I am in the market for a new GPS. I have been looking at the Magellan Explorist 500. Do any of you have any expirence with this one, or have any input on another manufacturer/model?

The only ones I have experience with is the Garman...Sorry...Can't help you.

Stay away from Cobra.

There is a lot of info on the web about GPS units. Do some research and identify the features that are important to you. Then go to the store or a hunting show like Buckmasters and ask for some demos.

Quite a few vendors will offer features that you don't need or want. For instance, a fellow I know bought a GPS that 'talks' to him. This is not a feature you need or want when hunting. Unnecessary features merely drive up cost. For hunters, features like topo map overlays are useful, but not all units offer it. Another thing to look for is coverage. Make sure your unit covers all the geographic areas you plan to hunt. Some vendors have units that just cover US locations and not Canada and vice versa. You may be able to upgrade coverage and you may not; it depends on the unit.

Just know what you want and need before you buy and find the unit(s) that have those features and you should be OK.

I have read many reviews on the web and found that all units have there ups and downs. I found that Magellan has a horrible customer service rating, and their products are hit and miss as well. One man in his review stated that he booted his up right out of the box and it told him he was in Russia, when he actually lived in NJ. On the third attempt to get it fixed, Magellan claimed they found the problem and all was well. He booted it up and it told him he was in Peru. I have found that Garmin is pretty much the way to go for and affordable hand held GPS, although they have their down falls as well. I will go to my local Sportsman’s Warehouse today and play around with some. Every time I go, there are at least 2 people outside playing around with GPS's.

I also have a Garmin, regardless of the brand, I enjoy the software packages. I track my kills so I can look at the overall map and plan out strategies each year. I also travel quite a bit for work and will take it to track hauling routes and various things. In summary, I use it more to see where I have been as opposed to see where I am going. Not sure of your budget, but as kingzero said, they are an affordable unit to get into. Good luck.

I have a Garmin 120, my Son Also has one. After I shot an elk this past Yr. I called Son for help. I somehow dropped the GPS at this time while gathering my gear. After cleaning the elk and recouping me stuff, I realized my GPS was missing. My Son, electronically gifted, called up my last position using the GPS. Walked to within one foot of it before I saw it. Handy item.

A Garmin man too, but there are some new ones out that have some nice features..
www.opticsplanet.net/b...tools.html

As far as the Magellan my brother has one and its always worked great for him.. It's what you get used to..

Been using the same Garmin Legend for the past 4 years. never got lost yet..

Used to have a magellen"1000"I think,total POS,could'nt find it's satelites for 15 minutes,finally it quit so I tossed it in the burn barrel.Went out this spring and bought a Garmin eTrex legend Cx outdoor pack.This kit is complete with software,vehicle charger,softcase etc. I used it to locate boundary lines and cornerpins on a 40 acre piece of property that my family has in the desert.UFB-this thing took me to within 6-8ft of the corners and once I realized how to use the screens-it put me on the track line on every side of the property!My neigbors saw me using this and had me locate their pins and borders also.We found out that the original survey had been scewed by a couple of degrees and that the corner pins were not even marked except on the baseline between us and BLM property!That garmin paid for itself in one trip!