Hi All,

I've wandered in here from the Touring forum and am hoping to pick your collective brains in relation to GPS

I'm putting together the preparations for an 18-24 month tour and am looking at GPS as a back up to local maps / guidebooks within my own specific requirements. I'll be traveling across Canada (East to West), down through the US, Mexico and around south America.

First of all, I'm not a great gadget person, but I've been trying to get my head around the different systems out there and how they work.

Second of all, my needs are (I think) quite specific;
I don't need cadence sensors, heart rate monitors etc. Tracking is nice, but not essential. I don't think I need downloadable maps (I'll have a phone & cheap tablet that I hope to be able to download maps on when I'm in civilization). But input on that decision is welcome.

My ideal unit will have:
Regular battery power, not a rechargeable battery.
Ability to import gps tracks from a phone or tablet - not a computer
Follow these GPS tracks using breadcrumbs
Idiotproof & reliable

I don't think I want to use my phone connected through Bluetooth for navigation which is available as an option with some units. This is down to charging issues and possible lack of connectivity / data allowances.

I'll have a hub dynamo and solar panel for charging needs.

I've borrowed a Garmin Edge Touring for the past month and am appalled at how badly it operates. It freezes regularly, can't follow preloaded routes, gets confused at the start and end of routes, can't deal with a route that crosses itself and is positively dangerous in cities - it just cannot operate fast enough. This experience has seriously dented my impression of Garmin and I would approach their products with caution.

So, does anybody have any recommendations for a simple GPS unit that can load tracks via phone/tablet (Android).

Or do I just use my phone?

I'm in Europe if that affects the situation.

Many thanks

Frank