Garmin edge touring plus

[jbocrie]

Has any one used the Garmin Edge Plus Navigation GPS. We are getting ready to ride across the U.S. For the forth time and thought I would try a GPS for the first time. we are traveling in areas where there are no AC maps available . Thanks....jerry

[Pat Lamb]

I have the Edge 800, loaded with the OSM maps that I understand are standard on the Touring.

What do you want to do with the GPS?  Are you following a pre-determined track, asking it to route you on the fly, looking for alternate routes? 

While I can't speak directly to the Touring, I haven't been impressed by handheld or bike-mounted GPS routing, so I'd suggest planning the route ahead of time.  Delorme Topo can do a pretty good route, or you  can use the various on-line tools to plan a trip.  Of course, those requires 'net connectivity.

[jbocrie]

Thanks for the response. My next tour is across the U.S. and I am making it up as I go. I normally just use my google map on my iPad and a regular road map. I have done just about all the AC maps and enjoy them, but this time we are just going to wander. Thanks.....jerry

[mdxix]

For the forth time and thought I would try a GPS for the first time.

What do you want to use the GPS for? Is it for navigation or recording your trip? Is it to navigate to a destination, or browse for routes to follow?

Navigation on a GPS device is good when you are following a track. You can either define a track before your trip (which does not seem what you want to do) or give a destination for the unit to calculate a track to reach it.

Browsing for roads, points of interest, & destinations on a GPS device with small screen & low resolution is cumbersome at best. It will appear even more so after using an iPad with large screen, vivid colors, & fast response to finger gestures.

Depending on how you want to use the GPS, consider investing into an external battery for the iPad with an app that stores maps for offline use when not connected to the internet.

[jbocrie]

Thanks....you have got me thinking....I just wanted a device to tell where I am and the best bike route to the next town. I have traveled all over Europe with just a car map and have been fine. I thought I would join the digital age.