Garmin eTrex

The device itself is OK but getting a map onto it is a slow hair raising nightmare – The unit is OK for getting your coordinates to use on a map. For Navigation , its hopeless. You may get lost and leave some trail but at least you’ll know where you are Alltrails won’t let you download a map to a file location that you can export. YADAYADAYDA Show details

Etrex 10 is all you need – I have found that the Etrex 10 is all you need in a GPS. It has all the features of the big brands without all the whistles and toots. If you take the time to set the Etrex 10 up correctly it will do just about everything you need. Show details

Nice device with serious flaw – Had mine for a treasured few years. The start button was the first to crack followed by the 'back' button. Not long after both totally dissolved. And I'm not alone. When it works it's great but wears out way too soon. Show details

great little GPS – I purchased the eTrex 20 for hiking, And found it to be quite good, I'm no expert on GPSes but this unit worked well for me when we hiked Thornton Peak, Daintree Queensland the terrain was quite rough and lots of canopies but with this Garmin had no problem staying connected to the GPS and Glonass overhead fast detection light and waterproof.no chance in getting lost. Good idea to take some spare AA batteries CON : screen is a bit small

Excellent simple and reliable – I bought the etrex 10 as the ideal and cheapest gps to use and complement bushwalking map navigation. It’s simplest and best function is to confirm an exact grid reference anywhere in the world and adaptable to every official map datum. It’s use as a handheld compass is limited as it will use up batteries quickly if on continually however if used for intermittent grid referencesthe batteries can last for many days.

Superb – Does what it should without bells and whistles. Have used touchscreen GPS devices before and prefer this with the joystick. Nice and fast. Easy to add waypoints and record tracks.

Great little device for what it is – I bought this device to track my movements while I travel the world. After loading the Open Streets Map for my country to the device I was able to quite easily navigate around seeing the streets and record waypoints. For the size it is a great device, don't expect it to be perfect in every way.

Good GPS but with a Serious Undocumented Flaw – I've been very happy with my eTrex 30 for a couple of years until recently, when I attempted to upload a large number of Waypoints from Google Earth, using Garmin's BaseCamp software. I found out, 'unfortunately', that if you load more than 2,000 Waypoints into the GPS, neither the Firmware nor the BaseCamp software prevents the eTrex's… Read more

reserved memory from being corrupted and the GPS being permanently bricked!

I've tried every fix available and none work. The unit simply will not turn on, although you can still hold the joystick button to one side, then press the power button and hold for 30 seconds, and you will be able to access the internal USB drive. All of the internal files are OK, the flash has been validated and I can perform firmware updates successfully with the GUPDATE.GCD file clearly visible in the internal Garmin directory. The only problem is that when I try to reboot and load the new firmware file, nothing happens.

It appears that if you load too many waypoints, (>2000) the reserved boot loader memory within the eTrex30 is overwritten and corrupted, preventing the device booting again.

If you don't have a lot of routes or waypoints to deal with, this will not affect you, however if you exceed any of the maximum recommended waypoints or routes, you will be at risk of bricking the unit. in my view, this is a real shame as the GPS is well engineered but has totally let me down because of this flaw.

Poor – Never got it to work, have even given it to 3 mates to use, all handed it back with what is wrong with this thing,.. come to the point it is junk

Still have mine as a backup – I started with this unit when we first got into Geocaching. It worked well and got us to GZ with ease. The only downfall and big complaint is the PC connection. A USB to Serial cable was not available from Garmin and it took a while to find one. Unfortunately it may well have been a cheap cable and no longer works so I have been looking for a… Read more

replacement. They are harder to find than Hens teeth so we had no other choice but to upgrade, which we did to an Etrex 10. we now use the etrexH as a backup and it is handy for entering waypoints for multi's

Ok when it works – Had my etrex for about 4 years, used it probably 5 times. It has screwed me over twice. Once out near nymagee in state forest when it shat itself and deleted my base camp waypoint marker (I would have been royally stuffed had my hunting companions not also brought gps units and had a backup map) and the second time out past Burke when trying make… Read more

it back through a 40,000 acre paddock in the 4wd in the middle of the night and etrex told us we were heading back towards the gate we had waypoint marked but we ended up in the middle of the paddock when the gps told us we had reached our destination which turned out to be about 3kms away. It has worked on other walking trips but is not to be trusted, if you are planning on using this as your sole navigation unit, make sure you take a good PLB as well so the chopper can find you.

