Overall satisfactio
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Overall I am very satisfied with the product. The product is easy to use with my garmin e-trex. It uploads and downloads map and info easily. The only thing I found wrong was the trails(Guadalupe mtn nat. park) it shows close to my area area are incomplete and/or inaccurate. But with the tracking I can upload The trail right to the maps and save them for later use. Thanks for a great product.

Topo to go
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Works well in the Etrex Legend, and is acceptable for those using a handheld for hiking, mountain biking, atv riders, or hunters. The area you are using will have to be downloaded into your unit, and in my case (an Etrex Legend) I could only load a two county area. So keep this in mind and plan your trip accordingly. The software performs well on my laptop as well as a desktop, and the quality of the USGS maps is good compared to other sources. A trip to the local sporting goods stores revealed that the price varies from 50.00 usd to 145.00 usd so shrewd shoppers can find a great deal with a little effort. Be sure to register your GPS unit and software in case you encounter any problems. (Garmin offers a restore on their website for registered units) A good product for those who enjoy scouting areas and printing maps.

4 stars
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Haven’t had much opportunity to use product yet but looks as though the graphics are very good and the maps are very well detailed. Program was very user friendly and easy to install.

Garmin TOPO Software, terrible for Geocaching
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
This software is semi-useless for Geocaching (and probably other useage). Many major highways 5-6 years old are not included. In an expanding urban enviornmental area, few things added or changed in the past 5 years are included. I often find muself driving down the middle of someone’s cornfield, according to TOPO U.S. 2008. A big waste of money, as far as I am concerned. Since, unfortunately, you are stuck with Garmin, for mapping software, pay the extra and get Streets and trips.

Topo U.S. – not for off road use
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
After looking over the Garmin web site, I purchased the suggested MapSource Topo maps on CD for almost $100, and was stunned at the poor detail and accuracy of these maps. First use on my Garmin GPSMAP 60CSx in my back yard, my Garmin unit indicated that I was across the street in a neighbor’s yard perhaps 100-200 feet away, and that was in New Jersey with eight satellites in view. I walked to the nearest cross street, a major local road, and the unit located it perfectly. It (the map) could not accurately locate the 100+ acre lake near my home. These maps cannot be useful to anyone attempting to navigate off road, hiking on trails, or travelling on streams/small rivers. The maps simply bear little resemblance to actual geography except they do seem to indicate location of 25 foot topogtaphical elevation lines fairly well (not too useful). I kayak a great deal and had hoped to use the unit to navigate around New Jersey rivers and the sedge islands in Barnegat Bay. Forget about it! There is no correspondence between the Topo map and the actual geography! Totally useless for kayaking intercoastal bays or any of south Jersey’s fabulous streams. If the maps can’t locate major geographic features accurately, how is it going to keep someone on a hiking trail in the New Jersey Pine Barrens? I think there is considerable danger here of causing someone to get lost (and possibly hurt) rather than find their way.

MapSource Topo Software
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Good product, it was easy to install and use. Make sure you have a large memory card if you want to select multiple states. I didn’t expect a lot of information on roads, but nearly all roads and streets were labeled. It would be nice to have a higher resolution map available for areas other than parks.

Worthy upgrade to basemap
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I have the Garmin Hcx Vista. The Topo is a great upgrade to the basemap. I just wish the Vista would allow me to download the entire map. A good thing compared to other Garmin map products is this map data does not require any unlocking procedures.

Pretty good
Rating:4 out of 5 stars

It works as advertised. I’d like to see more detail, but it’s pretty good.

I loaded about 3/4ths of the U.S. onto a 2 gig MicroSD card. It’s VERY slow. It took it about 6 – 8 hours and most of that time it was just “Building the mapset”. The actual transfer to the card only took a few minutes. It’s not a big deal, but just be prepared to let it run overnight.

Off by 100’s of feet AND tough to use – what a deal
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
I see other reviewers have found the same thing – the maps aren’t accurate, they are off by 100’s of feet. This was easy to verify it wasn’t the GPS:

1) Walk/drive down some neighborhood streets with tracking on your GPS

2) Upload the tracks to the map and see how far off the streets they are

3) View the same tracks in Google Earth (which is one of the few easy things to do in this software — View>View in Google Earth)

4) I see that the tracks are correct on Google Earth, wrong on the maps. 100-300′ foot errors are unacceptable for an expensive product like this.

Here’s a note I pulled up on their support site, I hope this isn’t correct. The map is supposed to be 1:100,000 so I wonder if the accuracy is then more like +/- 130 ft, since the scale is 10x less than the note says. In any case, the circle shown on the device is not 130 ft wide when there’s a good fix. It’s more like 10ft.

================

Question: Why is my position on the map screen not accurate?

Answer:

The basemap in your unit has been drawn from a map with a scale of 1:1,000,000. You can expect an accuracy of .25 miles (1,320 feet) from a map of this scale.

Additionally, when you view your position on the GPS map page, you will notice that a circle displays around your current position. This circle shows the area you can expect your actual position to fall within. The less accuracy the unit has at the time, the larger the circle will be. The diameter of this circle considers both your GPS accuracy and the accuracy of the map to which you are trying to plot your position.

================

Another thing — the online help says I can locate a street address but that option isn’t available on my version. So it’s close to useless for finding a landmark by street address.

The software itself is really poorly done – it seems like a UI that was designed about 10 years ago.

Free (ie Google) maps would be far more accurate, but Garmin has ensured you can’t use them to download to your device with their proprietary scheme. OK, great — but at least make the software accurate if you’re going to do that!

All and all, an overpriced, poorly done product. Oh, and the CD isn’t even readable on 1 of my two PCs.

A lot of maps for the price
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
This software provides topo maps for the entire US for less than $60, which seems like a bargain to me. The maps do not have the detail of USGS 7.5 minute series maps but generally have enough detail for hiking, biking, or off-road driving. The maps actually look better on a GPS than on my PC using MapSource, because the roads are better distinguished from the contour lines.

The only problem I had installing the software is that it turns off the detail in MapSource. To correct this you need to go to the View menu and click “Show GPS Map Detail” (Ctrl+G).

New and Improved
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Topo 2008 is much improved over the previous version. It installs nicely on your HD and doesnt’t require the cd. Map resolutions are better and the net price after rebates is about $30.

Upgrade Now
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This is what the topo software should have been to start. Garmin has updated the topo to properly match the USGS maps. When you are hiking or similar the topography properly represents the actual terrain. A major difference is areas that have significant elevation gain were always improperly represented in the old product. The 2008 version is correct now and you can see ridge lines and valleys as they should be. This was well worth the $ spent and I highly advise that you upgrade today!

Worse than useless
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
I would have to agree with “working engineer.” This software is worse than useless due to its positional inaccuracy. I was shocked to find that my 76csx showed the location of my house as several hundred feet from its actual location. A downloaded track of a run in a local park showed this same “offset.” I tried an experiment: created a waypoint by standing in the middle of an intersection in my neighborhood, then downloading it. The MapSource Topo US 2008 software showed an offset error of about 800 feet. Google earth showed it dead on (so I knew it wasn’t a problem with the GPS unit itself). My older version of NG’s Topo! also shows this waypoint at its proper location at the intersection. Interestingly enough, Delorme Topo 6.0 has the same offset error as the Garmin mapping software.

Garmin MapSource Topo US 2008
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
I purchased this 2008 TOPO software because I did not have the latest version of base maps for Geocaching. After a month of not being able to load the software or read it on my eTrex Legend CX, I was told by Garmin that the units card reader “might” not be working. I’m completely frustrated with Garmin and the time it has taken for them to work this issue. So I returned the eTrex to the store it was purchased and got my money back.

The software seems like it works on my computer; however, since the purpose of this software is to transfer and help guide on a Garmin GPS – it FAILS.

Unfortunely Garmin Software does not work on other “outdoor” GPS units. As you know once software is opened you cannot return it.

Excellent Map for my Garmin Colorado 300
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Well worth the price.

The maps look great with shading and in 3-D on my new Garmin Colorado GPS.

Nice detail. Many useful features. Well worth every penny.

I highly recommend it to hikers, bikers, and walkers.

Good topo details but no street index
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
I bought this product with the garmin 60CSX. I used to have a magellan platinum with the topo software and it did come with street index and street search, the garmin topo doesn’t. I didn’t expect to have turn by turn directions but a street map is quite worthless without an index. It is impossible to find a secondary street in a city without a paper map which wouldn’t be sold without a street index! Even the computer software doesn’t have it. You have to search the coordinate on maporama and then enter the waypoint on the GPS… I guess they want to sell both topo and city navigation maps. The later is over the top for my use.

Much needed product
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Having had my camping GPS for a while, I had neglected to purchase the topo maps. Finally after getting them I’m glad I did. They provide a great view of the topography around me and I can better see where the hard hikes will be. If you have a camping GPS (I have the eTrex Legend HCx) then you should definitely get this set of maps for the backwoods.

Garmin Mapsource TOPO
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
An excellent product at an excellent price. If you’re into off road GPS use, this is the best product for your Garmin hand-held unit.

Garmin software update
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
Was disappointed in new Garmin update 2009. Had not updated since 2005 and had noticed quite a few new roads, shopping centers, etc. were not recognized by the old software. The new software still does not recognize these newer roads. Not sure when the actual updates were finalized, but some of roads are over 2 years old.

Garmin Topo US 2008
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
I was excited to find a good deal on the Garmin eTrex at the REI garage sale, but was disappointed to find the GPS without any useful maps.

I looking around the internet for mapping software around the internet, and after some research concluded that that the Garmin Topo US was what I needed for all-US coverage. I went ahead and ordered it on Amazon.

The DVD it took about 6 days to arrive. It is good software, but here are some caveats:

1. Garmin doesn’t let you load all the maps onto your microSD card, regardless of whether you have enough storage to store all maps.

