Garmin eTrex Handheld GPS

It's great for getting a coordinate to locate yourself on the topo, and for remembering a location you want to return to. It's possible to pre-enter coordinates of destinations from a topo, though the process is a little tedious (entering two 7-digit coordinates by scrolling though lists of digits.) E-trex displays direct distance & direction to such waypoints nicely.

It does have trouble receiving the satellite signals in narrow canyons or in a forest with leaves overhead. As a result, the recorded "track" and trip odometer are often spotty or inaccurate (it only records your track and tallies distance when it has a good signal.) I've done 10-mile hikes where it's read only 3-4 miles at the end, reflecting the part of the trip it had satellite reception. It receives better when held rather than kept in pocket or pack. It usually receives fine in the car, too.

The manual doesn't cover all the features, so you have to experiment to master the unit. Battery life is only a dozen hours, so I tend to turn the unit only only to mark waypoints and check locations rather than record continuous tracks.


sailing with my etrex   April 23, 2000
 14 out of 16 found this review helpful

Rugged, hand held and easy to use only starts to describe my experience with the new e trex. I took it along out of the box on a recent twenty mile sail boat race. It performed flawlessly. Average speed, current real time heading display allowed me to accuratley guage my volocity made good and led to a third place finish against much larger boats. At the regatta dinner I was told that I sailed a "brilliant race". Great features Great Price Great product!


GPSsing around the world   April 12, 2000
 16 out of 16 found this review helpful

I've used this little tool in more than 13 developing countries around the world (where my job brings me) and I do GIS for my work. it is excellent, rugged, shock resistant and most af all it runs on 2 aa batteries and lasts for a week before it needs new batteries (rare where I work). Great and simple.


Great for hikers   March 8, 2000
 40 out of 40 found this review helpful

I have used E-Trex for several outdoor activities: running, hiking, biking, x-Country skiing, kayaking and inline skating. I can put the E-Trex in my pocket - do whatever activity is on the menu - and end up accurate odometer readings. Think of it? A true indication of how far you have run, skied or paddled (if this does not appeal to you, read no further). The E-Trex is also great for finding my way home on long bike rides or runs in unfamiliar places.

Limitation: The display of your "track" (where you have been) is limited. It is hard to scale the track picture so you can see your path and still read waypoint names. Scrolling of the tracks display would be nice too.


Wish there was more memory   February 7, 2000
 73 out of 80 found this review helpful

I used this product driving across the USA and Canada, total of 15000 miles. Very accurate, reliable. Saved a lot of my time and gas. Only one thing, I wish there was more memory. Once the memory runes out, the older path of where you have been starts to get erased. I personally lost the record of where I drove in the morning by late afternoon,( if I drive containuously all day) It has a separate way point input option though, and it came out very handy. It does not work well in the concrete jungle (big cities) where you probably dont need GPS. There's too much other radio interference and tall buildings blocks the satelite signals in big cities, but instead there are many land marks and rode signs that confuses you and entertains you and afterall there are helpful to let you know ehre you are. over all, very nice product for low budget traveler and hiking purposes. love the size and burability.