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Great investment! Quite a good value. The Garmin etrex is reliable and affordable. If you are new to Global Positioning Equipment this is for you. There is nothing bad to say about this entry level piece of equipment.

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as an aviator, i wanted to buy a portable gps which can be both used on the ground and while flying. decided on purchasing the garmin eTrex venture a week ago after weeks of comparisons with other gps and i would have to say that this is one of the best buys i''ve made. and while i have''nt used it while flying, i took it out for some geocaching and i''m really impressed. beat my friend to the cache who was using a different gps. he was 20 ft. off, i on the other hand was only 6ft. off. i especially liked it''s compact size, friends even thought it was a phone. it''s got cool graphics and the right price.

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I use the Vista for hiking, navigating in the car, in my power and sail boats, and for VFR flight navigation coupled to my STEC autopilot.

The Vista performs well! The signal reception is good. Accuracy is good.

Operating the Vista command buttons is frustrating, and the small screen is hard to read (impossible to "scan"). This is really a problem while you operate vehicles. The driver cannot safely be the GPS navigator!

The joystick part of the click stick works fine (up/down/right/left). The data entry function (the click) is so unreliable that it leads to entry errors. Not fun when your moving!

My Vista draws 285 milliamps (GPS & compass on). Duracells (2850 mah) last 8-10 hours, and 1000 mah Nicads last 3 hours. Cheap Nicads (500 mah) last less than 2 hours. It gobbles power!

The Vista comes with the PC data cable. I also bought the 12 vdc power cable. It turns out you cannot use both at the same time! I really needed the power & data cable. I'll mickey mouse the cables rather than spend another $50!

I would like to buy the Mapsource R&R or Topo software, except I am reluctant to buy anything without seeing it first.

The Vista is good; it's the battery consumption, cables, maps, and extra $$$ that keep it from being "great."

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The little Garmin Etrex packs a mighty punch. The GPS is only 2" x 4.5" in size but has many features. I've used mine on about 6 backpacking trips and one kayaking trip. If used in conjuction with a map software package, the benifits are even greater. I now use the Maptech software for the National Parks that I commonly visit. It makes it much easier to download waypoints and tracks. If you buy the Etrex, I highly recommend getting the combination PC & 12v car adapter. I feel the PC cable is almost a requirement so that software updates can be downloaded as well as uploading and downloading of trip information. The 12v portion of the adapter helps keep a strong signal (and saves batteries) while you are in your car. Take the small Etrex, add a laptop and software such as MS Streets & Trips - a complete car navigation system! As I mentioned before, I bought mapping software for my computer. Before I bought the software, I used the Gartrip shareware (see: http://www.gartrip.de/). This is a great shareware. What is really nice about it is that it will allow you to scan your favorite map into the program. Then you just use a couple of known GPS locations to calibrate it. Now you have a map that you can upload and download information from. As far as the Etrex performance, I notice that there is a considerable difference in how fast it locks onto the satellites based on where I'm located. Here at sea level I would guess the aquisition time is around 15 seconds on average. This was almost instantaneous in the mtns out west. The batteries last around 20 hours. I bought a handful of Nickle-Metal Hydride batteries for use in all my techno gear, so battery usage is not an issue with me. Some neat features include a satellite clock for very accurate time. The current speed display is accurate to about 0.1 MPH at around 60 MPH, so it is great for calibrating your cars speedometer. The altitude is a great feature although the error is about 3X greater than the lat/lon error. This is becuase it's hard to triangulate altitude. But the altitude is still accurate to +/- 50-100 ft which is more than accurate enough for any mountain travel. The thing I love most about the Etrex(and GPS's in general) is that even though I still use a map and compass, the GPS provides a very accurate reading of where I'm located. Hiking in the mountains, its always great to know exactly how much climbing remains, or the estimated time of arrival to camp. This is a great product for beginners to avid users. My next GPS will likely be the Garmin Legend as I like the idea of built in basemaps of the US, as well as the ability to download other maps.

Customer Service

No experience, but Garmin has a great website with plenty of information. I suggest downloading the Etrex manual from their website, as the one that comes with the unit is the abbreviated edition (I assume this is done to keep down printing costs)

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Garmin GPS12

Save your money and get the standard Garmin eTrex or eTrex Summit or, if you want something bigger, a 12CX or III+.

