Looking for best competent budget Back Country GPS for BWCA. I want to be able to load some basic topo and lake maps on it. I want color. Thank you.

Do you have a smart phone? There have been a couple recent discussions about the use of a smart phone as a gps utilizing app.s like GAIA which are popular in the backpacking community......I am looking into doing that myself. Most of those apps operate off satellites vs. cell towers...as far as power, you can bring a couple of pocket chargers which would get you thru the week....

Mike

Garmin ETrex 20x

Smartphones, often recommended but the actual cost --- never mentioned. What if it's lost or damaged? No one mentions the price/subscription cost vs time of ownership, cost of replacement (insurance?).
Smartphones will work and do so well. But I never considered them "budget" items.

The stand alone ETrex 20x is fully GPSr functional, maps, custom maps, tracking, routing, field notations stored on unit. Mated with a BirdsEys map download subscription for $30 will get all the North American topo maps you can download in a years time. It is the lowest cost due to it's screen size, lack of camera and wi-fi/bluetooth connectivity of more expensive models.

butthead

JATFOMike: "Do you have a smart phone? There have been a couple recent discussions about the use of a smart phone as a gps utilizing app.s like GAIA which are popular in the backpacking community......I am looking into doing that myself. Most of those apps operate off satellites vs. cell towers...as far as power, you can bring a couple of pocket chargers which would get you thru the week....


Mike"

This would clearly be the most economical way of doing it. I have N avionics on my phone but I did not know and I am not sure these or similar apps or even if my phone will run off of these apps via satellites as opposed to towers. From my experience locally when I have no cell towers near by I have nothing on my phone. Which means I have no interactive maps ect.

butthead: " Garmin ETrex 20x

The stand alone ETrex 20x is fully GPSr functional, maps, custom maps, tracking, routing, field notations stored on unit. Mated with a BirdsEys map download subscription for $30 will get all the North American topo maps you can download in a years time.


butthead"

Thanks for posting this. Do you own and use this model?

Richwon4:

This would clearly be the most economical way of doing it. "

Since you are open to using a phone for this, I will share the results of my research that started on this website.

bwca thread about gps phone apps

tutorial about back country navigator

I have downloaded and used back country navigator in the past to map a paddle excursion.

The key is to download the maps ahead of time.

The biggest concern I would have over a multi day trip would be the battery life.

I upgraded my phone last November. Presumably I could use my old cell phone as a gps. I have done it before. However, one of the main reasons I upgraded was because my phone would not hold a charge any more. In my experience nothing drains the battery of a cell phone faster than searching for a tower when none is in range.

If you are going to have your phone along anyway, why not get a gps app and download some maps for offline use.

I actually own the old etrex Vista hc. It was great when it worked.

rdgbwca:
Thanks for posting this. Do you own and use this model?
"

I do not, but have set up 3 ETrex 20's for other folks. Maps, waypoints, some routes, and minor hands on directions in use.
I use a GPS 62st, second I've owned, sold the first to a member. Also owned all GPS's made and sold by DeLorme, still occasionally use a PN40+ and PN60.

butthead

Take your phone and put it on airplane mode. Go to your maps ap. You will not have the satellite view that comes in on the phone service. You should be able to track yourself. I have did this for the last five years on Seagull and Saganaga.

Richwon4: "I actually own the old etrex Vista hc. It was great when it worked. "

Hi Rich...any idea where I can get an SD card for an etrex vista? I picked one up really cheap at work a couple of years ago and then found out that Garmin doesn't sell a card for it anymore.

We have the etrex 20x loaded with the bwca maps from red pine mapping. Use lithium batteries and we do not have to change them for an entire trip. We use the gps along with our paper map to set waypoints and get our bearings when we get off track which is very common. I’m sure there are better options but if you can find an etrex20 for under $125 I think that’s a decent deal. We found ours in the bargain cave at the Woodbury cabelas.

Unless you're looking for a card that is already loaded with special maps, you can take just about any micro SD and use it in a GPS. Typically you wouldn't need much more than a 4 or 8GB.

Also, agree with Butthead. He's basically the GPS guru around these parts. Cellphone GPS can be ok if you're alright with the potential cost of replacing a damaged phone, also you'll need to recharge it during your trip. One set of lithium AAs will keep my GPS on all day, each day of my trip when we're on the water for the duration of the trip.

I have a eTrex 30 which was a replacement for a Vista HCx that I thought was lost on the way home from my 2016 trip but then turned up behind the sofa a year later.

Keep an eye on Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, and eBay for used units. Other than surface wear they don't really degrade over time and with proper care can last a long time.

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RTurner: "

Richwon4: "I actually own the old etrex Vista hc. It was great when it worked. "

Hi Rich...any idea where I can get an SD card for an etrex vista? I picked one up really cheap at work a couple of years ago and then found out that Garmin doesn't sell a card for it anymore."

??? It is a mini sd. Ordinary mini SD as you would us in a phone or camera. I'm not sure I am tracking what you are asking. The Garmin MAPSOURCE disc can be used on a CPU then there is a primitive award way of moving maps onto your unit. Several years ago a guy on here shared some good maps with sites and portages. Last time I tried to load them they did not work.