The best basic handheld GPS every made – I have dozens of various GPS devices and teach navigation. The Garmin eTrex and the eTrex H model (which is what most of you will have) are the predominant GPS most people have used in the last 10 years. Now that the new eTrex 10 - 20 - 30 models are becoming popular I have bought 1/2 doz of the older eTrex & eTrex H models. For a beginner or… Read more

novice they are much simpler to use than the newer eTrex 10 - 20 & 30 models and a whole lot cheaper. 2nd hand you should pay about $50.

Great unit for geocaching – I bought my etrex10 after JB HiFi dropped the price from $135 to $95. It took a bit of getting used to the menu at first, but now I find it very easy to use. The accuracy is fantastic, thanks to the extra Glonass satellites it locks onto, and the battery life is super long. Downloading GPS coordinates and cache details is almost instantaneous as… Read more

well, although Google Chrome in their wisdom have decided not to support the plugin any longer, so I have to use Internet Explorer. I use the unit in conjunction with the Geocaching Intro app, so I don't need to carry a map. Really can't recommend this unit highly enough, especially for the price! Brilliant!

January 6th 2019 Update: The AK47 of GPS units

I’ve had my Garmin for a couple of years now, and I still love it. I bought it to use for geocaching, and thanks to its ability to lock onto Russian satellites in addition to the regular GPS network it is incredibly accurate. I was able to use the backtrack function on a hike in rainforest to find the correct track out of a gully after taking a wrong turn; the Magellan unit I also own wasn’t accurate enough to allow that in thick bush.

It also spent 3 hours recently submerged in the mangroves after my kayak capsized and it dropped into the murky water. Once the tide dropped, I was able to locate the unit. The screen was still on, and it immediately locked onto the GPS network again.

Battery life is also very long, thanks to the simple display.

Bad points: The map is too simple to show any recognisable features; there is often a five-second lag when selecting a function, and loading geocaches requires a third-party app.

To sum it up, it’s not perfect, but it’s very rugged, very accurate and i would trust my life to it in the bush no worries.

Generally good unit except – Typical quality Garmin unit except ... If you're into geocahing - great. If not, it's very difficult to hide the geocahing points from the map. Also, the startup screen is so dim it can't be read. Registered my unit with Garmin and accessed their product support service who confirmed the shortcomings, but wouldn't acknowledge them as such. No… Read more

solution available. Will never again assume that Garmin guarantees a well refined product. Generally typical Garmin quality. Incomprehensible shortcomings.

A good unit that won't lead you astray – I use my etrex30 for geocaching and hiking. I like it. It's accurate and keeps my tack we'll. I have a few criticisms though. It's a bit difficult to work some of the functions. It's too easy to reset your settings accidentally, but impossible to change some other things. The toggle stick is kind of annoying. Maps process really slowly, especially… Read more

if you have lots or very detailed maps. The compass isn't very accurate unless it's rested for a moment.

I'd rather save a little longer for a monterra. Sturdy, accurate, rugged. Confusing OS, Poor compass response, slow processing maps, interface is fiddly.

Handy little unit – I upgraded to the Garmin eTrex 20 after owning both the eTrex H and eTrex Summit HC series GPS handheld units, and I have to say I am very impressed and happy with the unit. It has everything I need for camping, hiking and 4WDing, and with the purchase of the Garmin Australian/NZ TOPO maps it effectively turns it into an in-car GPS navigator and… Read more

is great for finding hidden camping spots and trails while giving topographic info on the terrain. I recently used this device overseas, and while I didn't have road maps it gave me a good indication where I was and how to get back to my hotel, and killed a bit of time on the plane where I was able to see ground speed, elevation, vertical speed etc.(I've been assured this was legal as it only receives signals and doesn't interfere with aviation electronics). The unit also allows for downloading of high-res satellite imagery (Garmin Birdseye Satellite Imagery subscription required) to your unit via PC. Highly recommended unit, but if you're serious about hiking in the wilderness then you might want to look at the more expensive units like the Montana or Oregon range. small, lightweight, compact, much easier to use than the old eTrex units. Multiple user profiles for different applications. Good technical support No Barometic Altimeter. Sucks battery life when backlight is on. Can't be used in car with USB adapter.

