Hi, I just got an etrex 20 and am completely naive on how to use it. I'm sure I will learn it quickly, but for starters, I didn't realize that Garmin charges almost as much for their maps as they do for the device! I noticed that there are free maps available online (cloudmade, for example), but I am skeptical. I basically have the device for an Italy trip I am taking and would like to have road maps etc. so I don't get lost when driving. Eventually, I will probably want to use it for hiking in the U.S. as well - to set way points etc. Here are my questions: 1. Is there a way to get inexpensive/free maps? 2. If yes to #1, are these maps as trustworthy as the ones I would spend a fortune on through Garmin? (in terms of accuracy, functionality and device compatibility) 3. If I can download free maps, how do I know what file to download? For example, on cloudmade.com, I can download a map of Washington State to my computer but I don't know: -what folder to place it in within the Garmin -Which of the following maps I should download? The file extensions are Greek to me (and I don't read Greek). washington.administrative.osm.bz2 (2.8M) washington.ai.zip (97.4M) washington.coastline.osm.bz2 (5.4M) washington.highway.osm.bz2 (60.8M) washington.img.zip (20.7M) washington.navit.bin.zip (32.9M) washington.osm.bz2 (80.5M) washington.poi.gpx.zip (1008.9K) washington.poi.tomtom.zip (656.6K) washington.poly (316.9K) washington.shapefiles.zip (67.8M) Any help would be much appreciated!!
