Best GPS for Walking, Running, Hiking, Backpacking or Cycling

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Whether you’re out walking, or running or perhaps going hiking or backpacking or even cycling having a portable, handheld GPS ensures you will not get lost. If you’re in familiar territory, it may not be much of a need – but if you’re someplace new and want to ensure you don’t get lost then a portable handheld GPS is a must – and with prices having come down for these units to be affordable for everyone, there is no longer a reason not to have one.

We’ve done some research and looked at the best options available to you from Amazon and the lowest prices and have come up with this list. We’ve added a couple of extra items – a heart rate monitor (a must if you’re a runner) and a golf GPS unit for the avid golfer… although we’ve just missed Fathers day, any dad would love one of these great units!

When we reviewed these units we were looking for the following types of features:

• Light weight
• Color screen – preferable, why settle for B&W or green/grey/gray when color is no longer considered an option?
• High Sensitivity SiRF Chip
• Ability to Download Maps
• USB interface
• Expandable Memory
• Auto-Routing
• Geocaching Mode

These GPS units fit the bill…

One thing you will notice is that this list is heavy on Garmin – that’s because they are the leader when it comes to GPS units are are more preferred to consumers.

View more Garmin products at Amazon.

When buying a handheld portable GPS unit, also consider these additional points:

1. Consider the size of the unit. Do you want to slip a unit into your pocket? Various carrying cases are available.
2. Choose a system that has multi-parallel channels. This ensures that several satellites are tracking you at one time rather than just one. You get faster fixes in difficult conditions.
3. Select a system that can store 100 or more way points. These are geographic points that can be used as markers.
4. Pick a system that can give the distance and direction of a point from your current position.
5. Choose a system that can store several routes.
6. Pick a system that is capable of using UTM grid data maps or local grid maps. Make certain that the system can use the common datums used worldwide.
7. Make sure the unit is rugged and waterproof.
8. Make certain that it has a backlit display. This is essential if you intend to do your hiking or bike riding at night.
9. Make certain that the battery life of the unit is sufficient for your travels.

Other features worth considering are:

Text-to-speech – Abbreviated as TTS, this feature calls out street names for upcoming turns. Which means that you’ll hear “drive one-half mile, then turn left on Oak Street.” instead of just “drive one-half mile, then turn left.”. Most, if not all GPS units that you can purchase will include this feature.

Large screen – The larger the screen, the better. With newer smart phones now sporting large, vibrant screens GPS manufacturers are taking notice and doing the same for their portable units.

Points of interest – Abbreviated as POIs. Some inexpensive units have as few as 750,000 POIs; Look for a unit that includes millions of POIs – some have as many 4.5 million points of interest. Garmin provides nearly 6 million on any of their units.

If you end up using your portable GPS to do double-duty as an in-car GPS (using optional windshield mounts) then consider these additional points:

Multi-destination routing – Allows you to pre-plan a trip with multiple stops. Better developed units do a nicer job of “optimizing” the order of the stops for efficiency; they also automatically advance you to the next point on the route.

Lane Assist – Gives you visual guidance as to what lane you should be in for turns. This can be very helpful on freeways or on urban streets with multiple turn lanes. Coverage is usually limited to major metropolitan areas. On a recent trip to LA this feature was useful on the wide highways!

Speed limit display – Ideally the unit will show your current speed on the map screen as well, or allow you to set an alarm if you go above a certain amount over the speed limit.

Powered mount – Why fumble with the mini-USB plug each time you get in your car. Current Garmin nuvis with this feature include the 7×5 and 8×5 series and the 1690.

If you’ve got any tips that you can share, simply leave us a comment and we’ll moderate and approve it!

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