I have a Garmim eTrex Vista that I purchased about 7 - 8 years ago. Not sure exactly how long I have had it, but I am quite satisfied with it.
I purchased the Garmin MapSource CD-Rom maps that you can load into the GPS and they are good but not as detailed as some paper maps.
I am sure technology has improved since then, but a good GPS with the ability to load maps into the GPS can be one way to go.
THAT BEING SAID, if you really spend a lot of time with your GPS, I think you could get by without the maps. It will likely depend on what you want the GPS to do. I take mine fishing with me all the time and this provides excellent practice.
In my opinion there are very detailed paper maps that you can look at and get general coordinate from and do just fine, if you are looking for just a few coordinates. If you are planning to cover a larger area than this may not work. If you can load maps into your GPS that are as detailed as the paper maps then that is the way to go. The MapSource maps are not as detailed but will do.
I get Delorme maps and they have more than enough coordinates on them for me to find where I am at. However, I have used my GPS enough so I am more confident with it than I am with my cell phone.
I guess what I am saying is, if you spend a lot of time with your new GPS, you may get confident enough with it that you may not need the maps.
Jim