Ureliable Garbage – I have had one of these for two years. It is the most unreliable piece of junk of any kind I have owned in my life. It switches off at random, saves corrupted gpx files to the mini SD card and drops the maps at random. Avoid it like the plague. Works occasionally.

Small, efficient on batteries and does what it says on the box! :) – Finally a straightforward product for the average user! I found that the eTrex High Sensitivity to be perfect for Kayaking, walking and fishing. Nearly as accurate as the higher spec units that cost six times what this little number is being sold for. Absolutly perfect for those that are wanting to get into Geocashing and bushwalking without… Read more ·  1

getting lost with a trackback function and illuminated screen for night use. Hugely reliable, inexpensive, good on batteries and easy to read. Garmin state that there are aftermarket items available for the eTrex H - however I have found it near impossible to buy anything, even the data cable is impossible to find, or the belt clip... Thats all - otherwise ok.

Excellent – I was very impressed with how sensitive and accurate the unit is. The Garmin eTrex is the cheapest GPS available by a significant amount, so I didn't have high expectations. Having compared it to a model $150 more expensive, I found it to be identical in functionality except for the absence of a map. I use mine for geocaching, and would strongly… Read more

recommend it to anyone new to the hobby. Very sensitive and accurate. The gps is also waterproof and can withstand being banged around a lot without taking any damange. You need to press quite hard on the buttons, which can really hurt your fingers if entering multiple co-ordinates.

Excellent – I have used my Etrex vista for about seven years now. It is awesome. It has no problem performing to a high standard all the time. I run expensive batteries and they last so long. It has all the options you need for for a hand held gps. I trust this brand as I have seen it being used around the world in harsh conditions and have not seen a unit… Read more

fail from its own faults yet.

My etrex vista has been knocked around a fair bit. It has been under water been in very hot conditions to freezing conditions. It has not missed a beat. Great quality. Light weight. Easy to use. Custom Page set ups.

Simple reliable inexpensive – I have had My garmin for some time now-it has been faultless-works every time anywhere. rugged instrument--may not be the prettiest but who wants pretty when they don't work simple reliable easy to operate

Rugged, Reliable and Easy to Use – Though I do have had the previous model (Cx) for about 6 years, I recommended The HCx to my brother who has been using it for about 2 years. Both models are exactly the same in build quality however the internal software is slightly different. This unit is very rugged and has gone through many multi-week hikes through both deserts of 40'C, the… Read more ·  1

Tasmanian wilderness in wet freezing conditions of 3'C and performed faultlessly throughout. Though it has never being held in a protective case, the unit is still scratch and wear free. It's fallen down a few crevices and bashed around a bit. The fact that it's essentially watertight and has proven itself time and time again would bring me to buy another if I ever needed to.

I only use rechargeable batteries in my unit and although they don't last quite as long as the 30 hour max life of quality alkalines, I do get about 20 hours. As a pair of back up batteries only weigh 55g, I'm not worried, and my conscious is clear I haven't poisoned some part of the planet with disposables.

As with most Garmin units, there is a HUGE amount of freeware software available for this and other units, it's very unlikely you will ever need to purchase the Garmin Map Packs. Rugged, Reliable and Easy to Use glue on rubber seal circumfrance breaks down after a few years.

Good – this is great little unit which is for those who only need the basics. has served me well over many years in the tropics while fishing, hunting and camping! small, compact, long battery life, rugged, waterproof has problem picking sats under tree canopy

Good – Although these devices have been around for a while now they have proven to be sturdy and reliable and still serve a useful purpose of a basic means to record where you are at and where you want to go to. Easy to use and reliable. It only has about six control buttons / toggles on it. Takes two AA batteries that will last all day. Simple to use… Read more

and doesn't take much explaining to others. Only supports six characters to name waypoints and a bit slow to toggle through the letters and numbers. Left one out in the sun and rain for a few weeks once and it was still working fine. You need a separate map to take with it and also sometimes paper to write on to record co ordinates is easier sometimes.