2. The maps are only 1:100,000 scale: this tells you your general location: if you are looking for more help, expect to buy Garmin’s 24K maps for the National Parks (this product actually gives you much more than just national parks) and computer print-outs and waypoints from National Geographic’s Topo! 24K maps for local hikes.

3. Which leads up to my third caveat: this software (nor any other software out there) is not necessarily self-contained if you want it all- expect to buy other software as well (especially if you want to make use of the eTrex’s (or Legend’s or Vista’s) mapping capabilities inside the city- you would then need to buy the City Navigator or MetroGuide).

All in all, it is not a bad product for the price: 60 bucks isn’t bad for a product that gives you all-US coverage.

Excellent addition to my 60CSX
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
At first I thought this was way too expensive, but the level of detail is amazing. As a results the map sizes get extremely large quickly, but overall a great product

Great update
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
This update takes care of a lot of newer things, but it still is not up to date. There are a number of major businesses (Costco for example) that are not included even if they have been open for a year. Otherwise easy to follow and use.

Garmin Topo ‘07 & ‘08
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
I BOUGHT A GARMIN 60CSX GPS LAST YEAR ALONG WITH TOPO ‘07 AND STREET MAPS. MY PRIMARY PURPOSE FOR THE GPS IS FOR HUNTING/FISHING AND GEO-CACHING. UNCHARACTERISTICALLY, WITHOUT DOING MY INDEPTH RESEARCH…I WAS COMPLETELY DISAPPOINTED IN THE RESOLUTION ON THE TOPO VERSION AT 1:100,000 SCALE VERSES THE STANDARD U.S.G.S. TOPO SCALE OF 1:24,000. THE SOFTWARE FAILED TO MEET ANYWHERE CLOSE TO MY EXPECTATIONS. USELESS…HORRIBLE!! THE AREA THAT I HUNT HAS A VARIETY OF TERRAIN FEATURES INCLUDING STEEP HILLS, DEEP BOTTOMS, SWAMPS, RIVER BOTTOMS, ETC. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, IF YOUR GPS IS CAPABLE, TO ADD AT LEAST A 2GB SD MEMORY CHIP TO YOUR GPS BECAUSE THE FILE SIZE OF THE TOPO DATA IS SO LARGE YOU CAN ONLY LOAD VERY SMALL SPECIFIC AREAS/REGIONS AT A TIME. ONCE AGAIN POOR RESOLUTION OF THE TOPO DATA FOR FINDING KEY TOPOGRAPHIC FEATURES SUCH AS FOR SCOUTING TO HANG ADDITIONAL DEER STAND LOCATIONS WAS USELESS. DON’T WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THIS ‘08 VERSION CAUSE THE RESOLUTION HAS NOT CHANGED FROM LAST YEAR ‘07 TO THE NEW AND IMPROVED VERSION OF ‘08!!…HOPEFULLY, THE SOFTWARE ENGINEERS CAN EVENTUALLY DEVELOP A USEFUL, MORE PRECISE DETAILED, SCALED DOWN VERSION TO AT LEAST THE U.S.G.S. STANDARD TOPOGRAPHIC MAP OF 1:24,000 OR EVEN LOWER AT SOME TIME IN THE FUTURE? MAYBE I’D BE ASKING TOO MUCH BUT IT WOULD BE GREAT TO BE ABLE TO MERGE/OVERLAY AERIAL PHOTO DATA AS IN GOOGLE EARTH WITH SCALABLE TOPO DATA VIA U.S.G.S. STANDARD OR BETTER!!!THAT WOULD BE TOO SWEET!

THANKS,

RON

Meets expectations
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Overall, I am very pleased with this product. Having never used topo maps before, I did a lot of research to determine whether this product would satisfy my desire for more detail of my surroundings. The 1:100,000 scale is great for average canoing, hiking, mountain biking, etc. It doesn’t provide detail of every valley and ridge, but neither do the USGS maps of the same scale. Most of the time (~95%) the map is right on; however, on occasion roads aren’t exactly where the map says. The only time I’ve experience this so far, a road I was looking for was off by 300 ft. This is the only reason I did not give this product 5 stars. I was pleased to find that Garmn had updated the roads and streams since my previous software, Inland lakes. The maps don’t show as many trails as I would like, but they do have more points-of-interest than I expected. I have been able to find every geographical point I’ve searched for so far. I have a 2GB microSD card, and can only fit 1/3 to 1/2 of the US on it. My only suggestion: use the GPS software to supplement, not replace, an understanding of topo maps, and I think you’ll enjoy the software more. I own a Legend HCx and live in SW Missouri. I kayak and canoe frequently, am getting into hiking, and occasionally mountain bike, and this product is exactly what I expected. I considered waiting for Garmin’s 1:24,000 scale to come out; I called and Garmin didn’t have a release date, and couldn’t tell me whether MO would be paired with Arkansas, so I decided to get the Topo US. I’ll get the other later, maybe (who knows when it will come out).

GPS Software
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
I have to say that I am NOT pleased with the Garmin Topo US 100K software. I cannot get it to install properly on my computers and I have not been able to use it yet. I’ve e-mailed Garmin and they say to call in . . . their call-in times are during the day and hard for me to make contact with them. I guess once I get some time to call in, maybe I’ll be happier. Right now I am not impressed.

Garmin Mapsource TOPO
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Seems good but not intuitively obvious how to use and setup database of maps. Will need to read some but it looks fine for what we need.

Garmin topo 2008
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
The 100,000 scale is a definite drawback for walking or paddling. I do not understand why they have not released a 24,000 scale version. I found quite a few errors in streams, lakes, and even some roads that have been there for years. In communication with Garmin they told me it was because they used US topo maps as the source documents. When I checked my old paper maps the errors were not there. Better than nothing but I really hope they release an updated version with the smaller scale.

Not all I thought it would be.
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
I purchased this for an E-Trex Legend handheld GPS that I use for OHV riding. I found that the Topo maps give adequate information on terrain, but leave out trails/roads that are present in the U.S Cities map that came with the Legend. So I traded out road/trail information for topographic information. I had assumed that the Topo maps would augment the routing information contained in the city maps, not substitute topography for routing. Since you can’t use both maps simultaneously or switch on-the-fly with the Legend I’m not sure how useful it was to purchase this. The city map gives great road/trail info and the topo map gives great topography info, but I really wanted both in the same mapping software. Probably would not buy this if I had it do over again.

Decent mapping if you don’t require auto-routing capability
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
TOPO 2008 has some good points: it’s half the price of most of Garmin’s other cartography products, and it doesn’t require an unlock code. Read some of the reviews on Garmin’s “City Navigator North America” product – there are some real horror stories about the problems people have had with Garmin’s unlock code system.

NOTE: In specific discussion of how TOPO 2008 interfaces with a GPS, the unit used in this review is a Garmin 60CX.

What you get with TOPO USA 2008 that’s good:

1. It adds a lot of city streets and county roads that are not included in the base map. However, the positional accuracy of these roads is often pretty bad. But at least having them would probably help you find an address if you got lost in an unfamiliar neighborhood or rural area. Unfortunately though, the road network in TOPO 2008 IS NOT AUTO-ROUTEABLE. In other words, if you try to generate a point-to-point trip route in either MapSource or in the GPS itself, the route will not follow the roads or calculate turns. It will just make a strait line (actually a Great Circle curve) from Point “A” to Point “B”. This doesn’t prevent you from generating your own routes manually, of course. I guess the lack of auto-route capability is why TOPO 2008 is half the price of City Navigator.

2. Since TOPO 2008 contains a Digital Elevation Model (DEM) of the coverage area, it allows you to generate a profile of your hiking/biking trail or road trip route. This profile capability is very nice when comparing alternate routes, and the profiles can be generated and viewed in the GPS or on the PC in MapSource

3. The outlines of many coastlines, lakes, and rivers in the basemap are very coarse and downright inaccurate – TOPO 2006 offers a huge improvement to these outlines (but does not include water depth).

4. TOPO 2008 includes thousands of searchable place names and POI’s that are not in the base map.

What’s not so good in TOPO 2008:

1. The coverage area is ONLY the United States (including Alaska and Hawaii). Unfortunately, there is no coverage in Canada or Mexico, other than large cities and major highways that are already in the basemap. If you need coverage of our neighbor to the north, the TOPO Canada DVD is pretty expensive at $110, almost double the price of the USA version.

2. The contour interval is 1:100,000, which is probably fine for planning an automobile trip, but is very coarse if you are doing a hiking or bicycle trip. Garmin does offer 1:24,000 cartography, but it’s expensive and covers only a limited set of National Parks. If TOPO 2008 were to cover the whole USA at 1:24,000, the amount of data would probably require many DVD’s instead of only 1, and the retail price would no doubt be a lot more, so I guess the 1:100,000 scale is adequate for most users, and certainly more economical.

If you already own the City Navigator cartography, TOPO 2008 might be a nice addition to your chartplotter-capable Garmin GPS, especially if it can display route profiles like the 60CX. However, if your primary need is for automobile routing, and especially if you need coverage in Canada, and if you have a limited budget, you would be better off buying City Navigator if you don’t already own it. It’s twice the price of TOPO 2008, but has a lot more capability.

NOTE: For some reason, TOPO 2008 includes Alaska’s Dalton Highway, from Fairbanks to Deadhorse (Prudhoe Bay), yet City Navigator, which costs twice as much and is supposed to offer coverage of all of the USA and Canada, does not.

SUMMARY: A good value at $59.10 if you just want to upgrade your GPS’s background map, and if you don’t require Canadian coverage. Also a nice add-on if you already have City Navigator, as it allows you to compute road profiles anywhere in the USA (including Alaska and Hawaii). City Navigator does not have a terrain model built in, so it can not show profiles on it’s own. For owners of large RV’s or people who tow large boat or livestock trailers over long distances, TOPO 2008’s road profile capabilities could be a really nice trip planning tool.

