Originally Posted By: WesleyH
I can't say I have been greatly impressed with Garmin's GPS. They used to have a few competitors in the handheld GPS market, but today not so much. I know Lowrance dropped out of the handheld market several years back, and I've not seen anyone use a Magellan handheld in some time. Fewer manufacturers means less competition and my feeling is that Garman has slipped in the innovation department in the last 20 years.

These days Garmin's main competition in the handheld GPS area is from the iPhone and Android devices.

I've personally just about done a 180 on using iPhones for navigation. Initially, I thought no way, due to battery life limitations and the inability to change batteries in a phone, and the generally fragile nature and lack of waterproofness in smart phones. But nowadays it's easy to carry an external battery to recharge your phone. The latest iPhones have pretty good water resistance, and you can easily put them in a protective case.

Smart phone navigation apps (Gaia rocks!) are generally better than what I see on dedicated GPS devices. Some hard core Alaskan adventurers are relying on iPhone navigation for some very epic, very high consequence adventures. I still carry a Garmin 62s or InReach (along with printed map and a compass) for serious outings, but find I'm relying more and more on my iPhone for routine backcountry navigation.
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