Review of the best according to the editorial board. On the selection criteria. This material is subjective and does not constitute advertising and does not serve as a purchase guide. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.
Do you like to carry out excursions in nature for many days? Or are you an avid hunter? One way or another, you may have noticed that the smartphone does not provide the necessary information in the forest. First, far from the settlement, you have to rely on offline maps with a low level of detail. Secondly, it is extremely difficult to find sensible topographic maps for a smartphone. Regular maps often do not show small streams, ponds and even lakes. Not to mention, they don't indicate which trees grow in the thicket you're heading for. In a word, there are so-called tourist GPS navigators for a reason. Topographic maps are installed on them, which are very useful during hunting, fishing and hiking. It is these devices that will be discussed in this article.
Rating of the best navigators for the forest
| Nomination | a place | Name of product | price |
| Rating of the best navigators for the forest | 1 | Garmin Montana 680 | RUB 37,990 |
| 2 | Garmin GPSMAP 64st | RUB 22,790 | |
| 3 | Garmin Fenix 3 Sapphire HR | RUB 55,152 | |
| 4 | Garmin GPSMAP 78 | RUB 16 300 | |
| 5 | Garmin eTrex 20x | RUB 12 900 |
Garmin Montana 680
Rating: 4.9
One of the most advanced GPS navigators for the forest at the time of the rating. In fact, it is not tourist, but universal. The fact is that it can be easily fixed on the car dashboard. The 4-inch display installed here has a touch-sensitive backing, so that you can easily control the navigator in a traffic jam. Also, this model has voice prompts, due to which you will turn right on time to the desired street. Another method of using this GPS navigator is to attach it to the handlebars of your bike. As a result, you will get a full-fledged bike computer. You can even connect heart rate and cadence sensors with ANT + wireless technology.
If we talk about the tourist component of the device, then the buyer will be satisfied with absolutely everything. The product is supplied with detailed topographic maps. If there is such a desire, no one will bother to load additional cards – 8 GB of permanent memory are intended for their storage. If this volume suddenly seems small, then the microSD card slot will come to the rescue. The gadget is capable of storing up to two hundred routes. Each of them can contain up to 4000 waypoints. If you are afraid of getting lost, the Garmin Montana 680 solves this problem – by pressing a few keys, Track-Back mode is activated, after which the navigator will guide you on your way back. The barometer and digital compass should also please the buyer. Both of these nice additions make navigation a lot easier.
A lithium-ion battery is supplied with the navigator. Its full charge is enough for 16 hours of continuous operation of the navigator. You can charge the battery directly in the device. If you are going on a multi-day hike, it is recommended that you bring a couple of AA batteries with you. Yes, the device can work from them too!
As befits any touring GPS-navigator, the Garmin Montana 680 has a waterproof case. But the connector for an external antenna is much less common in such devices. It should come in handy if you decide to use the device in your car. However, even without an external antenna, the signal is received without any problems.
It remains to add that the front panel of this navigator for the forest has a color display with a resolution of 272×480 pixels. Compared to smartphone screens, this parameter may seem insufficient. But in fact, it is quite enough for showing detailed maps. And our rating will further confirm that many travel navigators have a much more modest display.
Advantages
- There is a connector for an external antenna;
- Suitable for use both in the car and in the forest;
- Large amount of built-in memory;
- There is a slot for a microSD card;
- Built-in magnetic compass and barometer;
- Sufficiently large touchscreen;
- Long battery life;
- There is ANT + support;
- There is an 8-megapixel camera;
- There are many useful applications;
- The housing is waterproof.
disadvantages
- Very high cost.
Garmin GPSMAP 64st
Rating: 4.8
This GPS navigator for the forest looks most like a walkie-talkie. The fact is that an external antenna is used here, which protrudes from the top end. Because of it, the versatility declared by the manufacturer is called into question – the device is not always adequately placed on the car's torpedo. However, it is also difficult to use it in the car because of the lack of a touchscreen display – manipulations with the card and firmware are carried out only through physical buttons. We would venture to suggest that this is still a navigator for a tourist, hunter and fisherman, and not for a motorist or cyclist.
The image is displayed here on a 2.6-inch display. Its resolution is only 160×240 pixels. However, oddly enough, this is enough to distinguish all important marks on the map. By the way, not only the map can be displayed on the screen. The product has built-in applications – for example, the hunting and fishing calendar. Now there is no need to allocate the memory built into your smartphone for such programs!