Garmin MapSource Topo US 2008 Review – Part Number: 010-11001-00
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
This is a good product and works well using my Palm 750 running Microsoft Mobile O/S using the Garmin Mobile 10 Receiver. Unfortunately, the maps lack detail and lack hiking trails in many parks. I would purchase this product again but only at the discounted web rate of $59.10 that I found on Amazon, not the U.S. List Price: $116.65 from Garmin’s website.

Useful for geocaching but many roads are inaccurate or missing
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
I purchased Topo US 2008 specifically to do geocaching and do some basic hiking as well. I was well aware going into the purchase that this product wouldn’t have a tremendous amount of topographic detail or hiking trail information. I was expecting a fairly accurate road map though.

What I discovered over the past couple of months of using the product is that there are some serious deficiencies in a number of areas. The first is that there are many roads that just aren’t there, including some fairly major roads that have been in place for more than a decade! Ironically, there are some roads in the map that don’t exist in reality. I don’t know if they are planned or have been eliminated since they tend to be in developing areas.

The second issue, which is less of an issue, is that the roads are somewhat off the mark location wise. If I zoom in on my Garmin 60CSx, I am quite often not on the road. Again, not a major issue but it could be nicer.

I have been fortunate in that almost all of my driving and caching has been done near where I live so I have a pretty good idea of the roads in the area. I will be a lot more pressed to follow the map in an area that I don’t know well.

Frankly, if it wasn’t for MapQuest and Google Maps to supplement this product, I would be even more disappointed.

All that said, I will say that I am pleased with the extensiveness of the map for the cost. It has been an invaluable tool while geocaching and it will be fairly beneficial when I go out hiking this summer.

Even knowing the deficiencies, I would buy it again since it is reasonably priced and it covers so much area.

Off Roading Made Simple
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I purchased this software in conjunction with a Garmin 200W GPS unit. While it takes a lot of space I was able to download the entire map to the memory card for the GPS UNIT. It is plenty detailed enough for use in the GPS. The National Geographic software is so busy when you zoom in that it is difficult to understand. The biggest issue that I found is that the roads and the elavation lines are the same color and there are some trails that are not mapped that I would have thought would be there. For example. Arches National Park the trail to Delicate arch. Overall I am very pleased with the program.

Garmin Mapsource Topo 2008
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
This product seems to have everything that I need to keep my gps adventures

on track. Going with the cd version for the computer and downloading maps as I need them works well. This also lets me upload tracks and waypoints

onto my computer to store and plan routes, and connect waypoints with pictures or web links. I haven’t had any problems with this software so far. There also is a link to view your map and waypoints on google earth.

(this requires a download from google) but is a very cool feature.

This software has many features which I haven’t yet explored them all but most of the usual items are self explanatory.

Garmin Topo US 2008
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Better than the previous, but still lacking when compared to USGS TOPO. Why don’t GARMIN include the navigation (ability to track your route via computer and GPS) ability on their map products free? I use both GARMIN and USGS TOPO to plan routes and establish waypoints. This is because I have two GARMIN GPS’s and they only take GARMIN maps for uploads. I can upload waypoints and routes from the others, but not their detailed maps.

Great product
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Downloaded some maps to a Garmin 60CSx, great for finding your way while in nowhere Alaska. When you get back to civilization you can even print out all the tracks where you have been.

Does what it was advertised to do
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Although I feel the prices for these Garmin maps are way too expensive they do work well with my Garmin 60CSx GPS. To avoid any install or operational problems I just bit the bullet and bought their map. So everytime I use the GPS now, it works perfectly and that’s worth a lot to me to have that kind of confidence in my gear.

Garmin TOPO 2008
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
This product works great and is very easy to use. I highly suggest the use of this product for anyone who does any hunting and hiking!

Don’t waste the money
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
I purchased this product as a means to operate a 255w off-road. Not only are the maps not detailed enough, the graphics are poor even on the best graphic system. As a general overview of an area, this product will do just fine, however, if you really want detailed topographical maps, this is NOT the product for you. Very disappointed for its intended use, and even more for trying to use it with a real off-road gps. I have multiple computers (PC and Apple) and the product worked the same on both, poorly. I wrote to Garmin to express my total dissatisfaction with the product and have heard nothing from them.

Works great with GPS
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I use this program with the Garmin GPSMAP 60CSx. It is easy to load maps into the unit so I think the program is useful since you get more detail in your unit. However, as far as a computer topo map, National Geographic’s Topo maps are much better. I have both and use the NG’s to actually find and look at where I want to go. You can download routes from the NG’s Topo into the Garmin also. The main usefulness of the Garmin’s Topo is to load detailed maps into your unit.

Forget this TOPO!
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
Been used to Delorme Topo.. Only got this because I had to have it with my Garmin GPS-60 hand held.. Very poor trails.. hard to tell anything.. Trails , gradients etc all look alike.. when they are there at all.. I read reviews and they were not good, but thought they were not right or this bad. Lots of 5,600 foot hills with not any gradients shown at all.. Maybe be great for some places, but in Four Corners USA, this product is pretty much useless. It may be Okay back East or where ever.. I wish I had never went with Garmin as it now all sets at home unusable to me.

GO WITH ANOTHER BRAND.. I now am doing the DeLorme TOPO 7.0 USA And very pleased with it over the Garmin GPS-60 product.. This Hand held also requires you to purchase the TOPO software that does not even come with it. And it is POOR.

My Advice.. Waste of money.. AVOID! Much better out there.

Garmin Topo U.S. 2008
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
We are relative newbies to GPS. We purchase a Garmin Nuvi 650 for the numerous road trips we go on 4 wheel drive adventures at and on the way to the destinations. This product fills in the blank screen when we off road with useful information that we previously lacked. For the money it is a great product that we welcome into our Jeeping experience.

A great upgrade
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Topo U.S. 2008 is a worthy upgrade, well worth the money here, especially with the Garmin rebate! In all honesty, even at Garmin’s retail price, it would be worth the upgrade, for my use. The maps are much improved;e.g., a man-made lake that I have often fished isn’t even featured on the old Topo USA, but 2008 has it. It has greater contour features and all in all seems to be produced from more recent USGS survey data.

It is not perfect; thus far, I’ve only found one problem with it, not so much of a problem; a state conservation area (shaded in green) only covers a very small area within the boundaries. Not a problem on the ground, as the boundaries are clearly posted; but it annoying when one is plotting navigation on the computer for download to the unit. For this kind of money, little non-critical errors like that, I can live with. I’m not using this software to land a jet or call in for fire support. Compared to other digital mapping products I have used, notably the older version of Topo and DeLorne’s products, this is one of the most accurate I have seen yet, outside of an actual USGS topo map (and mistakes are found on those as well).

Another nice change is having the entire set of maps on one DVD instead of the old multi-CD regional set. Thanks Garmin!

After using this for a few months, I am pleased with it. Another great product from Garmin.

delay but OK
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
there was a delay in shipping but thats fine I didnt need it “right now” was exactly as advertised.

Garmin topo
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Software is sort of diffucult to Map your area. Easy download to the Garmin unit.

Problem installing software to PC
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
The software is great but I was unable to install it. I had to spend over an hour with the Garmin help desk and they finally installed the product using some back door after giving the rep access to my pc. There was some issue with the Install Shield.

Garmmin Mapsource
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Hello

I like this item but the hidden unlock code had me ready to throw it in the trash. After I found the unlock code between the shipping package card board everthing worked fine.

I was only able to down load one state (SC) into my Garmin Etrex but it works fine & I would recommend for cars, bike or hiking.

Kevin

Topo 2008
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Overall a good product. It adds fantastic capability to my new Vista HCx for hiking, backpacking, and mountain biking. The ability to correlate location to a topo map quickly via the topo info on the GPS screen is really nice. Getting profile information from your trails is great too for those of us that are data geeks. This mapset makes the GPS far more usable in the backcountry.

The one negative I have for Topo 2008 is the lack of trails on it. It is missing major trails that I’m amazed Garmin could have missed. The Colorado Trail and the Continental Divide Trail are the major trails through Colorado, yet Garmin missed these and most other common trails. It has a few trails, but not what I’d expect from this software. That was very dissappointing.

All visual content in these maps is simply a static visual representation. None of it is an active element so you can’t just tell the PC software or GPS to follow a trail. If you want a trail routing, you need to trace a track over it on the PC and download that as a Track or Route.

Program is very disappointing
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
OK, I am used to hiking with Green Trail maps for Washington State. I was hoping that this product would be to their level, or heck even more current. But no way, I pulled up areas I go to frequently and the maps are not even close to he quality of the green trail maps. Which is very sad considering google earth does a better job than this software and it is free.

For all you techies who rated this product highly get grip, paper maps dominate this product. GPS software is not even close to the quality of a paper map. Also, if I wanted to do all of this electronic file manipualtion that other users speak of why even buy a GPS unit. The point is I wanted something superior to old out of date paper maps and instead of that got “new” electronic maps that are worthless.

My 1st TOPO Experience
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
We just purchased the TOPO U.S. 2008 DVD and it was easy to install and even easier to navigate the maps we needed. We live in Hawaii and my husband recently purchased the Garmin Astro with Dog Collars and he has been enjoying the product very much. When we purchased the DVD it did exactly what he had hoped for, it gave him great detail and he was able to come home and review all he did on our computer. A perfect pair…I’m excited because the next family trip we take to the States I know we won’t need a map and we’ll spend no time getting lost!!!!

Very Good Topo Map Data Base
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I use this software on my Garmin etrex hand held GPS for hiking. No matter where I hike the map base covers fire roads, or any well established hiking trails. It shows streams as well as any other bodies of water, etc. Very pleased with map data base.

Great set of maps
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Great companion to our new GPS unit. A pleasant surprise to find significant street detail as well as the topography!

The Weakest Link has a new member – Topo USA
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
Based on my earlier experiences with GPSs for 20 years now (recreation, flying, nothing exotic), and a recent Garmin street pilot, I decided to stick with the name brand Garmin. And earlier reviews about their basemaps being… well, too basic, I purchased TOPO, USA to supplement the map features of my GPSMAP 60Cx. (Magellen offered MapSend, therefore Garmin’s topo program must be similar and useful, right?.) I pretty much discounted low rated reviews about TOPO USA issues, such as being locked, maps being off, etc. How tough can these be to install and use?

