Looking for a GPS for hunting public land and to keep me from getting lost. What works?

Garmin 64st, Oregeon or Montana loaded with OnX chips. I have all 3 and each has their own use but I could only own one and be happy. Oregon if I could only choose one. I like the Montana for scouting and when I'm staying close to home. 64 gets the nod when I'm not going to be actively "using" the GPS. Also is nice in cold weather since you can use it gloved.

I also use the Garmin 64st... it's a nice unit and works well for me... I also run the OnX chip...Id suggest you avoid a touch screen and to get something that uses AA or AAA batteries... way easier to throw in another set then to figure out how you're going to charge it...

The Garmin 64st is also on sale at Cabelas right now... out of stock but backorderable... Bass Pro has them in stock at the same sale price...

They will all do what you are looking for. That is their most basic function. Base mapping in some is pretty good and in others is pretty bad.

Never had an issue with my touch screens and they're infinitely quicker and easier to use. I also use rechargeable batteries when I can such as day hunts or when Im staying close to home. I do keep some AA handy just in case but I only really need them for longer hunts.

I've had three Garmins and like the smaller size of my old Vista, but my newer, larger 64st gets a position fix much faster and reads the Russian GPS satellites too and it isn't blind under foliage like the old Vista. The batteries last longer in the 64st as well.

Use your smart phone, best GPS and easiest to use.

I know you can download apps but does it still work when you don't have phone signal?
As you can tell I'm not familiar with ground based units, only ones I've used were for aviation.

My cell phone battery sucks in cold weather and the thing goes dead even in my pocket. Nothing is more frustrating than needing info from your phone when you can't get a signal out in the hinterland or you need a 110 volt outlet for a recharge. Spare AA's are easy to carry and a compass too.

I usually carry both my Garmin Montana and my iphone, with OnXMaps app. A Mophie battery pack extends my iphone life to 2X.

GPS works without phone signal. Download maps for free with the Avenza app.

My phone is a much more usable tool than a GPS. Yours probably is too. Its lighter, the screen is better, I can text and talk, and take pictures with it. I get much more battery time out of my phone than my Garmin RINO and if I'm having power problems, I put mine on airplane mode when its in my pocket. Finally if I won't have 110v access overnight, I take an Anker portable battery along which at 20000mA will charge my phone and others for some days. I had a solar charger for the Anker so I could charge it in camp if necessary, but I left it with the outfitter last time I went on a guided hunt.

I'm a huge believer in doing what works for you but there's no way I'd spend any money on a separate GPS unit.

If you use your IPhone does it have an electronic compass that keeps you updated if you are going really slowly through foliage or standing still trying to figure out where you are?

Geez I have no idea on that, It has a compass but I don't use it. I don't really hunt in places like that I guess.

64ST is a great lil unit... I have multiples of them and have em stashed in all my gear along with spare batteries...

I love the 64 too. I often use it in below 0 weather and it's never hiccuped. I've seen touch screens give lots of issues in cold weather. I've found the 64 intuitive and dependable. Undoubtedly there are units that offer more/different options, but the 64 is a great option and the landowner chips are easy to install and worth every penny IME.

The Garmin 64st is a very good unit, no frills but very accurate. My son is taking a College course in mapping and it is the one they recommend. Phones are good for the most part, but the dedicated GPS units are better.

Thanks for the input. I'll pick up a Garmin and download the phone app.

Warpig--why do you like the Montana for the reasons said?

Have Oregon and was wishing for a little bigger screen for ease of reading/using, last weekend scouting

Exactly that. I tend to actually use the GPS on my scouting trips quite a bit and the bigger screen etc just makes it easier. I like my Oregon when Im doing more walking than actually using the GPS or I just need to quickly check my location. If im marking and dropping pins I prefer the Montanta. Also my go to GPS when im hunting locally and im not overly concerned with battery life or weight/pack load.

Much appreciated.

So is the 64st (or other) usable straight out of the box or is it necessary to buy onx, etc?

I looked briefly at the onx site and am trying to understand how it works - chip, subscription, both? How have you guys set yourselves up?

Bass Pro price is $219 for the 64st, thinking about pulling the trigger.

Thanks!

The 64ST can be used right outta the box... it’s preloaded with 100k Topo maps... if you purchase the Onx chip for your state it will come with a micro SD card that you will install in your 64ST which will upgrade the state you purchased to 24k Topo and all the other goodies they offer... It will also include an App version which you can put on your Phone/Tablet... I didn’t buy a membership so I have no idea there...

EHG is correct. The 64ST as a GPS unit is ready to go out of the box for general mapping use. The OnX chips have a map with public/private land boundaries, which is really useful depending on where you hunt. The Web subscription is a great for "pre scouting" basically allowing you to view everything on your desktop computer. I got a free trial of the desktop version and while nice, did not end up keeping it when it expired. The chips are worth every penny IMO.

If anyone is thinking about jumping on the 64ST from Cabelas or BP, shoot me a PM. I have about 2k in Cabelas bucks and nothing I really need at the moment. Id buy it for you and have shipped directly to you for 215.00 shipped. Should save you 5-20.00 bucks depending on tax and I can recoup some cash out of my Cabelas bucks

Look at reviews on different GPS units. I chose on without a compass that worked standing still for my first unit because at that time the electronic units sucked battery charges quickly. I have a Garmin with an electronic compass now. We have lots of trees here so I looked at how well the different units worked under a canopy before I bought my current GPS.

I have a Garmin Dakota, works good but screen is a little too small. If you get one with a screen big enough to use then the unit is too big not handy to pack and eats batteries. Many of the areas I hunt don't have cell coverage so GPS is still the best option.

