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I quickly installed the batteries, and let it find it's first satellites and get it's location. being intimidating or confusing. With just the press of a button I have the cache details in front of me, and with another press of a button I can look at the past five logs, or the hint. Making Paperless geocaching a snap. It is a little more than a turn on and play type device, something I think many people have gotten use to from using digital cameras, MP3 players, and other user friendly electronics. A huge step up from having to buy a GPS unit, and then buy a separate set of maps to load to the GPS.I, myself, already owned the separate TOPO maps, so just purchased the base model.
I suspect it has something to do with previous use of GPS units, and being somewhat familiar with basic GPS menu configurations. Once loaded the maps are rendered very nicely, with 3-d views also available. A first use with a GPS can be a little tough, there are a lot of new terms and ideas to learn, but it's an easy learning curve that only takes a short time to begin to understand.The basemap was just what I expected. I found it to be fairly intuitive, easy to use, and the menus were easy to locate. You can now by hand held GPS units that have included topo maps, coastal maps, and inland lake and river maps.
I actually learned to navigate through everything fairly quickly. For me, the price was right, and since I already owned the Garmin MapSource TOPO maps, it didn't make much since to purchase a higher model with the same maps already included.I have used the unit for a couple of weeks now, and feel I have gotten in enough use to write a short review.Initial impressions of the unit out of the box where that it looks well constructed, with a large screen, and easy to get to buttons. sends directly to the Colorado. I actually started off learning on Survey Grade GPS (for work of course), and it peaked my interest and before long I had received my first consumer grade GPS.Since then I have went through several models with my most recent purchase being the Garmin Colorado 300. I found that loading the maps to the GPS was fairly easy and straight forward. Some of my friends who have previous GPS experience also found navigating the menus of the unit to be fairly easy as well.For someone new to GPS, I can understand all the new icons, menus, shortcuts, etc. I only got about 10 hours out of a set of Duracell AA Alkalines. Something that will be hard to find in a handheld recreational use unit.
I've been using GPS for quite a few years now. I have also been able to run Pocket Queries from [.]. and load the GPX file that [.]. I found the process rather easy, and it adds a whole new spin to geocaching. Different uses require different maps, and it's always going to be hard to satisfy everyone. A real drop considering I'm use to getting close to 30 hours out of my eTrex Legend HCx on the same type of batteries. I then proceeded to go through the menus, locating where everything was, and getting myself acquainted with the GPS. I have since bought a set of rechargeable 2500 maH Ni-MH batteries to use, and have been seeing better times out of those.
I'm afraid that many of the disappointments in GPS unit basemaps are that many people expect map levels found in dedicated navigation units. Something that Garmin is itself working on, with the 400t, 400c, and 400i units. So far, this has been one of the greatest features of the GPS.The only real downfall I have with the GPS is battery life. In general my likes are: large screen size, uses regular SD Card, Geocaching capabilities, the ease of use after the small learning curve.Dislikes: Short battery life, screen can be hard to see at times with backlight off.I would (and have) recommend this GPS to my friends.
This a great gps if you are out there camping or simply on the road this you may want to buy.
Amazon sent me a replacement. Product i received had problem staying up. It abruptly shutdown without warning fewminutes after power up. The replacement fared better But after a couple of days wouldn't work saying "Cannot find system software" OR "Missing system software". I am trying to work it out with the customer support.
I've used two other Garmin outdoor GPS before and I was expecting this new device. After a month of using, I'm almost decided to switch back to Garmin 60 CSx.Colorado +: - display - gc listings - holders (car, bike) - wigColorado -: - battery consumption - gc listings (listing is sometimes bad formated) - roller, buttons, menus (60 CSx is much more powerful and faster to control, search.).So if you need listings/wig then buy Colorado. In case having PDA or smartphone, take 60 CSx.
Garmin says they don't work well with this unit. The Garmin Colorado is a LONG way from being all that it should be for th price ov over $400. It would have been nice if they would have SAID SO on the box or the tiny instruction leaflet so I could have known before I bought one.Garmin's customer service is helpful but you MUST call them to learn how to use all the features properly. Read the review if it on BACKPACKINGLIGHTWEIGHT.COMI STILL haven't got my 300 model's SD card loaded w/ the topo map. Don't use an "Ultra" SD card. The included instructions are so basic as to be laughable. In short, this may be a good GPS in about a year - after Garmin gets the bugs out.
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