I want a good GPS for next year sledding, and one that I can use in my car, doesn't have to mount on my dash or anything... I just want one that I can put in my pocket while sledding and what-not.

I know nothing about them, but I want one that you can put custom maps on and everything, make your own tracks / routes... track where you have been... see how fast your going and how far you have driven... all the goodies... suggestions?

Garmin Legend HCx (fairly small, durrable, made for outside) ($200)

Ram mount (toughest mount) ($30)

either the free snowmobile maps of here or VVMapping.com (I tried them all and they are all good, I prefer VVMapping) ($45)

12 volt outlet to power it up on the sled (you need this for night riding so you don't run the GPS on just batteries) ($10)

12 volt power cord ($20)

About $285, if you shop around, and you will have a system you can use year round

Why cant you run it on batteries?

We like the Magellan Explorist.
We have a 300 and a 400, they will work on a NICAD battery, or AA batteries.
Base map is nice and you can load topo maps for your specific area of interest.
Our 400 ran us $150 and had the topo software, power cord, and a car power adopter.
Also great for geocaching !

They wont last a whole ride unless kept in your pocket where warm. I have a garmin and use rechargeable batteries. I have it set to run off my 12v lighter on my F-series and when i shut the sled off it goes to battery backup. I keep the unit in my tank bag.

You can use batteries, you just need to use lithium batteries, they are made to work in the cold. I use a Map76csx with a 2g sd card, I like it alot better than my old 76c, it acquires satellites alot quicker than the 76c. I use lithium batteries and can get alot of trips out of them, probably use 3 sets of batteries a year.

I just got the magellan crossover that does road water and trail it has a nice big color screen sd card slot works great
paid $240 on amazon + $20 on 2nd day shipping still under full retail of $399 + a ram mount for $36 with shipping very happy with it!!




















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Garmin 60CSx w/lithium batteries and the Topo US 2008 map software, you can run it off sleds power and when sled is shut off the units battery power takes over and in batt. saver mode it claims 30hr on regular alkaline batts. so you can expect at least 45hr minimum on one set of lithium batt. if not 60hr & the ram mount is second to none--best out there. 60CSx is color and 100% submersible waterproof and has small external antenna which will give you superior reception compared to the etrex series in heavy cover--plus allows you to expand memory with microSD memory card which is one of the cheaper cards on market. So for a few dollars more then the top of the line etrex series you get way more options and a unit that will not only do Woods Trails but City and Water/Ocean navigation so you will get year round use --- Hands down the most bang for the buck-- $269.95 + shipping on ebay so don't let Garmin sug. retail of $428.58 scare you ---
https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=145&pID=310) and you'll be all set beyond your expectations. Here is 3 pages of input from when I went to buy mine and asked questions on Maine Sledder Forum its a good read.---- http://www.mainesledder.com/showthread.php?t=1101 --- Stay away from rechargeable batt. and stick to the lithiums -- Keep us posted

I should have let you see my Magellan Explorist 500 when we went for that ride...$129. refurbished at factorydirect.ca (about $300. at CTC)+ Ontario TOPO for $50., came with a rechargeable battery, that lasts for about 8-10 hours if warm...does everything else you want, and has expandable memory w/ SD card!

I should have let you see my Magellan Explorist 500 when we went for that ride...$129. refurbished at factorydirect.ca (about $300. at CTC)+ Ontario TOPO for $50., came with a rechargeable battery, that lasts for about 8-10 hours if warm...does everything else you want, and has expandable memory w/ SD card!

Garmin 60CSx, hands down. Excellent reception, even in heavy tree cover. Excellent battery life as well.

Take a look at the Legend HCx or Vista HCX. They're very similar to the 60CSx, have the same high sensitivity antenna, and they're quite a bit cheaper. The only real difference is the button configuration and a very slightly smaller screen.

Also, this question gets asked very frequently so look back through old posts.

Here's more information: http://gpssledmaps.com/general_info/faq.php#1

Even though I didn't get a good look, thats actually one of the main reasons I want one now! haha

I think it will go good with the new sled..

I am thinking the Legend HCx, seems it would be my best bet with the car too.

Here's another thread to check:

Click

------------------You can go on Wal-Mart web site and for less money difference then you think get the 60CSx and there is NO comparison(not even in antennas) in what you get dollar for dollar when comparing the top of the line Vista HCx@$228.88 or Legend HCx@$194.49 to the 60CSx@$280.00 <--Wal-Mart prices---Also the 60CSx comes with microSD card the others do not. Or go on ebay like I did and pay $274.03 for a 60CSx delivered to the door BUT in Wal-Mart's favor you can order on line and have it shipped to local store and then you have 15 days to return it if your not satisfied and there is no delivery charge.

I have a Garmin Quest and it works great. I just throw it in the map bag I keep velcro'd to the bars and it works fine, even without the antenna open. No problem getting a complete day out of a batterie charge either. They are real cheap on Ebay

I have a magellan crossover that I bought from Ebay this year. The Larger screen is very nice when actually riding down the trail.
You can actually read it while moving.

Steve

I think the most important thing if you need a GPS to ride you want to have or be able to Load the Topo Maps on it. Topos are the only maps that show the 2 tracks and seasonal roads that many of the trails run on or cross the trails. For off trail riding they are a must. Also there are sites were you can download the actual snowmobile trails.

I just replaced my Garmin Etrex legend with a Garmin Colorado 400T. The reason I choose this model is because it is still a portable handheld that has a fairly large screen. Also, it came preloaded with all of the Topo maps for the entire US.



Below is a picture of the screen with topo and snowmobile trails overlayed. The snowmobile trails are red and white.