But back to the cards. They can be completely different, including raster ones. They are loaded into the built-in memory, of which there is about 8 GB. By default, most of the space is packed with branded topographic maps. If you don't want to delete them, then it is better to upload additional cards to a microSD memory card – the manufacturer has not forgotten the corresponding slot. By the way, the buyer of this travel GPS navigator receives a one-year subscription to the BirdsEye service as a gift. This will provide him with satellite images of the surrounding area at least temporarily.
Of course, this device is able to correctly calculate the route, in the future it is not difficult to activate the Track-Back function in order to go back. The signal from satellites is caught stably, while the gadget supports not only GPS, but also GLONASS. However, this applies to absolutely all modern Garmin navigators. But not all such devices have a connector for an external antenna. However, to tell the truth, it is unlikely that you will ever need it.
Inside this model there is a barometer and a magnetic compass. All this makes navigation even easier. There is also support for ANT + technology, which actually seems superfluous. As for the battery life, it can be up to 16 hours. Batteries or rechargeable batteries can be used as power sources. The latter, by the way, can be charged directly in the device. By the way, even lithium batteries are supported – you just need to remember to select the appropriate type of power source in the settings, otherwise the device will not even turn on.
Advantages
- There are additional applications;
- There is support for ANT + and Bluetooth;
- Free BirdsEye subscription;
- The case is waterproof;
- There is a connector for an external antenna;
- Large amount of memory;
- The microSD card slot is not forgotten;
- Long battery life;
- You can charge the batteries directly in the navigator;
- The kit includes a carabiner for fastening;
- Built-in magnetic compass and barometer.
disadvantages
- The antenna can interfere in some cases;
- High price;
- The display resolution will not suit everyone.
Garmin Fenix 3 Sapphire HR
Rating: 4.7
Suddenly… smart watches burst into our rating! Why not? A device called the Garmin Fenix 3 Sapphire HR can be used as a GPS navigator for the forest. On the way, voice prompts will be waiting for you, you will definitely not turn to the wrong place. The device perfectly recognizes signals from both American and foreign satellites. This smart watch will easily save the route of your run or walk. Along the way, they will record the readings on the heart rate – the built-in heart rate monitor is responsible for this. There is also an altimeter and a digital compass, which are also not superfluous at such a moment. The real athlete will benefit from the support of ANT + technology, thanks to which external sensors are connected to the watch.
Almost every navigator for the forest has moisture protection. How else? During a hike or bike ride, it can rain at any time, the creators of such devices understood this. The Garmin Fenix 3 Sapphire HR smartwatch also has such water resistance – it complies with the WR100 standard. Therefore, you can swim in the watch – nothing will happen to them.
A 1.2-inch round display is used to display information. Its resolution is 218×218 pixels. The picture is clearly visible even under the bright sun. Also, the product has received a sapphire crystal – the front panel is covered with it. It seems that it will not be possible to scratch it even when walking between rocks and stones. Somewhere else on the case there is a speaker hole. Most often, this structural element will be used while following a particular route.
The product got at its disposal only 32 MB of internal memory. There can be no question of any preinstalled maps – they are all loaded from a nearby smartphone. This, of course, limits the user a little, especially in field conditions. However, this is the only serious drawback of the device. And it pales against the background of the wide functionality of smart watches. In particular, the gadget is able to offer a multisport mode of operation, as well as become a metronome for a while. You can use it to control the MP3 player located on your smartphone.
Of course, such a device could not get a particularly capacious battery. However, the manufacturer has done a great job of optimizing. As a result, a full charge is enough for about 20 hours of operation of the navigator in active mode. And if you turn off the GPS, then the battery life will increase even more.
Advantages
- Compact size and light weight;
- Speaker is not forgotten;
- Wide functionality;
- Excellent LCD display
- The body was created from stainless steel;
- There is water protection;
- Built-in Wi-Fi modules, Bluetooth and ANT +;
- Altimeter, heart rate monitor and compass included;
- Long battery life.
disadvantages
- Maps are loaded from a smartphone;
- Astronomical price tag;
- An NFC chip would be nice;
- In field conditions, you will have to charge from a power bank.
