The Garmin GPSMap 64

The Garmin GPSMap 64 is pretty cool. We have had ours since May of 2015. It has been on quite a few hikes in some pretty nice places. The GPSMap 64 is an upgrade to the GPSMap 62 series, with some significant new features. There are quite a few similarities between the 62 and the 64: they both look very much alike, with the same color scheme, the carabiner clip attachment, and both run on AA batteries. They use the same memory expansion slot, the Topo map card works in both models, and both use the quad-helix antenna. The particular antenna protrusion on the top makes for a similar apperance, and the control buttons are laid out in an indentical configuration.

The differences are mostly technical. Cosmetically, the screen cover and the model designation are the only real clues that they are not exactly alike. When you turn them both on, the menu appears the same. It takes some investigatoing to find any functional difference. The first thing is when you go to the Track Manager and reset your current track data, it optionally resets your travel data as well. This saves the step of going to the trip computer screen and resetting your trip odometer. This saves a step or two at the beginning of your hike.

When you customize fields on the Trip Computer and Compass screens, you find several new fields. There are fields for heart rate, cadence and mileage available, which get their data from external sensors. The way to find these sensors, assuming that you own them, is to go to the System page, and find the section on ANT+ sensors. This is where you find out what sensors it can use, and how to pair them so you can get the data from them.

There is also a section that allows you to interface with the Garmin