eTrex20x with or without TOPO for Great Divide

[Jcorrea]

Hopefully riding the Great Divide solo this June from south to north.  Since I will be traveling from south to north (opposite direction in which the map cues are given) it seems helpful to have the route installed in a GPS unit so I know immediately when I am off route.   I have decided on the eTrex20x; but do I want it with or without the TOPO addition (100K Map) etrex20x or eTrex20xTOPO?  I have read the threads about this and slowly learning but just need to know which unit would be better/ might be better for me so I can purchase it and start the steep learning curve.  Thanks

[mdxix]

What do you need the maps for?

Free OSM maps often include trails. Could they work for you? At least give them a try.

[Pat Lamb]

I'll go the other way and recommend getting Topo.  I don't know whether their trails are any better than OSM, but you'll have the chance to check out, well, the topography.  How far will you climb in this section?  Does it look like you're going down a steep grade?  Those features you won't find in OSM.  And it looks like, if you do get off route, the etrex20x will show you the topography in the area (with Topo) that might help you get back on track.  OSM, IME, has a bunch of blank space where it doesn't have a road.

Having said that, you'll want to concentrate on getting the route loaded and learning how to follow a route in the short time you have before your departure.

[DarrenBnYYC]

Don't spend the extra money on the pre-loaded topo maps - you can just download them yourself for free. Here are some sites with many options:

http://www.gmaptool.eu/en/content/usa-osm-topo-routable

http://www.gpsfiledepot.com/maps/state/all (filter results on category Topo)

YouTube has many good videos to show you how to get the data on to your garmin device. Once you learn how, it is very, very easy to do.