The Best Handheld GPS Review

Which handheld GPS is the best? We tested and reviewed seven of the latest and greatest handheld GPS units in a head-to-head competition that assessed satellite reception, ease of use, speed, display quality, and mapping software. Our testing occurred over a six-month period and included lots of outdoor recreation: from hikes under dense redwood canopies to sea kayaking, driving, mountain biking, and developing boulders, as well as numerous environmental science applications: we mapped plant populations, hiking trails, recorded tracks for California Department of Fish and Game boats, and plotted locations of environmental monitoring equipment. We compared the GPS units tested here to multi-thousand dollar Trimble units (sub-foot accuracy with backpack antenna) and analyzed data collected in ArcGIS as well as to the software included with each unit. Our tests and comparisons identify the fastest, most accurate, and easiest to use hiking GPS.

Read the full review below >

Review by: Max Neale ⋅ Review Editor, OutdoorGearLab December 26, 2011

Top Ranked Handheld GPS Displaying 1 - 5 of 7 << Previous | View All | Next >>
Our Ranking #1 #2 #3 #4 #5
Product Name
Garmin GPSMAP 62sc
Garmin GPSMAP 62sc
Read the Review
Video video review
Garmin Oregon 550
Garmin Oregon 550
Read the Review
Video video review
Magellan eXplorist 710
Magellan eXplorist 710
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Video video review
Garmin Dakota 20
Garmin Dakota 20
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Video video review
DeLorme PN-60W
DeLorme PN-60W
Read the Review
Video video review
Editors' Awards  Editors' Choice Award  Top Pick Award       
Street Price $383
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67% recommend it (2/3)
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Pros Great reception, rugged body, bright screen, excellent menu system, wireless data transfer, many customization options, ability to load custom maps and satellite imagery, altimeter is more accurate than others, excellent mounting system.Large high-resolution display, easy text entry, intuitive interface, customizable menu system, 3.2 MP camera, includes rechargeable batteries and carabiner clip.Large screen, records photos and videos, built-in speaker, two customizable buttons, One Touch favorites menu is better than Garmin menu, comes with 24k topo.Lightweight, easy to use, good battery life. intuitive interface, customizable menu system.Pairs with inReach for two-way text messaging, includes powerful Topo North America software, comfortable neck strap.
Cons Large, relatively heavy, low screen resolution, text entry is more difficult than on touchscreens.Display is hard to see in direct sunlight, relatively imprecise screen, no push buttons, reception is not as good as Garmin 62 series.Large, heavy, slower than Garmin units, long startup time, hard to touch screen edges and corners, bottom plastic loop is unnecessary.Small display is hard to see in bright sun, relatively imprecise screen, no push buttons, reception is not as good as Garmin 62 series.Small screen, exposed proprietary data port, hang loop is on top, not Mac compatible, thumb screw on battery compartment are slow, bad for highway navigation, no wireless data transfer.
Best Uses Hiking, boating, ATV, hunting, mountaineering.Entering lots of waypoints or for car navigation.Hiking, boating, ATV, hunting.Budget touchscreen device for geocaching.Pairing with inReach satellite communicator
Date Reviewed Dec 09, 2011Dec 09, 2011Dec 08, 2011Dec 09, 2011Dec 09, 2011
Weighted Scores Garmin GPSMAP 62sc Garmin Oregon 550 Magellan eXplorist 710 Garmin Dakota 20 DeLorme PN-60W
Reception - 20%
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Product Specs Garmin GPSMAP 62sc Garmin Oregon 550 Magellan eXplorist 710 Garmin Dakota 20 DeLorme PN-60W
Dimensions (in ) 2.4 x 6.3 x 1.4 2.3 x 4.5 x 1.4 2.57 x 5.04 1.45 2.2 x 3.9 x 1.3 2.43 x 5.25 x 1.5
Display Size (in ) 1.43 x 2.15 1.53 x 2.55 1.43 x 2.15 1.4 x 1.7
Display Resolution 160 x 240 240 x 400 340 x 432 160 x 240 176 x 220
Weight W Alkaline Batteries (oz ) 9.3 6.8 8.5 5.25 6.9
Battery Life (hours) 16 16 16 20 13
Built In Memory 3.5 GB 850 MB 3 GB 850 MB 3.5 GB
Accepts Data Cards microSD microSD microSD microSD SD
Automatic Routing Yes Yes Yes Yes Limited
Electronic Compass Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Touchscreen Yes Yes Yes
Barometric Altimeter Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Camera 5MP 3.2 MP 3.2 MP
Extras Rechargeable batteries, charger, carabiner clip Rechargeable batteries, charger, carabiner clip

