Garmin Etrex Legend GPS Receiver

I wish it had an actual compass, as opposed to GPS derived headings. If you stop moving, it can get confused what way you are truly heading. We use this for GeoCaching, and had to set it to just go North up, and then use a magnetic compass to make sure we're oriented right. Overall though, I am rather pleased with it and give it a high four stars. It's sturdy, has been faithful and reliable, and really is pretty comfortable to use and navigate with.

It works great. Loaded other maps but the base map is fine for basic GPSing. Use it for trip directions and Geocaching. Works great. The memory is kind of small so you can only load certain regions at a time when using the add on maps. But it is a great device, easy to use and understand.

When I opened it I foud it had a serial port connection. Unfortunately my laptop was not built in 1991 so it only had USB ports. Garmin will sell you an adapter, for $60.

I wanted a GPS unit for hiking, biking and kayaking but did not want to spend a lot of money..Got this for around $125 and am very happy with it.

HAS BEEN VERY HELPFUL. SHOWS THE MAJOR STREETS. CAN GET MORE DETAILS BY DOWNLOADING $75 SOFWARE.

I like the Legend a lot. It's perfect for geo-caching which is why I bought it. Much easier to use and enter coordinates than the yellow model. Map features are nice even without the software program option. My only complaint is that the computer cable is an outdated serial port adapter, but my (and probably your) computer uses USB connectors. It's worked well for me on all of my adventures and is very easy to use. The instruction manual is helpful and there are many features I haven't even used yet. So far so good. I love the product and you can't beat the price on Amazon!

This is the 7th eTrex Legend I have purchased in the past three years with no regrets; I personally think that it currently represents the best value-for-money GPS on the market for field-engineering applications and the more technically inclined, who prefer to work with coordinates rather than street addresses. Together with Garmap and Mapsource software, it meets every one of our engineering needs. The dash-board mount is a must for those using it a vehicle and the cigarette cable is a general necessity as battery life tends to be limited.

The biggest weakness with the unit is the rubber band around edge hosting several of the control buttons which, on heating and frequent use, has a propensity to stretch, snap and peel off. The carry case does, however, provide a longer life and is worth the money.

The other weakness which is irritating for right-handed users is the position of the mouse button on the left, due to its design as a military device to be carried in the left hand.

It's a shame that the device works with a serial cable and not USB, as it necessitates a USB - RS232 adapter for most of the new generation PCs and notebooks.

But, for just over $100, I will continue to buy this unit while it's still on the market.


Product met and exceeded my expectations. I ordered the eTrex for my wife to use in her conservation work, primarily for mapping. I have to admit, I am always taking off with it for geocaching adventures! I love the ability to download to my computer, as well as the ability to upload geocache waypoints. The downside is that I had to buy an rs232 adapter for my laptop since it only has usb, but a small price to pay for the performance I am seeing!

I bought this to do a little geocaching, and have been very pleased with it. It is very easy to use and is a great size to carry and use one-handed. The settings are convenient and allow flexibility in what kind of information is viewed. Needing glasses more and more every day, there's only one thing I wish was different; I wish I could get the coordinates to display just a little bigger!

I was very happy with my garmin etrex legend, for about a year. I used it offshore in the Gulf of Mexico, in the bayous of Louisiana, Texas, etc.
It was perfect for hiking, and especially geocaching. Then the screen started acting up- first it got a bunch of vertical lines, then just started blanking out completely. I emailed garmin, since their customer testimonial page RAVED about customer support- explained the problem in detail, then waited, waited waited. Finally I was told to reboot it(hard Reset) or reload the software. I emailed again, again explained that it was a hardware problem, not a software problem. Was told to send it in for a fee of $125. I ONLY PAID $136.00 TO BEGIN WITH!!!so, long story short, save your money for a higher end gps if you cant afford a disposable unit.

I was very happy with my garmin etrex legend, for about a year. I used it offshore in the Gulf of Mexico, in the bayous of Louisiana, Texas, etc.
It was perfect for hiking, and especially geocaching. Then the screen started acting up- first it got a bunch of vertical lines, then just started blanking out completely. I emailed garmin, since their customer testimonial page RAVED about customer support- explained the problem in detail, then waited, waited waited. Finally I was told to reboot it(hard Reset) or reload the software. I emailed again, again explained that it was a hardware problem, not a software problem. Was told to send it in for a fee of $125. I ONLY PAID $136.00 TO BEGIN WITH!!!so, long story short, save your money for a higher end gps if you cant afford a disposable unit.

