Before the company started making GPS devices, Delorme made and published maps. These days the company also makes several models of GPS receivers that according to the slogan, are ‘serious tools’. However, the company hasn’t strayed far from its roots with a multitude of mapping options available.
The PN-40 is a revision of the PN-20. The PN-20 was the company’s original foray into the handheld hiking GPS market. Although the company still sells the PN-20 at a lower price point, the PN-40 has overtaken the PN-20′s spot in the GPS lineup. While the PN-20 is a great GPS, users complained of very slow map refresh rates and a slow interface to the unit. So, Delorme decided to add another processor to the GPS and called it the PN-40. The resulting GPS is a much easier to use affair. One no longer had to wait seconds between map refreshes.
During our four day test, we got a pretty good feel for the PN-40 and its quirks. In the field we had very few problems with the unit. The menu system is straight forward and even changing maps can be done with a few clicks. We ended up using the PN-40 for navigation far more than even the paper maps that we had brought along as the PN-40 was quicker and easier to use. In fact, the PN-40 helped us from getting lost at a few unmarked breaks in the trail that our map wouldn’t have helped us with. At a minimum, the PN-40 saved us several hours of backtracking, which was worth the price of the unit by itself.
The hardware of the PN-40 was very well put together and the unit comfortably fits in the hand. The only problem we had while we were on the trail was with a single pair of batteries. For some reason the unit would not turn on for more than 5 to 10 seconds with a particular set of new batteries. Once we changed out the batteries, the PN-40 resumed working as normal. Other than that single problem, the unit performed flawlessly during our trip. We found routing very easy to use and waypoints only required a few seconds to setup.
If there’s one thing that stands above the rest about the PN-40, it’s the maps available for the unit. We were ecstatic to see that the unit came with comprehensive topographic maps for the entire United States. The trails we were using for our trip were even included in the base maps. This was a gigantic difference than the base map that comes with the Magellan Triton 2000 that we had also brought along.
However, there are more than merely the included maps for the PN-40. For $30 per year, Delorme will let you download an unlimited number of maps from their Netlink map service. These include USGS topographic maps, nautical maps, and several aerial or satellite photo options. While the process to download the maps is a bit awkward in that you have to ‘order’ each set and wait for it to be delivered, it is still fairly easy to use. The Topo USA software that comes with the PN-40 is also easy to use and provides many options for reviewing your past trips or planning future trips.
There are a few downsides to the PN-40. While we loved the many maps that are available for the unit, the screen is a bit too small and too low resolution to effectively use some of the maps. We found the USGS maps a bit hard to read on the smaller screen of the PN-40 and ended up using the base maps most of the time, which we much easier to read. Additionally, the PN-40 doesn’t have a touch screen like the Triton or the Garmin Oregon series. This made navigating the menus a bit more difficult. This wasn’t a huge problem, but we would like to see a touch screen on the next model.
Perhaps the biggest issue we had with the PN-40 was downloading the maps. While the map system was a bit awkward, it would be okay if it actually worked. In our experience, fully 50% of the maps would fail downloading and we would have to manually download them via an email sent by Delorme.
The PN-40 has a MSRP of $399.95. As of writing this article however, it is available for less than $300 at several places on the internet. Overall we find this to be a very good deal given the massive amount of maps that come included in the box.
