GPS with maps for touring / using an iPhone We are going to do a bike tour through France and Spain with a friend at the end of the summer. I was wondering what is the best option for a gps. Ideally we want something with the ability to display maps. I know that sometimes it is possible to download some free ones off the internet (the ones they sell are really expensive!). Anyone has experience with this? 

My budget is limited so I don't know if I can afford a Garmin 800 or even a 705. 

The other priority is that it should have a more or less decent battery life. I personally prefer AA battery in case I cannot charge it somewhere. 

By the way, has anyone used an iPhone for such a task? My friend has one. I can immediately think of a couple of drawbacks. First, the danger of breaking such an expensive gadget. Second, consuming all the battery very quickly.

I do mountaineering and trekking in the mountains as well so perhaps I wouldn't mind spending a bit more if I get something that I can later use on those trips as well.
If you have an iPhone or an Android phone there are various free options, some based on OpenStreetMaps, but even Google's own solution is excellent. For google maps you can download areas to store locally (for those areas you know you will have no connectivity) and it is free!

I'm playing a lot of Ingress at the moment, which requires 10 - 20 hour stints with my phone continuously running GPS, with the screen on (ie very high load) and my solution to the power problem was this 12,000 mAh battery pack from Amazon. It is only a little larger than my Galaxy S3 so sometimes I hold it with the phone, or I pop it in my rucksack.