GPS suggestions?

[sz9144]

we are going to make our first ever family driving trip from Chgo to disney/fl this august, and wanted to invest in a gps system for the drive. but there are so many out there!!

does anyone have a gps system they use and love? I would prefer something that was preloaded and ready to use so i don't have to input data.

Thanks!

 

[Andrew Bichard]

we are going to make our first ever family driving trip from Chgo to disney/fl this august, and wanted to invest in a gps system for the drive. but there are so many out there!!

Here in the UK (and I assume the same is true in USA) there are several competing manufacturers all producing excellent products.

Each month sees new products released, better and cheaper than earlier products. What is best today, may not necessarily be best in August. As an example, my own GPS is now three years old and gets confused when I drive on new roads or or one way streets that have changed since its mapping DVD was created.

If you don't need it just yet, wait until July and post this question again.

Andrew

 

[dck12ga]

You have to also decide if you want it to be one that is hand held or just for your car! That influences the price! We have a hand held Garmin unit...We have had no problems. We use it for Geocaching and my husband uses it for marking fish! If you have a protable one there are so many things you can use it for!

 

[coachyo]

Go with the hand held as dck12ga said. You can get on with a car adapter and also a holder for in your car. We too are into Geochacing!!!
it is a lot of fun and a very easy way to get exercise for you and the whole family. You can get a version with the detailed roads loaded in it or you can buy the most current map cd and load it in which I think is the best way to go. We use ours camping and in town all the time and for any trips we take out of town. It has many times shown us a shorter route using a less traveled road or a way around contruction. Garmin is a great brand and Magellon is the other top brand. I use a Garmin.

Hey dck12ga, how many caches have ya done? We've done about 100 here in CO and several others in a few other states. Have you ever done one at DW?


Good luck, YO

 

[sz9144]

what is geochasing?

thanks for the info!

 

[mattman2k]

I bought the Garmin StreetPilot 2610 a year ago and don't know what I did without it. It's a great unit that can be used in different vehicles. It comes with US and Canada maps. It has the audible prompts to guide you along ("in 500 feet turn left") and most importantly it's extremely accurate - within about 20 ft.

As of yesterday Amazon had this on sale for $499. You can price match this at Staples for a final cost of around $480.

Here's the link to the Amazon page:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...22455-1078419?n=507846&s=electronics&v=glance

I'm debating whether or not to take it with us in May. The only downside is that because it's portable it's also easy for someone to take out of the car.

 

[coachyo]

sz9144,
Geocaching is a different way to do a treasure hunt. There is a website called geocaching.com which you can enter your zip code or state and then it will give you different cache coordinates. You then put those coordinates into your GPS and then follow it to the site. At the coordinates is some kind of container which is hidden from plain site. Inside is a log book and then some type of trinkets. You may exchange for something inside with something you bring or not. The fun is finding the cache and getting the exercise. The caches can be very difficult to find or even very easy to find. I have done some that are right in the parks around my house to ones up in Yellowstone Natl Park and another in the Badlands of South Dakota. It really is a fun family thing to do. This probably isn't the best explanation but it covers the basics of it.
Good luck, YO

 

[cranbiz]

I have both a Garmin and a NAVMAN that attaches to my Ipaq. The Garmin is an older one and as long as you have the updated software, it's just as accurate as the NAVMAN. I don't go anywhere without at least one of them. The route planning and entry is easier on my NAVMAN, but the newer Garmin and Magellian units are much better than my older Garmin.

My DB has a newer Magellian and it worked just as well as my units, so I guess what it comes down to is how much do you want to spend for one and do you want one that is more on the portable side?

The auto units typically have larger displays and may or may not have a battery option for portability.

Ebay is also a good source for GPS units. I bought both of mine from there and was not unhappy with either transaction, just make sure you know what version software is included with the unit.