Garmin Explore 1000

[don1]

I'm looking to upgrade from my trusty old Garmin 200. Over the last year or so I've decided that I want some decent navigation, especially as I'm planning a LEJOG next year.

I'm no athlete, so the ability for connecting sensors is not a requirement, although it might be in the future.
I like the live tracking features of the latest Garmins so my wife can keep track of me.

I'd originally thought about the Garmin touring. I would seem to do the basics, but without the likes of the tracking. The reviews seem a bit varied though.

I've lately has my eye on the Garmin Explore 1000. It seems to do everything I want (and more), but does anybody have any experience of this model ?

-how is the mapping ? Can different (free ?) maps be loaded ?
Is the mapping function identical to the Garmin Edge 1000? There are various videos online of the Edge 1000 that I've seen but not sure how similar it is.

Can they be charged on the go via a usb battery pack ?

Should I instead be considering just an Edge 1000 ?

[scottg]

The site Ride with GPS has a settings page to get the Garmin touring
working with a fixed route. Default settings will tend to recalculate the route
and the documentation is non existent on what some settings do.

The gadget has no good way to handle a cake stop, there is no pause/save
resume a route from current location capability. I just leave the gadget on
during breaks. I used a paper map to stay oriented, the Garmin has a good
compass mode.

[PH]

The gadget has no good way to handle a cake stop, there is no pause/save
resume a route from current location capability. I just leave the gadget on
during breaks. I used a paper map to stay oriented, the Garmin has a good
compass mode.

I'm new to the Touring, but I've been turning it off at a stop, when I turn it back on again I get the Save/Discard screen, I ignore this and press the start recording which I think takes me back to where I left it.

The touring can be charged in use from a power pack, which is just as well as the claimed run time seems to be well over estimated. My longest ride so far with it was 5 hours, by which time the battery was down to 47%.

[Norman H]

For a dumbed down Edge 1000 the Explore 1000 does seem a bit overpriced. Unless the tracking is a deal breaker, I would have thought that the Edge Touring would have been a better buy. There are a few Edge Touring users on here who seem happy with them.

You might also consider the eTrex range. The e-Trex 20 would be suitable if you don't need wireless connectivity. The e-Trex 30 comes with Ant+ and an altimeter. The e-Trex range have been around for some time and there's quite a lot of help available on line.

Garmin have recently upgraded their e-Trex range and also introduced touch screen models. You may be able to pick up an earlier model for a good price. I have the 30 which I bought from a forum member. One big advantage for me is the use of rechargeable or non rechargeable AA batteries.

Whatever you decide, I would advise that you get thoroughly familiar with it before starting your LEJOG.

[freeflow]

You should really consider the smartphone route. I've been navigating using my Sony Xperia since 2013 and I regularly ride 200 km and 300 km Audax.

I'm now using Locus maps which is an amazing app.

[hercule]

I use a Garmin Edge 810 with OS mapping. Despite the apparent limitations of the small screen, it works very well. I have City Navigator from an old eTrex and much prefer the detail on the OS mapping. Open Source mapping is pretty awful in this neck of the woods with some roads either absent or mis-represented so that wasn't a reliable option for me.