Ottakee Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 I am looking at several garmins and just don't know which one to get. I know I want a handheld model that is water resistant/proof and nice and sturdy. I want to use it for horseback riding primarily-----tracking our trails as we blaze new ones so we can get back if we get lost, but mostly for tracking our average speed and the distance we rode as the girls and I are in a Distance Derby to see how many miles we can ride this year. I would also like to try my hand at geocaching as I want to get more active outside with the kids without spending a lot of money. We might also do a bit of other hiking but nothing very serious. I have looked at the Etrax models 10, 20 and 30 and the Oregon models but don't know what will have what I need without a lot of extras I don't need to pay for. I want easy to use and decent maps. Any personal suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maus Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 Bump. Interested to see what you find out. We have two of the older, basic etrex units (one plain, one High Sensitivity), and have liked them, esp. the High Sensitivity one. We got them six years ago, and still use them, but they don't have maps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandra Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 Have you thought of an iPhone app? We have one called Cyclemeter that tracks speed, miles, etc, and puts it on a map. It ha settings for bike, ski, swim, hike, car, etc. Maybe gets a waterproof phone case? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unfrumpable. Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 I have the Garmin Oregon 550. I have only used it for geocaching though. It does track where one has been. And it has bells and whistles because it is set up for geocaching. :) I've had it for a few years now and like it fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrixieB Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 I am looking at several garmins and just don't know which one to get. I know I want a handheld model that is water resistant/proof and nice and sturdy. I want to use it for horseback riding primarily-----tracking our trails as we blaze new ones so we can get back if we get lost, but mostly for tracking our average speed and the distance we rode as the girls and I are in a Distance Derby to see how many miles we can ride this year. I would also like to try my hand at geocaching as I want to get more active outside with the kids without spending a lot of money. We might also do a bit of other hiking but nothing very serious. I have looked at the Etrax models 10, 20 and 30 and the Oregon models but don't know what will have what I need without a lot of extras I don't need to pay for. I want easy to use and decent maps. Any personal suggestions? My personal suggestion is the Garmin eTrex 20. It has a few more bells & whistles than the 10. The 30 is noticeably more expensive but IMO the few extra b&w aren't worth the $. The eTrex 20 is great for paperless geocaching. I have found 1200+ caches with mine since I bought it in early 2012 to replace an older more basic eTrex model. I take it out in the rain regularly, drop it, scrape it on rocks, you name it -- it's tough. The battery life is good too. I normally get 20 hours' caching time from a set of batteries if I don't have the backlight set to "constant on". You can buy Garmin maps for it but I have not done this. The maps are about $100. I *think* they are road maps, not hiking maps, but am not sure. You would need to look into this if you are interested. The eTrex 20 comes with a base map, but it's not detailed like the maps that you can buy. If someone has done trail maps for your area, they might be available to load for free. That's the case where I live. You can set up the eTrex to save your tracks, and then you can follow your tracks back to where you started. I've done this many times out on forest trails. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted January 8, 2014 Author Share Posted January 8, 2014 The etrax 20 is one I am looking at as giving me some bells and whistles but not too many. They do have a $10 garmin equestrian map download which sounds worth it. I have an old very basic etrax to borrow for a few days. I tried the apps on my android smart phone and they kept loose signal and then weren't reliable. The geocaching sounds great. I could have also used it for skiing today as I took my first try on cross country skis in 25 years today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted January 11, 2014 Author Share Posted January 11, 2014 I ordered the Garmin etrex 20 so hopefully that was the right choice. A nice mid range one. They do have $20 horse maps and then some free ones I can try. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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