The Weakest Link can now be applied to TOPO, USA. Instructions were 3 steps inside the CD jacket, ending with “Follow the prompts” (which I did), there are NO OTHER INSTRUCTIONS. Nada. Zip. Not even on the CD.

Getting the software to connect via USB to GPSMAP 60Cx was… interesting. In spite of my 20+ years on a PC, I had to try a variety of PC reboots (1st, or 2nd), with the GPSMAP (on, or off). I did finally manage to get Colorado topo data transfered, and while still “connected” discovered the software/GMPSMAP no longer communicated, and had to revert to rebooting. Restarting TOPO USA did not reset any connection.

And finally, the map is not accurate, as the local US highway curves in opposite directions than the underlying Garmin map, my street has no 45 degree direction changes and is about 2-tenths of a mile further south than Garmin claims.

The receiver closely matchs my aging Magellen in lat/long numbers, so I give credit for all the above anomalies to the Garmin map datum and implementation.

Think I might try the preloaded Garmin Topo chip instead, but once burned…etc.

Previous poor reviews of TOPO USA were warranted, I was wrong to have dismissed them.

Update 8/09: Tried the chip version for the mountain area map… just as badly off as the TOPO USA version, that I never did get to work reliably.

Topo US2008
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I have purchased TOPO US 2008 since I had planned a holiday in the Pacific Northwest. The software is quite accurate and well suited for hikes and geo caches, especially if you are not at all familiar with the area (I am from Europe). Installation is a breeze, but you would need sufficient disk space on your computer if you load the entire country. I have downloaded California, Oregon and Washington using less than 130 MB on the SD card.

It could be better…
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
This CDROM is good enough to show major roads and some trails, but isn’t all that up to date on roads and highways.

I have lived in New Mexico for 23 years. In 1987 NM changed its state highway numbers to give each state road a single highway number (tourists found multiple highway numbers on a road confusing). I displayed a national forest area just east of Albuquerque that is a popular place to hike and picnic, and is a place I often go to drive or walk. I found out that the state roads had the pre-1987 numbers. Those route numbers have been changed for 20 years, Garmin!

Because I don’t yet use my GPS for highway navigation, I can’t comment on whether this map CD is useful for route finding, but others say it’s not too helpful so I’ll believe it just because of the out of date roads in New Mexico alone.

I expected the mountains to be roughly topographic, and they are reasonable for a 1:100000 map. To be really useful, the Garmin maps need to be accurate enough for navigating in recreation areas, which calls for accuracy like the old 15 minute quads. Also, the maps need to be printable, so a hiker, hunter, or fisherman has a paper backup if the GPS runs out of batteries without spares. Yes it happens…

Not an accurate map at all.
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
This map is just not trust worthy. It’s pity that Garmin makes good GPS but when you plot the recorded tracks over it’s map, the two produce such a discrepancy that makes you wonder if it’s the map or the GPS devices at fault. Then you map the track logs on Google Earth, you realize the GPS devices is not at fault.

Garmin MapSource Topo US 2008 DVD
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
It’s a perfect upgrade from my old Garmin MapSource software. Excellant and the Amazon people made it avoidable to purchase it. It’s a most have for the Garmin GPS and navigational products.

I like my Garmin Mapsource Topo
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
I bought the Mapsource Topo to use when I go hiking in Colorado. It shows major trails and little-used backroads and most named peaks. I’ve been using it for about a month and still haven’t figured it out completely. It could be easier in selecting map portions to download to my eTrex Vista. I may order the National Geographic map of Colorado for still more detail, but I’ve got to spend some time with it. Still, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it.

Topo map
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
I bought this product knowing 2 things, that it won’t work on a MAC and that it should give more detail for the avid backpacker. Most people in Colorado need more detail than the 1:100,000 detail provided by this disk. But when this is all that is offered for your new Garmin GPS, you find a way to make do.

Happy with my etrex Vista
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Garmin eTrex Vista HCx Color High-Sensitivity Mapping Handheld GPS

My third hand-held Garmin, the etrex Vista HCx is the best one yet. I use it for hiking, driving, trip data logging and geochaching. A real man-toy. Very sensitive, keeps accurate track under the heaviest of tree cover and even when it is carried in an inside parka pocket. So sensitive, in fact, that it can geo-locate itself when turned on inside my home. With its optional, 1 GB, microSD card installed I can store nearly the world of available Topo maps. Ready to use just moments after turn on, gets good battery life and interfaces with my three different PCs without a single problem. Besides the four main pages there are nearly 20 other pages that can be utilized making it a real Techno-geek’s must have personal navigator.

Very accurate and current Topo Map
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
What can I say, it is an excellent program that allows you to download topo maps to your Garmin GPS. I am using Garmin 60 CSXs and they are great. Very good detail including old roads, even condemned roads, powerlines and railroad grades.

US TOPO 2008 for Garmin
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Excellent detail however the streets are about 2 blocks off. Was in contact with the vendor and they said that they are only for reference and it you want them to be accurate you need to buy the City Streets which is what I figured.

Very detailed and easy to install.

Works great, a few minor quibbles
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
This is a wonderful addition to my Garmin Venture HC, and really completes the package, since the basemap is not all that useful.

The software took a while to install, and I do have some minor quibbles about the installation. Users are “strongly” recommended to install MapSource into C:Garmin (come on, people, the Program Files folder has been around since Windows 95). My translation is that if you decide to change the default folder, some things may not work correctly. Also, there was no option to leave the map data on the DVD instead of loading the *entire* 3.5GB database onto your hard disk. But if you’ve got the available space, it’s more convenient to have it all there.

As has been noted before, there are some minor inaccuracies with the map data (from what I’ve noticed, mostly related to roads showing a hundred feet next to where I’m driving), and for being a 2008 map, it doesn’t show the latest freeway construction in my area. But then again, I didn’t get this map to show me how to get around town; nonetheless, street data is remarkably detailed for a topo map. Mountains, canals and other features were accurately displayed as I drove past them, including elevation data.

MapSource’s archaic and sometimes oddly behaving user interface notwithstanding, it is quite intuitive when it comes to downloading maps. Without reading the manual, it took me all of a minute to figure out how to select map regions and send them to my GPS. Downloading roughly 20MB also didn’t take as long as I’d feared, perhaps another minute or two. The area I can fit in my Venture’s limited memory also exceeded my expectations: I live in Arizona, which is quite large, and yet I was able to easily download a large swath that includes Tucson, Phoenix, Flagstaff, and Show Low.

All in all, a good product and in my opinion an essential add-on to any Garmin mapping GPS. Subtracted 1 star for less-than-stellar user interface and installation procedure.

a useful tool
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
This CD isn’t nearly as bad as some of the other reviewers have made it out to be, IMHO. Sure, a 1:24000 scale would be fantastic, but you can still do a lot with the 1:100000 scale provided for contour intervals. Most casual GPS users will find this a good fit for their needs. I have used this for hiking, geocaching, and navigation, and found my experience to be a vast improvement over just using the base map provided with the GPS. If Garmin does come out with an 1:24000 version of this, I’d be first in line to pick up an update.

Inferior to competitiors products from four years ago.
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
I recently switched from a Magellan Sportrak to Garmin Legend HCx GPS. I bought the corresponding Topo Map- Garmin Mapsource Topo U.S. 2008. While the contours are reasonable, the integration of the roads into the map is simply ridiculous. On a recent walk I took, it shows my track crossing a road that in reality I never get within 1/3 of a mile of. The actual road layout looked like they are from at least 10 years ago in my area. For curiosity I dug out my 2004 Magellan Topo 3D and plotted the same track. The information was correct. So as long as you have no need of how the terrain and roads are interrelated, this product is fine. But for those of us that do occasionally drive to a trail, or want to reach a civilized place while on a hike this product is of dubious value.

As advertised
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Everything I expected. Now, I have the topos I need loaded on my GPS and I no longer need to carry topo maps. Be advised, you can only load a portion of the US at one time. Given the file size of the topo software, the GPS doesn’t have adequate memory capactity to load the entire US topo. However, you can select to load and delete the topos as needed. One last item, Amazon had the best price!!

Meets expectations.
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Garmin MapSource Topo U.S. 2008 meets my expectations and needs. Pros – It works well with my Garmin GPSMap 76CSx and Microsoft Vista. It does not require an unlock code. It covers all 50 states. Cons – 1:100,000 scale is course. Limited to 1 GB memory card due to 2025 map quadrant limit. Does not support routing.

Software bugs fatal; BEWARE
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
Simply unable to transfer any useful data to Garmin etrex vista. Software surprisingly useless. Tried many ways to modify parameters both with the unit and download wizard and this software seems to always end in “communication error” which is disappointing after a long download. Attempting to download for the Topo US 2008 CD also erases the database that comes on the unit!!! This leaves you with NO data in the GPS.

National Geographic’s mapping software not compatible with downloading but still is a seemingly more funcitonal product and actually works with the Garmin units.

90% pleased
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
It was nice to get the Garmin Topo Software on my new 60CSX. I am mostly satisfied the topo piece seems to be accurate and was exactly what I needed for my hunting trips. The part that I am not totally sold on is how far off the main roads are from reality. I learned leaving a track and then going back and measuring the some of the main roads, even Interstates are as much as .25 miles off. The dirt roads seem to be right on, which is where I will get my major use from it so I am happy, I was just surprised with Garmin’s technology that the big stuff could be so far off. I would like to see them get that part right.

worth to own, not worth to upgrade
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
The Topo map contains a lot of terrain information that city map does not have.

It contains some (or some part of) main road and fire road, most of the trails hiker actually take, are missing.

But I still find it useful in that, although it cannot lead you on most of the road or ease you ploting the road on your PC during the planning, it can help you track the path you have passed, and gives you a general perspective what lies ahead to reach your destination.

