Garmin GPS Poll

[Ian]

The "what's the best GPS" question comes up a bit. Garmin seems to come up most frequently, but which is the most popular choice?

Not interested in which specific model particularly, so limiting options to the series name only

Vote away!

[Dave42w]

Although I have a Garmin Edge 1000 it was not bought primarily for Bikepacking where the battery life is a problem.
However, the map display is excellent and enough to navigate around obstructions such as Land Rover rallies without a paper map.
Not enough for everything yet as no contours.

[AlasdairMc]

No tick boxes? I have an eTrex and an Edge 500, both get used but the eTrex for mapping and the Edge as a bike computer.

[voodoo_simon]

Edge 200, useless at everything but being a speedo, which it does rather well.

Also been known to use my phone (and I don't mean calling someone up panicking that I'm lost!)

[ScotRoutes]

Ticked Oregon but I also have an Edge 705

[Zippy]

Er, I need to vote a few times...

Currently have:

- Edge 500
- Edge 200
- Etrex 30
- 12XL

[Richard G]

Edge 1000 and eTrex 30.

[macinblack]

Etrex 30 for me - first GPS I've had - just about got my head around how to use it.

[Alpinum]

Edge 810 for bike packing.
Not really good at anything else but cycling, but here it's a treat. I love it. Took us across most of the UK and did it's job rather well. Yet it's not perfect.

Starting to use mobile phone as back up to maps for multi week hikes. Weatherproofed, good nav apps and maps available and as it's only a back up, battery life isn't such an issue. For our UK trip the phones are our back up too. Weren't needed so far.
Used to have Etrex and Foretrex, but one died and the other one turned obsolete 'cause of the phones.

[Ian]

Ok, I've changed it so you can pick up to three. I guess I was thinking what you use for Bikepacking (this being a Bikepacking forum an' all ), and that people would have only one GPS with them. But obviously not...

[Zippy]

that people would have only one GPS with them. But obviously not...

Bring 2 with me... https://flic.kr/p/rEMUJr

Etrex30 as primary nav, but edge 500 works as main data logger/bike computer and backup Nav.

[RobMac]

Newbie to GPS but I've got the Edge 800

[Ian]

Interesting results so far.

I expected the Dakota (touch screen) to come out ahead of the Etrex (little joystick to navigate map/menus)
Both running on AA's.

But the Edge is the most popular so far, touch screen and built in battery and requires more frequent charge than the other two running on Lithium AA's.

I saw Tim S had an Oregon on the WRT which looked good, as you could rotate the scree into landscape orientation which made fitting to bars look neater. Bigger screen than most too.

[ScotRoutes]

Interesting results so far.

I expected the Dakota (touch screen) to come out ahead of the Etrex (little joystick to navigate map/menus)
Both running on AA's.

But the Edge is the most popular so far, touch screen and built in battery and requires more frequent charge than the other two running on Lithium AA's.

I saw Tim S had an Oregon on the WRT which looked good, as you could rotate the screen into landscape orientation which made fitting to bars look neater. Bigger screen than most too.

I have an older Edge which is relegated to road-only duties these days but I reckon the Oregon (which I also have) actually handles that just as well so another bar mount is on order. The Edge does do some things differently though as it's based around cycling not walking. It takes a bit of conversion time to work out how to best use each. Things like Auto-stop, auto track recording, some of the data fields.. and I quite like the Virtual Partner on the Edge.

[Bearbonesnorm]

I'm really not suprised the edge is popular, the range covers a wide price spectrum, it's marketed as a cycling gps and it plays nicely with Strava ... and no one cares whether they get lost, just so long as they can upload the getting lost to Strava

[ianfitz]

I've only just got a garmin edge 800. A second hand bargain as an early birthday present. I'm really impressed by the turn alerts and other course points you can add to a tcx file. It makes following a preplanned route a doddle.

I'm using it with Dave's maps which are good so far. Very detailed down to a small scale if you need to zoom in. Battery life has been ok too so far. Using an occasional trickle charge from the cycle 2 charge I've finished longer rides with nearly a full battery.

[jameso]

Edge 800 with dynamo and USB Werk to charge it for road and easy dirt touring. Great for navigating urban areas. No GPS for more mountain-bikey bikepacking, yet, unless it's just a weekender where I use the 800 to log the odd section of interest etc and the battery life is sufficient. That's partly to do with my Jones having a 135mm front hub and me not wanting to compromise it by adapting a std dyno hub for the front wheel. Skewed priorities perhaps.

[benp1]

Oregon 550t here

The new Oregon looks vaguely exciting, screen is very impressive but so too is the price

For most riding locally where a GPS isn't required for nav/map then I just use my iPhone and Strava

[Ben98]

I believe the newer Oregon's use a capacitive touch screen which is affected by water drops so it changes function in the rain

[Zippy]

I like Garmin hardware, and the software has improved greatly in the past 5 years IMHO.

What does annoy me though is not being able to get hold of proper hardware specs such as the processor they are using etc. - and I did spend a while on google searching.

I'm not a fan of the touchscreen whilst riding - gloves makes it fidlly and the menu button thing on the screen takes up screen real estate, which is a bit of an annoyance IMHO, especially when the minimal pixels are what's helping the decent battery life. Hence my decision to get an etrx30 for Nav, as it's buttons, more pixels than a dakota - and can use it for more than just bike related duties which the edge is good for.

[Richard G]

That's one thing I miss about the etrex when I'm using the edge 100. I really would just rather a joystick and some more buttons.

Oh, and a proper compass. :(

[Mariner]

There is an updated eTrex30 due out seen on Cotswold website if you hunt about.

[Ben98]

There is an updated eTrex30 due out seen on Cotswold website if you hunt about.

http://m.cotswoldoutdoor.com/garmin-etr ... colour=180
Ta daaaa!

[barney]

I've got a Garmin Dakota

For my basic needs it ticked every box (including price) whereas the Edge seemed to be a bit more training orientated.

[fatbikephil]

My recently aquired dakota is good for following a gpx track and is light and uses bugger all batteries; but I prefer my satmap for my normal trips as its big screen is better for planning routes on the fly