For a non-mapping unit, this is the way to go. I compared it closely with the Garmin 12 units. The advantages that convinced me: lighter weight, better screen resolution, more features at the price point. You have to upgrade to the Garmin 12 XL in order to get the stored database of cities. If you are *just* using it on hikes, this is no big deal, but including the cities greatly increases the 315's usefulness for other travelling applications (auto and plane). It's pretty amusing to sit in a window seat on a flight and track your heading, location, speed, altitude, and (constantly updating) ETA.

I have found the accuracy to be quite good in 3D mode if you can get at least 5 satellites (4 seems to be the minimum for 3D but elevation is wildly inaccurate in this case). It is much better at "holding on" to satellite fixes in tree cover than acquiring them. On a backpacking trip in Sequoia Nat'l Park I was sometimes unable to get a fix, but I can't imagine this would be much better with other units.

The unit has a lot of extra features which can range from useful to merely amusing. The manual tries to be simple but lacks detail once you get past some of the basics.

Durability is good, however a hard drop has caused the unit to lose power (twice) and require a restart. It may be the battery springs are a little soft. Also the unit does just barely float (as advertised) but mine would crash repeatedly after I tested this feature. It required a total reset in which case you lose data that you didn't back up on computer or write down. But it works fine now.

Also, I think their "scam" (it's not quite) is to almost give away the GPS unit and then bait you with pricey accessories. You can easily turn this into a $200 purchase with just a case and PC adapter/power cable, which is quite a bit less of a bargain.

Don't forget to dish out for Lithium AA batteries for your backbacking trips. They are very light and I was astounded at how much longer than alkalines they last.

Overall I would highly recommend this GPS unit.

Customer Service

Took a while on hold, but rep was very quick and knowledgeable in helping me find a feature I knew it had but couldn't locate (looking up cities alphabetically)

Similar Products Used:

Garmin 12 and eTrex series

Magellan 315, how do I hate thee? You were a piece of work to learn to use, I had to get the video to figure it out. Takes forever to lock in a signal. Uses batteries like a drunk uses a bottle of Thunderbird. Heavy for the features offered. I sold mine, got an eTrex, and have never looked back.

Similar Products Used:

Garmin eTrex