I have never used another GPS, so I cannot compare to others, but the Garmin eTrex Legend is everything I wanted in a GPS for the price I was willing to pay. I use it for hiking and geocaching and it's perfect. I did have to read some online sites to help me make better use of it (the manual has a lot of information, but presented with an assumption that you know how to use GPS).
I love how easy it is to get to the menu items and selections I want with just a click or two. I use rechargeable batteries and after several hours of use already, the capacity still shows full. I did lose satellite under tree cover which I assume is normal. I use the included cable to upload and download information to my pc which is very useful. Overall, I am extremely satisfied.

I've used many GPS units in my geocaching adventures, and this is a great model. It's easy to use, it's accurate, and durable. I'm a gadget geek, so I'd like it to have more customizable features. If you're looking for a reliable, easy to use model, this is the one for you.

This is a good product for hiking, etc. Not too good for driving in a car

I recently buried my Legend after two years of service. I used it for canoe, backpack and motorcycle navigation, and for plot relocation. The basic GPS is, like all eTrex units, well designed - small, lightweight, waterproof, with an easy-to-use, fairly intuitive user interface. (I have often wished Apple had hired Garmin to write the iPod interface.) The GPS receiver is pretty good, but has been eclipsed by the new SiRF receiver used, for instance, in the Garmin GPSMap 60Cx Handheld GPS Navigator. You should definitely consider a SiRF receiver if you will be in cities, forests or canyons. The display in the eTrex suffers from small size, low resolution, and being black-and-white. It adds up to an almost unusable map. This is a manageable drawback; no GPS will replace a good map because they all have tiny screens in comparison to the average road map, and maps are all about organizing spatial data. With the eTrex, I found that I used the navigation and trip computer screens much more than the map screen. As for getting data into and out of the eTrex, it's a bit of a headache. The interface is serial, which is very slow if you're used to USB devices. The cables cost a fortune - if you buy Garmin's brand, a full set of power and data cables will cost half as much as the GPS! Most map software these days can communicate with this model Garmin, but it often takes quite a bit of labor to figure out how. The eTrex does work well with the Garmin proprietary map packages, but those packages were designed for use with more high-end units so the eTrex doesn't utilize their features as well as it might, especially since it only has 8MB of memory. In comparison the GPSMAP 60C takes up to 2GB of memory, enough to load an entire Garmin CD with room to spare. Finally, my eTrex died because the screen stopped working. It happened gradually, and occasionally comes back to life if you give it a good knock, so it must be a loose connection of some sort. I believe this reflects poor vibration resistance, so I can't recommend this unit for motorcycle use.

The Legend is really easy to use and the features are great. The accuracy of the Legend is also very good. I am very satisfied with my purchase. There is nothing about the E-trex I would change.

My only issue with this item is the small buttons and small screen. Other than that, performs well. I use it for geocaching; mapping trails and hunting areas in the state park where I work; and research projects. The PC cable enables me to download waypoints into Delorme Topo to map my projects.

Great unit, easy to use, and can withstand abuse by middle schoolers.

Not having known anything about GPS units, I did a little research and this seemed to be a good starter unit for the price. I wasn't looking to spend a lot since I wasn't sure if my daughter would enjoy Geocaching. This gives us all the features we need for our purposes. We have been out caching quite a few times and have found everything we looked for. Not to mention that the PC cable is a Godsend when you have to load all the coordinates into the unit. If anyone is looking for a good GPS for geocaching, I recommend this one, especially if you don't want to spend a fortune.

I bought the Legend back in 2004 and have used it on my Motorcycles and in my cars. It has never let me down, although it doesn't have the FM and Ranch Roads I ride my bike on I can easily tell where the main Highways are and never get lost. When I need a gas satation it tells me where to head. I always use it in my car when traveling. My Son also has the Legend, he lives in a large Metro area and uses it daily for navigation with no problems and really likes it. It doesn't have all the amenities of the higher dollar units but it gives alot of bang for the buck. I am very happy with mine and highly recommend it. Downside, I haven't had a serial port compatable computer in years.

