Best GPS for off roading?

been lookin for a gps for awhile now. really liking the Magellan eXplorist TRX7.. but pricey! wanting a good detailed offroad gps. The TRX7 has 44k preloaded trails and is expandable, 3D maps, etc.

i would prefer to have a standalone unit and not use my phone.. but if there is a good app for Android that shows off road trails, can get maps offline, etc. i might be interested. would be cheaper thats for sure. A garmin or Magellan would have more features and is purpose built which I like. I gotta do some more reading though, because if I do go with a standalone unit.. I would like it to be able to do in city navigation as well.. an all in one type unit.

 

just downloaded the free version to play around with. might actually work pretty well! more options than i thought it would have. a little slow and clunky.. but probably because im pulling the map info from cell service. downloaded maps will probably be better. do i just download offline, or use the map selections they have? Im currently using the default USGS map. lots of detail. any input or recommendations @1MK ? still considering a standalone unit tho for ease of use, features, etc.

right on! I'll keep a look out for your review then!

 

I wish there was something everyone agreed on. That would make my purchase a lot easier

 

thats super handy and one of the things Im taking into consideration.. im torn between a car unit (larger landscape orientation screen) or a handheld. I will be getting an Az Hunt chip for either one.. although ive read that the hunt chips work better on the handheld ones.. (i dont see it being a big problem though).. a handheld would be nice for its size (but is also a drawback for the screensize) and that i can run the hunt map and also have it run on AA's.

 

nice. ok good to know. Im still leaning towards a larger Car unit.

I just want nav for the city.. and nav for off road trails that also has satellite imagery. im thinking a car unit with satellite.. and then get the Az Hunt chip. done and done right?

 

Seems a few in this thread are unaware that there is a free source for Geo PDF maps online. Some time ago while rocking out on pain killers I wrote a quick little tutorial on my build thread that should show you how to get, and use them. If it gets too verbose I apologize in advance.

 

Garmin gps with hunting maps

 

I've used Garmin products since about 2001 with purchase of the black/white Vista. Have used Etrex 30, Vista HCx, and now use the Oregon. All are handheld models designed for hiking but support auto-routing with the proper mapping software (OpenStreetMap has free maps for Garmins). On any outing I always use Google Earth to check the aerial maps and create custom 'paths' or tracks that I can download onto the GPS as needed.

Haven't tried the offline maps. Gonna check them out. There sure are lots of options out there.

 

I'm thinking a handheld with Hunt maps will be what I get first. more useful. I will look into OpenStreetMaps. thanks for the info! I definitely want it to have imagery too.

I think hunt map I was looking at had a imagery, or at least a year subscription for it.

 

good to hear man. makes me want a handheld that much more now.

I have been playing with a few different phone offline GPS apps that people have mentioned.. but.. they are just.. ehh. I think I'm just gonna bite the bullet and get a Oregon or eTrex, etc.

 

definitely. do you mean in general or vs a driving gps?

 

agreed. sounds like I may follow your footsteps then. I'd love to get a tech deck and some ram mounts for my phone and handheld right next to each other and easily visible.

 

The new Etrex Touch 25/35 models look appealing. Smaller screen than the Oregon/Map64 but a more compact model.

 

Garmin rhino 650t is pretty nice there's always deals going on so just wait for it to go on sale.
If your buddies have a Garmin rhino u can see them on the gps as well and it's also a two way radio. Really great for hunting but the hunting maps are 100 bucks extra but it's totally worth it. It's a must have!

 

Don't waste money on a gps. I run biological field crews who spend more days a year on back roads out west than most will do in a life time. We run either Backcountry Navigator on android phones or Gaia GPS on iPhones. Backcountry is by far a more powerful app. We have retired the Garmin garbage at this point and smart phones are all we use. Trust me, there is nothing a Garmin unit will do better than Backcountry Navigator. I even run it on my tablet and it is great.

 

http://backcountrynavigator.com/about/

 

We also occasionally run Avenza pdf. It works great but to truly use it you need access to ArcGIS software to use it to it potential.

 

That's good to hear, and for the price you really can't beat it

 

Wow! So many apps to choose from. I usually just use Google maps on my android and download the area I will be in so it's offline. So far I've been impressed with the FS roads and others Google has. I used to use My Tracks to track and add waypoints but Google is discontinuing that.

About half way through this thread I decided to download some apps (MyTrails, Alpine quest, and backcountry nav) all were the free version. After 5 minutes in each I liked the Backcountry Nav the best. After seeing what @nevadabugle said I think I will be purchasing the full app.

 

What are the differences between Gaia and Backcountry Nav?