I had a Garmin old etrex unit that I left batteries in over the season and they leached out and screwed up the unit. I am trying to narrow down my search and have settled between the Garmin GPSMAP 64sx and the eTrex 32x. I have an "ok" idea of the area where I hunt, but want this to pinpoint hunting stands and get me out if I go too deep in the woods and don't recognize my way out. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

I am not sure what phone you have, but many smartphones offer really good GPS apps that have taken the place of a stand-alone gps unit. Some good apps are basemap, Gaia GPS and OnX Maps

My son is a professional forester, uses mapping gps every day at work...uses a plain old Samsung phone with real gps (not cell tower location) and Avenza Pro mapping. Gave up on dedicated gps units years ago.

I use a Garmin GPSMAP 64st. It does everything the OP asked about.

I don't have cell service where I hunt in the mountains in Central PA, so that is why there is a need for the GPS.

My only tip is to wait until February and buy one at ebay. February is "pay the Christmas bills" month and lots of hardly-used hunting stuff gets sold.

With OnX you can save maps to use on your smartphone when your off cellular. That being said the Garmin 64st works good and there on sale in a few places I believe. I use both the phone and Garmin with a chip.

I like the Garmin 64 and also the Garmin Montana. If you'd like a touch screen consider the Montana. Also, it's a bigger screen so if you have trouble seeing up close like I do it's an improvement over the 64. Does go through batteries faster though. If you like to make notes with your waypoints the touch screen allows you to do that much quicker. The Montana is more money, so that might also factor into your decision.

I'm not sure about other apps like Onyx or others but I use Backcountry navigator on my Samsung. Doesn't matter if I have cell service or not, links right up with a satellite. I did pay the one time fee of 9.99 years ago for the Backcountry App but I'm sure there are a whole lot of free ones out there.

I’ve switched over to my phone with OnX.

iPhone with Avenza app. Download maps for free including USFS MVUM's and quads, plenty of other choices. I would never go back to a standalone GPS. Everything about the phone is better. I like and use OnX for places where cell service is available.

Seems like these threads pop up quite often with the misconception that you need cell service for OnX maps. You do NOT need cell service. In fact, I put my phone in airplane mode. Been doing it for years. I have a Garmin Oregon and never use it, it is obsolete compared to OnX on your phone.

Oat, I have a Garmin Oregon that should do what you want.

Suggestion, berretaman: Put your Oregon in a box and send it to him.

I have a Garmin 64??? I would not bother spending 250 bucks on it again. here is why, the screen is a lousy 1.25x2"??? Cant see it very well at all. It does work however finding my deer stands. it also burns batteries . I use the best rechargeable . They last a while but always have to change them out every few times out, and no, I will not buy lithium AA's for 4 bucks a piece. I will go with my phone next time and wish i would have gone that route and saved the 250 bucks.

Mr Johnny Oat, Pay attention, step one...select a smartphone (you may have one already) that has REAL GPS imbedded it does NOT need a cell signal to operate.

step two...load Avenza or any mapping app

step three...use it.
Why, you ask? Better battery. Powerful fast operating system. Better screen graphics. Flexibility to send information to printer or another computer when you
do have a cell signal.
Google gps smartphones...they list brands and models that have real gps instead of just cell tower triangulation (for city folks)

One of the Garmin 64's will give you the most GPS for the money. They have several versions but at the end of the day do the same. If you want touch screen the Garmin Oregon is the way to go. Phones suck. Even the best ones will drain the battery in 2-3 hours and unless you have some way to recharge you are stuck with a non working phone and GPS. Fresh AA batteries in my GPS will last 10-12 hours and I can easily carry a few more.

I have Garmin Oregon and a new Montana. Both are hard on batteries. The Oregon screen is too small, and the Montanna has a better screen but it is big and bulky. I usually carry the Oregon because it is smaller. Not thrilled with either one.

I have been going out west to Idaho and Colorado where there is no phone signal at all. I use Gaia GPS on my iphone. Down load the map before going and your good to go. Keep a charger pack with you for back-up power. Why would I want to carry an additional item? Plus a phone gives a bigger screen than any GPS I ever seen.

Todays cell phones do not need a signal to use their built-in GPS antenna.

I own a Garmin GPSMAP 64sx. Don't buy one.

Buy onX or GAIA for your smart phone.

I agree with all of this. I use an Iphone with Avenza. I simply download maps to it and go. Here where I live the mob which regulates public land hunting even produces public land maps which are pre-loaded with such features as no-hunting zones and boundaries, which is really handy.

It works fine without phone signal, in fact I switch it to airplane mode so it doesn't use up the battery searching for a phone signal when I'm out bush. A power pack is not a bad idea for extending battery life too, and mine's in a Lifeproof cover so it can stand rain or a dunking, or a bit of rough handling, and still keep going (though the latest smartphones claim to be able to stand up to all of this without a cover, a claim I take with a small grain of salt).

I'll usually throw my Garmin GPS in the daypack just in case, but I haven't had cause to use it for a fair while.

