Questions for the GPS Savvy.....

[timebak]

I have a brand new Garmin Montana 680t that I purchased in '17 but never used. I got it with an SD card that has detailed maps of Wyoming in it (property lines, private/public lands, and such). I thought I'd use it for hunting elk, deer and antelope in WY, but never needed it (this was before I got my S10 last year). I don't know if this GPS is even slightly useful for ADV biking.

I also have a Rand McNally GPS with a nice big screen (very similar to the newer ones sold by BMW) that I purchased at a super deal through the Good Sam Club in '16, and it's tailored more towards RVing. I have no idea if it will do anything off road, but it does show gravel roads. I've used this one very little.

I've got BackCountry Navigator PRO on my old Galaxy S7 cell phone, and I've used it successfully to find trails and backroads. But I've never downloaded any tracks with it. In fact, I've never downloaded a track on anything. Don't know how to do it.

I've also got a decent laptop that I can download tracks onto, and maybe basecamp also. Have only heard of Basecamp - don't know what its purpose is. I presently use DeLorme Gazetteers, paper maps, and Google Maps to find my way around in the boonies.

Questions: Are any or all or none of these three GPS options I presently have reasonably useful for real offroad navigation, like y'all do (and I want to learn to do)?

Which one or none would you bring to the Tenere Rally in AR in April?

I'm hoping to learn to use a GPS in the backcountry at the Rally.

If none of the stuff I have is easily useful for ADV biking, I'm going to sell it and get something that is. What do y'all recommend?

Thanks! And I truly appreciate your patience with noob questions.

 

[SkunkWorks]

I'd keep the Montana 680t. Get the proper maps for it.
It will do everything you could need it to do for navigation.
They make motorcycle mounts for those.

 

[AVGeek]

The Montana series is the most flexible in Garmin's lineup, as it can be used across different types of activities. I have a Montana 600 that is loaded with two maps: Topo and City Navigator. The City Navigator maps make it act like all of the other in-vehicle GPS units they sell, with turn by turn directions, POI and trip data. Topo is more for the backcountry excursions where City Navigator doesn't have data on tracks and trails.

Basecamp is Garmin's software used to plan, load and archive waypoints, tracks and routes. It's not the easiest program to learn, although there are plenty of resources online to help along the way. There are other ways of doing offline planning if you find Basecamp difficult. Again, Google is your friend here.