Best portable Marine/Hiking GPS and best maps

[bishop1976]

I had a humminbird 797 GPS fish finder unit and e-bayed it because of the limited map support and the fact that I could only use it on the boat.

Yesterday I bought a used Garmin GPSMAP76 that is like new and really love the features of it. I have already uploaded the detailed maps from bluechart, and US recreational lakes and fishing hot spots. They seem both have their strengths and weaknesses. I was looking for a more detailed mapset of the pickwick area in Tennessee specifically. Does such a set of maps exist for a Garmin unit?

One other thing I really am not sure about is the unit itself. So far I havent had it locked in to accuracy lower than 25ft. As we all know 25ft can mean a lot of difference on a river. Is there a more accurate portable unit that is made for marine and hiking use?

I plan to use this mainly in case of emergencies, some hiking this summer, and a trip between Aqua marina at pickwick to Florence Alabama. I will of course be using the GPS to stay in the river channel.

Any info is appreciated.

 

[Drowned Rat]

Re: Best portable Marine/Hiking GPS and best maps

The GPSMap76 should give as accurate a position as any other unit. Have you tried turning the WAAS on?

You can get the Topo MapSource maps for your Garmin that will show all areas of the US including TN. If you're wanting roads and urban features, they have a program for that too.

My farorite hiking GPS is my Garmin ForeTrex wrist wearable and that is all I ever use anymore. It's so much more convenient than any other handheld especially if you need you hands frequently for climbing, rock scrambling, or whatever. I don't think they sell the ForeTrex anymore, but they do still make the ForeRunner which is also a wrist GPS.