fotrex 401? or oregon 450?

you should be able to download and install free maps for the garmin. open street map and topos. here is a good site for maps. i do think they are worth onboard.

http://www.gpsfiledepot.com/

Thanks, I was actually able to find a topo map for canada called ibycus topo. These free files don't have any fancy routing or stuff like that. There's also the backroad maps gps maps for Canada which seem to be much better than the Garmin stuff. The backroad maps are tempting but are pretty pricy . . . wih fancy maps or not the oregon at 50 bucks more is tempting, still undecided! Knowing me I'd shell out for fancy maps and not use them.

I know I'm not helping here but there's also the Garmin eTrex line.

The major question is what do you want it to do?

For the most part just provide coordinates as a back up with paper maps. When reasearching devices i came across the foretrex which is pretty light and barebones. Upon seeing the oregon for forty bucks more (here in canada anyway) i couldn't help but think "for a few dollars more. . ." I'm quite the consumer. It would pretty much be a toy. Was just wondering if folks who have had the same dilemma bought an oregon or similar and realized they don'treally use all the fancy features.

ETREX 20/30 is just perfect, even for a single source of navigation

foretrex 301 is about the lightest/value leader, and the older Geko series (get at least a 201) is the least spendy.
a F301 is like .. 3.2 oz with lithium batteries. used with any discretion, the batts will go longer than you can carry food for.

in only just my op, i think the F401 is more $ and features than i am comfortable with.

i replaced a geko with a 301 (faster and the geko was quite well worn), but in truth, the Geko had a nicer interface.
both are excellent. just the G201 had a vert screen and what i thought was a more intuitive menu. not a big deal.

canadian topos of all sorts can be found (for cheap) digging thru the Yellow Maps.com web site.
the disks work well on my Mac. and i can burn copies of them without difficulty or password bs.
yellowmaps Rocks !

v.

Go with the Oregon or the Etrex 20 or 30.

I have the Etrex 20 and a Foretrex 301 and am very familiar with the Oregon. Get the Oregon if you really like touch screen and a slightly larger screen. Get the Etrex if you want a nice small unit that's easy to use with gloves. You can't go wrong with either.

The Foretex is fine if you already have a good mapping GPS and want to go as light as possible but keep in mind, you have no options to expand the usefulness of a Foretrex (no mapping, imagery or custom maps like the other two.

Since you are in Canada, don't overlook the value of Garmin's Canada Topo. Unlike the USA version, Canada Topo isn't key locked so it can be used on any Garmin mapping unit and if you buy the DVD version you can use it on your PC with Basecamp and see 3D mapping.
It also auto-routes to geographic features.

A really nice option for the mapping GPS is Garmin's Birdseye imagery. Only $30 gets you a one year subscription which allows you to download as much imagery as you want and you get to keep it after the subscription expires.

The custom map feature on the mapping GPS is great too as it allows you to load map images (ie local park trail maps) onto you GPS.

Delorme makes great units, even though they don't have huge screens and aren't as cute as some of the others; they also come bundled with FREE TOPO maps of North America, and you cna subscribe to all kinds of other sets (hi-res aeiral images, USGS 1:24,000, MOAA nautical charts, 1:50,000 Natural Resources Canada topo sheets) for $30/year. The PN-60 is a great GPS and only costs something like $250…

…if you can find it. They seem to be out-of-stock everywhere, including the DeLorme site. I spoke with one of their sales guys this morning because I am thinking about getting rid of the Garmin Montana my wife bought me and going back to Delorme (I have a 5-year-old PN-20); he told me the Army bought allt hey had a couple months ago and they will be back in stock within a couple weeks.

Here's the link to the item page, if you're interested:
http://shop.delorme.com/OA_HTML/DELibeCCtdItemDetail.jsp?item=30538&section=10460

I have no connection at all with DeLorme; just a big fan!