Touring - GPS for touring.

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Paul Barnard
10-22-07, 07:24 PM
How many of you are using a GPS for your touring? What units are you using, what software have you downloaded, etc. I'm also curious about battery life and mounting systems. I really enjoy secondary roads (the kind that most maps don't show) and think a GPS would be useful for connecting secondary roads and for finding routes around larger cities.

spinnaker
10-22-07, 07:45 PM
Do a search, there are several discussions. One just a couple of days old.
Skeleton
10-23-07, 03:41 AM
Garmin 60csx for me. Added City maps for N.A. The GPS allows me to take alternate routes while long-distance cycling, without fear of ending up lost or mis-routed.

Juha
10-23-07, 04:36 AM
IF I tour with a GPS, it's my Magellan Meridian Color. An old unit, but it's completely waterproof (immersible) which is important for me, as I use it more often when kayaking. On bike tours I keep it in handlebar bag and use it primarily for logging information. Our paper maps are good enough for route selection, and it's easier to get a "bigger picture" from them. If the road is not on the map, it's probably not rideable with a loaded touring bike anyways. GPS can be useful when finding a way in towns though.

I get typically 2 touring days' worth of use with one set of batteries (2xAA). I switch the unit off for longer breaks, but then I tend to use it in the evenings in camp (storing the day's leg as a route and such). I use rechargeable batteries. The batteries would last a bit longer, but I don't like to fiddle with them in the middle of the day, so I change them every other evening.

--J