new Garmin 530 HCx, but I've been told conflicting things about the map function. One guy told me I had to download all the topo maps from a program I have to buy, another guy told me they come loaded already. Also, does it only have maps of 1:100,000 scale?

I'm curious about which GPS you guys hunt with and why. I'm not wedded to a $400.00 GPS if I can get a good one for $200.00.

Any brands and opinions are appreciated. Elk season is only a few weeks away and I need to make a decision.

Thanks

Tom
 
I think I paid $68 or $86 for my Lowrance I-finder on sale. It's a great unit with a nice large display - does everything I want it to do except aerial photo overlay.

http://www.lowrance.com/Products/Outdoors/default.asp

The I-Finder I-Hunt C is interesting because it has an MP3 player. If you are a varminter, you can put your digital game calls on it, and hook it to a speaker in the field:

http://www.lowrance.com/Products/Outdoors/ifinderhuntc.asp

I think the one I have is the I-Finder "Explorer". It's not waterproof like the I-Hunt, so I keep it in a plastic ziploc freezer bag:

http://www.lowrance.com/Products/Outdoors/ifinderexplorer.asp

I then paid an additional $99 for a "Freedom Map" that covers TX, OK, LA, MS, AR, MO,KS, CO, NM, & AZ with much more detail on topography, streams, rivers, lakes, and state wildlife management areas:

http://www.lowrance.com/Products/Mapping/FreedomMaps/default_USAEX.asp

So I'm into it less than $200 total at this point.
 
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In my experience Garmin makes good stuff. I took a couple GPS classes in College because we use them in my line of work and the school had all Garmin units. I own a Garmin ETREX Vista that my dad won at a farm show. I think at the time he won it retail was about 400 bucks.
 
I have(sometimes, as my family likes it too) the Garmin 76S. It is a very fine unit, but today i would go the extra $$$'s and get the color display.
I do have a hard time with some features on the gray scale, maybe just too much detail in the mountains(even after lowering detail).
The TOPO software, is good in some areas, but not so good in others. I have found forest roads on my GPS map, and they aren't on the TOPO's in my pack.
some new roads, but how did Garmin get them??
I have to dump maps(1:100,000 scale) into into the unit, but i usually bring the laptop along for the ride anyway.
I can do real time on laptop with the GPS, really neat. Never did there Hy-way software.
I also like the Rhino's as they make it easy for others in the party to know where each other is. just a keying up of the mic(if its set up that way)
course others on that channel will know just where you are too.

my .02 please put in McDonald's donation box.
 
I use a Garmin Rhino 120 for hunting and love it. I also use a Etrex Legend and Vista at my job and they work flawless. I would recommend anything from Garmin.
 
Kinda related (sorry, not trying to hijack the thread), but has anyone used the 2-way radios with built in GPS so you can see where your buddy is transmitting from? They look like they would be pretty helpful, if they work as advertised. My buddy and me both carry GPS and radios and have to send coordinates over the radio.

My fear is they would be half as good in one unit as seperate.

I use a Megellan - can't recall which model (Gold or platinum??) I am guessing that would be over $400 these days. It does way more than I would ever use.

Costco has GPS units in every now and then - Garmin ETrek, if I remember.
 
Ok so it's not under $400, but the brand-spankin new Bushnell ONIX 400 has color satellite imagery + real time weather radar overlay. It's based on the XM system so there will also be a monthly subscription involved, but you get satellite radio out of the thing as well. Pretty sweet. ONIX400 :)
 
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