22 replies to this topic

[jawbreaker]

I just bought a garmin colorado 400t and let me tell you this thing is awsome. I hav owned a few hand helds and the garminns are by far the easiest pick up on. This one comes with U.S. topo maps which show roads, streams, springs more. It is a little pricey at $325 shipped but is worth the money IMHO. I will keep you posted if I run into any problems with this unit. Thanks, Ron

[SCTrojanHunter]

Congratulations on your purchase. I've also been looking at the Garmins. Did you consider the Oregon 500T, the touchscreen Garmin. The features seem pretty much the same except for the touchscreen capability. I'd be curious to hear how you decided on the Colorado.Thanks!

[acousticmood]

Hey Ron,Congtrats - Please keep us informed of you impressions as you use the unit. I've been looking at one of those too.Thanks,

[jawbreaker]

I didn't want the touch screen because I didn't want to take a chance on scratching up the screen. I'm sure the screen is scratch resistant but why chance it.

[ShooterJohn]

I've heard the touch screens want to leave a way point every time you touch them. That would be a pain if it is the case.

[JimT.]

I just bought a garmin colorado 400t and let me tell you this thing is awsome.

I have the same as you and feel like you do. Awesome GPS!

[jawbreaker]

started geocaching with my kids cub scout dens and they really like it. so I downloaded 500+ cache from the cumputer to the 400t with no problems, I'm still learning the advanced functions but the basics are so easy I didn't need the instructions.

[acousticmood]

Hey JB - just curious is the 400T useful in the car to navigate to an address?

[jawbreaker]

It gives you the name of the streets when you zoom in( I will look and see how close you need to zoom before the names appear). I will have tolook and see if it will actaully find an address. I have a garmin nuvi for trucks and they are great and only 120-150 bucks, you can search for addresses, stores, and points of interest and much more. That is by far the best for navigating roads. Ron

[Mayhem]

I have a Garmin Etrex Legend CX and Garmin Mobil XT on my AT&T Tilt not to mention I have most of the Garmin Software . I also Have a very old Delorme Earthmate USB for my laptop. I pretty much swear by Garmin (It helps when you have a few grand worth of their software) and Delorme. I've been thinking about the Etrex Vista HCX, Oregon, and the Colorado as I would like to get something that can handle SDHC or Micro SDHC(4gb+ SD/Micro SD cards I have allot of maps) and has a built in compass.

[lilwes278]

Jawbreaker- Can I ask where you found the 400t for $325? And you say the topo maps were included? I've been looking at the 60CSX but the cheapest I can find it is $292, then I have to buy the topo maps seperately... :(Mayhem- I believe the 60CSX takes 4gb SD cards as well, any reason you wouldn't recommend that model? I looked at the Etrex Vista HCX as well but the 60CSX seems to get better reception in all of the reviews I've read (likely because of the external antenna). The larger display is nice too along with all of the buttons being located on the front which will make using it while it's in a holder/cradle/RAM mount easier. I am fairly new to GPS's so any advice is appreciated.

[timmy]

The only problem I see with the Garmins is that they can easily be left on the roof of your car, and then you forget it's there and drive off. Also, due to the high quality of the unit itself, when you come back looking for it a few days later (when you finally realize you left in on your roof), someone has picked it up and you never see it again.

[jawbreaker]

lilwes, I found the email that confirmed shipment on my gps, I paid 339 with free shipping. I just looked at the website and they now want 349 but that's still a good price for this unit. Here's the link www.Offroute.com

[Baja_Traveler]

I've been using the Oregon 400T for about a year now for Geocaching, and it is simply awesome. Touching the screen does not mark a way point - that is a multi step process. However, touching the screen does put a pin on the place you touched so you can see distance and bearing to that point - another useful tool. Simply touching the "back" arrow in the lower left of the screen brings you back to the active map. My only early complaint with the oregon was the screen, which at times can be difficult to see, but using 2900 Mah Nimh batteries, and leaving the backlight on continuously cures that. I've gone on Geocache trips all day on one set of batteries - leaving the backlight on the whole time. I always carry a set of charged backup batteries though, just in case. Paperless geocaching makes the hobby so much more enjoyable - I will never go back to paper. The Oregon will hold a whole city's worth of geocaches including the description, hint and previous finder logs to help finding a particularly difficult hide.