OutdoorGearLab Editors' Hands-on Review


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Product Selection
We reviewed eight handheld GPS units designed for hiking. Four are top of the line models and four are entry-level models. Although each unit was designed for hiking, all can be used for other activities like sea kayaking, mountain biking, ATV, hunting, etc. Each model we tested is waterproof to IPX7 standards, which require electronic devices to withstand accidental immersion in one meter of water for up to thirty minutes.

Criteria for Evaluation
The units we tested are much more than GPS data loggers. These are small, multi-function computers designed to collect spatial data and assist you in getting from one place to another. We evaluated each unit based on its satellite reception, ease of use, speed, screen quality, and the quality of its mapping software.

Satellite Reception
The Global Positioning System is a worldwide radio-navigation system that consists of twenty-four satellites and their ground stations that owned and operated by the U.S. Department of Defense. The handheld hiking GPS units reviewed here use satellites to triangulate your position to within roughly five meters. (Some advanced GPS units have sub-centimeter accuracy.) All the units reviewed here have similar end point accuracies, but some achieve a 3D lock on your position faster, and maintain that lock, better than others. The highest rated unit in this category was the Garmin GPSMAP 62 series, which has a large antenna that protrudes from the top of the unit. When it comes to antennae and satellite reception, bigger is usually better.

See our Buying Advice Article for a more detailed discussion of how they work and what specific features to consider when buying one.

Click to enlarge
Zeb Engberg navigates in the High Sierra with the Garmin eTrex 20, our Best Buy Award recipient. Also pictured and reviewed by Outdoor Gear Lab: Black Diamond Carbon Cork poles, 3/4 length Therm-a-Rest Ridge Rest pad, and Black Diamond Speed 30 packs.
Credit: Max Neale
Ease of Use
Here we assessed how easy is was to perform certain key functions such as marking and editing waypoints, creating and editing tracks, navigating to a waypoint, or following a route. The primary features that influenced ease of use were screen type and button configuration. Here you can opt for either a touch screen (faster for entering text) or normal screen (significantly easier to see and faster cold weather). Our testers much preferred touch screens for entering and editing many waypoints, but found them to be lacking in quality and precision, when compared to the screen on the iPhone or any other smartphone. Most units with buttons have circular menus that rotate through a fixed set of programs (such as Map, Compass, Trip Computer). The Garmin 62 series improves upon this and allows you to customize the set of programs for quick access to the features and options you need. The quality of buttons is another crucial part of this variable. We were disappointed by how poorly some buttons functioned. The Magellan eXplorist 310, for example, has a multi-directional toggle that’s imprecise and difficult to press. Of the eight units tested this was the hardest to use. Similarly, the eXplorist 710 splits its keyboard between two screens so you have to laboriously page back and forth in order to enter text. In contrast, we found the Garmin Oregon 550, with its large touchscreen, single screen keyboard, and programmable home page, to be the easiest to use.

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Point, line, and polygon data collected with our test units created this map (in ArcGIS). The Garmin Oregon 550 is our top rated touchscreen GPS and was our test unit of choice for this project.
Credit: Tahoe Resource Conservation District
Speed
This variable assessed the speed of each unit. We timed how long it took to startup, get a lock on our position, draw maps, and change from one function to another. The fastest unit was the Garmin GPSmap 62sc, which draws large map files with ease.

