Small, rugged, inexpensive, tons of features

I am a runner and wanted a GPS unit that I could carry with me which would allow me to track the distance that I went and later upload data to a computer to track speed and elevation change (whatever unit I chose didn't have to include the software to do such a thing).

I wanted a unit that was small, light, and portable, and ideally designed so that it could take a beating and/or get wet and still function perfectly.

After reading around, I found that Timex had a unit that had a watch and GPS combo, but the GPS unit was an armband unit that was made by Garmin. I had read that it wasn't all that good and people suggested the eTrex series.

At the time that I bought mine (well over 6 months ago), there was a special rebate on Amazon that greatly reduced the price of the unit (well over half of the normal cost). That seemed like a great deal, so I ordered it.

I have since used it on every single new run that I do so that I can get an idea of the distance (without having to later redo the same route with a bicycle to get a measure of the distance). This is great on trails and paths where it is hard to do that sort of thing, and allows me to keep track of the distance that I have covered.

I don't use 90% of the features on the device, so I unfortunately can't comment on how good they are, but I can comment on the fact that there are an absolute ton of them! If anything, it may even be one of the negatives in that it is a bit overwhelming - although the interface is so easy to use that I would imagine that it would quickly become quite easy to get used to.

When I lived in Boston/Cambridge, the map in the unit was quite adequate, although I wouldn't personally recommend it for driving. The screen is small enough and updates infrequently enough that it would prove more of a hindrance to try to figure out what is going on rather than an added help (it would likely be okay if the passenger in the car were using it for the navigation). Even then, the signal is very easily blocked by just about anything, and very much by the roof of a car.

The zoom level of the map that you are on can greatly change how much sense the reading makes - that might sound obvious to those that use the device for a bit - but when it is new to you, you might not realize that the odd readings you are getting can be improved by just zooming into the map for more accurate readings.

Here in Bermuda, the map is very general (the overall shape of the island), but since I don't use it for navigating, it is perfectly sufficient for my needs.

It doesn't come with any built in batteries, which is actually a good thing so that if the batteries you are using die, you can easily replace them and not need to recharge the device. Since you could be out on the side of a mountain, this is a good thing.
I use rechargeable batteries in it and it works quite well. I updated the firmware (off of the Garmin website) and it improved the battery life, increased a bunch of the feature levels (increase the number of times it will look for the signal so you get a more accurate distance tracking), and also improved how it deals with different types of rechargeable batteries and relating the strength left in the battery.

It will let you connect to a computer to up/down-load data and updates to the firmware - this is great if you have extra maps for fishing or cities/countries that aren't included in it, or if you want to grab your data of change in position over time from it and then graph/map that out on your computer.

It is waterproof to a depth of several feet of water - in case you drop it in a stream - but I only ever need it to be waterproof enough that sweat and/or pounding rain won't break it - and it is certainly up to that.

The only downsides for me, and they a pretty big ones for my uses, but they is something common to all handheld GPS:
1) the antenna on it requires that you hold the unit facing up (it seems the engineers assumed that if you are using it, then screen will be facing your face, and therefore optimized the signal searching ability in that position) - if it is not in that position, then the signal will drop so much so that it is very likely to lose signal. So when I run, it is a slightly odd way that I have to hold the unit - but since I am likely a rare usage case, it is obviously not what they had designed if for, I can't be too bothered by it.

2) the signal is very easily blocked, which is especially annoying when you are first starting the unit up - it can take as long as 5 minutes to lock onto a signal. All it takes to block the signal is something like your hand over the face of the unit. Trees, hills, buildings - really anything that isn't see through and is in the line of sight between the unit's antenna and the satellite(s) is going to throw off the signal. If it is aware of enough satellites, then it is not too big an issue because it can balance the signals coming in to still maintain a track - but it doesn't always find that many satellites (you need at least 3 to be visible to it for it to work - it does after all need to *triangulate* your position, so the 3 figure makes sense).

The unit is durable, easy on batteries, light, and a good price.
I recommend it for many uses, but probably not in the car, and have been very pleased with it in the time that I have had it.
I wouldn't opt for this if you are going to be in a hurry to move - when you are starting up, you might have to be in one small area for as long as 5 minutes while it searches for signals.