I have heard from to six Garmin owners who had the 'click stick' function break on their Vista, Venture or Legend. Either the rubber boot tears, rendering the receiver open to water, (goodbye Garmin waterproof advantage), or the mechanism breaks, and this on fairly new units. Until Garmin redesigns this thing I would recommend ONLY the standard eTrex model (yellow) or the Summit version.

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eTrex (various)
Garmin III+
Garmin 12

I have the eTrex Venture. This is a great little unit. While the standard eTrex is fine, by the time you add a $40 computer cable you are within $10 of the Venture (which comes with the cable) plus the Venture gives you the Joy Stick operation, improved screen definition, saves 20 vs. 1 track , memory, etc. I've had good reception even in deep canyons, trees. Its hard to make good time when my wife keeps stopping to check how far we have come.

While the operation is fairly intuitive, it still takes some effort to master all the features. Really adds a new dimention to hiking, etc. I think Garmin did a good job understanding and addressing the outdoorsman in the eTrex series.

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Garmin eMap

After trying out several receivers, the standard eTrex is still my favorite. It has water resistance rating as high as any other consumer level handheld, and seems to last forever on a pair of batteries, yet only costs a little over $100 U.S. It can be used one handed and tucked into a shirt pocket or clipped to my pack shoulder strap for easy access. Small, simple, and efficient is best for hiking - no one should venture in the backcountry with only a GPS anyway, map display & built-in compass or not. What if your GPS breaks down?

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I have been disappointed in Magellans, they usually offer more features for the money but this is of no use as they don't withstand hard rain or accidental dunkings in my experience. Bigger or more elaborate Garmin receivers that take more batteries have some advantages, but always at the cost of more battery usage. If you learn to enter map coordinates and plot them from a hard copy map, computer map displays aren't needed anyway.

The etrex is the probably the best GPS device on the market for bushwalker (or hikers in U.S speak). It is light weight and can be surprisingly capable at acquiring signal even in deep gorges, although forested country can be more of a problem. The buttons are a little fiddly but can be mastered relatively easily. The 150 gram weight points is terrific. Having used the GPS in many different conditions I can recommend it. If you are purchasing it, buy the cable as well so you can update the software. Accuracy is on par with larger, more expensive units. The casing is water resistant, although I haven't taken it out of my life jacket when sea kayaking. Highly recommended.

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I use mine in combination with a TOPO! map CD. A very powerful combination. In my opinion the combination of GPS and electronic maps makes a lot of sense. How else can you get all the important coordiants into you GPS?
Under tree cover the reception is not as good as expected. Love the small size and the free software updates.
Don't spend more money.

Customer Service

Free software download is great.

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Please note, again the is the eTrex SUMMIT, not the regular (yellow) eTrex.

Since I own a Garmin eTrex Summit AND a Garmin GPS III Plusll I think I can offer a fair comparison of these units. First off I think both units are GREAT.

As far as the additional altitude functions of this unit, I think it's a waste for the average Joe... I rarely use it and this cost $250 vs $119 for the regular eTrex. Save your cash, get the regular eTrex, or bump up to the GPS III Plus!

Battery life: I get 9-10 hours with my eTrex Summit using re-chargable 1600ma Nickle Metal Hydride batteries that's with the compas on, which uses a bit more power. (Don't touch that illumination though, or you'll pay in battery life!)

I get 14-15 hours on the III Plus also using re-chargable 1600ma Nickle Metal Hydride batteries... and alkalines last even longer.

As for weight the III Plus weighs more... it has TWO more batteries... but also lasts almost TWICE as long. The GPS III weighs 9.6 oz. the eTrex weighs 5.8 oz.

Performance: As far as reception, the III Plus wins hands down. With it's larger external antenne it out performs the eTrex, especially in canyons or heavily wooded areas. I have also lost the "tracks" a couple of times using the eTrex if it gets turned in an undesireable position inside your pack, or gets burried the least little bit.

Function: Both units are great. I think the III Plus is easier to navigate through the various screens, although the eTrex can be operated with one hand a bit easier. The III Plus has more elaborate functions, better screen resolution and map scrolling (a BIG plus). In all the III Plus beats the eTrex Summit in my book, but when I do need the absolute minimum, I do switch to my eTrex.

One thing on both units, illumination REALLY drains the batteries. You are better off I think using a flashlight if you are in dire straights battery wise.

If this were the regular eTrex 4 stars for the price...
For the eTrex Summit I'd give 2 1/2 or 3 stars because of the high price.

Customer Service

Yes, they have been very good.

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Garmin eTrex
Garmin eTrex Summit
Garmin GPS III Plus
Magellan... don't know model