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Hey folks,
Can anyone recommend a reliable, hand held GPS unit?
Thanks, Mike C (frm)

Garmin. I use the 60csx which is no longer made. I am sure the 64 series would be comparable.

IPhone with Gaia app. It has a better screen, very reliable and numerous maps, including aerial maps, can be downloaded for free. They are lightweight and can be used as a camera, light, compass, ballistic calculator, and a cell phone if you are in a coverage area.

I'm with ya on the iPhone, but using all those functions plus with me music and video, almost assures using the battery up daily. So you will need an external charger/battery. Plus, they do poorly when wet, so you'll need a waterproof case. I have settled on taking the iPhone with GPS app and appropriate maps on all trips, plus some means of recharging. I keep it in a ziplock bag to save weight. If I'm going into unknown country or more than two days, I gotta take a Garmin. I have an etrex and the 60csx, with the latter being the gold standard in my opinion

If you are in the Northwest, and I'm sure other areas West, the iphone won't work with any reliability that I'd trust my life with. The coverage gaps are too large, and where I hunt, the canyons also cut off any LOS other than overhead.

A handheld GPS device is a must if you are off the beaten track. I have a Garmin Oregon 450, a good device, but a fresh battery load a day user, it does well in operation. Plan on replacing the batteries daily. I have on older E-Trex, that is much friendlier on batteries, but a much smaller unit.

AH64guy, do you keep your unit on all day?

Not AH, but I only turn a GPS on to fix my location on a map, then I turn the sucker off.

I get "turned around" a lot!

Where I am, it is trees all over and there are no long sight lines to shoot an azimuth. I also like the mulit-use capability of an iphone and turn it off to preserve the battery. I also turn it to mute and bring the screen brightness to minimum.

For absolute maximum battery time, don't run GPS apps with map display. I use the "Tomtrails" app that only dumps coordinates. I like the convenience of the UTM coord dump and use that with a real map that also has a UTM grid. I tend to print out custom hi-res maps of where I am going with UTM grid overlays and laminate the paper in plastic to weatherproof them. I can then just write on the plastic with a Sharpie - use diff colors even

Take a knee, that's what I do too. Saves batteries. Truth is I don't always use it during the day, but my sense of direction sucks after it gets dark. It's then I'm glad I've got one.

The only time I actually walk holding a GPS is when I'm in a fairly featureless flat forest where terrain association is most difficult and I have to return to a known point, IE a basecamp/bivy site.

We did a exercise at Eglin AFB FL many years ago and it would have been next to impossible to return from a night patrol directly to our hide site without a GPS.

Iphones will work as a GPS without cell service. Just make sure the mapping app your using does as well! Here's a screenshot from my phone taken last September in WY. No cell signal, yet shows where I am and which way I'm going.

Depends, if I want to record a track, I leave it on to record for download later.

Keep in mind I'm coming from the East Coast back to the homestate of Idaho to hunt once or twice a year. I'm usually the last guy in camp, so the scouting is done...if any was done, and I've been able to do a map recon at best. If it is new area, I'll leave the GPS on through the day, and carry a spare set of batteries in the pack.

If we are in a familiar area, I'll spot check locations through out the day, and shutdown in between.

Pointer - what version of I-phone, and what app?

I used a Garmin 450T last year in CO while elk hunting and never replaced the batteries at all. Granted, I was also using the GPS somewhat sparingly. I marked key locations (truck, camp site, etc) and then referenced the topo maps several times each day while hiking/hunting to get a feel for the terrain and plan my routes. As a flatlander hunting out west, the topo feature is worth its weight in gold to pick hiking routes and promising hunting areas.

An added bonus is the card slot. I didn't use it in CO, but I'm hunting antelope in WY this year and I'll be able to load in a card that has a detailed map of private/public land to assist me in making sure I stay where I'm supposed to be without any guess work.

When I first used the iPhone as a GPS, I turned it to Airplane Mode; that didn't work, the GPS will not work in Airplane Mode. I thought it was because I was out of cell range, but instead it was Airplane Mode. I have always been able to get the iPhone GPS to work even in timber or very remote areas, like the North Slope.

Battery life is an issue. There are a lot of settings to conserve battery. I have found that I can remember to turn off Bluetooth, Wifi, Cellular, and then dim the screen. There are many other features you can adjust to conserve battery life, but those four will make the biggest impact on battery usage and they are fairly intuitive. I turn off the screen until needed and turn the phone OFF if I won't need GPS for a while. I also carry a charger that runs on AA batteries, which I run in other devices like flashlights. A few AA batteries will get you through a week or more.

I also carried a backup GPS for a while but then after several years gradually went to the dark side.

I agree with docdb about the Ziplock. Ihave a Lifeproof Nuud case, which is great, but to save weight, I prefer a Ziplock bag.

For a step up from Ziploc bags but still compact and lightweight, try aLOKSAK.

"Airplane mode" is for cell sevice and wifi. The "location services" button (now under "privacy") is what turns the GPS on and off. If your GPS/location app needs to download maps, then it needs airplane mode to be off.

I use the "Topo Maps" app also on the iphone and uses topo maps that are downloaded to the phone and therefor does not need cell service or wifi.

I also use a Garmin 450T and have had excellent results. I do change the batteries every other day, but that is no big deal. I have never had the batteries go down in the field though. I also have a GPS ap for my android HTC Amaze as back-up. There are several aps out there that are very good. Additionally, you can download Google Earth on your phone, but you will need cell service for GE. I would never go into the woods Elk hunting without a GPS unit. If you ever get into a major snow storm, you'll be glad to have it with you.

Iphone 5. The app is Galileo, however that's just the engine. The data was provided to me by a poster here that is/was considering developing his own app with the topo and ownership data. I was testing it for him. It worked slicker than snot.

All in all I was pretty impressed with the Iphone as a GPS. Not quite ready to give up my PN-60 yet, but for some applications the Iphone is faster/easier to use. For instance, the pdf reader Avenza will display georeferenced pdfs and show your location on them. The USFS now has many free travel management area maps for download with others for purchase.

Well, that depends on whether you want to carry along a bunch of extra batteries if you're out for a while.

My question to the OP would be, do you need to download and view maps on a screen or not. If not, a Foretrex 401 is all you need, and it's compact and light. I always have a paper map and compass along, so I don't have a need for the extra weight, bulk, and battery drain of all the bells and whistles. Just the coordinates.

How is the battery life on that Foretrex 401? AAA's right? I don't believe Garmin makes that one anymore. I had/have a Geko and it is damn near useless. SLOW and it would drain batteries while NOT in use, in like a week.

My daughter has a 401 and we used it for a week in MT. I left it on a lot as we were familiarizing ourselves with it and IIRC, we had to change batteries at least once that week.

I'm not really sure on the batteries, as I leave it off most of the time and have never drained them even on a week + trip. So I'm not a good gauge. I like the AAA's because my headlamps use them too.

Sounds like you raised your daughter right!