i bought it for hunting in adorondacks, the electronic compass is the trick, it gets you back, and most importantly points you in the right direction even while stationary.does eat batteries, but they now have a new color model that boasts 20hrs. i like the baby joystick and highly recommend this unit for the woods. i had no problem with reception.

Customer Service

never needed them. good website and i bought the dvd from cabella's. it is very easy to use.

Similar Products Used:

bought the cheap garmin model without the electronic compass, worthless for my use. also, tried the summit, no joystick!! but good unit.

I think this is a great GPS for all outdoor recreation because it has just about every feature than you can imagine. It is also light, very durable, waterproof (but it doesn't float), easy to use, and it has a decent battery life. Like Andrew (below) I also had I GPS 12 before I upgraded to the Vista. My first time out I noticed that the track was much more broken up then before with my GPS 12. I took them both out together a fewer times to see if the GPS 12 did have a better signal. When I got home and downloaded both of the tracks they were identical (for the most part) to each other but the tack screen on the vista was showing more breaks in the track. Here's the thing... the Vista's screen resolution is much greater then the GPS 12 and also has a different tracking method where it uses little squares instead of a continuous line as with the GPS 12. So, the Vista is showing you breaks in the tack where the GPS 12 is not even though they are there. I think the antennas are of equal reception. I think this is a great GPS for all outdoor recreation because it has just about every feature that you can imagine. It is also light, very durable, waterproof (but it doesn't float so be careful), easy to use, has tons of memory, and it has a decent battery life. The one complaint that I have is that maps are a bit slow to load making panning a little frustrating.

Customer Service

Garmin-Never used, REI-great

Similar Products Used:

Garmin GPS 12

I am very impressed with the Vista. It's waterproof, light, has many useful features and I get great bat life with Lith bats. I used the vista last summer for a 54 mile trans sierra hike that ended at whitney portal and I used 2 sets of bats and never lost the signal. I put the vista in my mesh waterbottle holster on my pack and it tracks the entire time. Also, the one handed toggle button thing is awesome.

Customer Service

The web site is very useful. No other need for customer service.

Similar Products Used:

ETrex Legend, Megellian sporttrak.

water tight, tons of features and its light, looses signal though. dont stick it in your pocket if you watn a track log.

Customer Service

na

Similar Products Used:

na

I bought my E-trex Vista @ a year ago. It has many options that r great but i find that the sattelite reception is very weak compared to my GPS12. My GPS12 consistently picks up one or two more sats.. and the bar strength is about 25% better as well. I will carry them together on top of my back pack. The Vista will loose its signal easily. IT demands a clear view of the sky. I wish they would make a gps the size of the 76 screen with all these options too. thanks

Lovely unit. Used extensively for research plotting of sampl;e sites throughout river valleys and surrounding areas under dense tree cover. Always picked up satellites. Accuracy was good as the waypoints marked correlated well with compassed/surveyed navigation points. Could use a bigger screen but clarity and ease of use is great. Good thing it has a backlight though. Love the unit but could use more accurate detail of canada. Great buy and grat value

Similar Products Used:

High priced backpack units for forestry purposes.

Have owned one for about 2 years and have given it a good workout. Use it for paddling in the Adirondacks, in my sailboat and for business travel. Would buy it again. I like the small size and lightness. It's waterproof but have noticed a couple of times that it doesn't float. Battery life is good enough. Not as long as my GPS III plus but it uses half as many batteries. Screen is ok but I'd like one tens times as big. If I can't have that, then an extra 50% will do. Software logic and buttons are a snap if you use a computer. On the sailboat I'd don't have many complains except that WAAS doesn't add much. I would also like an audible "you have arrived" for mark roundings in the foggy dark stuff I'm always sailing in. When paddling and hiking it often loses the fix. There have been numerous times when I've strapped it to a long stick or paddle and pushed it above the trees to get a reading. It's pretty hard to get lost on a river but I do like to take out before the waterfall rather than after. Also, I'm always looking for campsites in the dark. I'm sure leaving earlier would help but I'd rather blame the equipment. Business travel with this thing has been been great. It won't pick up a signal in NYC. Also, if you plan on visiting more that three fare flung cities, the 24 M memory isn't enough, I would like a million M. I also would like Mapsource maps for Eastern Europe, China and Thailand. Additionally, I noticed that detail for much of Canada doesn't exist. I think that were their hidding the really good flannel. The maps for western Europe work well. One last request is that a "find liquor store" button be added. A button shaped like a tipsy martini glass would be cool.

