Which adventure GPS gives the best detail in terms of satellite maps?

There is plenty of competition on the market today in terms of adventure and handheld GPS. Plenty of different models, including Memory Map, Garmin and  Satmap provide excellent rendering of digital maps in order to get you around in the great outdoors. Garmin in particular have a fantastic range of downloadable mapping options which bring realistic topographic maps to your screen. It really is worth investigating their website for more details on how to download the latest images on your GPS unit.

However, today I want to have a look at the Satmap Active 10 Plus, a superb and intuitive GPS device which is powered by SD cards which generate a simply superb rendering of the much loved Ordnance Survey maps. This adventure GPS device, like any decent outdoor GPS unit, is robust, well built, strong, weatherproof, and the screen is bright and easy to use in light or dark conditions. Because the Satmap Active 10 Plus has been designed around the OS maps and the SD map cards, this GPS unit is the closest thing you can get to having OS maps right there in your hand.

What are the things that we love about Ordnance Survey? Of course over the years, the British public have relied on the Ordnance Survey for detailed, accurate and incredibly eye-catching maps of the great outdoors. As much a map as a work of art, the Ordnance Survey can legitimately be called a British institution. The topographic features, including trails, contours, lakes, roads, coastlines, forests, and all of the other features are brought to life by the Satmap Active 10 Plus in stunning detail.

In terms of practicalities, the SD cards plug into the side of the device. Once inserted, they generate a lifelike rendering of the OS maps over which is plotted your exact position and local environs. The Active 10 literally puts you right in the picture, with a point-arrow direction measurer, electronic compass, and various features which include route planning, and planning points of interest. Different map cards are available featuring different areas, with outstanding areas of natural beauty available all over the UK and beyond.

Of course different scales are available just like the paper maps, and you can find areas detailed in 1:50,000, and 1:25,000 depending on how detailed you want your navigating to be. This GPS unit is powered by a couple of rechargeable AA batteries and it’s advisable to take some extras with you on the trail, just so that you have enough to get through the day’s navigating.

When you are out and about, detail is everything, and with the Satmap Active 10 Plus the emphasis is on the visual quality of the mapping image. You can pan and zoom around the particular image of the section of the map you find yourself on, a function which allows you a wide ranging view of the area you are exploring and allows a very good judgement of distance in your particular environment. In terms of mapping detail, quality, and usability, this handheld GPS takes some beating.

For more information on the Satmap Active 1 and other great GPS check out: SatelliteMapReview.com