Need Garmin GPS recommendation

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ashridge

New Member
Feb 9, 2015
22
0
I have an old Garmin 12 GPS that has served me well for nearly 20 years, but I am wanting to upgrade to a more modern model that I can use the Wyoming surface ownership chip in to tell what is private and what is public. Haven't shopped for a GPS in ages, can anyone recommend a good color screen Garmin that accepts microSD cards and you have had good experience with?

Thanks.
 
Colorado Cowboy

Colorado Cowboy

Super Moderator
Jun 8, 2011
8,348
4,741
83
Dolores, Colorado
I have an Oregon 600 that I like real well. Bought it at Cabelas on sale. I was at the store in Grand junction and looked at everything. For the money, I liked it the best. I also like the Montana series, but they were quite a bit heavier. I have the Wyoming and Colorado chips which are great too.
 
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roknHS

Member
Sep 25, 2014
135
0
North Idaho, Tick Fever Country
I bought the Montana 600. I like the touch screen control and I like the bigger display. This one has a rechargeable battery or you can use AA's if you don't have access to power for rechargeing. I'm going to get the city map and a dash mount with speaker for vehicle use as well. I have the Idaho and Wyoming map chips for it. You can pick these up "refurbished" as new from GPSnation.com for a substantial savings.
 
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ashridge

New Member
Feb 9, 2015
22
0
roknHS said:
I bought the Montana 600. I like the touch screen control and I like the bigger display. This one has a rechargeable battery or you can use AA's if you don't have access to power for rechargeing. I'm going to get the city map and a dash mount with speaker for vehicle use as well. I have the Idaho and Wyoming map chips for it. You can pick these up "refurbished" as new from GPScity.com for a substantial savings.
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I like the "substantial savings" part. Man, looked at the price of some of these new this afternoon on-line and it was a bit of sticker shock. Any idea if the refurbished ones are still in good shape/quality? I don't mind buying "used".
 
ore hunter

ore hunter

Very Active Member
Jul 25, 2014
699
114
I tried the oregon series and although the screen is a little bigger,I just couldnt get used to the touch screen and it staying on almost all the time if bumped,,,I got the 62sc now and love it,,,screen is a touch smaller but i like the manual buttons better,,works with the chips great
 
Musket Man

Musket Man

Veteran member
Jul 20, 2011
6,457
0
colfax, wa
I have an Oregon 450t that I have been really happy with. Took a bit to get used to the touch screen but I like it now. I forget what features the 600 has over the 450 but the 450 has done everything I have wanted to do.
 
missjordan

missjordan

Veteran member
Dec 9, 2014
1,136
22
Missoula, MT
I have the Oregon also that I bought 4 years ago, the new style is pretty sweet and seems very user friendly. I think the 600 has extra useless maps and a camera that will take pictures of your animal with the coordinates, might even have more memory from what I remember. Heard a story last year of a guy who shot an antelope and the wildlife officer accused him of harvesting it on private land. The picture on his gps with the coordinates got him out of a ticket, so that might come in handy if you think it's worth the extra $$$
 
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luckynv

Active Member
Aug 3, 2014
274
1
Henderson, Nv
I have the Montana 650, big and heavy. I can actually see the screen and love the touch screen, I have 6 chips. Love the flexibility with the batteries, my buddies that carry the 62's are always looking at mine because it gives you a bigger more clear view. Almost like looking at a real map. Not cheap though. Good luck and God bless
 
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ashridge

New Member
Feb 9, 2015
22
0
ore hunter said:
I tried the oregon series and although the screen is a little bigger,I just couldnt get used to the touch screen and it staying on almost all the time if bumped,,,I got the 62sc now and love it,,,screen is a touch smaller but i like the manual buttons better,,works with the chips great
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That antenna on the 62sc looks like it would get in the way. Does it ever bother you walking around with it in your pocket with that antenna sticking out?
 
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smartweed

New Member
Feb 11, 2015
43
0
I am in the same boat as the OP, as I have the same old gps. A quick question, where do you get the chips?
 
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okielite

Banned
Jul 30, 2014
401
0
NW Nebraska
If you are cheap you might look at the Dakota 20. I've used it for many years with good luck. The new ones are nicer and have more features but I really only need the basic GPS and touch screen feature.

I find myself using my phone for a GPS these days. Most smart phones have a GPS receiver and have much better screens and cameras.

The chips are nice (several people offer them, onxmaps and trimble to name a couple) and I have a few of them but many states offer free downloads for your GPS or phone so you dont' need to pay for the information. I have also had issues with walk in land not being marked on the chip from onxmaps. If I could do it all over I would not buy chips or a GPS and simply get the onxmap app for my phone and use it instead of a GPS.
 
buckbull

buckbull

Veteran member
Jun 20, 2011
2,167
1,353
I have the garmin Oregon 550. Its great but I would definitely look into the smartphone solution from onxmaps before I'd dump a few hundred dollars on a GPS. The future, I believe, will be smartphone units replacing the standalone GPSs such as the Garmins.
 
TimberJunkie

TimberJunkie

Active Member
Feb 13, 2015
167
4
Central Point, OR
I use GPS units everyday as a forester. I think Garmin is the way to go. As for the touchscreen models, i would steer clear. The work fine but are not quite as good as the other models. The 62 SERIES is what we use and have had zero problems. They also have the strongest receivers and seam to get way better satellite coverage in deep dark areas. They all take AA batts and memory cards. I highky suggest downloading the topo maps. Makes navigation way easier
 
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goatpoop

Member
Feb 22, 2011
75
0
I have the Oregon 650. The newer Oregon models (Oregon 600series) have better responsive touch screens, better screen resolution, camera, faster processors and comes with rechargeable batteries. My old Oregon 450 touch screen was somewhat unresponsive, slow, and difficult to read in the sun. The camera on the Oregon 650 is fantastic for a GPS camera. However, the camera is a huge drain on your batteries. This archery season I took a picture of a wallow and that one picture drained about 15% of my battery. If I avoid taking pictures and remember to turn it off when I'm not using it; the batteries last about 15 hours.

Other models such Montana 600 series and Monterra have slightly better resolution and slightly bigger screens than Oregon 600. The battery life is better than Oregon due to a bigger battery. However, these units are bulky and weigh more. I have heard good things about the non touch screens such as Rhino and 62 series.

Pick one that will you suite you the best. People do not like the Oregon 600 series because they have a smaller screen and opt to go for bigger models. IMO the extra inch is not worth the extra bulk and weight. Check out http://www.gpscity.com/garmin/&p=1&c=3&t=outdoor+gps to do side by side comparisons.
 
Musket Man

Musket Man

Veteran member
Jul 20, 2011
6,457
0
colfax, wa
smartweed said:
I am in the same boat as the OP, as I have the same old gps. A quick question, where do you get the chips?
Click to expand...
I got mine from Cabelas but quite a few places sell them. I would get it a few months ahead of time. They can be hard to find close to hunting season.
 
ssliger

ssliger

Very Active Member
Mar 9, 2011
900
0
Laramie WY
I haven't been on any long duration trips, at the most 4 days. But my Oregon 450T lasts an entire year on one set of batteries. I only turn in on to get my directions to saved way points.


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