GPSmap Collections

I recently bought a Garmin GPSMap 65s and have spent days trying to get it to work. The GPS unit itself is not too bad but the software environment to upload/download/organize and display data is byzantine and, even with the ridiculous number of steps needed to get anything done, it still does not do what my 20 year old Delorme Earthmate can do.

Here's what I would like to do. I have a number of sets of GPX files containing only waypoints. Each file has a number of waypoints. I want to go into the field and display the waypoints in one of those sets. I would like to be able to add some waypoints to that set. Then I want to save that set and display another file containing other waypoints. On the Earthmate, I can just plug the GPS into the PC and download the several GPX waypoint files. In the field, I can just open any chosen file to display those waypoints and add additional waypoints. Then I just save the file on the GPS and open a different waypoint file. Simple and easy. I have spent days trying to figure out how to do that with the GPSMAP 65s. With a lot more complexity I think I have figured out how to do most of that but not all. Here's what I think is required:

1. With the GPS files on the PC, import them into the explore.garmin.com app.
2. Create a collection for each waypoint file and assign the appropriate waypoints to each collection.
3. Create an empty collection to hold any new waypoints.
4. Set up sync on the PC to make the empty collection the active one and select all of the waypoint collections to be synched.
5. Wait a while for the Explore app on the smartphone to get all the collection info.
6. Use the smartphone to sync all the waypoint collections, including the empty collection.
7. On the GPS, disable all the collections except the one I want to view.
8. When I want to see a different set of waypoints, disable the currently viewed collection and enable the one I want to see.

Even though this is far more complicated than the Earthmate process, I still can't add more waypoints to the existing collections. Anything new will go into the previously empty collection. As a result, I have to use the smartphone to sync everything when I get back home, then use the explore.garmin.com website to assign all of the new waypoints into the appropriate collections.
This requires so many more steps than the Earthmate process and requires the GPS, a smartphone, the PC, and a website.
Have I got all this correct or is there a simpler solution that I am missing?

 

It seems like you know your stuff! Your experiences with the Garmin GPSMap 65s show that despite the somewhat complicated procedure, you've managed to handle most things. The truth is, Garmin requires a lot more steps than Earthmate, especially when it comes to adding new waypoints to existing collections. Fortunately, with practice, you'll be able to minimize the difficulties and better manage your routes. It's worth being patient and not being afraid to experiment with different features.

Best regands Christopher