Maps and compass' still work.

Yeah, thats why I said if I could only have one it would be the Oregon. Best compromise between size and performance.

Does anyone have any experience with the new Garmins? They look to have wider screens with external antenna. I was going get a 64st when I saw these. Any input in appreciated.

Well, that depends.

If you have cell service, then yes, I agree.

But if you are going into the hinterlands & have no cell service, having to download & use offline maps can be challenging for some people, but for the one that know how to do it, then yes, the phones work well.

For those that are a little big challenged from the tech standpoint, a standalone, dedicated GPS with the correct chip load is generally easier for that person to deal with & it also has a shorter learning curve.

Having used both, both work well if the used is adept at using the phone system.

JME, YMMV

MM

I can't see for the life of me how using a phone you use every day would be harder than pulling out a piece of equipment that you use sparingly or rarely.
How hard is it to download the maps in advance? Not very. Plus they're free.

I can’t see for the life of me why someone would rely on a phone to do a job it wasn’t designed for... Don’t get me wrong, I think the phone GPS and their apps are okay but no way in hell would I trust a phone on a 10-14 day pack in to the wilderness... My phone can’t do what it’s designed for half of the time when I’m in the city much less counting on it to get me to a designated location and back out on day 12... For those that wander on a day trip and get 1-2 miles away from their truck I can see the phone being okay... until they get lost and their battery dies on their phone... I can see it now... “Siri take me to the truck please.... Siri... Siri where are you???”

Smartphone and Delorme inReach...

I’ll stick to my GPS units... you smart guys can keep them phones...

I only hunt here in Alaska and if on foot never found much of a need for any navigational aids besides a compass and a map. I did have a GPS unit on a couple of 26' sea going boats, as it helped me find fishing holes. A buddy had one of those Oregon GPS units when we did a thousand mile round trip on the Yukon and Koyukuk Rivers and it worked as good or better then my boats GPS. After that trip I decided to get one and never did. We always took sight of a mountain or new we had to head up or down stream, etc.

Were doing a caribou hunt with a daughter and two granddaughters in August and I doubt we will have cell coverage. So in the interest of safety I picked up a Garmin Inreach Explorer and am learning it. I think it has all the GPS technology I will need for the rest of my duration roaming the "happy hunting grounds". That and our cell phones should see me and my 70 year old wife through on any adventure we go on now, especially since we had to give up living out of a back pack on a hunt. I have a Satellite phone that I may sell for lack of use, since I can now text with the Inreach which uses satellite technology.

Every time I go out in wild country I have a map or local knowledge and always wear a compass around my neck, keep a compass in my pack and another on each of our ATV's and in my truck. Just saying, I like a compass for most of my needs. I also admit to being some what "technically challenged".

A couple of times when travelling back at dark on our ATV's we have had to take pause and figure out which trail to take, that is when a GPS mounted on our ATV would be handy. But, unless we have a moose down and prepping it for leaving over night I try to get back to camp by dark, since it is safer to travel in day light and Mom said she worries about running into a brownie at night. I keep telling her they clear out when they hear us coming, she has her doubts.

I can understand how useful a GPS would be in the rest of the country where there is much more private land, units, hunting boundaries and, etc. I also think it may be useful for finding ones way back to a downed critter in the pucker brush or tracing ones way back to look for a lost item. Good hunting guys, don't get lost!

You may be "technically challenged" but youre using the most foolproof system of navigation out there. It may not be as precise but it will certainly get you home without having to worry about satellites and batteries. I think everyone should own an Inreach.

OK I will.

The Garmin 64s is the best bang for the buck and can often be found for $200ish. The Oregon is basically the same unit, but is touch screen with a slightly larger screen. I have one of both that my wife and I use when volunteering for a SAR team. You can spend more, but you're paying for bigger screens, built in cameras, or 2 way radios. They don't do anything as far as a GPS the 64s or Oregon won't do. Both are solid units. Theoretically the 64s should be able to get signals a little better in heavy cover due to the external antenna, but I've used the Oregon in Florida swamps and it did fine. The push button 64s is also theoretically more durable than touch screen. But I've used mine tons over the last 6 years and both are holding up fine.

If you can get by with a phone, you really don't need a GPS. I often use my phone to access google earth in addition to the GPS, but there is so much more a real GPS will do. Finding my way home is the least of my concerns. I lay down tracks and then download them onto Google Earth when I get home to record where I've been and to pinpoint places where may want to return. I've also found likely hunting spots using Google Earth and recorded the GPS coordinates into my GPS to find my way to that exact spot in the dark. Using Google Earth with the GPS will not only help you find your way home, but find the easiest way to get where you're going.

Until you download more detailed maps a GPS is almost useless. There are several sources for free downloads. I've used this to download everything from Texas east to the coast and as far north as North Carolina, Tennessee, Arkanas and Oklahoma. We did a search in Indiana last year and I was able to get that state free too.

https://www.gpsfiledepot.com/

Other places may require you to buy maps. I paid $80 to get Colorado before hunting there last fall. I was unable to find anything free for CO.

I couldn't find an answer on the Cabela's site but does the 64ST they have on sale come pre loaded with the 100K U.S. TOPO maps?

Yes it does... the ST stands for Street &Topo....

Yep, the "st" version comes preloaded. Also has 8Gb of memory. The "s" version is only 4gb

Sent you a PM

Exactly , been there , will never rely on phone solely for any big adventure. GPS and compass with maps for my old school ass.

Garmins have been good to me. Still running a 62 but thinking of getting a new one , screen is getting hard to read with all the use it has had. Wish I new how many hours it has been used.