Garmin GPS maps for USA

[Deefstes]

Hi all,

Would anyone know where I can get maps for the USA to be used on my Garmin GPS unit? I can buy the maps here but it includes the full set of routable maps for the entire USA, waaay more than I would be using and waaay more than I was hoping to spend. So I was wondering if there aren't some place perhaps where I can buy only subsets to include just the areas that I will be visiting. I'll need maps for the New Orleans area, Florida and Washington, DC to New York.

We have a pretty cool initiative around here (Tracks4Africa - Mapping Africa, one day at a time) where ordinary users submit their tracks to a central body who collates all of it and sell maps based on those tracks and at very good prices. There wouldn't be something similar available for the USA would there?

 

[mike_s]

do you want road/highway maps or offroad/marine/trail maps?


I've never seen highway/road maps for sale in "regions". usually it's the whole US or the 48 states that they all put in one bundle. why? because they dont' want to have to maintain products for different regions of the US when they can sell just one. that and folks here want their GPS to work everywhere in the states, so when they take it on a trip and get off the airplane and rent a car, they already have everything in their GPS ready.


Not sure what the GPS maps cost there... but you can buy them off Garmins website and do a cost comparison. Cartography



I've never seen anyone where normal users add their tracks to create cheaper maps. maybe there is one... but GPS's are fairly cheap here and come with decent maps so I doubt most folks mess with something like that.


one other option is that you can get a rental car in the US with a GPS with the maps already loaded. just an option. I'm not sure if there is an extra fee or not.

 

[cdiver2]

do you want road/highway maps or offroad/marine/trail maps?


I've never seen highway/road maps for sale in "regions". usually it's the whole US or the 48 states that they all put in one bundle. why? because they dont' want to have to maintain products for different regions of the US when they can sell just one. that and folks here want their GPS to work everywhere in the states, so when they take it on a trip and get off the airplane and rent a car, they already have everything in their GPS ready.


Not sure what the GPS maps cost there... but you can buy them off Garmins website and do a cost comparison. Cartography



I've never seen anyone where normal users add their tracks to create cheaper maps. maybe there is one... but GPS's are fairly cheap here and come with decent maps so I doubt most folks mess with something like that.


one other option is that you can get a rental car in the US with a GPS with the maps already loaded. just an option.

I'm not sure if there is an extra fee or not

.

The last time I rented a car it was $50 for a GPS for the week.

 

[mike_s]

The last time I rented a car it was $50 for a GPS for the week.

I wondered if there was a charge as I thought I saw that as a chargeable option on their website for when I rented a car a few weeks ago, but didn't pay it any attention as I brought my GPS as it already had all the addresses in it that I needed.

But I've gotten them before were I just got one with a GPS by luck for no extra charge also.


For $50 bucks for a week, you can but another $100 with that and buy a decent starter GPS with US maps. That might be an option for the orignal poster.

 

[cdiver2]

I wondered if there was a charge as I thought I saw that as a chargeable option on their website for when I rented a car a few weeks ago, but didn't pay it any attention as I brought my GPS as it already had all the addresses in it that I needed.

But I've gotten them before were I just got one with a GPS by luck for no extra charge also.


For $50 bucks for a week, you can but another $100 with that and buy a decent starter GPS with US maps. That might be an option for the orignal poster.

And that is what I did.
However I think he is in SA and only in the US for a vacation, as he is asking for maps only I assume he already owns a GPS.

 

[Deefstes]

Hey guys, thanks a bunch for the advice. I was going to add a "thanks" to your posts but I can't find the button

At any rate, I do have a GPS unit of my own so I was only looking for the maps but it's interesting how the website that mike_s provided has significantly lower prices than our local prices. However, it is only available for domestic US sales - doh! Not to worry, I think I'll just wait until I'm in the States and then purchase it there.

 

[mike_s]

Hey guys, thanks a bunch for the advice. I was going to add a "thanks" to your posts but I can't find the button

for some reason they don't have a thanks button here on non-diving-related.

At any rate, I do have a GPS unit of my own so I was only looking for the maps but it's interesting how the website that mike_s provided has significantly lower prices than our local prices. However, it is only available for domestic US sales - doh! Not to worry, I think I'll just wait until I'm in the States and then purchase it there.

your average "big box retailer" will have a selection of GPS's for sale, but few of them stock the maps. You typically have to order them online or direct purchase them from a GPS speciality store. So when you get here, don't expect to be able to walkin a store and buy an electronic copy of that GPS map.

Since they are cheaper at the site I showed above, but only available for domestic US sales, perhaps the solution might be to order it and have it shipped to your US address (assuming your staying with a friend or something). Then when you get here, upload them. (just an idea).

I'm sure the reason it's cheaper here is that your country adds import taxes, added cost of shipping, and electronic maps have a 'shelf life' as they don't want to get caught with bunch of 2008 maps and have the 2009 maps come out and get stuck with inventory of another country.

 

[Deefstes]

All good points. I was thinking of just shipping the order to my hotel but it's still months away so I'll worry about it then. Again, thanks for all the advice.