hand held GPS question (wilderness, not car)

[masraum]

My wife and I are going to be going to the Amazon river/rain forest for 2 weeks this summer. We really want to make the most of the trip. As part of a record of the trip, we'd like to have a map of exactly where we go. I figured it shouldn't be too hard to pick up a fairly simple GPS that can record our daily outings over the course of the 2 weeks that we could then download to a PC and use to create a map with each days tracks. Each night we will have access to 120V power and a laptop. I assume that I could carry the thing in the bag (backpack) with my camera gear daily which should keep it shielded from the the weather, but better to be safe than sorry in case I decide to take it out.

I'm not up on all of the options and technology out there. Since we won't be relying on the GPS to find our way and we well essentially be at sea level the whole time, we don't need a compass or altimeter or anything very fancy.
These are things that I think would be useful.

• Good battery life
• weather/water proof wouldn't hurt
• download a map of the area, probably not necessary, but nice
• Enough memory to track a long day in a small boat and or on foot
• Quick, reliable Sat reception (not really sure how big a deal this will be in BFE)
• did I mention decent battery life

There may be other things that need to be on this list that I'm not even aware of because I know so little about the subject. I'm open to suggestions.

I did a cursory search on the 'Net. I know that Garmin has been one of if not the major player in the business for a long time. I found the Garmin eTrex 10 and eTrex 20 which seem like they might do. The 20 seems like a better model with some expanded features that might make it more useful even after the trip.

Or are there some brands/models that you would recommend?

Thanks

[theFONZ]

I use a Garmin Foretrex 301. It lasts a day easily, and does everything, but the best part is the size and weight. I wear it as a watch when I'm out. It's been beat on pretty good and is still going strong. Most in the military prefer them for the size and simplicity.

[drcoastline]

I have a Garmin 476C. I chose this model for it's flexability, I use it in my cars, my boats on my mountain bike and as a hand held. It's slightly larger than a typical hand held and probably weighs close to 1lb. but it's capabilities far out wiegh the slightly heavier weight and size. It's designed as a marine/land GPS so fully water proof. Garmin has great maps/charts that you can down load. It has a marine/land setting so if you are on the water you can switch to your marine map with depths, charts, etc. when on land switch it over to land use and you can have all the typical stuff. You can also down load a topo map for hiking, biking, etc. Screen is color and about 4". Battery lasts a day with everything turned on. Back up batteries are available from eBay reasonably. There is also active track memory. I am not sure of the memory size but. It has tracked me to Key West from NJ a week in the keys and back to NJ with out running out of memory. It comes with several mounts for a boat, car, static mount so you can use in other vehicles and you can buy a mount that can attach to your bicycle or motor cycle. If needed you can interface with a lap top for a larger screen, radar/doppler for real time weather and many,many other features. It has almost everything Gramins bigger units have. I think that answers your question.

Mine is about four years old. I paid $1K-ish. No issues. Also Garmins warranty customer service is excellent. I had an earlier version of this unit the 276C. One of the rubber buttons popped off several months out of warranty. They sent me the newer 376C version at no charge.

Heres a photo to show size.

[Bill Verburg]

Garmin has wrist mounted GPS that would do the job, most of us that have them use them for running or cycling, but i've used mine in cars too

Mine is a Forerunner 305 I think that they are up to 310 now

You down load to your computer as often as you like and it shows the route and associated data in a plain map or in Google Earth, it also recharges through USB or wall plug

[masraum]

Thanks all. That's lots of good info. I guess I'll have to poke around at Garmin's other units some more.

[LakeCleElum]

Garmin Quest and Quest 2 on Ebay for under $100 (Were over $500 when newly released).

Battery life can go 12 plus hours. Waterproof, light, small and all you need. If in a pack, an external antenna is a option. Plug and play to put maps of your laptop.

[recycled sixtie]

For ease of use for hiking I like the touch screen Garmin Oregon 400t. It uses 2xa batteries. Can't remember how long the batts. last but was not an issue as I carried spares. I used it for the second half of Wainwright's coast to coast trail in the UK. I got a dedicated sd chip for the route so I did not have to download any waypoints. It also shows track made good. I initially had the Etrex but took it back and got the Oregon 400t. I believe the Oregon is waterproof as well. Mine has a compass(I take a compass as a backup) and altimeter. I hate getting lost while hiking . It is also very lite and compact. You get what you pay for - I think I paid about $450 but they have come down in price. It would be interesting to know if Garmin has software for S. America. It would be useful for u to have. Enjoy your trip.

[rick-l]

This is what my Garmin running watch gives you. I think it might last a day continuous use.

[RWebb]

"Amazon river/rain forest for 2 weeks" - you want something the parasites will not eat

[masraum]

"Amazon river/rain forest for 2 weeks" - you want something the parasites will not eat

Hahaha

[porsche4life]

If you don't need to actually navigate with it, the spot has tracking capabilities, pretty slick piece of kit for $100 bucks...

[steveo12345]

I have an eTrex 20 that I use for fly fishing trips into the woods.
Works pretty well. FYI, if you want the more detailed maps you have to pay extra.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by porsche4life

If you don't need to actually navigate with it, the spot has tracking capabilities, pretty slick piece of kit for $100 bucks...

I checked this out. I'm sure my mother would love the phone home capability. I'd love to hit a button that sent her a message that says "Things are great" with a link to a map so she could see where I was. But it looks like it also requires various subscriptions. And when I got back, it would have limited useful functionality. But it's a neat little tool.

Originally Posted by steveo12345

I have an eTrex 20 that I use for fly fishing trips into the woods.
Works pretty well. FYI, if you want the more detailed maps you have to pay extra.

That is the one that looks like it combines a good combination of features, and I might be able to find the occasional use for it when I get back. I've checked online and it looks like there is a way to get the tracks uploaded from the Garmin to Google Earth and Google Maps (not exactly a one click deal, but it's possible). That would be cool for sharing with family and friends after the trip. Right now REI has a 20% off of a single full priced item. That would put the eTrex 20 at <$150 which seems like a pretty good deal.

I also see the Magellan eXplorist series that has a waterproof model at about $110 that would probably do much of the same stuff and fits in between the eTrex 10 and eTrex 20 for the price of the eTrex 10. I haven't been able to figure out if it's possible to upload to Google Maps/Earth, but it may be.

[Seahawk]

Originally Posted by masraum

Right now REI has a 20% off of a single full priced item. That would put the eTrex 20 at <$150 which seems like a pretty good deal.

I also have an etrex 20, which I use all the time on the Potomac and camping. I also carry it in the car on longer trips as back-up.

It takes some effort to get fluent with the interfaces, but for the price it is hard to beat as a trail/boating GPS.

[RWebb]

friend just showed me Topomaps app for iphone/ipad - looked good

[red-beard]

There are some pretty good apps for the iPhone and Android. Pair that with an extended battery case and you should be good to go.

Which cell service do you use? Many of them have international plans which you can activate before you leave. This lets you use your phone with your phone number.