[jawbreaker]

Being able to store the info right off of the website is the main reason I bought the newer unit. Do the rechargable batteries last longer than regular batteries?

[Baja_Traveler]

Get the 2700 Mah or even better the 2900 Mah nickel metal hydrides and you'll notice a huge difference in battery life compared to the standard 1500 Mah alkalines - nearly twice the life, and they last up to 500 recharges, so you save tons of money in the end.

[acousticmood]

The only problem I see with the Garmins is that they can easily be left on the roof of your car, and then you forget it's there and drive off. Also, due to the high quality of the unit itself, when you come back looking for it a few days later (when you finally realize you left in on your roof), someone has picked it up and you never see it again.

Yeah - they should really do something to fix that That sucks - you must have been p@ssedMy wife does that with sunglasses - but not the cheap ones.....go figure

[Baja_Traveler]

easy fix with a few rare earth magnets and some epoxy.

[Yodel Dog]

Duct Tape works well also.

[Yodel Dog]

The only problem I see with the Garmins is that they can easily be left on the roof of your car, and then you forget it's there and drive off.

Buy a GPS, they can be used to backtrack to the Garmin.

[Mayhem]

Jawbreaker- Can I ask where you found the 400t for $325? And you say the topo maps were included? I've been looking at the 60CSX but the cheapest I can find it is $292, then I have to buy the topo maps seperately... :(Mayhem- I believe the 60CSX takes 4gb SD cards as well, any reason you wouldn't recommend that model? I looked at the Etrex Vista HCX as well but the 60CSX seems to get better reception in all of the reviews I've read (likely because of the external antenna). The larger display is nice too along with all of the buttons being located on the front which will make using it while it's in a holder/cradle/RAM mount easier. I am fairly new to GPS's so any advice is appreciated.

NO There is no reason I would not recommend the 60 csx. I'm looking at the 60 csx as well so I can pass down my legend to my wife or one of my kids. I'm biased to garmin because I have allot of their software. I also Like Delorme who make good GPS units (they now make a handheld) but are best known for their maps. I would look at the pn-30 and pn-40 wich come with topo 7 (Soon to be topo 8), Delorme now also has a Map Library Subscription Only $29.95 for an Annual Subscription which gives you access to all the Delorme data sets (Sat/Aerial/USGS). there PC mapping software is some of the best. I use there stuff to print maps.Another consideration is what you want to do with your GPS unit. lawrance magelin and garmin are good for fishing. Delrome and garmin are probably the best for hiking camping and hunting. This is mainly due to software. Delorme does not do oceans lakes and waterways well or at all, you have to use the data sets for that. Delorme has some of the cheapest software and is probably the best for printing maps.My biggest beef with a hand held GPS unit is it has to take standard common batteries, like AAs. Proprietary Rechargable batteries can get you in deep dodo when your in the back 40. remember to always have a map and compass on you as a back up, and keep your Land Nav skills up.

[lilwes278]

NO There is no reason I would not recommend the 60 csx.

I ended up getting the 60CSX & the 24k Topo West U.S. DVD. I am EXTREMELY happy with it. Battery life has been excellent, used it for 2 full days of riding my ATV in the Cascades & for a turn-by-turn trip to downtown Portland. It still shows I have almost half of a charge in the batteries (using standard Duracells, NOT the lithiums). I also picked up the RAM mount for my ATV which has been very handy when I'm exploring new trails & areas. Only thing I need to do now is upgrade the memory card from the 64mb that came with it to a 2gb. FYI- I searched everywhere and the cheapest place that I found the 60CSX was through WalMart.com.

[Jeff213]

I have an ETrex Legend, and the only problem I have found with it so far is that sometimes in dense forest it will not be able to find sattelites unless I go to some kind of large clearing. I have topo maps and road maps for it.