I keep my Sportrak in an zipped up belt carrying case on my hip while riding (and hunting), and it stayes locked on to the satellites. So if you throw it in your bag near the top, it should work just fine. I don't know if the garmin's will do the same, but probably.

 

jjs3788,

I keep my etrex legend in my box on the rear of my quad and it has never had any trouble keeping a great lock. In fact, most times, when I take it out, it is reading accurately down to 15 feet. This also keeps me from banging it around with a handle bar mount. If I were you, I would pick up a handlebar mount so when you are retracing, it comes in very handy, but you hafta be careful.

 

At www.gpsnow.com, you can get the E-trex legend, which has memory, for $208, less a $50 rebate. Great price!!

Chucky

 

My buddy and I both got Rino 120's. They basically have all the features of the legend model, plus a built in 2way radio and peer positioning. But the drawback is the screen is slightly smaller than the legend. Paid about $217 each.

 

My garmin gps 38 is old world tech now , has a lot of truble picking up signals under trees. Still works good and has been flexable enough for what i have been doing. Will have to replace it after i get my motorcycle. Tried the easygps program , price is right and handles the waypoints, and routes, problem is it doesnt download maps to lay out the waypoints and routes to see where a guy has been in reference to land points.
I believe there is a expert gps program that will display map, i tried it when i was checking out the programs ,still doesn't compare with oziexplorer.
but whatever you use at least try ozi with a map or better yet a air photo, you will be surprised.

 

Thanks for all the info. I will be getting one right after the holidays. Hopefully find a good sale. Hey 92LT, is the screen on yours small enough that its a problem or something you find yourself saying I wish it was bigger all the time ? Since this will be my first gps I wont have anything to compare it to if I get a Rino.

 

In my humble opinion, GPS's are just like about any other item that you can name...."You get what you pay for". An inexpensive GPS will probably not have the ability to load maps, or offer features such as "Track Back", while a more expensive unit will have both of these features and many, many more.

Several years ago (before I even owned an ATV!), I opted for the GARMIN GPS III. It has gotten my own as well as my buddies ***** out of more jams than I can remember! The places where we usually ride damn near necessitate a GPS. Even places that I have ridden on numerous occassions look different as the seasons and daylight change. Even when I know where I am, it is mighty reassuring to be able to look down and see a direction and readout of miles to go to get home. Several times, when exploring new areas, when gas tanks were getting low, we have found shortcuts back by using the GPS rather than retrace our paths taken earlier in the day.

With all the features available to GPS buyers today, IMO, here are the ones that you will learn to LOVE:

-The ability to plug in a 12V power adapter. (Even though it runs for 8-10 hours on the 4-AA on-board batteries, the external power really comes in handy when night riding and using the back light on the unit. On my system, the only time that the on-board batteries are used is when you turn off the ignition, at which time a message is displayed saying, "GPS WILL TURN OFF IN 30 SEC. (Counts down to 0), UNLESS ANY BUTTON IS PRESSED". This is really helpful if you have a "GO TO" programmed in and you are just stopping for 5 or 10 minutes and don't want to have to re-program it.

-The ability to plug in an external antennae. (This is not a big deal if you plan on carrying your GPS in a coat pocket or inside a saddle bag or something like a couple of others mention that they are doing. BUT, if you plan on mounting the GPS on your handlebars or somewhere you can glance it while riding, this will REALLY cut down on the profile of the unit and possibly prevent damage when the inevitable happens.) My antennae is about the size of a book of matches and can be mounted almost anywhere; it has a magnetic base and/or holes for fastening with small screws, and approx. 10' of really fine cable, about like what is on your computer mouse. I actually have it mounted on the front rack and have the excess cable concealed under the plastic.

-A "Trip Computer", which gives you the ability to track actual mileage traveled on a given ride; average speed, top speed, actual time of the ride, etc. (The unit stops counting time whenever you are not moving, even if left on.) BTW, you will probably find, as I did, that the speedometers on most bikes are telling you that you are going 1-3 mph faster than you really are! GPS's can not lie.)

Come to think of it, if you are considering mounting your GPS, it is pretty important that you have the ability to change the display readout from vertical to horizontal, again to reduce profile, AND equally important that you can purchase some kind of mounting hardward for the unit. (Most models offer a handlebar mount which works nicely for me.

In closing, let me say that I have beat the John Wayne Dog Crap out of my GPS, including LOTS of water, snow, heat, cold, dust, and even ripped the antennae out on two seperate occassions (Once on a roll and once by a low hanging branch, and it continues to work perfectly! ;I finally got smart after the second time and now have the antennae wire encased in 1/2" "FLEX-TITE" which is waterproof electrical conduit.) If interested, feel free to PM me and I'll be happy to snap a picture or two to show how it is mounted, which involved doing a little trimming of the plastic which KAW surrounds the handle bars with.

Good Luck!

 

My experiences with GPS pretty much reflect that of PrairiePuppy. One thing I did in addition was to wire an accessory outlet on my quad that is hot all the time for the GPS. I have the GPS45 which also has a detachable antenna but I did have to replace it once because of a hard hit with a branch. Other than that it has been flawless. I now have it with a quick release mount just below my speedometer so it is protected by the handlebars. The statement he made about his experience is identical to my feelings in that it has literally saved my butt more than once. Also being able to find a shortcut home has helped a great deal when bad weather came up unexpectedly. You do get what you pay for, but it is also smart to not pay extra for features you don't need. In most cases more is better but read up and talk to more people to decide what features are most important and go from there. Recommending any particular brand of GPS would be as difficult as recommending a brand of ATV. Everyone has there own preferences, so make your choice and go with it. As long as it does what you want and it works thats all that matters!
Happy trails!