This topo 2008 adds terrain shading (only when looking on the computer, not on GPS device), and has improves street name. For the latter, it is still way out dated or has many errors, that you better not reply on it for city navigating (navigating is not routing)

Note, the map does not contain routing data, so you cannot use it for auto routing on PC or GPS).

4 stars for those who does not own topo map, 2 stars for those trying to upgrade. That’s why I give it a 3-star rating.

GarminTopo 2008 Full of Errors
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
After loading Garmin MapSource Topo U.S. 2008 mid-Atlantic region maps into my new Garmin 60CSx GPS I realized that my plotted position routinely had a 300-600 foot error from my known position in the Northern Virginia and DC-metro Maryland areas, over at least a 25 square mile area. When I called Garmin they told me that their cartographic dept. was aware of the problem, and ascribed it to “map digitization” problems. Garmin would not comment on any fixes planned.

A GPS – map system which is routinely in error by 300-600 feet is unacceptable!!! And a GPS company which doesn’t take errors like this seriously is not serious about their product.

Pretty much what I was looking for
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I bought my etrex over Thanksgiving and while I was really pleased with it, I discovered that I needed both the memory card and the maps to make it worthwhile. The documentation on the etrex is abysmal, IMO, so I only found out after trying to download waypoints into my computer to find out that I needed the card. Another story. So, I wasn’t too surprised when the documentation on the Garmin software wasn’t much better.

That being said, after having some problems with uploading the maps, I eventually retried it all and got the maps to work. I was pretty impressed with the maps. It gives me a nice topographical map of the area. Even so, I have thoughts on how the maps could be better:

1. Private property lines. I really need to know where state versus Plum Creek Timber versus other ownership is. It would be really helpful to have that.

2. GMU lines — would be very nice.

3. Roads and trails need to have a better contrast on the moving map. It’s almost impossible to see them.

4. You have to turn off the main map to get the topo — what’s up with that?

Even with all these downsides, I still really think it’s a good mapping software. Downloading it is a breeze and you can plot your course on the computer and move it to your map. If they fix the problems I see with this, I’d give it a 5 star rating.

A great addition to my GPS
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
The TOPO 2008 is a great addition to my GPS. I use my GPS for hiking, the TOPO 2008 is preloaded with quite a few trails. It does not list all of them, but there are plenty to keep me busy. The trail maps are quite accurate. The one downfall is that TOPO does not auto route. If you purchase the CityNavigator, then you can route to different locations. I highly recommend the TOPO program to any hiking enthusiast.

Good improvement, still needs auto-route capability.
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
The lack of auto-route capability is the only problem I have with this software. Great graphic display, accurate everyplace I have used it.

Nikonuser1
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
TOPO U.S. 2008 is a let down in some areas. I had to learn how to download maps from the software to the GPSmaps 60CSx. The instructions were not clear of how to do this at all. The individual map areas are not that large requiring downloads of many, many, maps to get from one place to another. I missed a couple of individual map areas and this rendered the GPS useless over long stretches of road. This method of requiring these downloads means you must have a pretty good idea of all places you intend to travel or you won’t download the right map.

Topo US 2008 Better than ever!
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Many improvements from the last (2005) version. Vivid detail. easy to work with, and an assest to Geocachers. Only suggestion would be for mapsource to make updates easier and more detailed. I.e. Update map content not just software features. Would highly reccommend.

Great off road maps
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This map is a great addition to my Garmin 7200 in the jeep. The detail is really good, and it has been a great asset finding my way around any trail or off road travel.

can get better for free
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
[...]

when i checked my area out i.e where i live i found the map to be missing some of the streams and other features. some roads where mislabelled and not correctly placed. this was in reference to the paper topo map i had for my area. surfing online i found a website where people had posted free topo maps of the southeast which included my area. downloaded and found they were more detailed and more accurate than the garmin i paid $80 for. they were same as the paper topos i have. i suspect this will be true for other parts of the garmin i bought. so maybe check for the free stuff b4 you buy—and hey, garmin: need to get rid of the people who made your product and replace with the people who made the free ones online.

Alternative to buying MapSource Topo 2008
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
First, I’m not knocking the TOPO US too much. It is expensive and does not have high resolution but it fills a small niche. If you need a TOPO map in a hurry, I suppose it is the best alternative.

I’ve had my Garmin Legend HCx for several months now. During this time, I’ve hunted for a reliable alternative to TOPO US, rendering 24K resolution and not limited to a few National Parks.

Looking really paid off. The best solution that I’ve found is the following:

* Free Maps from USGS (24K TOPOs as GeoTiff Digital Raster Graphics files) $0

* Any graphics editor program that can handle .tif format $0

* Mapwell – http://www.mapwel.biz (includes raster to vector conversion) $45

* TrackMaker (free version) – http://www.gpstm.com/ $0

Total: $45

Process:

1. Search, select, download GeoTiff map from http://seamless.usgs.gov/ (15 minutes)

2. Review the .xml data, downloaded with the map to determine the extent of the map: Northwest and Southeast boundary. (5 minutes)

3. Open GeoTiff file in graphics editor. Save as new .tif file, stripping out the embedded geo data. (5 minutes)

4. Open the new .tif file in Mapwell. Add extent information from Step 2. Add graphics features and waypoints(optional). Run vectorization option, creating a new set of Garmin IMG files (10 minutes – more if you want to add your own art)

5. Upload new map set into Garmin. Mapwell has a great Garmin upload/download manager. No need to use Mapsource although you can use it to add Mapsource maps. (1 minute)

Time burned: 36 minutes

TrackMaker (free version or licensed) is also a great product for creating tracks, waypoints, many more features. It also has a fine Garmin upload/download manager. So you can either load waypoints and features directly into the Garmin or embed them in the map itself while using Mapwell.

The only disadvantage that I’ve discovered in the process is that Mapwell works too well. That is, the vectorization of 24K maps produces superb quality maps that take 10-20 seconds to render in the Garmin (at 1 mile). The closer in you go, the faster the rendering.

Roads are not accurate
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
I purchased this map to update the maps that came on my Garmin GPS. The original maps had roads that have not been updated in 20+ years. When I added the new map I learned that the local roads are inaccurate by 400 to 600 feet. I asked Garmin and was told that roads are just for reference. This map is only good for Topo and little else.

Lack of details
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
Simply put it, there isn’t enough details to do much with it. It is slightly better than the base map. Go to the Garmin’s web site and do a side by side comparison of this one and the 24K topo series. You’ll see how bad this one is.

Garmin, stop sell us maps like this one. All your topo maps should have the 24K details. Otherwise, what’s the point?

Garmin Topo 2008 US
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
I bought Garmin Mapsource about 5 years ago with the garmin handleheld GPS. That one was really hard to use. About one year ago, I bought Nuvi 350. That one was easy to use and change my mind to continue to buy Garmin product. So I bought Garmin Topo 2008 for my new Garmin GPS. After I got it, I found that this one really disappointed me. The interface was pretty much the same and again hard to use. I hope Garmin can do some research to improve the interface and make it easy to use.

Be aware that it has 2025 map set limit when you transfer map to your Garmin GPS. If you plan buy a micro SD card, 1gb will be fine since Garmin’s limit is a little beyond 1GB. So even you buy a micro SD card with large memory, it doesn’t use it at all.

Awesome map software
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This software is great! Complete maps of the US. Has all the little wierd side streets that you didn’t know were there. Great buy, I use it all the time.

Great software
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I just got my first GPS, a hand held version (Garmin) in the fall and planned on using it mostly for hiking. I needed Topo information for the mountains I hike and this software is working very nicely for me. I would give it a 5 except that I have found several flaws in the road layouts and it has no trails in the Catskill Mountains of New York. I have used it hiking in the Catskills, the Grand Canyon, and in the Mojave preserve in CA with good results. It helps you see where you have been as well as you progress when traveling. I also use it considerably more often while driving and other then a handful of roads displayed incorrectly both in New Jersey and California it’s been great for finding locations and for seeing where I’ve been. I also ran into a few shortcomings with regards to routing to locations but I don’t know if that’s an issue of this software or the GPS but it sometimes suggests routs that are not possible because the roads don’t have an exit or similar errors.

Lacks sufficient detail for hiking/backpacking
Rating:2 out of 5 stars

In theory, you can use this product to download waypoints, an entire route, or even a topographic map to your Garmin mapping GPS. However, the maps are so lacking in detail that they are nearly useless for hiking or backpacking. For one thing, vertical contours are 150 feet each, compared with 40 feet for typical topographic maps. Contour lines, roads, and trails all look pretty similar to one another, and are really hard to view.

The interface is really easy to use — it took almost no time to figure out how to import and export maps and waypoints. However, the program has a very definite Windows 95 look with really simple graphics and colors.

It’s amazing that Garmin has created a line of terrific mapping GPS units, but then left out the maps. The bottom line is that there are currently no good options for getting detailed topo maps onto your garmin mapping GPS.

Not so good
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
I bought this because it has the topo maps and interface for the Garmin 60 CSx. I’ve used my GPS and software in the Colorado and Wyoming mountains.

I’m not very impressed with the quality of the maps. They are missing a lot of detail such as common hiking trails and 4wd roads. I realize they are only 1:100K maps so they won’t have the contour detail of some of the software that provides 1:24K for an entire state. However, they still should have common roads and trails.

I don’t think the software user interface is all that intuitive or powerful either. The menus are not grouped logically. There isn’t an easy way to show profiles for a route. It doesn’t provide a 3-D view. Delorme Topo USA has way more features and even 1:24K scale for the same price. I don’t see why can’t Garmin provide some of these features.

I really only use this because it provides the maps for the GPS unit itself.

I plan all my routes and waypoints in Maptech Terrain Navigator Colorado because it contains the necessary detail. Then I upload the route information to the GPS. National Geographic TOPO is great too if you need 1:24K detail.

