Garmin Oregon or Montana?

[Hallerush]

New member to the site... seems like a great place.

I have been researching these new Garmin units a little bit. Does anyone have any experiences (Good or Bad) with the Garmin Oregon or the Montana? Any preferences of one model over another?

Do I "need" to purchase the newest Top of the Line model (650t) or can I save some money by going with a model in the (400t to 550t) range?

I have recently married and I now have a Mother In Law in the Bitterroot Valley... I plan to take a few years to learn the area as best I can. I have always carried pertinent topos with me on my hunts in Colorado and South Dakota. Just wondering if these Garmin units would be suitable until I can get zeroed in on a few hunt areas that I can focus on hunting year after year.

Thank you all in advance.

 

[WapitiBob]

Love my Montana, especially the screen.

 

[dan.kirkpatrick]

i recently got a oregon 450 and am impressed over my old gps,,,get the chip for your state and your good to go,,,oregon 450 was $199 on sale

 

[smarandr]

Can't speak to the Oregon / Montana question, but I wouldn't waste the extra money on a "t" model unless you are tech deficient and are unable to load maps onto the device on your own. GPS File Depot has all the maps you could ever need, and most of them are free.

If it matters I've got a Dakota and I really like it. Long battery life and the display is very easy to read in direct sunlight. The drawback is the screen is a little smaller.

 

[mtlion]

Have an Oregon 450 and love it. No experience with the Montana.

 

[diem24]

Oregon 450T is what I have and its pretty good, IMO.

 

[WHOCARES]

Been using Oregon 450T several years. Have Garmin Rocky Mt chip which is very accurate. Just purchased HUNTING GPS MAPS CHIP at recent Elk Camp in Vegas for the State I hunt. Has more info. Unit is quick and easy. Good size screen. Wouldn't want a larger unit for my kind of backcountry hunting. Difference from the 550 is the 550 has a camera.

 

[drthornton]

I am considering the same.

I like the Montana but I am concerned the extra size and weight may be cumbersome on backpack hunts.

Are the Camera's worth it on these?

 

[EasternMTHunter]

I have an Oregon and with the MT map chip I really love it. I do use the camera to take pics of the areas I mark to help me remember what the spot represents.

 

[drthornton]

I have an Oregon and with the MT map chip I really love it. I do use the camera to take pics of the areas I mark to help me remember what the spot represents.

Does the pic somehow automatically correlate with a waypoint or coordinates

 

[EasternMTHunter]

I take the picture of the area where I am going to mark a waypoint. Then mark the waypoint and the option to change the name and associate a picture with it comes up. If you take the picture after you can use the waypoint manager to add the pic to the waypoint as well.

 

[maxroy]

I have a Oregon 650t new, and you were going to Colorado to hunt. would you buy onxmap or just use as is. or what chip ?.

 

[LandDiver]

I have the Montana and like mentioned above, the screen size is a plus. I usually have my phone on me for camera so I didn't need the t model.

 

[Dan O]

I bought the Montana for the big screen. I have not been disappointed. The extra size and weight is a non issue.

 

[Schism]

I have both and find that while backpacking I prefer the Oregon due to its smaller size and weight but while hunting from a base camp the extra large screen of the Montana is preferred.

 

[LopeHunter]

I use the 450 and buy the OnXMap chip for multi-state regions though I did buy a single state once and that chip had more detail about each land parcel. I waste zero time staring at a ridge or creek and wondering am I here on the paper map or there on the map. That confidence gained in seconds is nice. I have not become comfortable using my iPhone to load maps as have heard accessing maps after have restarted your phone while out of cell service can fail with what is a glitch. Hopefully that is fixed so you can use GPS or phone based on your choice as go to buy a chip.

 

[maxroy]

I like my Oregon 650t. first gps I have ever own and it is easy to use. going to buy the onxmap , thanks for the advice.