Garmin eTrex Vista HCx

Pros: Intuitive menus, configurable screen display to exact requirements, rugged (i.e. will bounce if dropped)

Cons: Continually no signal in built cities. Still a bit bulky for the pocket. Not colour!

The Bottom Line: Best product for walking in the country but Ordinance Survey maps can't be loaded and no good for cities, black and white is out of date.

Review: This product is Garmin's top handheld GPS (i.e. most expensive), I bought mine about 4 months ago and loaded it with MetroGuide CD without any problems;

On the plus side:
- it is great for walking in the county.
- suing simple...

Pros: Dependable in an Alaska blizzard. It'll save your life

Cons: snowmobile engine interferes with satellite reception

The Bottom Line: I've rated the eTrex Vista as average simply because this is the only one I've ever owned or used. It may be better, or worse. It works.

Review: From my journal on my year of teaching in Alaska

"At almost exactly 2:00 PM I met Pick and Dave at the snowmobiles parked between Pick's place and the school. Dave's new machine's throttle cable was frozen so it took a few minutes with a...

Pros: The color screen is very easy to read compared to the vista.

Cons: Garmins reliability is pretty bad.

Review: I purchased a Garmin Vista about 2 years ago and the mouse button broke. It wouldn't mouse right which meant you couldn't reset the trip computer. I did like everything else about the unit. I mostly used it as a cycling computer and for driving. A...

Pros: Small, lots of feature, nice display, detail base map

Cons: poor reception, no memory expansion

The Bottom Line: Nice compact unit packed with lots of features, but the poor reception makes it only when you using it in an open area.

Review: I bought this unit with Magellan Meridian at the same time so I can do a side-by-side comparison. (See my review for the Magellan Meridian on this site as well).
If you wondering why I pick up the top of the line eTrex along with low end...

Pros: Small size. Great display. Lots of memory (24MB). Altimeter. Electronic compass.

Cons: No external antenna mount. Memory not expandable. Compass not 3D.

The Bottom Line: For outdoor use, and occassional in-car navigation, it's hard to beat the eTrex Vista.

Review: I bought a Vista for hiking/backpacking and in-car navigation. On a recent backpacking trip, the Vista performed well. It would lose signal reception in the trees but would then lock on in a clearing right away. The high-resolution display is sharp...

Pros: Versatile, small, water resistant, easy to read and configure.

Cons: Battery life sux, limited gpsr map software, memory is not expandable.

The Bottom Line: Trail navigation, hiking & teaching nav. skills: Buy It. Finding streets in your car: Don't Buy It.

Review: Had it for three years now. Found out that you MUST calibrate the compass unless you want to be confused. I'm a traditional navigator with compass/map, stars, etcetera. Going electronic seemed natural for me but it takes time to get used to. When...

Pros: Small, lightweight, waterproof, large memory, electronic compass, barometric altimeter

Cons: Slow serial connection, battery life a bit short, no connection for external antenna

The Bottom Line: A very compact and powerful GPS unit. Would benefit from a faster dual-USB&Serial connection. Built in map good, addon maps quite expensive. Good value for the money.

Review: I had originally picked up a Garmin ETrex Venture, which is physically identical to the Vista, however only has a 1mb built-in points of interest database, and has no ability to load in mapsets (point data only).

I decided that if I was...

Pros: Small Size, can upload/download data to your computer, easy to use, great software

Cons: Poor antenna reception, no provision for adding external antenna, awkward for one-hand use

The Bottom Line: A great unit hampered by poor antenna performance. If the Vista had an external antenna jack it would get my excellent rating.

Review: I've had my eTrek Vista for almost a year, and overall it is a capable unit. I use it mostly for hiking, but have used it in my car on occasion.

The Vista runs on two AA batteries, or can be powered via an interface cable to through a...

Pros: Very versatile and useful

Cons: too big for some things, too little for other things

The Bottom Line: The bottom line is that I would get this if I could only have one GPS for all uses and on a modest budget

Review: This is a great little GPS unit.
I have used one, both for recreation and at work for the past three years.
I really like the tracking features, and I also really like the go to feature. It is readable in the dark with the back light. It...

Pros: Interfacing ability with other electronics. Weight and battery life are most acceptable.

Cons: This unit will not bring you close enough to your mark.

Review: Extremely slow to acquire signals. Typical accuracy is greater than 20 meters. Selector button works intermittently if at all making it most frustrating when trying to mark a waypoint. It does have great battery life and communicates effortlessly...