Great Price, Speedy delivery
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Fantastic tool for my handheld GPS. Works great, maps are very good, even has street and dirt road detail. Maps take a lot of memory, so you can only load specific locations.

no trails
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
Bought this product for hiking and following trails in the northwest. It has very few trails on it, including some of the most popular. The Pacific Crest Trail and any trails in Forest Park are not on this.

better than nothing
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
Topo 2008 is certainly wonderful when compared to the nearly blank base map that Garmin generously supplied with my eTrex Vista unit. Overall, it shows “most” of the land features I would expect.

Problems: When in the “backcountry”, it’s obvious that many of the hiking trails and prominent features are not properly placed. Assuming my GPS unit was working correctly, the TOPO 2008 maps indicated that I was over 300 feet from the actual spot on which I was standing. This has happened numerous times. The GPS unit’s coords. were identical to those on my friend’s unit. Thus, the maps are the component in question.

Perhaps, my biggest issue is that Garmin is moving at a drunken snail’s pace in regard to making their products Mac friendly. if you’re an Apple user, one has to conquer a few obstacles before the maps can even get downloaded. But don’t worry – within 5 years, it’ll be addressed.

Average mapping software
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
I’d say the Topo is average. I’ve used others – DeLorme, etc… This is about the same. One issue I had was it’s accuracy. While using it, I found that all the roads are shifted slightly to the North or South on the map compared to where they actually are. Not a giant problem – as it is only max 100 yards. But if you are in deep timber – it could mislead you some. Not sure what’s the problem – but on my GPS MAP 60 csx – it is consistently this way. The detail is just average. There are better maps out there – but none that are compatible with the GPSMAP60. Also, they need more areas in their Parks version so we can get better detail of bigger areas. Additionally, you cannot use TOPO while using City Navigator in the same area. You have to manually switch back and forth depending on if you want to navigate via the roads on City Navigator – or if you are off the beaten path and need Topo information. That’s a pain. Overall, your choices are limited and for the greatest US coverage, this is your choice for TOPO with the Garmin units. It did suprisingly have some old skid trails already in it – which was a suprise! I liked that.

Could be more detailed
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
These maps are almost essential if you have an etrek unit. The maps that come with the etrek are woefully deficient and you need to upgrade them. But even these maps could be more detailed especially for the hiker or geocacher. For topographical maps, these are not very detailed and if you want to route plan cross country you will need much more detailed maps. However depending on what maps you get, you can set waypoints on the more detailed maps and transfer them to the etrek and they will overlay the Mapsource maps.

Garmin Topo US 2008
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
Garmin Topo US 2008 is a big disappoint. I have owned and used Garmin United States Topo for quite a few years and often wondered when Garmin would announce a new Topo product. Unfortunately Topo US 2008 is not much different than their old version. The terrain shading (only viewed on your computer, not on your Garmin Unit) is the only difference I can see, with the exception of a few more trails and roads added in (though still missing many other topographical points).

If you already own Garmin’s older version of United States Topo don’t bother purchasing Topo 2008 unless you really need “Terrain Shading”.

If you don’t own a previous version of US TOPO then I would recommend this product.

Garmin Topo 2008
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
I purchased the new release of Garmin Topo 2008 hoping it would fill all the gaps in the previous version. Since I am currently residing in Arizona, I use the updated program with a GPSmap 60CSx for hikes in the State. I had hoped the new version would improve on the shortcomings of the previous version where lots of well-documented trails/hikes were missing. Not so. Very little has changed in AZ, and I am thoroughly disappointed. Most of the trails/hikes that have been in existence in the State for years, are still missing. I would not recommend this program to any serious hiker.

Claus Pohl

Missing Unlocking Code..
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Got the product pretty fast. Was unable to find the code to use to unlock the maps. Also found that some streets are missing, around my places of interest.

Very accurate
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I bought this to use with my Garmin GPSMAP60cx. A great partnership for mapping and trailing.

Great Software
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
What an improvement over the old US TOPO. It has shading and better relief detail. I’m very happy I with the new version.

Load to GPS, use a different program
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
Let me break down the 3 rating:

Product scores a 5 in the ability to load TOPO maps onto my Garmin GPS.

Product scores a 1 in the mapping software features, usability, and trip planning ability.

If you want maps on your Garmin GPS this is your only option, and that part works great. If you want decent mapping software to plan trips, analyze terrain, store multiple trips, etc… I would recommend Delorme’s Topo software.

Realistic Expectations
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
I am going through the reviews here and one thing that I can see is that a lot of folks have totally unrealistic expectations for this product. A typical “quad” map that you would use for hiking is at a scale of 1:24,000. The maps used in this product are 1:100,000 which are suitable for hiking in some cases. Mostly they are going to let you know general proximity to features such as mountains, rivers major roads and so on which might possibly save your bacon if you are lost. You are dreaming folks if you think you are going to get 1:24,000 scale quad maps for the entire US for $75 that all fits on to your little GPS unit. For instance 1:24,000 maps that cover all of the state of Oregon from the National Geographic State series is over 3GB of data and costs about $100. The amount of data that you can fit on SD cards now is amazing but not that amazing that you could fit the entire US 24k maps on a micro SD card. By the way the paper version of those maps used to cost about $10 just for one map that covered approximately 7 miles in a north south direction and was two and half feet tall. Digital versions of these that are easy to use for the general public have only been around for about 15 years. How quickly we expect miracles in the digital age!

Garmin does make a 24k product divided up into regions like the west coast states for $94 (Garmin MapSource TOPO! US 24k West Topographic Coverage for Washington, Oregon, California, and Nevada (DVD)) which is availble on Amazon. Even this is pretty amazing to fit on to a micro sd card assuming that you can in fact load it all on.

Wildly inaccurate street data
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
As noted by other reviewers, the street data is often wildly inaccurate. In my neighborhood on the outskirts of Denver many (but not all) of the streets are off by several hundred feet. A nearby subdivision has been completely eliminated… but elsewhere Garmin has invented brand-new highways across the open prairie.

I asked Garmin customer support about this and I got a very convoluted reply. As far as I can tell what they’re saying is “we goofed”. Here’s the full explanation (or lack thereof):

“The street data in Topo US 2008 is at a scale of roughly 1:25,000 whereas the rest of the Topo application is at a scale of 1:100,000. Therefore the roads will be off by a few hundred yards. The road info was added after the application had already been produced and is to be used as a reference only.”

Funny that they say the road data is to be used “as a reference only”. It seems like it shouldn’t be used as any sort of reference at all.

In fairness to Garmin, the contour lines are pretty accurate.

Good, not great, topographic mapping
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
Huge improvement over basemap and pretty much a necessity for most uses. Shows all streets and urban details and also a fair amount of detail for hikers, such as contours, campgrounds, natural features and most, but not all, major trails. Now that the price has come down, the value is better. Hopefully, we’ll soon get a chance for a 24K topo map like Garmin has for national parks. In the meantime, this is all we have. If you’re looking for a lot of detail, in terms of 50′ contours, you’ll be disappointed. Loading on to Garmin handheld is easy.

Garmin Topo U.S.
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
I have used this product and have some mixed feelings. I also have National Geo Topo and like it very well. Garmin works and it does transfer to my hand help GPS. That is what I bought it for. The National Geographic Topo wont do this. The product would stand to imporve by adding more of the existing “Ghost Towns” and old mines like the Chumung Mine near Masonic. I was able to navigate to the Chumung Mine and it seemed to work with my Garmin Summint GPS. For example, it seems to take extra time to calculate milage or distance to a route. Hopefully, this is not due to my lack of experience with the software. I do wish it had more of the feel of the topo’s I have worked with in the past.

Great software
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This was all I needed to get the most out of my new GPS…plus it was on sale. The beauty of the 2008 version is that you don’t have to have the DVD in the computer to load onto your GPS. This eats up more harddrive, but saves a lot of hassle if you’re like me and like to put those things away into “permanent storage”

Garmin 2008 software
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
I was concerned about the 2008 Garmin edition of MapSource Topo. I have the previous edition. Apparently they have not updated the map detail in keeping with the regular updates done by the USGS. I called National Geographic about their Topo!GPS maps USA that are on a state by state basis but are 1:24,000 and are very detailed. You cannot transfer these maps to any Garmin unit as Garmin is very proprietary. You can transfer waypoints and POI’s but not the maps. However National Geographic told me they have just completed arrangements with Magellan that will allow transfer of their 7.5 maps to the new Triton GPS that will become availabe in the near future. So their is still hope for better mapping but this will require purchase of a Magellan unit.

LJB

Deceptive Advertising
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
I purchased the Garmin StreetPilot C550 GPS only because Garmin claimed compatibility with their Topo Mapsource software. This is only a half truth as I was to find out only after making my purchases of the GPS and software. Maps can be transferred from a laptop to the GPS, howsumbutever, trails & routes created in Garmin’s Topo Mapsource software CAN NOT be loaded onto the GPS. Transfer of routes & trails to the GPS was the #1 reason I purchased this GPS and the Garmin Mapsource software. My purchase of the Garmin StreetPilot C550 GPS receiver & accompanying Garmin Mapsource Topo software was an absolute waste of money. Garmin is being extremely deceptive by advertising compatibility between the StreetPilot GPS and their Mapsource Topo software.

TOPO Map for Garmin
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I am new to the GPS hobby, as a walker/hiker/biker, and wanted to upgrade both my GPS inventory of tools, and my skill using them. I have the Garmin GPSMAP 60, and needed some mapping software to use with it. The TOPO is as it is advertised: a US Continental map, loaded with information, color, symbols, menus, and mapping tools. It is overwhelming at times, but still very interesting to use. I find the lack of drop down menus, to assist the ham-handed rookies among us, to be needed. I often find myself asking,”Why does it do that?”. It is possible to switch back and forth between your GPS and the laptop, which makes the whole operation seem surrealistic. It is truly like living in the future. I am still jazzed by this purchase, and often just look at the maps because they are cool to look at. You can have a lot less fun and spend a whole lot more money. This is a good deal, and you may even learn something about maps.

