i've had my Garmin Colrado 400 for almost a year now and love it. smaller than the nuvi bt a big enough,bright enough screen for riding. the handlebar ram mount is good for it but i had to put a piece of rubber in between to stop slippage. 400 does roads,trails,geocaching,compass,elevation etc. all in all great

 

If you had the first generation of gps you'd think the 76s is for kindergarden kids Any of them you should have a understanding of how they work, practice at home before getting lost in the backcountry. I have a Garmin 76csx, I just start it up and throw it my front tool box till I need it. I was out on the weekend on a day where it was cloudy and with interminent snow (no sun visible), quaded for 1 1/2 hrs in the bush , decided to go home, my directions were 180 to what i thought, to make a long story short I had to use the "track back" feature to get me out, if I didnt have a GPS I'd still be out there.
IMO important things to have:
track back (and know how to use it)
electronic compass
adapter to plug into quad if your batteries go dead
optional detailed topo maps
waterproof

 

I would not totally depend on a GPS to get me out.........Each manufacture will tell you that also.....Know how to read a magnetic compass......Caper................

 

I totally agree with that, I do carry a magnetic compass, but of course you have to use a bit of common sense, you have to have a plan (which direction to get out to a road or cutline etc). the problem with quads is you can't cut through the bush, if there is a maze of trails it makes it a bit more difficult. I've been seriously lost a few times on foot lol, its not a nice feeling after 6 or so hrs of trying to find a cutline or road in the dark to get out.

 

I also carry a map and compass with me at all times. I find the GPS is easy enough to use to follow the backtrack feature if I get turned around. I should have said that the Nuvi 500 interface is easier to use than the Map 76s was. I didn't care for the way you had to navigate. The 500 is much easier to bounce around the menus. That, plus the topo maps and waterproof sold it for me. I have seen the older GPS models that were out there. I agree they were a lot harder to use (and more expensive) than the newer models. Another plus, again, with the 500 is the ease of adding lakes and rivers to it. Just order a card and it's loaded on it. Take out battery, slip in card, put battery back in. Gotta love it.

 

I've gat a Lowrance expedition Color and it is great. bought mine a few years back after getting lost in the woods chasing grouse. A compass is a good thing to have but it sure is nice to have the GPS to show either the backtrack or to show where you left the wheeler at. Very easy to use and can change fron topo maps to lakemaster chips. very versatile.

 

One other thing with the Garmins is the software, If you use garmin "mapsource" or Basecamp you can interface with google earth and see where you went (arial view), its not necessary but is entertaining, not sure about other brands

 

QUOTE: "Just because your lost doesn't mean that your compass is broken!" -- The Edge

R'

 

A good point to bring up, will you be doing much hiking? The smaller Garmin models (or other brands too), can be put on a lanyard and carried around your neck. I use my Garmin Legend Cx for the ATV, snowmobile, boating, hiking and hunting. After the fifth or sixth time of saying "I know the road is this way..." and not finding the road while hunting on foot, the gps was a welcome friend.

Tony

 

The latest firmware (beta) for the Garmin colorados and oregons now supports raster images.
Pretty cool - you can export image overlays from google earth. If you know where you're going you can download google earth images that are routable (overlays the gps base maps)