Is a GPS a requirement--Another GPS Thread

My opinion is to get the 60CSx for the trail and a cheap(er) Nuvi for the car.

The better units (278, 378, 478) which will serve for both purposes are quite a bit more expensive. They are also less portable compared to the 60CSx.

You should check out the Garmin nuvi 550. It has more of the traditional car features but is a crossover unit designed for off road as well.

seth25 said:

I am trying to convince the wife that a GPS is a must have safety item. This year we will be riding at Rabbit Ears, Snowy Range and places such as this. I am telling her that the GPS is a must have incase we get turned around and need to know the way back to the trailer. The places we rode last year were cleary marked areas and it was easy to find our way back.

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We were in the Snowy's a couple of years ago and a storm came in dumping a bunch of snow and dropping visibility significanly. We had a couple GPS's in the group and it was very nice to be able to use them to follow our trail in (that was covered by snow) on the way out. We were also able to locate the groomed trails as they were marked on one GPS which had maps downloaded onto it.

I don't believe they are just a convenience item or a fancy gadget to carry with. They are a must IMO.

-Schism

I strongly suggest the GPS if your going to do any off trail riding. Its easy to get turned around when your out busting fresh powder and even more likely if you have only ridden the area a few times.

More importantly if its just the two of you out riding and something happens two one of you and you cant ride your sled and one person needs to go for help its VERY handy to know exactly where you are and how to get back to the truck. So, make sure both of you know how to use it.

Maybe ride off trial for half the day and then give the GPS to the other person and say ok.....Get us back Eric

Spector said:

You should check out the Garmin nuvi 550. It has more of the traditional car features but is a crossover unit designed for off road as well.

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The only "concern" I'd have about this unit is that it's probably more tailored to traveling on roads than off-road. The track log handling may not be as useful/flexible as the 60CSx.

Yeap, two-way radio and a GPS are pretty important to me. Scary just how easy it is to get turned around out there.

I consider it cheap insurance against those times you get turned around or caught out in a blizzard. I know my riding areas very well but I still find myself sneaking a peak at the GPS every now and then, just to verify "that I'm not lost". lol The blizzard scenario or dense fog can getcha too. There are those days where your navigating from one trail marker pole to the next and just staying on the trail becomes tough, and missing one pole and getting off track is easy. You can get into trouble quick if you get confused just a hundred yards off the trail when visibility is 50 feet or less.

When I'm learning a new area I leave the GPS on all day and collect a track. Later I download it to see just where the heck I was at using the map software and then relating that to the trails illustrated map I carry. I do alot of off trail riding and like exploring so I'll collect a lot of tracks in an area and relate them to the maps and eventually the map/terrain gets stuck in my brain and then I don't need the GPS or the paper maps much anymore. At that point I don't need to collect tracks and the GPS stays off until I need it. I use a little garmin vista, and while I have pretty detailed topo maps loaded on it, it's screen is not readable mounted on the bars. It gets plenty of signal in my pocket or the top of my pack. Two AA NimH lasts a couple days worth of running.

The mapping software, while not a necessity, sure is handy when your a little turned around and you just want to see where the trail is. I think the bar mounting sounds more handy than it really is. Maybe with the bigger screens it's better. Ditto on the two way radio. In our area a lot of people use channel 7-0, and besides being handy for collecting stray riders, it's also handy for contacting people outside the group in case of emergency. Limited by terrain blocking, but with line of sight they reach out a long ways.

I use an older garmin 5...mounts right under my mountain bar and I do use it for survival..we get white out conditions on a regular basis and when you are 50-100 miles from the closest road and everything is white you ride out staring at a screen.......mine is always on even on country I have ridden for many years..I also put in repeated way points on areas that are dangerous(cliffs, steep canyons) so in white out I can get thru if I need to....I also use mine on the hiway system..has fuel,food, lodging..thanks to map source you can have hiway, land ,sea and topo all in one.....too bad they quit making the 5 but ebay has em..

Bushmaster said:

When I'm learning a new area I leave the GPS on all day and collect a track. Later I download it to see just where the heck I was at using the map software and then relating that to the trails illustrated map I carry. I do alot of off trail riding and like exploring so I'll collect a lot of tracks in an area and relate them to the maps and eventually the map/terrain gets stuck in my brain and then I don't need the GPS or the paper maps much anymore. At that point I don't need to collect tracks and the GPS stays off until I need it.

Ditto on the two way radio. In our area a lot of people use channel 7-0, and besides being handy for collecting stray riders, it's also handy for contacting people outside the group in case of emergency. Limited by terrain blocking, but with line of sight they reach out a long ways.

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+2. GPS + Google Earth = way cool.

I have a pair of Garmin Rino 520s, going to ride with them is year and see how useful they are. Unbeatable for a handy package, 2 way radio and GPS all in one.

x2 Garmin 60 csx is the one I use but I don't worry about the bar mount I just turn mine on in the truck when we unload and leave it in an outside pocket in my pack. that way it tracks my every move so if I need it I can follow it out. Frs, GPS, avy tranceiver, and an emergergency locator beacon (not spot, the big bad a$$ one, microfix, can'nt remember the manuacturer) all reside on my person every time I go out, and extra batteries too!!!! And I also make sure i put fresh batteries in the gps in the truck. Can't trust them batteries, especially in the cold!

I use the 60csx also and a 15watt marine radio but this year I am switching to the garmin colorado because of the 3D topal view now zI can see the ridge lines and deep draws I am going to sleep overnite in!!!!!

A gps is a must if you are going off of the beaten path. I grew up in the mountains my whole life and have a very keen sense of direction, but when its snowing sideways, the fog is heavy and you are in unfamiliar country a GPS will save your ace. I recommend the Garmin 530 HCX this is the GPS I have and it works well, if you don't want to fork out the dollars for the 530 then at the very leaste get some version of the Garmin Rino that will track other in your party that also have a Garmin Rino. If you are not familiar with this option it allows any body with a Garmin Rino to poll the location from another Rino carrier.

i give a vote to the garmin colorado also. i had all summer to familiarize myself with it. doing back country atv riding and such and i really like its topo . also i subscribe to the "have a gps that does gps things well" and a frs that does radio things well. yeah its more money but when you need them or use them you will be happy you have them.

A lot of people complain about the brightness of the screen on the Colorado. Any issues with that? I'm still undecided whether to go with the 60CSx or the Colorado.