Garmin topo gps CD
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
Garmin topo program would not down load to Microsoft XP. I tried to work through Garmin customer service and was on hold for 1.5 hours. Then I reached the level 1 tech who then referred me to the level 2 tech whom I never could speak to. So, I returned the product to Amaxon.

Useless if you have Garmin street maps
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
I had heard that this is a useful complement to the Garmin US Street Maps. My view is that is us useless as a companion. Huge amount of memory is taken up on the street maps, which are redundant if you have City Navigator NT. Then, the scale of the topo maps (1:100,000) turns out to be useless for hiking purposes. This was just a mistake to get.

Streets not updated, but much better resolution of topo lines
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
I like this product. It is much better than the old topo software, but can’t Garmin at least take the time to update the streets to make it easier to reference your position. Example: In my town, there is a subdivision that has been around for at least 4 years and none of the streets for that subdivision are indicated on the map. This is an area that used to have trails and now the trailheads have all moved, so it is confusing. But, the detail of the topo is much much better than the old software. I would also like to be able to increase the line width of the trails and roads or the lines should be darker or wider to begin with. They are very difficult to see on the topo maps.

Great Product For Hikers
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
This product is great for hikers, but I wish Garmin would combine the TOPO map software with the City Navigator Software, so those of us who like to drive and hike don’t have to drop $200 and use two software packages. Regardless, it’s great. It has a up to date street map and good TOPO information. I was disappointed that it didn’t show hiking trails in my local area. I’ll have to get separate paper maps for that I guess.

Garmin SW Human Interface has something to be desired
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
Garmin SW is improving in the Human Interface area, but still can use a lot of improvement. Further, I was amazed when using the SW in Grand Canyon National Park that the Forest Service roads to Point Sublime did not show up on the TOPO map. Basically, TOPO US 2008 is a marginal tool for use as a laptop SW Navigation system.

That said, its ability to organize, select and transfer maps to a portable GPS unit (I use a GPSMAP 76CS) is commendable. It also supports full USB interface to the GPS unit (even USB of the NMEA data that used to require a serial cable).

I use several GPS SWS packages including Natl Geographic TOPO!, Delorme TOPO, and Microsoft Streets and Trips. I’m not satisfied with any of them yet. The Garmin SW however is necessary as it is the only SW that will load maps onto my Garmin Receiver.

Wait! Don’t buy yet!
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
I purchased the Topo US 2008 to go with my new eTrex Summit HC. The Garmin topo maps in this product are 1:100,000 scale. I now realize that I need 1:24,000/25,000 scale which is the same as the USGS maps that I normally use. I would wait until they come out with the smaller scale. I am very disappointed. Once you have looked at an area in 1:24,000 scale, the 1:100,000 looks pretty useless.

Garmin Topo US 2008 vs. DeLorme Topo USA
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
I have been using DeLorme Topo USA to create trail routes and waypoints for hiking and backpacking trips for a number of years. I have also been using eTrex for GPS navigation for almost the same amount of time (I am now using Vista Cx). Recently, I purchased Garmin Topo U.S. 2008, hoping to save time to find/create trails and waypoints. But, I was wrong. Although the resolution and price of Garmin and DeLome products are about the same, Garmin Topo U.S. 2008 is a big disappointment. I spend more time with Garmin Topo U.S. 2008 to find trails and create waypoints. Below are my observations.

- It’s impossible to find trails till you zoom in into about 1 mile resolution. Then, you loose a big picture of an entire trail. Also, it’s very difficult to distinguish trails from roads and elevation contours – a display contrast is quite bad.

- Since it does not have a capability of selecting trail segments, it requires to manually creates a number of waypoints to follow the trail, to plot an elevation profile along the trail, and to estimate an accurate trail distance. This is time consuming.

- It seems that via-points of a trail are displayed with the names in the comment field. Also, the names are not editable. This makes the via-point names/numbers are not consecutive if new via points are inserted later. The eTrex Cx displays the names of all via points and gets quite cluttered.

- It does not have a 3D display feature. DeLorme Topo USA provides nice 3D plots.

Overall, I do not recommend this product.

Best of Mapsource
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Topo 2008 seems to combine the discontinued Topo and the current Roads and Recreation software, plus it adds many other features like 911 addresses. Another advantage to the DVD installation is that you do not need to use the DVD when running the program. Great stuff!

Better than nothing, but not by much.
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
Highlight: The actual Mapsource program, for transferring maps to your handheld Garmin. Lowlight: The actual TOPO map included on the DVD. For my area, it has some kind of datum error, off by almost .1 mile. Contours seem OK, placement of POI not so much. Found a much better Colorado topo map on the Web.

Great tool
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Garmin MapSource Topo U.S. 2008

I use the MapSourc to build maps of the area that i ride my ATV. I have the Data in my Garmon GPSmap 60CSx and my computers.

What is nice aboout it is that i can enter information into my GPS and then download it and then print a map.

An example would be one of the locations I ride in Montana. The ride tops out at a little under 10,000 feet, I can mark the locations of gold mines from the mid 1800s, where the snow is at in July and were to camp. Well worth the money.

Not hardly worth it for the Idaho Panhandle
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
1.) The fire road data is woefully incomplete, and some of the roads it knows about don’t actually exist, which shouldn’t happen as road beds just don’t just disappear overnight.

2.) The colors are such that it’s tough to distinguish a fire-road from a primary elevation line.

3.) It can’t navigate to trailheads on fire-roads.

4.) Even if you buy a big memory chip, the software will only let you move a fraction of the US to your GPS. And if you want to change maps, you get to start over, which could be an hour-long download to your GPS.

All in all, I wish I’d investigated some of the free topo tools and data rather than buying this.

Garmin MapSource Topo U.S. 2008
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I have the Garmin Vista C, with the earlier version Mapsource software. I found the new 2008 a real plus. I drove from Nevada to Ohio, used my laptop and my Garmin together. It is simple to use and is accurate, go for it. I can’t wait to use some of the other features.

map source
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
the map source is great. I do have a problem with billing, when i ordered map source it said 70 something and when the bill came with it i was blown away with 118.00. I am still waiting to see if it has been fixed.

so far so good
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
the topo usa 2008 maps for my Nuvi 200w Garmin gps seem adequate. being new to using a gps and not hard copy maps, the medium is somewhat confusing at times, and frustrating when trying to view overall scope and detail at the same time, as one can do on a regular topo map.

Garmin Mapsource Topo U.S. 2008
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
The Mapsource software was just like advertised, Product does everything plus more than I need. Price was great, but shipping was pains takingly slow (eight days), the product shipped from Missouri, and I live in Kentucky (one state away) that was an unreasonable amount of time. Payment was easy with fair communications.

Garmin mapsource topo us 2008
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
Even on my pc, the detail is pretty poor.(like where a creek name goes to,

lack of trails and roads) It’s even worse on my handheld gps. I’ll wait for a 1 to 24000 scale for my particular region.

Topo 2008 a Nice Upgrade
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I have found this new version of the Garmin Topo maps to be an improvement over the older version….more detail, especially. Price was right too at Amazon.com.

Wildly off track
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
In my local area (San Francisco Peninsula) the correspondence between the Topo U.S. 2008 maps and physical reality are off by from 200 to 500 feet! When I play my tracks against Google Earth (a nice Mapsource feature, BTW) they are bang on, but way off on the Mapsource depiction. I’m very reluctant to trust my life to this inaccurate mapping product, even more so in sparsely populated and back country areas where the location of streams and cliffs would be important to know accurately.

I’m using the new eTrex Vista HCx unit which I like very much.

Compiling map sets to upload to the GPS can take hours if a lot of segments are involved, and there are limitations to the number of map segment and file sizes the unit will accept. So I bought three 1GB micro SD cards and can fit the entire US (lower 48 states) mapset in three chunks (West, Midwest and East), each with less than 2000 map segments and file size less than 1GB.

Mapsource
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Worked way better than any of the other topo programs I have. I use it to hike off trail and with this i can pick a manageable route.

Everything I need
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This is my first GPS and I love it. It does everything I need and it is very accurate.

Meets Mimnimum- But No 3-D Relief
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
I am disappointed in the topo features of this topo product! There is no relief at zoomed out resolution and the relief when zoomed in is not blended- i.e. there is no 3-d effect at any resolution.

Like other MapSource products, it works well on the handheld but navigation is klutzy on the PC.

I get better zoomed out terrain indication on my other mapping products,even those that don’t advertise it, such as MS Streets & Trips. This was a wasted expense, but I got what I paid for. I should have purchased Topo USA but didn’t want to pay the greater price. Poorer but wiser, I will now do that.

Garmin Mapsource Topo 2008
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
So far so good with Topo 2008. It is a nice addition to my relatively low-level Etrex unit. Garmin’s instructions and documentation always leave something to be desired, but I am able to use it and manipulate the map segments I need on and off the unit. Sometimes I wish there were more details to the topo features, but the roads and streets are a nice upgrade from the base map that came with the GPS unit.

Topo 2008
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Good, but wish it included street addresses even though it’s a topo. Very easy product to use!

Works well, very helpful
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
This is an immense improvement over the last version of the topo, which had almost no roads listed by name. The product is easy to use, is intuitive, and makes mapping out routes, seeing trails taken, and finding GPS coordinates a cinch.

My only complaints:

1) its 100K:1 so the detail is obviously lacking. It’s good enough for basic stuff, but there are times that I’m kayaking thru solid/wetlands, or there are streams shown on the map that sure are invisible to my eyes.

2) it still seems not to be fully up to date, be it water, land or streets. Its certainly not up to date as of late 2007.

But, overall it adds a lot of extra value to having a GPS on the water and trail, and I make heavy use of it.

Very Pleased
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I purchased this product to use for hunting and scouting but until that time of yeat gets here I have been using it for Geocaching among a variety of other things. I am very pleases with this product, I installed it on my PC and downloaded it to my GPS and it is very easy to use on both and very helpful.

