Do I really need a Garmin GPS ??

[yutkoxpo]

The most common answer seems to be whatever your most comfortable with I guess.
I have a Garmin 820 edge, but I don’t have a computer so I can’t pre plan my routes. Saying that I prefer the freedom of not pre planning.
When I’m out cycling locally I tend to stop and check the roads ahead every now and then and use the sign posts to navigate. I think I will just do this also when touring, I mean it’s not a race and I can take photos when I stop to navigate.

I'm not sure of your route, but I'd imagine that a good lot of your route could well be on dedicated cycle paths/routes. If so, local tourist offices can be a good source for (free) maps, not detailed, but useful. Similarly, photos of map boards can help - very common on routes such as the Rhine etc. Useful for figuring out where and when to cross the river, for example.
One of the frustrating things of being in foreign territory is not knowing where the cycle paths are! I've found myself in places, most notably Italy, where I knew there was a cycling route but I was damned if I could join it. Again, Osmand is handy here - it has a layer of cycle paths/routes.
Having access to that local info saves you being a solitary rider on a busy road.

[zenitb]

Orux Maps is my recommendation for cycle touring (and walking, and backpacking). Its now £3.19 in the Google Play Store but its worth far more than that to me.

it only runs on Android Phones though so if you have an iPhone you are out of luck. My daughter uses Maprika instead .. this runs on iPhone and Android and I used to use it before moving on to OruxMaps which I prefer.

I run OruxMaps on my Samsung Galaxy S5 Phone, set to "Aeroplane Mode" to save power and my Busch und Muller Luxos/SP Dynohub combination easily keeps the phone charged up as I navigate with it. Selecting the OpenCycleMap option shows all the European cycle routes and you can upload GPX files to it too of course. (just email the GPX to yourself and open it on the phone with OruxMaps).

(I have given up with Garmin for now since my Garmin Edge Touring doesn't seem to get on with the Luxos/Dynohub too well (keeps restarting at junctions when the voltage drops - whereas the Android phone is fine). My Garmin seems particularly unreliable though so don't take my experience with it as typical.)

PS: ATM I create GPX files sitting at home on my PC using the GPSies web application. Currently I don't create GPX files while I am out on tour so if you want to have that flexibility you will probably need some more advice on what is the best phone app for that (and let me know )

[old_skooler]

Are there any websites were you can print out good quality maps?

[zenitb]

Are there any websites were you can print out good quality maps?

first go to

https://www.opencyclemap.org/

If you have a Windows PC scroll around and zoom in an out until you have the view of the map you want. Press Ctrl-Prntscreen to take a soft copy ("cut") of the screen. Then go into MS Word or PowerPoint (or whatever you use to write with) and "paste" the map image in. Build up a word doc or a powerpoint deck of all the maps you want. Then print it on your printer.

If you are on Windows 10 the "snip" utility lets you cut the map out from the browser more precisely.

Sustrans sell paper maps of lots of traffic free routes ..I have a few of them. Google "Sustrans Maps".

[ossie]

I use a Garmin etrex Legend. It's getting a bit long in the tooth now but it can use AA Lithiums. These last 3-4 days and are cheap so no worry about charging etc.

In short I plot the route on https://cycle.travel/map then download to the Garmin in chunks of about 100 km each. I simply follow the pink line on the Garmin, not religiously of course. Its brilliant in cities and towns.

The beauty of this simple device is that I have all campsites downloaded via https://archiescampings.eu/ so so I can head towards a camp site as shown on the device. No internet needed.

The longest tour I've done on this is 2400 kms around Europe. I still take a large scale map simply to peruse at night.

[Vitara]

Nobody needs a GPS, but it can be a really useful tool if you buy the right model(1) & learn to use it.

I've specifically mentioned "learn to use". They are a complex bit of kit with quite a steep learning curve. You really need to invest a bit of time and effort to get the best out of them, so you might be pushing it 1 month before a big foreign tour.

I'm reasonably technically savvy & it took me 2-3 months to get my head round using my GPX effectively and longer than that to really start to release it's full potential.