Garmin GPSMAP 78
Rating: 4.7
A very unusual outwardly tourist GPS navigator. The fact is that its buttons are located above the display, not below it. In this regard, management will have to get used to – it will take one or two forays into nature. Also, not all users will be satisfied with the modest technical characteristics. The gadget includes only 1.7 GB of permanent memory. Needless to say, such a volume will not contain the largest number of topographic maps? However, the problem can be solved by using a microSD memory card. But there is nothing to be done with the low resolution LCD. 160×240 pixels with a diagonal of 2.6 inches – this is not what the progressive user is used to.
In total, the device is capable of keeping in memory up to two hundred routes. This is a perfectly adequate figure. The capacity of the travel log is 10 thousand points, which is also unlikely to find fault with. As befits any GPS-navigator, it is able to independently calculate the route.
The product has an internal antenna. It perfectly recognizes signals from GPS satellites. The problem lies in the date of the announcement of the device. The fact is that this happened even before the massive popularization of GLONASS, so you should not wait for the support of Russian satellites. But with the protection of the gadget everything is in order. It can be dropped into water – it is unlikely that anything will happen to it. However, the case itself looks flimsy, so there is no need to drop the device on stones and asphalt – after that it will definitely have scratches, or something less fixable may happen.
The forest navigator included in our rating is powered by a set of two AA batteries. It should be enough for twenty hours of operation, when the screen backlight is turned on only from time to time. Not a bad result! It remains to remember to bring a few additional batteries on a multi-day hike.
Advantages
- There is a slot for a microSD card;
- There is a sound alarm;
- Long battery life;
- The case is waterproof;
- Quick search for satellites;
- Operation from external power supply is possible.
disadvantages
- Strange button layout;
- Small amount of memory;
- There is no support for GLONASS;
- It is impossible to recharge batteries directly inside the device;
- Support for raster maps is poorly implemented.
Garmin eTrex 20x
Rating: 4.6
At the bottom of our rating is one of the cheapest navigators for the forest. No, there are even more inexpensive tourist GPS navigators, but they look quite simple, and their capabilities are not enough for everyone. However, the functionality of the Garmin eTrex 20x is also not very broad. Unlike more advanced models, this gadget is not able to independently figure out the height above sea level at which the user is. There is also no connector for an external antenna. I am glad that at least the memory card slot has not gone anywhere. Still, there is not much built-in memory here – about 3.7 GB, and topographic maps weigh a lot.
To control this device, rather tight buttons located on the side ends are used. Also, a joystick located not far from the screen helps in this matter. Unfortunately, in a backpack, if you have not locked the keyboard, it is capable of spontaneous movements. We can only be glad that most often this does not lead to anything particularly terrible – the route is simply supplied with additional waypoints.
This navigator is capable of storing up to two hundred routes. There are no strong restrictions on the number of waypoints. The route is calculated quickly enough, although it all depends on the distance that you are going to cover. The manufacturer has not forgotten the Track-Back function, as well as an audible alarm.
The gadget received a pretty good display. With a 2.2-inch diagonal, it has a resolution of 240×320 pixels. Connoisseurs have already guessed that almost the same screen was used in Nokia E65, Nokia N95 and other similar smartphones. As for the antenna, it is internal. Thanks to this, you are unlikely to break the navigator. You can safely drop it into the water – it will not penetrate inside. Also, the navigator is not afraid of falls on a hard surface. Not only American, but also Russian satellites are used as signal sources – this makes navigation much more accurate.
Like other low-cost travel navigators from Garmin, the eTrex 20x runs on two AA batteries or rechargeable batteries. Unfortunately, recharging the latter inside the gadget is impossible. The battery life varies from 20 to 25 hours, depending on the frequency of activation of the display backlight and the type of batteries used.
Advantages
- Additional applications are present;
- Very small size and weight;
- There is a slot for a microSD card;
- A waterproof case is used;
- Long battery life;
- There is a sound alarm and a vibration signal;
- Not very high cost.
disadvantages
- Batteries cannot be charged inside the device;
- No wireless modules;
- The display will not suit everyone.
Conclusion
This is a list of the best navigators for the forest. As you can see, these devices are very expensive. Unfortunately, now only Garmin produces them, and the market monopolist can set any price tag. Low demand also affects the cost – a product cannot be cheap if it is supplied in insufficient volumes.
Attention! This rating is subjective and does not constitute an advertisement and does not serve as a purchase guide. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.
