If you are looking for an outdoor GPS for hiking, cycling, mountaineering or for other outdoor activities, you will be confronted with a variety of questions. What is the main purpose of the device? What can it do? What kind of map is required? And what is it all about? What can cost the whole thing?
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In particular, GPS beginners need to familiarize themselves with the idea that the purchase price does not include any accurate, topographical map material, just a single country or a limited area.
Outdoor Navi versus Auto-Navi
Guide: More functions through firmware tuning
Six GPS devices tested
More maps go right into the money, for each country between 100 and 200 euros to be estimated. Since the buyer, apart from a few exceptions, is bound to the cards of the device manufacturer, he can not switch to alternatives.
The similarities of the models
Simply enter a destination and navigate on foot or on the bike, as known from car navigation, can not be any outdoor navis or maps. However, the question arises whether such an auto-routing ("auto" here in the sense of self-routing) in the outdoor area is at all reasonable. Because while in the car you usually simply want to get to the finish line quickly, the premises outside are quite different.
For hiking, it is usually not the shortest route or the destination, but the path. While a hiker in the mountains would prefer to walk in the forest for as long as possible in the sun, another person prefers the free view.
Driving the Navi because of such personal preferences the "best route" is practically impossible. Auto-routing can not hurt, so you can not expect too much from an outdoor navigation.
There are quite different requirements for this: the device should be light, handy, compact and watertight. It is also important that the device has a long battery life and the display is still easy to read even in direct sunlight. It should function in the cold and the ticket offer should be sufficiently large. Additional features such as altimeter and compass are now (almost) standard.
And then there is the question about the "right" operation: keys, touch screen or both. If you use the navigation system mainly for cycling, you should be able to use it safely with gloves. Here, keys are clearly in the advantage. On the other hand, a touch screen with menu guidance saves space, such models can therefore be more compact with the same display size.
We compared the current models of six GPS manufacturers. At Garmin we have limited ourselves to a device with button operation, the GPSMap 62st. Devices with touchscreen are also available in the range, but this would have blown the test.
Not yet taken into consideration, we have the brand-new all-in-one Montana model: this device is designed to be used both in the car and outdoors, but is only available in mid-June 2011.
We also ignored the Magellan Explorers series: announced exactly one year ago, the devices came on the market at the end of 2010, but exact maps are still missing today as well as a American manual. This is a pity because the devices themselves make a good and robust impression.
The devices had to be subjected not only to a functional test in the laboratory, but also to show what they can do in practice. These include menu guidance, general operation, and especially with gloves, water resistance, cold and heat resistance at -25 and + 50 degrees Celsius, battery life and readability with direct sunlight. Especially in the two last-mentioned disciplines, there were huge differences.
With all the differences, the devices also have many common features. Thus, all test patterns have a color display and a slot for a (micro-) SD card, so there is sufficient space for additional topographical maps.
Standard is also a USB port to transfer or share maps, recorded tracks, waypoints, and routes to the GPS device.
Except for the slightly old but still active Active 10 of Satmap all have a barometric altimeter. An electronic compass is always installed. Devices with a 3D compass will work correctly even if they are held at an angle.
Each of the six test patterns has a trip computer that displays the length and time of a day trip. This is comparable to an electronic bike computer, but it shows much more details.
On the other hand, the differences in the bicycle mount are: Only in the TwoNav Sportiva from CompeGPS and the Ibex 30 from Falk is this included. For the other manufacturers you have to buy them for 15 to 30 euros if you want to mount the GPS on the bike handlebar.
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