I already have one in my vehicle, so that's not an issue.
Been thinking for awhile now about a handheld dedicated to hiking and geocaching.

Would you go for a more stripped down model or all the bells and whistles?

I guess my biggest concern would be the ability to load maps showing trails and fire roads.

I use an app on my iPhone. Works great!!

-- Lauren

Both of our vehicles have their own GPS, but I also have a Garmin Summit handheld for geocaching.

They definetely come in handy, AND youy need to get tne "basecamp" software. It is awesome, and lets you unload your gps tracks and waypoints into history. If you purchase the map software, and a capable gos, you will be able to select map locations to upload to yor handheld...for instance, I dont have a SD port so I need to select the location i am going to and load the maps on my internal memory. The maps are very detailed with elevation etc.

How much does that setup run?

I dont remember exactly, but the software is 100.00 I believe and a Summit is ~150.00 I think. You can get a bundle with gps, cover, software, and cables for a decent price, and you can't go wrong with a Garmin.

Do you recommend a good place to buy one?

I ended up getting my latest one from Cabellas or Bass Pro. You can goto the Garmin website and search for the price and unit you like (etrex series) then shop online from there for the best price and bundle. This is my second etrex---I upgraded to the color screen, magnetic and gps compass, and true barometric altimeter. My old one is about 10 years old now, and doesnt offer geocaching options, or a usb interface....was time for a new one.

I bought mine at Cabellas, it was like maybe 200 dollars.

I have a good app on my phone for geocaching, etc.

Yep, I have an old garmin , bout 12-15 years old, still goin strong, we don't use it, but I still have it and carry it as a backup