The options on this review sucks. I am not a backpacker. I am a hunter, off-road enthusiast, camper, and hiker. I just recently was given the Garmin E-Trex as a gift. I have enjoyed using it. It seems to be quite accurate in it's calculations. The tires on my jeep are oversized and the GPS will tell me my actual speed. I have saved track logs of Home2Work and Work2Home. It seems to keep accurate details of the trips and responds with turn notices and such. I am very pleased with it. However, I would be 100% satisfied if it supported an external antenna and Garmin made a nice swivel mount for vehicles for the E-Trex.

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None

A sturdy little GPS receiver, nice and light. It has done everything I have asked of it, works one-handed, and holds signal very well. There is nothing else remotely close to it in its price range.

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Magellan 315
Garmin eMap

There are two basic kinds of handheld GPS users and receivers designed to accomodate their needs. One is the 'mapping' group, who do a lot of vehicle travel on known, recognized trails or roads and in urban areas. These people love the topo map displays & find it easy to orient since they cover a lot of ground.

The other group needs a lightweight, energy-efficient, multifunctional navigation tool that gives basic, necessary direction information in concert with a topo map for hiking in remote areas. For these people, the Garmin e-Trex is the best entry level product out there, bar none. It is tough, light, uses only 2 AA batts & lasts a long time with them. The only GPS receiver that really offers any advance over the e-Trex to THIS group of users is the Brunton MNS, which gives GPS, one-button straight path return, electronic compass with lockable bearings, separate altimeter accurate to 3 feet, weather barometer and 36/hr warning feature, thermometer & clock.

Similar Products Used:

All Garmin 12 products
Brunton MNS

I am a techie. I usually have all the coolest gadgets. Sometimes I make mistakes but not with this baby. I bought the Garmin 12CX over a year ago and took it to the jungles and on the ocean in Belize and was glad I did but that's another review. I wish I had had the little one then also. The one thing everyone has to realize is that nothing will replace a map and compass and the knowledge to use them. What the gps system does is augment your abitilty to locate yourself and get back to wherever you want to go, even years later.

The etrex handles this job admirably. it's simple, light, and so far pretty able to take a pounding. I have been using mine mountain biking all over southern New York state and northern New Jersey. It has held up to the pounding i've given it on rocky trails and through numerous crashes. I have a neoprene pouch I bought for it and I keep it on a belt along with my first aid kit and my cannon elph camera. New York state has a web site with satellite photo maps of the state and I use the coordinates I save to download pictures of the areas I go to.

So far none of the gps handhelds I've used have been able to keep a lock on the satellites under dense tree cover but it hasn't been a big problem because most areas aren't that dense for long. I agree with others that it takes a bit of work to get to some of the screens and find the information you want but it's a trade off for the size and simplicity of the unit. One I'm willing to accept. I mark locations like crazy in the field and edit them when I get home. All in all I like the etrex and recommend it to anyone who want's an easy to carry and use gps.

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Garmin 12CX

This little thing is amazing for the price. It has as many features as I could want and does one thing really well- gets you back from where ever you go. Any other bells and whistles would keep your head down looking at the screen instead of enjoying the whole reason you are outside anyway. I have the cable to hook up to my laptop, which opens up alot of possibilities, the best of which is easy of entering in waypoints. 5 chilis for sure.

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AN/ARN-151(V), older Magellan

This unit is for outdoors people who want more than a map and a compass. It is not for expert GPS user demanding all the bells and whistles. What I like about this unit is (1) Simple one handed operation. (2) Compact and light. (3) Automatic route recording feature. I upload the recorded route to PC for recordkeeping and future reference. (4) Free regular software updates from Garmin. It seems to me that Garmin do listen to user suggestions for improvement. For example, just recently, satellite signal status page was added. (FYI, I have the Etrex Summit).

Customer Service

None needed

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None

The previous review doesn't really seem accurate. If the reviewer had gone to the compass page and used the up and down buttons he would have seen his location as well as a lot of other info. My previous unit was the Garmin GPS II and the only feature the Etrex has that the II didn't is the ability to scroll in the moving map page. The Etrex tracks consistently when I'm kayaking, mountain biking and hiking. A well designed product with more feature than my buddy's $200 Magellan.

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Garmin GPS II

I like the eTrex for desert navigation. It's light, reliable, inexpensive, and has excellent accuracy. I really haven't found a need for mapping or other elaborate features, my thinking is if you want something to play with, get a GameBoy. But the basic eTrex will give you all the info you need to fix your position and get back home, even in trackless dune desert. And that's what it's all about!

Customer Service

Never needed it.

Similar Products Used:

Garmin 12, various Magellan

The etrex worked fine in good weather but once it turned rainy and cold (but all within its specifications) its display fogged over and it shut down completely for approx. 3 days.
All Garmin had to say about this was:
"The GPS12 or 12XL would be better in the rain. "

If you want a reliable GPS do not buy this unit!

Customer Service

see above...

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None

I have the E-trex Summit model and have been very satisfied with it. Contrary to a previous review, the signal reception works great in Summit County, CO. I have not lost a signal unless I am up against a steep rock face or narrow canyon. It also seems to hold a good signal in the pine/aspen forests up here. The altimeter is accurate and very useful. However, the rate of ascent and descent features are worthless and completely inaccurate - I prefer my Avocet barometric wrist barometer for rate of ascent and descent. The electronic compass is very sensitive to being held level and does not have a "level" indicator. Even a few degrees off level can create a substantial deviation from the true bearing. I think this is true of most electronic compasses though. Overall, I really like this GPS. The small size is perfect and very light weight. Garmin is also improving on an already good design with new software updates. I don't think it is possible to get all these features from any other manufacturer. If Garmin could just fix the rate of ascent/descent feature I would give it 5 stars.

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None