Looking for GPS...

[Nufy]

My 11 year old son has discovered Geocaching and wants a GPS for Xmas.

I say anything that gets him out of the house is a good thing...

Where is the best / cheapest place in the city to get one suitable for said Geocaching...

[ZedMan]

www.gpscentral.ca/

There hours are pretty inconvenient if you work normal hours, though.

[Nufy]

Originally Posted by ZedMan

www.gpscentral.ca/

There hours are pretty inconvenient if you work normal hours, though.

Thanks.

I have that link...

I'm looking for some personal recommendations.

[GoinAllTheWay]

Does he have a smart phone? Lots of great paid GPS apps that don't require a data connection to function. Failing that, I don't know anything about stand along GPS units.

[ken0042]

I would try somewhere like Bass Pro Shop; or if you don't want to drive that far go to Wholesale Sports in Derfoot Meadows. One of them just had a decent one on for $130; I had looked at it and noticed that it was better than mine. I wouldn't think you need to spend more than that; just make sure it is shock proof and water proof.

I have a Garmin and use it mostly for when I go camping, hiking, or hunting. It's great to be able to just go for a walk and not have to worry about not being able to find your way back. I also like to use mine when flying. It will tell me exactly where I am so I can look for landmarks; or I can see how long until we land.

Pretty cool toy for an 11 year old; for sure. In the summer he will have lots of fun in Fish Creek park.

[Barnes]

Russell Sports, Wholesale, Bass Pro or Canadian Tire Mcleod trail would be the best places to start. Check prices online one you have an idea of the model you want. Prices change all the time.

It's been a long time since I've looked closely at hardware but make sure you get one with good PC connectivity. Theres tonnes of open source mapping applications and probably some that you can get from the manufacturer as well to keep track of routes, caches etc.

I see Garmin still makes the eTrex line. I have an older model which still would be great for geocaching except for it uses a parallel port for connectivity.

[ken0042]

I just found the flyer with the GPS I was talking about. It was London Drugs; they have a Garmin Etrex 10 Geocaching GPS on for $130.

[sclitheroe]

Originally Posted by Barnes

I see Garmin still makes the eTrex line. I have an older model which still would be great for geocaching except for it uses a parallel port for connectivity.

Newer eTrex models are USB - I have a USB one and a parallel port one.

Both are as high end as I'd go for geocaching.

If you want to really make your kid work for his cache, get him a Garmin Geko off ebay and force him to navigate by Lat/Lon instead of a map They are cheap, simple, and indestructible.

[old-fart]

OK, I'd never heard of Geocaching before this thread but I might have a new hobby for the family next summer...

[sclitheroe]

There is also the lesser known hobocaching, where you use a GPS to find deposits of dirty needles, empties, and human excrement. The only issue is you need puncture proof boots and a Hepatitis shot.

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by sclitheroe

There is also the lesser known hobocaching, where you use a GPS to find deposits of dirty needles, empties, and human excrement. The only issue is you need puncture proof boots and a Hepatitis shot.

No, that's when I bury or hide the hobos I kill each weekend and mark down the coordinates for people to find. Since hobos can't afford GPS devices, you have to use a sextant and chronometer to find the cached hobos.