Has anybody tried the NUVI 500 plus minuses

ubee

New member
Has anybody tried the Nuvi 500 looks compact,good for car,boat,atv,snomo with remote,land and lake maps.
 

snowfish

Member
I've yet to see a Garmin product that I didn't like. We have 2 Garmins. An older Etrex & new Edge 705 cycling computer. Plus we have a Lowrance XOG. The XOG is a great product, but Garmin seems to handle the mapping data much better.

You fish. Get a Garmin. The XOG doesn't know how to "bread crumb" at trolling speed. The track line will suddenly straight line across the reef that you just worked around. Over 3-4mph the XOG is flawless.

XOG battery life is terrible. Hopefully the Nuvi500 8hr life holds true. You'll still want to plug it in. Especially on your sled.

If I had it to do over again, I'd get a Garmin. Even if it cost a little more.
 

lofsfire

Active member
I have the Nuvi 255W, I have only used it in the car, but asked for this for my b-day because a buddy received 205 for Christmas last year and we used it on a few trip last year and it worked perfectly. It's not a waterproof unit but we set it up in his tank bag in the clear map section which kept it nice and dry and visible. I can't wait to try mine out this year. I can already tell I like to wide screen better than the square. Garmin also has a line made for motorcycles is zumo, however it the same water resistant as the Nuvi 500, but with a bigger price tag.

As far as maps with the right software you can add just about anything you want to any unit.
 

booondocker

New member
If you are going to use this in the car as well, I have the 855, and like the voice commands that IT responds to, while driving. Seems like a good unit, and so far is pretty solid on the road. Push a button strapped to the steering wheel and take a detour without toching the map.

Tell it to go to an address, spell the street and number and tell it to go....how can you go wrong with that???

With lots of noise on a sled, or boat, probably the voice won't help, but in a car, which is where it will live most the time, it sure seems like the best piece of bread out there.
 

ubee

New member
I really want it for lakes,and offroad ,offtrail,waterproof but like to combine in one unit. and make sure it works in canada too! INDIAN NOT LOST,TEEPEE LOST!!
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oatie

New member
I went with the Nuvi 550 rather than the 500. I've used the topo map from Garmin and it is way too cluttered to use on a sled. Hiking or hunting would be O.K. I bought it this summer and used it on my bike, so I've not yet used it on the sled. You will like the feature to see your track and also the waypoints are visable not hidden like on a Nuvi for the car. I use an external battery so no knowledge of battery life. 8 hours would be at 70 degrees I suspect. Expect no more than 1 hour at cold temps. Lastly, I downloaded free trail maps of the State of Michigan, they show up super!
 
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