I bought this GPS for geocaching purposes mainly. I have never used one before, but it has been fairly easy to learn. I do have a serial port on my computer, for transfering coordinates, but I imagine that could be a problem for someone who doesn't. I assume you can buy some kind of serial to USB cable if needed. The map isn't very detailed, but has served my purposes so far. Overall, I have been quite pleased with the unit and would recommend it to others.

Just like all new gadgets the start up and usage was easy with basic functions and hard as the functions become more advanced. So far the road maps have been better than I expected. One con is that the signal is lost often.

It appears to be a good item but I have yet to put it through its paces . The only thing I'm not that crazy about is the plug that links the GPS to the computer. It should have been USB or Firewire not a serial type. Also the web site is a bit confusing to find the right type of map for your specific needs.

I use it for geocaching and while hiking/camping. I loved the ease of use and durability. I dropped it many times and it bounces around my jeep and keeps working great. Plenty of waypoint storage and memory.

Great seller. This item was shipped extremely fast. Highly recommended. A++++

This is such a good GPS that I am buying another one! The only problem with it is that is needs a tracking device so we can locate it! I lost
mine and am desparately waiting for my new one. I use it for geocaching and it does great in helping me track my treasure. I love the compact size, the accuracy and it is so easy to use. The price is right too.
Thanks!

We bought this GPS unit for my brother for Christmas. My only experience with GPS units was as a science camp counselor last summer, but we were using much simpler units with the children. I chose this GPS because of the mapping features and the base map already loaded in the system. I looked through a lot of reviews of different systems and this seemed to be the best for what we wanted to use it for and the price we were willing to spend.
We have used the GPS a few times for fun around our yard and at some local county parks. Also, we tried it in the car when we drove to a family party. Thus far it has worked out very well. Once you get used to navigating through the pages, it is very easy to use.
For the price, this seemed to be the best buy for people like us who are just getting into the "game". Although we haven't used it for any serious excursions, it is really interesting to play around with the features as you hike and/or drive somewhere. My brother hopes to try out some geocaching near his university and also plans to play around with the GPS when he hikes in the Adirondack Mountains.
Although we don't know too much about other systems available, we are definitely pleased with the purchase.

It's hard to read and not very accurate...elevation keeps moving even though I'm standing still! Screen to small...should have a colored screen for better visability...thought about returning it...

I own the basic ETREX gps. the ETREX LEGEND was a gift for my daughter. She found it easy to use and program in the
data she needed. the data had to be manually programmed in because the computer cable is not USB compatable and won't work with her laptop

Before single it took the weekend to it when it left to some distant place. It did much lack on more than one ocassion to me. reason why I thought: "the GPS in house and lost I".

Now I take it side to all although little it uses it. The city to helped to me more of once. Now I do not leave house without my I telephone and my GPS.
Indispensable so that their dear children or their beings do not lose themselves.

Indispensable.

Also he is indispensable to play geocaching.

It is very easy to use.

Just started geocaching and picked up this unit. Coordinates easy to input by hand and easy to "goto." But deleting waypoints took me a while to figure out. I had some problems getting service on overcast days that I didn't expect. I haven't tried to up/download any coordinates yet, but it sounds confusing. I like the basics on the unit, and especially the joystick control. I don't like documentation and lack of intuitiveness of the more complicated actions, like routes and downloading. Also got a carry case and glad that I did!

I used this GPS all summer. First borrowed from a friend for a couple months and then decided to get exactly same one of my own.
My friend had his one for a while (i think two years) and recommended this eTrex Legend to me.
This GPS is not the best value or latest technology (check out the new "Cx" version of this eTrex Legend. note: "Cx" not the discontinued "C"), but eTrex Legend is the best one for the money, of you don't care for color screen and lots of memory for your maps. It is reliable and durable (Garmin makes good stuff), great screen (better then Magellan, sorry), and enough memory (8MB inbuilt) for uploading Garmin maps of all your hiking areas. You can upload and remove them with included computer COM port cable. (the newer C and Cx use USB, yeh that's handy)

This is really neat - if you drive for business and need to note GPS references, it's an economic alternative to the much more expensive options. It tracks your mileage, speed etc. I haven't upgraded to street names yet, but I may well do. Good buy, very pleased.