I got the Garmin 680t this year. I also got OnX for my phone. If I could return the garmin I would. It's basically a fail safe for not getting lost. Practically useless for hunting. OnX rocks. Easy to use, very helpful for hunting, visually pleasing.

Yep, onyx or gaia on iPhone on airplane mode. Carry a battery charger

https://www.amazon.com/Anker-PowerC...hone+charger&qid=1574138023&sr=8

cheap basic gps, compass as back up depending how remote I am

Just get an app for your phone. I do have a Garmin Inreach because its got text anywhere and the SOS button to bring on Search and Rescue in an emergency. It is a good gps but I don't use it I keep it off and only use for texts to check in. I use my phone with IHunter and it works perfectly without cell service which there just about never is any where I hunt. Way way better image and all the features and tracking that a gps with a chitty screen has.

How does that work without cell service?

I used three different units in the last year in an area in South Texas with no cell service and the Garmin Rino 755 was a clear standout for ease of use, high sensitivity on overcast and foggy days, and especially for the superior battery life.

About using HuntX with a cell phone - do you insert a micro SD card or does the info download to the phone? I already have a card for photos and don't need to be switching cards to use the gps.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^THIS +1 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Even works while flying! Gives location and elevation.

Elk Country

Because when your using a GPS app on your phone, there is no need for cell service. It uses the GPS antenna that is built into just about every smart phone and picks up signals from the GPS satellites overhead.

No you create & upload maps for use offline before you go to the area you are gonna Hunt.

Once there you reference the map in question and you can go to any of your saved maps and see your position on them while in airplane mode.

Thanks for the answer scoony. I'm only 55 but still pretty much a caveman when it comes to electronics. If it wasnt for looking for 357 mag loads and finding the campfire, I probably wouldnt have used a computer anymore.

Another question - I have a HuntX chip in my Garmin Montana. In the area we hunt are a bunch of forest svc trails that all show on the maps. I'm looking at a trial version of HuntX on my phone and none of the trails show. There's nothing but topo lines. Will they be there on a purchased version?

Yeah everything you can see on the chip & more.

Go to map layers in the lower left in trial mode and look up the state you’re hunting and play w/ those. You can probably see that now if you flip the right switch. Either way yes, you’ll be able to see it all.

I find it’s superior because of fidelity... I can’t see my GPS screen with near the clarity I can my phone.

You mean that the phone receives GPS signals from the satellite and the app can operate without WIFI or cell service?

The app operates on it's own & receives the signal from the GPS, but you need to have previously downloaded & saved the map/chart from the area that you are in & when you call that up & make it active in the app, it will display along with your position on it via the GPS.

MM

I know the offline downloading maps sounds bad to the less techy people but it's not. I'm not super tech savy and it's easy as can be. Ask some friends and I'm sure one has Onx and they can get you up and running in minutes.

We used onx in British Columbia on our moose hunt. We did not have cell service but had saved the maps on iPhone. The gps tracked our location great, guide was sure we had not missed the turn only to believe us when we showed him the gps map.

We used a USB port on the Ryobi 18v battery to charge iPhone all week.

OnX has a free 7 day trial you can put on your phone. It's well worth the effort. It has all the features of the paid program for 1 state except that it only allows 1 offline map to be saved.
Go to onxmaps.com and register. You can register and get the trial on either your phone or your computer. Then go to Google Play on your phone and seach for HuntX to download the app and sign in to your account.

I used it side by side with my Garmin Montana on a hunt earlier this week to compare them. It was great having the ability to switch to satellite photos. One objection I had was tapping the screen to get the 'about this location' data. It gives gps coordinates and allows you to add a waypoint. It would be a big help if it also showed elevation.

OnX on your phone is by far the best system I have tried. I also have a Garmin Dakota which is pretty decent for a GPS but the screen is too small for my old eyes.

iPhone plus OnX blows away all the GPS’s out there. I’ve used it in 2 states this year and last year without a single hiccup. Stand alone GPS’s aren’t even close in quality to what the IPhone can do for me. On a side note the Garmin Inreach models are awesome for sending text via satellite either to check in or in case of an emergency. You can keep your phone charged with a spare battery pack or one of these but if you keep it on airplane mode and only use it periodically the charge last a long time.

https://mpowerd.com/collections/shop-luci/products/base-light

Anyone know the following;

1) Do these cellphone apps work in Canada?

2) Can you create lots of way points on these Apps?

Moved From Garmin 60 to the new 66ST. Bigger screen & better reception in the deep valleys out here on the WA coast.

66i

Here's one more thing about using your phone that I hadn't seen mentioned. It's not specific to your phone. You get the account online. Download the app to your phone and sign in to download the maps. Since your account is online, it doesn't matter what phone you use. Once you go offline with it, it can be on any number of different phones at once. We have a tablet that's very useful for trail riding since it can show a much larger area and trail system than a small phone can. We put the app on it and downloaded a 100 mile wide map. The big map doesn't have the resolution of a 5 or 10 mile map but it's more than enough for trail riding. We have 100s of miles of atv trails here and it really helps to both find them and to keep track of where we are.