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Guide to finding the ideal GPS device

Buying a GPS device can be a little daunting. Many different units compete for the buyers at a variety of prices. Which one should you buy?

Hopefully you will have a little better understanding of your needs after reading this article.

Uses

One of the first things you should ask yourself before buying a GPS: What is the intended use?

Are you interested in fishing, hiking or hunting? Do you need the unit for in car navigation?
A lot of these factors determine which GPS is best for you.
The outdoor enthusiast that will use a GPS occasionally may not need a lot of memory for their GPS unit.
Someone that does a lot of fishing or hunting and wants to "mark" spots, or find base camp through a set "route" will need a GPS unit with more storage and better functions.

Smaller devices aren't necessarily less accurate, but they usually have fewer features.
These inexpensive units typically come with small built-in maps relying on user-defined waypoints for navigation.
For example, you can create a waypoint at the base camp, leave the GPS on as you go hiking, and set additional waypoints at various points of interest along the way. Then you can use the GPS to find the way to any of the waypoints you established and get safely back to your base camp.
Some units built for camping and backpacking come with elevation markers.

For travel in a car, a GPS with more detail and the better built-in maps is best.
Routing capabilities are also a must these days, and so are points of interest (restaurants, hotels, viewpoints …)
The device should have upgradeable memory and a PC interace.

Hiking units may be used for boating, but there are many specialized marine GPS chart plotters that are much more suitable. Some have fish finders, sounding equipment, and charts that contain more detailed lakes and coastline information than units meant for driving. The best units also provide information about maritime navigation aids like buoys as well as about known hazards.

Outdoor units for hiking and boating should be waterproof, while in car units usually are not (and don't need to)

Auto Scrolling

Nearly every GPS sold today has a auto scrolling display, which is great for use while driving and even useful for hiking and boating.
These devices show your position in the middle of the screen with a little direction marker indicating your heading. This feature is very useful to see what is around you. If you go slower, the map will automatically zoom in, to show you more detail.

Display

When buying your GPS, resolution and screen size are important.
Resolution refers to the number of pixels on your screen. A high resolution will enable you to see finer details on the map. For hiking a screen resolution of 120 x 160 pixels is sufficient and a monochromatic display may just do the job.
For car navigation, a larger display is important. Even though you should not look at the screen while you are driving, most people still do. At least get a device with a larger screen, so you won't have to look for your information. Car units generally have a better display.
Displays need to be bright, so that you can still read them well in a bright sunny day.
Units for hiking don't need a super bright display (it costs battery life).

The size of the screen and the amount of pixels will also limit the amount of "map detail" you will be able to see at the same time.
The screen size has a big impact on the price of the device, the size and the power consumption.

Some of the newer handheld GPS units on the market feature color screens. While this makes maps easier to read, it sacrifices battery life. Many GPS units with grayscale screens can last 36 hours or longer on a set of batteries, a similar color device runs out of power in less than 3 hours.

When choosing a GPS unit, you might consider leaving the color units at home for extended hiking trips, and chose a color monitor for your car GPS with a charging adapter for your car.

Memory

A GPS device can only hold a certain amount of information, but some models can accept memory upgrades that greatly expand their functionality. The more memory you have the better.
Uploading maps with lots of detail may require a large amount of memory. When you are traveling and don't have a computer available, you will want to make sure the device can hold the maps for the entire trip.

Some GPS come preloaded with maps while others need to have maps uploaded via a computer.

Computer connections can be used for various things, such as keeping a track log on your computer. You can re-use these tracks (or breadcrumb trails) later, if you want to go back. Statistics software lets you create height profiles and a lot of other fun things.

Tracks and Routes

Nearly every GPS can track your movements, leaving a trail of waypoints, so you can see where you have been. You can save a track so you can use it again later, but the number of tracks you can save will depend on their detail, length, and the memory capacity of your GPS.

Built-in routing features are only found on some of the more expensive GPS units but are now part of almost all in car units. This feature lets you enter a few waypoints, cities, or other coordinates, and then it creates an efficient route that will take you from one point to the other.
These units let you find the shortest or fastest routes, hotels, restaurants and other points of interest.