Hi,
Just personal opinion, Dave, but I think a lot depends on how well you can navigate "on your own" as with map and compass, and your budget.
The better you are with map and compass, the simpler the unit CAN be, since it's only "real" job is to tell you "You are here" like the maps in the malls and such. I emphasize "can" because a lot of folks can, but prefer not to have to switch back and forth. That's up to the user!
And, budget will determine some of what will interest you.
Since I'm reasonably able with map and compass, and extremely frugal when it comes to purchasing stuff that needs batteries to breathe, my "hiking" GPS is one of the most basic Garmin eTrex models, the little yellow one that's been around for years, and is still not far off the $100 mark. It tells me where I am, can hold waypoints (or more simply known, "coordinates"), and do some basic plotting if I tell it what I want it to do. It has no maps, and has no facility to install them. With software available both from Garmin and third party sources, I can upload or download data from it, which is helpful when transferring waypoints to my auto GPS, also a Garmin.
That same "family" of eTrex units has some which do have maps, both road and topo. As gramps noted, they're not as good as your auto unit for traveling down the road, but will get you over the hills and thru the woods just fine. A lot of them offer a pretty fair selection of maps. Prices will approach $200 or better for that series depending on the bells and whistles count.
From there, the Garmin GPS 60 unit mentioned has been one of the top ones out there since its inception. It's popular among geocachers, which I suppose is a way of saying it will do just about anything you want it to do. It's been replaced, first by the 62, and now the 64 series, and I dunno what the new ones have the original didn't except maybe a bigger and better color screen option, and perhaps greater storage? Some units will accept SD or MicroSD cards for additional storage, and I'd find that to be a selling point. You're now skirting around $300-$350 or better, depending on the vendor.
Garmin also has an "Oregon" series. They seem to be at the high end of the pricing schedule, but I'm not sure exactly what they offer that can't be had for less.
Be sure to check prices all over because they can vary tremendously for the very same unit! A lot of info can be had here: http://www.thegpsstore.com and there are others if you do a search for "gps store." Items that would be on my own personal "compare" list would start with screen info: black &white vs color, and size. B&W is fine for numbers only, but any mapping will probably be easier to use in color, and the larger the screen, the easier it should be to see. Then there's memory: is it built in or removable, or both, and what kind is it if removable? SD cards and Micro SD cards are most common. Both work fine but you may have a preference (I like SDs simply cuz I've got a raft of 'em and hardly any Micros!)
Look at battery life and type of battery. Bigger screens, color, and lots of map work eat batteries faster than their smaller, simpler counterparts. And some units have built in rechargeable batteries, others use removable AAs or AAAs. All you've gotta have happen once is to be out in the woods and have your proprietary rechargeable go dead to understand why I like AAs! And then there are maps: who has what you want, and at what price? Garmin is sometimes particularly painful in this department: they've usually got whatever you might want, but you may have to trade 'em your first born for some of them. Yet at other times you'll find maps nearly for free! There's no rhyme nor reason there.
And while Garmin has pretty much got the market locked up right now, they're not perfect, and my experience with their customer service says they've still got things to learn in that department. Or, as a buddy who's dealt with them far more than I, puts it, "They're a German company, meaning they've never, ever produced a product with problems (even if the Chinese built it!) So if you have trouble, it's always 'operator error.'" They do have decent online updating services, though.
Only other brand I've ever tried, and that for just one trip, was Magellan. It did its job, but I guess it's a PC vs Mac kinda thing: once you learn one company's ways, the next one seems odd?
Good luck!
Rick C
