GPS Ideas?????

[JoniJo]

Also....I'm thinking about getting into the GPS thing. Any recommendations on brand/models, etc.?         

                                                                                                                    JoniJo
Moving the GPS talk to this thread. Thanks for the ideas so far!!! I'm definitely looking at the Garmin. We sell them at Cabela's. Any more thoughts are welcome.
                                                                                                                                 JoniJo

[The Yeti]

If you're going to use it mostly off road, make sure whichever GPS you get that it has tracking capabilities.

[Hank]

Your head spins when you look at Garmin's model matrix.  I think they have 50+ models and they all have overlapping features.  It's very difficult to figure out what to buy.

I have a Garmin Etrex Vista hcx.    I can't say if it's the "best" or is even better than anything else but it works for me.
The screen is small, but that's just the way it is on a bike unless you spend a ton.

The Vista hcx has an altimeter, which I like, and is water/dirt/shock proof.   It does tracking, mapping, route calcs, all that stuff and has about 100 other features I don't use that much.

The maps are spendy, so be prepared for that.

[loingrader]

or just spend $85, get a base garmin etrex and a forest service map.  still shock and water resistant, you can hang it around your neck if you go hiking or bicycling.  no roads or trails on the gps but you can find your location on a map by checking your coordinates.  you can mark areas of interest and it will show your trail so you can follow it back so as not to get lost. 

i've had mine probably 10 years and still love it. 

if i were looking for driving directions to a certain spot, it may be worth it to pony up the big bucks for a zumo, especially if the uploadable maps were 100% accurate when driving off the beaten path.  when i ride offroad i like to just go down fun trails and make my way in general directions.  i also don't like being lost.  my little etrex serves me perfectly for how i like to ride off road.

[OOFDA]

I especially like the POI (points of interest) on my Garmin. When planning a travel route I check the POI's and go online to explore further the ones that interest me. Now when I travel I don't miss any of the interesting sites because I didn't know about them.I also use them for food and lodging.

OOFDA

As Info - When I decided to wade in the world of GPS I purchased the book "GPS for Dummies-2nd edition-by Joel Mcnamara". After reading this my head wasn't spinng near as fast as before. To me the tutorials written for gps seem to assume one already has basic knowledge in this area, which wasn't true in my case. Read the book and be ready to spend alot of time with your gps unit and computor. 

[excess]

@joni I have a Lowrance ifinder h2o. It's pretty basic (kinda what loingrader is talking about) I never use it so you would be more than welcome to borrow it and see if basic is something you like or if you want a more full featured gps. As far as buying one i would definitely go with garmin as it seems like maps and accessory's are far more available for Garmin than any other brand. I should say that i know very little about gps systems i use my phone with a combination of google earth and tracking apps.
-Austin