For those of you who are into hiking and kayaking, which of these Garmin GPS’s would you recommend for both of those activities?:
GPSMAP 76CSx
GPSMAP 78
GPSMAP 78SC
GPSMAP 62
GPSMAP62S GPSMAP 62ST (it’s more expensive than the 62S, but the 62ST includes US Topographic Maps)
I want to watch my budget, but I also want to make sure that what I get is good for both of these, especially when under dense cover and/or between steep cliffs.

Darwin
daroos@indiana.edu

For me, the GPSMap series are too heavy and have relatively small screens. I'll recommend looking at the Oregon series instead (although I don't know whether one can operate a touchscreen while kayaking).

Cheers,

I have the GPSMap 76CSx which is the marine version of the 60CSx. Yes, it is heavier than the newer ones like the Oregon, but I found mine on Craigslist with an extra card, map and all the books, cable, etc. like new for $100. The plus is that mine is water resistant and runs on rechargeable or regular AA batteries which are readily available almost anywhere.

The CSx chip is supposed to be the most sensitive of the Garmin chips, at least among the earlier models. I'm not sure any commercial GPSr will work well in steep gorges or dense cover-from what I have read, if it can't see the satellites to get the signals, it won't work, no matter how good it is.

There are a bunch of GPSr review sites. Use Google to find them.

You can get free maps for many areas from www.gpsfiledepot.com which is also a good site to ask about any particular model of GPSr.