Welcome to Geocaching!

Everyone has their favorite units, and seriously, I think it is safe to say if you buy a new unit from Magellen, Garmin, or Lowrance, you’ll have a good piece of equipment. Make sure it has full 12-channel reception (I think you would only need to worry about this is you are looking at buying a used unit).

When I got started, I ran out and bought a basic Garmin eTrex. These can be bought for 100 to 120 bucks new. I have been happy with it ever since It is very small, rugged, and has very easy one-handed operation. Even though I called it a “basic” unit, it is packed with fun and useful features. Garmin offers several more models in the eTrex series which offer goodies like roadmaps, digital compass, etc.

I do know that the Magellan units have a slightly better built-in antenna, and supposedly do a little better under dense tree cover. My eTrex usually does just fine though. And it is a very bright yellow color that makes it very easy to spot if you should happen to drop it

The new Magellan Meridian series looks to be a winner. They start at 200 dollars, all have built in maps, AND expandable memory, and user reviews have been very positive on their accuracy. Plus they have a very large screen, making it easy to read. I went out to buy one of these a couple weeks ago (I wanted something with maps), and elected not to, simply because they seemed huge compared to my eTrex, and I was put off by the front side control buttons. They seemed to press rather easily, and I was sure if I put the thing in my pocket, the odds were pretty good that the buttons would accidently get pressed. My trusty Garmin has rugged side buttons that are close to impossibe to activate by accident.

There are so many good units out there now-a-days, I don’t think you can really go wrong if you are buying new. Just look at a bunch of different ones, and decide what features you want.

Does anyone know of any units to stay away from? That would probably actually be MORE helpful.