Garmin GPSMap 76CSx

[Gary K]

Is anyone still using their Garmin GPSMap 76CSx?  I bought one many years ago in the US and have barely used it, but now I am wondering whether it could get me through a one week bikepacking tour in Spain, which would save me having to buy yet another piece of equipment.  I have US maps on it.  People seem to have liked this particular unit but no maps are available from Garmin anymore.

[Boyd]

The 76csx is the same hardware as the 60csx, which is one of Garmin's most popular models ever. The only difference is that the 76 floats and the antenna is located inside the case. I still have my 60csx, but don't use it anymore. I think the screen resolution is too low and processor too slow for a modern device, but others still seem to be happy with it.

Why do you think that Garmin doesn't make maps for it anymore? AFAIK, it will work with any of Garmin's maps as long as you have the newest firmware installed on it. Just about any of the maps on this site should also work on it - give it a try. It is not compatible with raster imagery however - such as Birdseye or "Custom Maps" (.kmz files).

So, I think it's really up to you as to whether ~20 year old technology is acceptable. Try loading some maps on it and using it before your trip.

[Gary K]

Thanks.  I'm going to play around with it now.

[Boyd]

BTW, since you're going to Spain... are you familiar with TwoNav? They are based in Spain and make some pretty cool dedicated GPS units and apps for all platforms. I am thinking about buying one of their handheld GPS units to replace my broken Garmin Montana. The map formats are not compatible with Garmin - which is fine with me, since I make my own maps anyway. But TwoNav supports several open-source formats and is not "locked down" in the same way as Garmin devices. There are lots of maps available for the EU, and openstreetmap and TomTom for the US. Their CompeGPS Land software for Mac/Windows is also very nice and lets you import/export maps in a variety of formats.

https://www.twonav.com/en/

They are having a Black Friday sale through the weekend, am trying to decide whether to pull the trigger on their Trail2 handheld. Anyway, you might check them out, as they should have excellent map options for Spain. If you look in the outlet section of their website, they have some older devices at very nice prices - even under $200.

[Gary K]

The only thing is that the TwoNav devices do not use AA batteries, something appealing in the 76CSx.  The other unit I was thinking about was the ETREX 30X, largely because of the AA batteries.