GPS Mapping software for Garmin Etrex 20x

[Phil Tomlinson]

This is probably a much discussed topic on here, so apologies in advance if I going over 'old ground' as it were.
I'm looking to enter the world of GPS shortly.
So far I like the look of the Garmin Etrex 20x.
My question is about maps. Wiggle are currently selling the Etrex 20x with Western Europe maps. Are these ok for road cycling, or would it be necessary to upgrade to something else?

I'm assuming the these maps wouldn't be suitable for off road, mtb / hillwalking, where it would be required to upgrade to OS mapping.
What are the options with this? Do you have to buy a £200 SD card from OS, or are there alternatives? (I hope so!)

Any advice much appreciated.

[baldcyclist]

I have a 20x and quite like it. The default maps are OK for road stuff but a bit lacking in detail. You can replace the default maps with various things... EBay has some OS map SD cards for rather less than £200, or there are a variety of things based on Open Street Map that you can download for free.

Have a look at these to see the sort of thing you can have:
http://garmin.openstreetmap.nl/
https://talkytoaster.co.uk/

I have a SD card in mine with different versions of OSM maps for different activities, based on what information I want to see.

[PloddinPedro]

You're right about it being a much discussed topic! General consensus as I see it is that most people seem to feel that the extra involved in stretching  to the eTrex 30 is worth it, although I appreciate this may depend on exactly what type of use you hope to put it to and your budget.

I'd recommend not paying for maps until you have played with the eTrex and got to know it a bit. The free "Openfietsmap Lite", obtainable from Open Street Maps via the Garmin link, works pretty well and unless you specifically want the detail of the OS mapping (which isn't always easy to see on the smallish eTrex screen) may be all you need.

[frankly frankie]

The preloaded maps 'Garmin Topoactive' are OSM-based.  The only thing you'd gain from adding downloaded OSM from any one of several sources, is more recent mapping, the maps preloaded are quite likely to be at least a year old in terms of data.  They do include bridleways and footpaths though (assuming these had been mapped on OSM at the time the map data was sampled) - in terms of detail and accuracy probably at least as good as an OS map, just not so pretty. 
For local paths or a specific walking holiday, I would just download a patch of recent OSM to cover that area.

[Phil Tomlinson]

I'm on a budget, so I've opted for the Etrex 20x. Not sure the added features of the 30 would be worth it for me.
Having a play with the actual unit and the maps on it seems like a good starting point. Sounds like for general road riding the Western Europe maps are probably fine.
I'll have a look at the suggested websites to see what's available for offroad use.

Thanks for the advice.