GPS Units for Outdoors ?

I have the 30.

Bike mount is pretty solid. Two zip ties on the back mount it to even short stems.

Is this the mount you speak of? The reviews did not sould too good.

http://www.mec.ca/AST/ShopMEC/MemberPicks/Electronics/PRD~5018-946/garmin-bike-mount.jsp

Same one. Mount on the stem instead of the bar. Keeps the GPS nicely stable.

Is this the mount you speak of? The reviews did not sould too good.

http://www.mec.ca/AST/ShopMEC/MemberPicks/Electronics/PRD~5018-946/garmin-bike-mount.jsp

Thanks for the link. Wasn't aware these were so cheap. Ordered one for my Oregon.

Same one. Mount on the stem instead of the bar. Keeps the GPS nicely stable.

Good to know, thanks Colin.

What I find interesting is when I do an out and back, then plot my course on Google Earth. Rarely is it the same out and back. Close enough for my purposes though. Similarly the speed function is not consistent. That is with a Garmin 500 bike unit. The 205 I had before was more inconsistent.

Hand held GPSs, best case scenario, are only good for +/- 5m in X and Y, and about twice that in Z for accuracy. Even if the PDOP on your unit is saying otherwise. That's out in the open, with good horizon. When you're in the trees your position will be considerably worse.

I've been using an Oregon 450 for quite a while now, either mounted on my bars or thrown in the backpack. It's a great unit imo. Possibly a step down/smaller than the Montana.

Great for mapping new to me trails, preventing me from getting too lost, etc. The altimeter will drifts with barometric pressure changes, the trail head elevation at the start and end of a ride can change by a couple 10's of feet over a few hours. However the unit does general get a pretty decent idea of how much climb/descent is actually going on. Even the little 10-20 foot punchy climbs register just fine.

It makes for a passable car navigation unit but it's certainly not optimized like a unit aimed at the car market.

I have the same, and bought it for biking because the display is a fair bit larger than the Edge units. The Oregon has heart rate and cadence interfaces as well as the multiple dashboards.

It can be used for automotive, but it's not a Nuvi; no lane assist and a small display. Works fine for hiking. With good rechargeable batteries I get about 12 hours of mapping time.

GPS City often sells them at a good price. I think I paid $189 for mine, and the price is probably still about the same.

FWIW, smartphones aren't great for accuracy unless you pretty much mount them on your handlebars, or if you are hiking, on top of your head. They're also more accurate when you have cell services as they'll use AGPS. Battery drain is typically an issue for longer hikes, but you can buy spare batteries for some devices, or add-on batteries for iPhones.

I just picked up a Garmin e Trex 20. I think it is a good beginner unit.

I went to meet the pumk selling the GPS. So skechy. GPS was not new inbox and I think it might be hot so I walked away.

Where did you get your GPS from?
Fleabay?
GPS City?
Kijiji?

This is a decent deal:
http://www.gpscity.ca/garmin-etrex-20-canada-bundle-with-topo-canada.html

This is a decent deal:
http://www.gpscity.ca/garmin-etrex-20-canada-bundle-with-topo-canada.html

I think that is going to be the route I am going.
Once I get the GPS I am looking for a Hero 3 Black.

Anyone using a Garmin Oregon 450? How do you like it?

I use one as a cycle computer for my road bike. Touch screen is resistive, so it's not the sensitive, but fine for most things. Decent battery life and display. I find it a little less sensitive than my 62Cx.

Anyone using a Garmin Oregon 450? How do you like it?

Have one, decent feature set and nice form factor. Like switch says the touch screen works well enough and the battery life is pretty decent. It won't work with strava if that's something you care about.

Have one, decent feature set and nice form factor. Like switch says the touch screen works well enough and the battery life is pretty decent. It won't work with strava if that's something you care about.

$190 at Costco.

It will work with Strava. Strava doesn't understand GPX files, but does understand TCX files. So convert the GPX file to TCX. There are apps that will do it. What I do is upload my GPX file to Garmin Connect. I then use it's export feature to export the ride in TCX format. After that I log onto Strava and upload the exporter TCX file.

$190 at Costco.

It will work with Strava. Strava doesn't understand GPX files, but does understand TCX files. So convert the GPX file to TCX. There are apps that will do it. What I do is upload my GPX file to Garmin Connect. I then use it's export feature to export the ride in TCX format. After that I log onto Strava and upload the exporter TCX file.

Was about to ask about can other units be used.

I know that Strava is the in thing. But I have heard that you can use Google for tracking rides as well. Any big differences other then one has the self masturbation of ego?