- Location
- Grand Junction, CO
I'm looking for some input from the guys that use their GPS often and what they think is the best option for street and offroad use. Here's the deal...
I have 2 Garmin GPS units and have been thinking about selling both, then get one unit that can do both jobs.
The first one is a Garmin StreetPilot C330, it's a city navigator which is pre-loaded with maps of the US. It has has been priceless when I was traveling to/in Chicago, California, Wisconsin, etc. I love it for use on the road. Even when I'm driving somewhere that I know the route, I'll still plug in the address to see my exact arrival time, miles to destination, etc. I paid $230 a couple years ago and while it does have an SD card slot, I cannot upload TOPO maps or anything offroad related. Apparently the SD card slot is for expanding the unit with maps like Europe, etc. I cannot upload anything that would be useful offroad to this GPS, it's a city/paved road only unit.
My 2nd unit is a Garmin eTrex Venture Cx. It's a small handheld unit, has a color screen and is much better than my old black & white GPS and much more user friendly. I have used it on the motorcycle, while hiking, exploring in the Landcruiser, etc. It's great, I added the Garmin TOPO Rocky Mtn area (UT, CO, parts of ID, NM, AZ, etc) with a mini SD card and it now provides much more information when I'm in the hills and offroad. It was around $250 new and has been a great purchase.
Now my thought is... why not sell them both and get one unit that can do both for Overland type trips? I want something that can give turn-by-turn directions on the road and also allow me to add TOPO for offroad travels, something that will let me track my travels offroad, etc. For those that use their GPS offroad often, what do you think would be the best for this?
I've been searching, love the Garmin brand and like the Garmin Zumo 450. There's also a 550 model that has some features I don't need and it's about $100 more than the 450. I do like how it's intended for motorcycle use, so it's water proof like my eTrex and it gives directions. Any thoughts on this model? Is there another one that would be better for my needs?
I have 2 Garmin GPS units and have been thinking about selling both, then get one unit that can do both jobs.
The first one is a Garmin StreetPilot C330, it's a city navigator which is pre-loaded with maps of the US. It has has been priceless when I was traveling to/in Chicago, California, Wisconsin, etc. I love it for use on the road. Even when I'm driving somewhere that I know the route, I'll still plug in the address to see my exact arrival time, miles to destination, etc. I paid $230 a couple years ago and while it does have an SD card slot, I cannot upload TOPO maps or anything offroad related. Apparently the SD card slot is for expanding the unit with maps like Europe, etc. I cannot upload anything that would be useful offroad to this GPS, it's a city/paved road only unit.
My 2nd unit is a Garmin eTrex Venture Cx. It's a small handheld unit, has a color screen and is much better than my old black & white GPS and much more user friendly. I have used it on the motorcycle, while hiking, exploring in the Landcruiser, etc. It's great, I added the Garmin TOPO Rocky Mtn area (UT, CO, parts of ID, NM, AZ, etc) with a mini SD card and it now provides much more information when I'm in the hills and offroad. It was around $250 new and has been a great purchase.
Now my thought is... why not sell them both and get one unit that can do both for Overland type trips? I want something that can give turn-by-turn directions on the road and also allow me to add TOPO for offroad travels, something that will let me track my travels offroad, etc. For those that use their GPS offroad often, what do you think would be the best for this?
I've been searching, love the Garmin brand and like the Garmin Zumo 450. There's also a 550 model that has some features I don't need and it's about $100 more than the 450. I do like how it's intended for motorcycle use, so it's water proof like my eTrex and it gives directions. Any thoughts on this model? Is there another one that would be better for my needs?