Customer Service

Mine went kaput after 13 months. Called them, got an RGA, they fixed, they are my friend.

Similar Products Used:

high tech lasers

I received my eTrex Vista last Christmas and have given it much use over the last year. I have yet to be disappointed with its features and function. The eTrex Vista is a perfect combination of features in a light weight, durable package. I have found this unit simple to use, after only a few 'training' sessions I was able to easily navigate through the GPS' functions. Over the past year, there are very few functions that I haven’t used at one time or another. One of the great features of the Vista is the ability of the user to customize the information displayed on the ‘Trip Computer’ page, each user can display only the information they wish to see. Almost every data display page can be customized by the user to fit his/her needs. Of the three main functions, GPS receiver, electronic compass, and barometer/altimeter, I have yet to notice any accuracy issues. The Altimeter/Barometer seems to have less drift than my other electronic barometer/altimeter, requiring less frequent calibration. I have learned to disable the compass feature when traveling on well established trails to save batteries. My one complaint is actually with another Garmin product: The MapSource Topo CD has been somewhat of a disappointment. I have noticed repeated inaccuracies and deficiencies not consistent with other mapping programs that I own. Although, I do recommend purchasing the MapSource program that best fits your needs, understand that it is no replacement for an accurate hard map. What has really impressed me is that this unit has managed to stick with me through many rough trips through the canyons and trails around Arizona. I am very hard on equipment and tend to destroy the meeker gear. My eTrex Vista has survived a few unscheduled dunks into streams/lakes/rivers, vaults over boulders and one tumble down a hill that I was sure was going to be the end of my GPS as well as numerous bumps and bangs above and beyond every day wear and tear. With the exception of some scratches, my Vista is unscathed. One nice feature of Garmin’s website is the ability to download updated firmware for their GPS receivers. My Vista has been updated multiple times from which has only made the unit easier to use with increased features including a personalized ownership page at startup, additional data fields for the ‘Trip Computer’ page, increase in the formats available for use, and more. This unit is not for everyone, users who use there GPS primarily in a vehicle or are not concerned about weight would do better with a GPS featuring a larger display (i.e. Garmin's new GPSMAP 76S). For the backpacker/trekker that is looking for a full featured, durable, lightweight unit, the eTrex Vista is an excellent choice.

Similar Products Used:

Garmin eTrex, GPSMAP76, GPS II+. GPS III, GPS V, GPS 12XL.

I have used numerous GPS units over the past 10 years for work and pleasure. To date, I have been most impressed with the Vista and give the legend a close second. I do admit that under poor conditions it tends to lose sats. But after dealing with units like the military PLGR(supposedly highly sophisticated and accurate), 'd tell the military to change over to the vista/legend. When plotting points on quads, the garmins are more consistantly accurate(the PLGR would say accurate to 30 feet and be off by over a 1/2 mile). I've used the units on open water, in vehicles, in river valleys, and in heavilly forested areas and have had the best results with the vista/legend. I've had to carry spare batteries with every GPS I've used and the etrex models require only 2 AA compared to as many as 8 AA for the PLGR. For those of you having sat problems in vehicles, I've seen external antennaes advertised for $70 that rebroadcast the sat signals.

Customer Service

I've used Garmins website to update their MapSource Topo software and Firmware updates for the GPS. Both work great and the added features are beautiful.

Similar Products Used:

Military PLGR, Magellan MAP410, Motorola LGT with Starlink diferential, Garmin etrex Legend

I have had it for a year now and I am still very happy with it. I use it primarily to validate old benchmark locations while hiking (yeah I know, strange hobby). So far, the best accuracy I had noted was measured down to 7 feet (on one occasion). I consider that really great for a commerical handheld GPS. On line support from Garmin is commendable in that they take the time and effort to continually update software. The updates are easy to download into the E-trex Vista. Several men I work with also selected the same GPS after doing extensive product research. The decision in purchasing the E-trex Vista were the features, performance, and flexibility. This is a fine product and after a year of owning it, I have not had any buyers regret. Andy USMC