Im doing the LA tri in may this year (2020 trip over from the UK in 2020 postponed for obvious reasons!)Am I correct in the assumption that my garmin 830, which has uk and europeans maps installed, will require USA/california maps to function properly?
The good news is that if you own a Garmin GPS device, there's a way to get free Garmin GPS maps. And in most cases, the free maps are much better than the expensive Garmin maps. I'm a big fan of Garmin GPS devices, but I always found it disappointing that they charged extra for maps. Garmin doesn't publicize it, but most of their GPS units are setup to take any maps in the correct format. Here's how to get and install these free hiking maps in an easy, step-by-step process.
Garmin Map Of Europe Topo V3 Setup Free
Not really, even though Google Maps is available offline it is not very convenient. Nor does it offer detailed topographical maps or allow you to track your route. There are better, also free, option out there.
The Gaia GPS and Green Tracks apps have the best topographic maps. The A-GPS Tracker app does not support a topographic map. Only the Green Tracks app has free offline maps. Below we made a screenshot of our GPS track from Triglav hike rendered in each app so that you can assess the quality of maps yourself. We used a topographic map, if the app could provide it.
Maps.me is favourite. This free offline mapping is often favoured by long distance, international bike travelers. Although lacking in topography, Maps.me is surprisingly powerful and the level of detail can be very good, depending on the region. The mapping itself is really clear, which helps offer a good overview of an area. We find it particularly useful for navigating big, unfamiliar cities, as you can quickly download the mapping for entire country before you arrive. Its routing feature works offline too, which is especially handy.
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