Display Quality
Here we assessed how easy it was to see the screen. We found that touchscreens are much harder to see than normal screens and that greater resolution doesn’t necessarily improve visibility. As mentioned previously, the touchscreens on the GPS units we reviewed leave a lot to be desired. We recommend getting one if you enter a lot of text (long waypoint names or do a lot of geocaching), but otherwise suggest a traditional screen. The model with the best visibility was the Garmin 62sc.

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The Garmin 550's screen (right) is slightly larger but harder to see in direct sunlight than the Garmin 62sc's screen (left).
Credit: Max Neale
Mapping Software
Each manufacturer includes software designed to organize, analyze (though functions are very basic) and project the waypoints and tracks you collect with your unit. Though this review focuses on the performance of GPS units in the field we will share a few brief thoughts on software.

Garmin Basecamp is our favorite software because it’s simple, intuitive, cross platform, and provides everything a basic GPS user needs. For example, you can easily display waypoints or tracks in Google Earth, a feature no other manufacturer supports. Basecamp is also the only software that’s Mac compatible! Magellan Vantage Point is very similar to Basecamp in that it offers a comparable suite of tools. We, however, prefer Basecamp because it’s slightly easier to use and is Mac compatible. DeLorme models ship with Topo North America, a powerful and impressive suite of detailed topo maps for the Unites States. Although these maps are excellent we found the software to be harder to use than Basecamp and Vantage Point. Performing basic functions, such as viewing an elevation profile of a route, requires more mouse clicks in Topo North America than in either of the other two programs. If you want to do some analysis skip the included software and download an open source GIS.

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An export from DeLorme Topo USA that shows the route and elevation profile (blue line is speed) for the drive from Bishop to South Lake Tahoe, CA. Topo USA is the most powerful, but least intuitive software that comes with the units tested.
Credit: Max Neale
Maps
Some of the models we tested came with preloaded 100k (1:100,000 scale) or 24k (1:24,000 scale) topo maps. 100k is a useful scale for general navigation, but most people will prefer 24k when navigating in steep terrain. Garmin and Magellan charge you for digitized, downloadable topos, while DeLorme gives you Topo North America for free. (Garmin denotes models with maps by adding a "t" to the model number.) All manufacturers offer aerial imagery downloads for around $30 per year. One advantage of Garmin units is their ability to support custom maps, which allow you to georeference and upload any map or chart to your device.

You can also download maps and satellite imagery for free and transfer them to your unit. A great source for free maps is the GPS File Depot. The U.S. National Agricultural Imagery Program (NAIP) shoots high quality, free imagery for the entire continental U.S. every year or two. The United States Geological Survey's
Seamless Data Warehouse has a wealth of free spatial data. And of course, most U.S. states have a website that houses spatial data. If you want the best maps spend some time tinkering with the free data. If you want something basic and easy be prepared to shell out around $100 for topos from Garmin or Magellan.

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Screenshot of Garmin Basecamp showing BirdsEye imagery in the High Sierra, California. Red is the Pacific Crest Trail and Pink is the Evolution Traverse. Waypoints, tracks, and images are managed in the left panel.
Credit: Max Neale
BOTTOM LINE
Our testers were most impressed with Garmin’s comprehensive and well-designed units. In comparison, DeLorme and Magellan units are clunky and in need of refinement.

Our Editor’s Choice Award goes to the Garmin GPSMAP 62sc, a highly accurate, responsive, and easy to use GPS that excels at land based recreation, but also performs well on the water. The 62sc’s antenna maintains reception in heavy fog, cloud cover, in slot canyons, and under dense forest canopies- locations where most other units loose reception. Its 5 megapixel camera, large sunlight readable display, reliable buttons, and programmable menus also make it a versatile performer in all conditions.

Our Best Buy Award is presented to the Garmin eTrex 20, a small, lightweight hiking GPS that provides ample performance, an intuitive touch screen, impressive battery life and comes in a small package that will fit in your shirt, and not break the bank.

Max Neale
Buying Advice
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by Max Neale
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