I was thinking of buying a GPS, any tips on buying. I mainly use it for ATV/Dirtbiking and maybe a little hiking and canoeing in National Parks.

Garmin makes some good ones that also float, w/ the new x chipset.
Check out www.garmin.com

I like Garmin. Make sure its water resistant because if you play in the mud it will get wet.

Get a garmin and load it with the free ibycus topo maps for Canada. Many recommend the 60Csx as great for what you describe.

My choice was the Lowrance iFinder H2Oc, I previously posted my reasoning here.

standr,

How much are the Canadian topo maps for that unit?

The "MapCreate Topo Accessories Pack Series 6: Canada" is CAN $129.95. I had originaly planned on buying this right away but after using the GPS for a while, I havn't found a need for it yet.

The one thing that is lacking in the Lowrance is the SIRF chipset which the Garmin has. I have no trouble locking on to the sats even indoors or under the tree canopy but the SIRF chipset is far better.

Indoors locking on sat? You have a sunroof?

pagerboy wrote:

Indoors locking on sat? You have a sunroof?

With some of the new chipsets from companies like Sirf and Mediatek you can get a lock in your basement. And they do it with less power so your batteries last longer.

I've got the Garmin Etrex Vista hcx, It will aquire satelite in my home no problem. I'm still learning how to use ,but that will be a long story. LOL

I've got a couple of Garmins (276c & 76cs) currently. Right now I'm taking a look at the Magellan Triton 500 - only because I can load National Geo 1:24,000 minute maps onto it. Costco online has this thing for $149. Garmins TOPO maps (about $75 last time I looked) aren't very detailed, the resolution is 1:100,000 - but they do have 1:24000 maps for the National Parks. The National Geo 1:24000 mapset costs about $70, maps are printable and downloadable to the Triton. I wish someone would come up with a way to load them into my Garmins.

There were horror stories about the firmware in this device when it first came out, and it got a bad repuation. There have been at least two firmware updates since then, and recent reports I've read is it's working fine.

I have a question for you GPS guru's, I have a Etrax Vista, it works OK but I find I'm not using it much anymore due to one simple factor..convenience!
I find the screen too small to see anything with-out glasses & pulling out your glasses while atving is a major PITAss!
Who makes a GPS with a screen for us visually handycapped !!! read LARGE screen.

Check out the Garmin Colorado.

Ronin wrote:

Check out the Garmin Colorado.

I played around with the 400T Colorado and the Triton 500 yesterday. Hands down the Colorado is a nicer device - just wish it didn't cost 3X what the Triton costs.

Display size, WxH: 1.53"W x 2.55"H (3.8 x 6.3 cm); 3" diag (7.6 cm)

Not much difference in screen size than a E-Trax which measures 1-1/8" x 2"