A must for backpackers
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
If you get a Garmin (recommend the 60 CSX) GPS, you have to get this software in order to go backpacking. It is very detailed, very accurate (READ THE INSTRUCTIONS), and simple to use. I will never be caught outside in the wilderness again without this. It is as vital to me as my water purification, and fire starting flint. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!

i found myself!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
The last version I had was 2005. This has excellent graphics and much improved maps. Would definitely recommend

Received Shipment in a timely manner.
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Received Shipment in a timely manner. I will use the Vendor again in the near future.

Garmin Topos 1:100,000
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Really a deal. Works great stand alone on your computer or in my case on the Quest II.

Shows ever peak, valley, minor dirt road, most mines, etc. Honest, best deal going.

Disappointing
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
This product is pretty close to worthless. There isn’t nearly enough detail to actually be meaningful. I intended to use this software for backcountry hunting. The few roads and trails that does show are nearly indistinguishable from other features on the map. The only good thing I have the say about this software is that it’s better than nothing, but not much. A standard printed topo map is much more useful and accurate.

Left Wanting
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
The software is just okay. I was disappointed in its lack of detail such as trails not shown or only partially shown. This may be due to Mapsource being 1:100,000. It would be much more useful if it was 1:24,000. Mapsource is the only software my Garmin device will accept, so it is better than nothing.

Good Mapping Software, few shortfalls
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Garmin MapSource Topo 2008 was my first purchase of topographical mapping software in four years. Previously, I used a Magellan topo map version on an older GPS unit. I installed Map Source on my Garmin E-Trex Legend HCX, the maps are for the most part high quality. In a week of testing I have come across a couple of errors on back country dirt roads. These errors include roads that do not exist, or are in a state of impassibility, they should probably be re-marked as such. On a final note, an excellent feature is the ability to open up your locations on Google Earth.

Garmin MapSource Topo map of US
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
The included topo maps are okay. A manual for the software is included on the CD and leaves a lot to be desired. I had one problem, and this may be due to my Garmin Vista GPS but I think it is the way Mapsource works. It is not expalined in the manual that if you download the maps of a state today and decide a week later you want to add more maps, when you add the second set of maps it over-writes the first set. When you download maps, only the last set you send to the GPS are stored in the micro-SD card of the GPS. It took about 20 minutes to downlaod the maps from 4 states into my GPS.

Room for improvment
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I had this software navigate me through the United States from North Dakota all the way down to to Texas and South end of florida. It did quite well however I was at times awed by how well and accurate it was. Then other times I was awed at how inaccurate it was(usually only out on the open road that it would be out by so much). Bottom line I am glad I had it along.

Streets & Topo sufficient but lacks construction changes
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
This product does provide decent topo along with normal road, street and highway presentation. It is easy to manage moving to my Garmin GPSMap 60CSx the data I need. However, some updated construction is missing. I see no way to update the construction information.

Oudated info, over-priced
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
I’ve caught several major highways that were moved 4 years ago, and they are outdated on the topos. They don’t include State Wildlike Management areas, and the detail is pretty lacking. Not worth the money.

Better than expected- but lots of data for small screen
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
From the reviews, I was prepared that this might be an inferior product. But, to my pleasant surprise it works great. The scale is obviously not what you would get on a quad map but that would be a waste on a small screen gps. The software that loads onto the main computer works wonderfully and has some very interesting locations on it that are not shown on other maps. Local historians are using some of the data now doing research on some sites. If my gps had an 11″ screen, I would like to have 1:24000 scale quads, but for the gps, this is great! Got a great price on it also.

Topo 2008
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
This does not provide the detail you normall get from a TOPO map. I found trails and roads missing. For a general map of the area it is OK and that sll it is good for.I would not recomend buying it because of its limitations.

Garmin Mapsource
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
So far I’m very happy with the Garmin Mapsource software. It was easy to install and get working with my gps. I’ve only barely used it with only a few maps. Likely it may deserve a 5 star rating but until I see more of it I think 4 stars is fair.

Horrifyingly slow and lacks details
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
I have a Zumo 550 that I wanted to load maps into. I have an 8gb SDHC card in the card slot, so plenty of memory for lots and lots of maps. I loaded California and Nevada into the card and checked out some areas that I know well around Death Valley. The map didn’t even include Ballarat, as well as missing most of the mines and mining camps and springs in the area. Granted, most of what is missing is also missing on the USGS 100k quads, but the USGS 100k quads at least include Ballarat.

But still, it’s the only maps pre-formatted for the Garmin GPS, so I checked the SD card. Two states was only 256mb. Great, I thought. I can put half the United States in there and still have plenty of memory for mp3’s. *WRONG*. At 10:30am today I set it going. It is 6pm now, and still says it has almost an hour to go before it even starts transferring (it’s been slowly crawling through “Building map set” for all that time). And I do *not* have a slow computer — I have a Core 2 Duo 2.1ghz with 2gb of memory, and according to the Windows Task Manager less than half that memory is in use, and neither CPU is maxed out. It’s just slow.

The only reason this thing gets two stars is because it’s better than nothing. I reserve 1 star for the utterly useless. Unfortunately Garmin refuses to releases 24k-scale topo maps for most areas of the United States, even though the fact that they release such topos for the national parks shows that they do have the technology to do so. I guess they figure that the only place anybody wants to go hiking is in national parks. Sigh. I suppose they’ll release full 24k topo maps on a state-by-state basis around the same time they release a Mac version of MapSource (i.e., “real soon now” — for the past two years — requiring me to use Boot Camp to boot into Windows XP to program the GPS). Grrr!

Accurate? I don’t think so.
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
I love Amazon reviews. If a product works, I can praise it. If it doesn’t, I can dis it. I am dissin’ Topo US 2008 by Garmin.

It is not accurate.

I know it is 1:100,000 (o.k.a. One over the World scale) but still, it would be nice if it had some passing resemblance to the stuff on the ground.

I survey rail-trails (bike) for fun, so I get a lot of GPS time on the trail. My Garmin 60CSx GPS is a superb machine. Five stars, no question. The Topo US 2008 that came with it sucks.

Case in point … Irvine, CA. In the Woodbridge Community there are two lakes, North and South. Only North Lake is shown on Topo 2008. One lake missing.

Case in point … Irvine, CA. The street grid overlays Sand Canyon Reservoir. No, they have not developed a tract down in the water. The street grid overlay seems to be displaced.

Case in point … Irvine, CA. I am surveying the Freeway Trail, which runs close along the north side of the San Diego Freeway. The map is showing me well south of the freeway. Duh!

The waypoints from the CSx, when uploaded to Google Earth are spot-on. No issues with the data; big issues with the maps.

Garmin would love to sell me a suite of electronic marine charts. Not buying. If the accuracy of those is anywhere near that of Topo US 2008, I would be on the rocks in a flash.

Trouble Transfering MapsTo GPS Micro Data Card
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
I could not transfer topo maps to my Garmin Etrex Vista micro data card. I had to go buy a card reader in order to transfer topo maps to the data card. The software Help was no help in fiquring out why the transfer did not work to the micro card. I could transfer maps to the Vista but the program did not recognize the data card. Garmin’s Support page was no help and I emailed Garmin Support for help which they promised to answer within 3 days. I did not receive a reply from Garmin Support. The maps are better than the base map that comes with the Vista but the maps are old and the product overall is of poor and dated quality.

Inaccurate at times
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
I purchased Topo 2008 because it has both road and topo data, and can upload both to my GPS unit. After some use, I found that the maps are off by roughly 1/3 city block (software shows me as just north of where I actually am). Furthermore, I found both gaps (missing stretches of road) and mislabeled roadways when looking at the stretch between I-405 south and Ross Island bridge (HW26) in downtown Portland, OR. The combination of missing roadway and mislabeled roadway in this stretch was bad enough that I had to use MapQuest instead. Hopefully I just encountered the only such case of this. If accuracy and completeness of road data are critical for you, spend your money elsewhere.

I gave it three stars because in all other cases it’s been close enough, and I am enjoying getting topo maps into my unit.

Astoundingly Inaccurate in places
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
I wanted something other than the base map that is built into my GPSMap 76CSx. I admit that I have not spent much time with this so far, but my initial impression is pretty bad. Until I ordered this product, I had been driving around San Diego, recording my tracks. When I loaded this product, I was startled to see how far off my tracks are in some places from the roads indicated on the map. For example, the east end of Sorrento Valley Blvd is pretty good. The west end of this road appears in this map a full 1000 feet (Yes. One thousand!) to the south of the actual road! It’s not like there is an overall shift of coordinates or anything like that. The roads are right in some places, and then just wander off.

Garmin Mapsource TOPO U.S. 2008
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
I knew when I ordered this product that the resolution was not as good as I would have liked but the mapping options for Garmin are rather limited.

I would prefer to have had 1:24,000 scale USGS maps but could only find that resolution with the national parks product from Mapsource.

The TOPO U.S. is 1:100,000 scale USGS maps…

I also found the instructions for downloading the maps to the micro SD card in my Garmin a little lacking in clarity. After several attempts a finally accomplished the transfer.

The balance of the product I found to be satisfactory.

Garmin MapSource TOPO 2008 DVD
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
I have a Garmin Vista C. Software is very easy to use. Thought the software would of had more details. Not much different from my older version

Very detailed Topo
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
This is a very detailed program but i have trouble switching between this and citynavigator on the Garming CSX 60.

Many trails missing
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
Purchased this product for the trails that are supposed to be included. We were to hike in the Ramapo Mountain Forest in northern New Jersey. None of the trails in the area are included in TOPO 2008. Buy the trail maps from the New York New Jersey Trail Committee. I wonder how many other trails are missing. Anyway the missing trails are published trails, so I thought they should be included.

Garmin MapSource Topo U.S. 2008
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
This is a very nice product, but it needs to have the ability to follow the road. The other two maps I have allow you to create routes that will follow the road or trail, but not this map. I find that is a very useful feature and miss it when it is not available.