Robinetta goes high-tech

We've mislaid our GPS. No idea what's happened to it. Its an old Garmin GPS12 I bought for hill walking many years ago but it works well. We've looked everywhere!

We're going to Burham next month for the Crouch Rally so we need something. I look at the market. There are a bewildering set of options

• replace the GPS12 with the modern equivalent - I'm reluctant to do this coz I'm sure the darned thing will turn up
• go for a hybrid walking and marine handheld with maps
• go for a hybrid car and marine dash mount unit with maps
• go for a proper chartplotter.

I decide all the hybrid units are a mess. The hybrid car units don't do turn-by-turn voice prompts, the hybrid walking units cost too much to add proper charts to, ...

I reckon there is nothing worth buying in the £100 to £300 range, below are good cheap hand-helds, above are some wonderful value mini-chartplotters with full UK and channel coverage. I order a Garmin GPS 450. Probably should have gone for a 450s with built-in echo sounder (add £50 for a transducer).