Garmin 62S, 78S, Oregon , Montana ?

[Magwych]

Any ideas how to decide between them?

I am looking for a unit that can be used off-road and will be compatible with the likes of Tuarge and Heroes rallies organisers. I also want to be able to load nautical charts, so that I can make practical use on the boat too.

Features seem pretty similar between the 62S and 78S, apart from the 78S is lighter and floats.

I liked the bigger screens of the Oregon/Montana, then I remembered the fun I have trying to get a smartphone to work with gloves on...

Any got any helpful ( or not ) ideas?

 

[Berin]

Can't comment on the 62S and 78S, but I have a Montana and an Oregon. The Montana is like a bigger version of the Oregon, and both work with the dual layer vector/raster maps like GB Discoverer. Neither (in my opinion) are a proper replacement for Zumo's or similar for road trips, as the routing functions are pretty rudimentary on both (although much better on the Montana). The Montana has good power options with a good powered mount, rechargeable Li-Ion battery plus it can use AA's. The Oregon will give about a day on good rechargeable batteries, but it's not really good for powering from the bike, as to do this you have to use the mini-USB which is not that secure and not waterproof. The screen on the Montana is much better - twice as big - but the screen on the Oregon is pretty good too, the same size as the 62. The Oregon has a good Touratech mount, which is what I use on my dirt bike, the Montana doesn't as yet.

I think both will work with nautical charts.

Any ideas how to decide between them?

I am looking for a unit that can be used off-road and will be compatible with the likes of Tuarge and Heroes rallies organisers. I also want to be able to load nautical charts, so that I can make practical use on the boat too.

Features seem pretty similar between the 62S and 78S, apart from the 78S is lighter and floats.

I liked the bigger screens of the Oregon/Montana, then I remembered the fun I have trying to get a smartphone to work with gloves on...

Any got any helpful ( or not ) ideas?

 

[ghiribizzo]

Is there a way of getting 1:25000 OS maps onto a Montana? The Garmin site only seems to list 1:50000 bundles and selected small hill areas at 1:25000.

 

[Berin]

You can get 1:25000 os maps, not as wide a coverage as the1:50000, as they're just available for the national parks and so on - like the 1:25000 paper maps. You can also scan any paper map and load it into the Montana.

Is there a way of getting 1:25000 OS maps onto a Montana? The Garmin site only seems to list 1:50000 bundles and selected small hill areas at 1:25000.

 

[Mav]

Can't comment on the 62S and 78S, but I have a Montana and an Oregon. The Montana is like a bigger version of the Oregon, and both work with the dual layer vector/raster maps like GB Discoverer. Neither (in my opinion) are a proper replacement for Zumo's or similar for road trips, as the routing functions are pretty rudimentary on both (although much better on the Montana). The Montana has good power options with a good powered mount, rechargeable Li-Ion battery plus it can use AA's. The Oregon will give about a day on good rechargeable batteries, but it's not really good for powering from the bike, as to do this you have to use the mini-USB which is not that secure and not waterproof. The screen on the Montana is much better - twice as big - but the screen on the Oregon is pretty good too, the same size as the 62. The Oregon has a good Touratech mount, which is what I use on my dirt bike, the Montana doesn't as yet.

I think both will work with nautical charts.

On the routing point - have you used it with City Navigator? With that installed, I think it's very close to being a Zumo replacement. I carry both SD cards - one installed and one in the battery bay, that way I can easily change for a particular scenario