(1) A major problem with using a GPS for touring or long distance rides is their limited battery life before needing recharging. Lots of people will tell you how they' manage this with their Garmin Edge or Wahoo. On the other hand Garmin Etrex users just swap the AA batteries every 24 hours or so.

[Sweep]

I second your point on needing time, a lot of it, to get to grips with them.
I think the etrex series are, with a few provisos, great, but the introductory material sure isn't up to much.
If anyone gets one I'd advise them to use it intensively for a few weeks at least, including finding your way to the toilet.

[matt2matt2002]

I second your point on needing time, a lot of it, to get to grips with them.
I think the etrex series are, with a few provisos, great, but the introductory material sure isn't up to much.
If anyone gets one I'd advise them to use it intensively for a few weeks at least, including finding your way to the toilet.

Indeed. I love my etrex20 to bits but am still finding useful tricks on it after 3 years.
I use it mostly for geocaching.

[Sweep]

I second your point on needing time, a lot of it, to get to grips with them.
I think the etrex series are, with a few provisos, great, but the introductory material sure isn't up to much.
If anyone gets one I'd advise them to use it intensively for a few weeks at least, including finding your way to the toilet.

Indeed. I love my etrex20 to bits but am still finding useful tricks on it after 3 years.
I use it mostly for geocaching.

Feel free to share any tricks.
I find the search near a recent find particularly useful for speeding up the effectiveness of its slow processor.
I use mine for everything, wandering round london, long bike rides day and night, helping me get off crowded buses in strange cities at the right stop, finding spoons.

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,

Obviously you don't need a GPS. I use one because it allows me to follow complex routes on back roads without stopping to look at the map every 5 minutes.

This is where a GPS comes into its own.
paper maps are okay if you're walking because you can study them whilst you're walking and you move slowly across the map.

[Sweep]

Hi,

Obviously you don't need a GPS. I use one because it allows me to follow complex routes on back roads without stopping to look at the map every 5 minutes.

This is where a GPS comes into its own.
paper maps are okay if you're walking because you can study them whilst you're walking and you move slowly across the map.

Yes. I have a goldfish memory for directions. Even if i stopped every 10 to 15 mins to look at the map, try to memorise, left, right at PO, left, right, i'd be stopping again after the second junction to double check. This would add hours to a day ride.

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,
Last year I didn't have a GPS.
I tried to plan a route across country not using main roads (There were none to follow my way anyway) Printed some crude maps Took the compass.
I had 40 miles and nearly 45 junctions to navigate,I actually travelled 34 miles, but only made 20 miles progress!

Then I brought a GPS :

[mjr]

That's interesting. I think it's slightly faster to use cue cards not GPS because one is less inclined to try "clever" junction- infested wiggles without GPS prompts and it's junctions that tend to slow one down (well, after hills, but most good planning methods tend to treat hills cautiously).

[bigjim]

Old garmin Etrex for me loaded with pre-planned routes and I use a breadcrumb trail.. Spare AA batts that I can recharge at overnight stops. I also have an old smartphone with the Osmand app. I use Osmand turn by turn directions in towns and citiies. Garmin routing is a disgrace. It can send you miles out of your way and direct you onto motorways.

[Tigerbiten]

Garmin routing is a disgrace. It can send you miles out of your way and direct you onto motorways.

I don't find it that bad.
But you must work around it's quirks.

Never let it recalculate the route once you've set off. If it does then it wipes the original route and can send you out of your way down main roads on a new route. The longer the new route is the more likely it is to send you somewhere unsuitable.

I pick points 2-5 miles apart when plugging a route in by hand. The more junctions in a stretch then the closer together the points tend to be. I pick a stretch of road that I want to use away from a junction because if you pick a junction then the Garmin can alway pick the wrong exit.

Once the route is plotted and calculated then always double check it right as you've less than a 50-50 chance that it's 100% right first time. So be willing to delete it and start again. It's easy to waste an hour or so in the evening when on tour trying to get the correct next days route into a garmin ......