Why pay for Garmin maps when Google maps are free?

There's the level of data available. Google maps are very good in cities and for roads. They are no use at all off road. read more

On my bike I use a Garmin computer with maps. Garmin supplies a built in map for the region in which the device is sold. If you go elsewhere you can buy Garmin’s map, which costs money. Or you can download Open Source Maps for free. Downloading the OSM is a somewhat lengthy process, but reasonable if you are methodical and systematic. read more

Data connectivity: google maps are paid for by the in-app advertising. Handheld GPS devices are used in places that often have no data connectivity, and even then you would want it off to save battery life. No connectivity = no ads = no money; The mapping: google maps outside cities and off road are poor. read more

The advantage is that these are vector maps and will behave like the Garmin products like City Navigator or Garmin Topo. Meaning that you can zoom in tight and not have pixel distortion like the Garmin Custom Map or Birdseye Topo. Another Free option which is to use the Garmin Openstreetmap (http://garmin.openstreetmap.nl/) . read more