Last years tour I set out with 25 pages of a map that made google maps, then transferred to something else which let me print but it would print like 2 miles on a page, so I ended up with a bunch of maps that weighed a ton. I decided a gps would be the way to go.

I used a Garmin gps when I was support on a bike tour last year, and it confused the hell out of me. To be honest it got me lost, so I thought having my own gps I would learn how to use it more and it would be cool.

Delorme was kind enough to let me test the PN-40, their latest and greatest. The unit is a good size and durable as hell, water proof, and looks like it could take some abuse. When you buy it, it comes with all you need and some serious map programs. The maps are big, so if you are loading them on your computer make sure you have some space. I ran into a problem because I use a mac and the software is for windows. I attempted to install boot camp so I could run windows on my mac (I know, I know...) but that was a whole new can of worms. Anyway I had our route saved from last year and thought it would be easy as pie to transfer it over to the gps unit. I'm pretty tech savvy, but this process had me so confused and the instructions were no real help.
After hours a swearing and making deals with god, at the 11th hour- for real- I was able to load the route (I was there, I saw it too, saw the program, and had no idea where to start. -brandon). While it wasn't perfect it still gave us a pretty good route. It didn't do turn by turn or even count miles until corner, or tell us street names to turn on, but the route was highlited and we got the general idea when to turn.

There is a very serious learning curve with this thing. If you buy one, be prepared to spend a lot of quality time learning what to do. That being said, it did get us home and we never had to use a map.

The look up option worked well. We were able to look up campgrounds in the area and would tell us how far away, which is a great feature. You can also look up restaurants and stores. I also used the feature that would tell us how far it was from point to point so I could keep our milage around what we wanted.

Occasionally it would lose our route, or tell us we were of track. I'm not sure why, and it could have been a user error. I'm sure this gps is bad ass, its just so technical its hard to use. There is no way my mom could ever use this to find a route anywhere, but then again I would never recommend it to her.

Delorme also sent the Ram mount that fits on bicycle handle bars. This is nice. It hold the gps well and you can mount it just about anywhere. One small problem is, if you have oversized handle bars the mount might not fit. It was tight on mine and the only slightly over sized. Over all, I think this is a good gps and I will continue to use it- I'm just going to have to spend a whole lot more time figuring it out.

-Cole