I bought this to take hiking on the many pennsylvania trails. For that purpose it is absolutely useless. It just does not pick up the sattelites when you are under the cover of trees. It won't even work around my house which has many trees.

I decided to keep it however because I also use it when I walk or bike around the neighborhood and for that it works just fine.

One minor iritation - it takes quite a while (2-4 minutes) to pick up the satellites. This is a bit annoying as when i walk outside to start my walk or bike ride, I need to stand there and wait for it to pick up the satellites.

Bought this for Geocaching and it is working great so far. It was reasonably priced and has good features and good performance. I just wish the maps that you can download were not so expensive (~100) - almost as much as the unit itself!

I already had a GPS for my car, but was looking for a small, inexpensive handheld GPS to use for geocaching. I wanted to get my twin grandsons interested in the hunt. Love the Legend, it is very accurate and ready to use out of the box. In some ways I like the simple maps and use it on the interstates often. Got my grandsons on a hunt or two and they are hooked. Their mom asked me what unit they should buy and I immediately replyed the Legend. It is basic, inexpensive and easy to use, what more could you want.

Works well, sensitivity is good given the price. Seems to eat batteries for breakfast, tho.

My buddy bought one and we started geocaching. I immediatley ordered this same one. Easy to use. May lose a signal in a heavily wooded area but..... that is to be expected. go to [...] to learn more.

WE started to do Geo caching with it,we this Garmin Legend, i have 3 girls and we do it on the weekends .They love it always fighting who is going to lead us.So thank you

Unit works good. My only wish is that the backlight would be brighter, but I'm still very happy with it.

i was given this as a present to use in my car while traveling. this is definitely NOT what it was designed for since it requires close attention to a very small screen. there are also additional costs associated with owning this unit. first, you must purchase maps to upload into the unit and they can be expensive. second, you may have to purchase a cable to connect the unit to the computer (they do not supply a USB connection so i had to purchase an adapter). the cost of the adapter from garmin is 2 to 3 times the cost of other manufacturers. in the end, this "present" cost me well over $120 and isn't really satisfactory for car use unless you have someone with you to operate the unit.

We just started Geocaching, and this little guy is very helpful in finding those hidden treasures. It doesn't suck up batteries too quickly, and the features are helpful for what we use it for.

I chose this model because of the good reviews, modest price and availability of topographic maps for Alaska. Overall, it's been a great buy.

We use the GPS for backpacking and kayaking in Alaska. The first major trip we went on was in Katmai National Park, where we camped backcountry. There, it frequently was able to lock on 8 satellites or more. It was easy to set waypoints for campsites and river crossings, and handy to track our distance traveled, elevation, and heading. The size is perfect. It's about the size of a thick cell phone -- small enough to go in a pocket or even hang around your neck. The backlight is also handy.

The second trip was a kayaking trip in Glacier Bay National Park. I kept the GPS around my neck, where it was exposed to frequent rain and saltwater. It functioned perfectly the entire time, and was enormously helpful for pinpointing our position, marking possible campsites, and estimating paddling time.

My major complaint is the antiquated serial port cord. It took three computers before we found one with a serial port and that could see the GPS when we plugged it in. Once we did, the software was easy and straightforward to use. The topo maps are very useful, especially since they show small landforms like islands that are not on the basemap.

For those of you who want a GPS for your car, this model is really not designed for that and you will probably want a different model. This is a small device with a small screen and I can't imagine relying on it for driving directions. If you're looking for a GPS for backpacking, kayaking or other outdoors activities, I think you'll be very pleased, though reviewers who point out you need a clear view of the sky for it to lock in are correct (thick tree cover is a problem). It was an enormous help to us on our trips.

Excellent inexpensive unit with no software to worry about dealing with or buying (but you can if you want more detailed maps with more points of interest, etc). Has services and rest areas on major interstate routes as well as major roads including alaska already programmed in. Tracks well for hiking, kayaking, or major crosscountry driving, all of which I used it for already. Interface very easy to work with. The only addition I would make would be a larger memory for more detailed trails, waterways and smaller neighborhood roads, but you can add that by buying software if you need. Not ideal for driving because most smaller roads not programmed in.

The fact is that there isn't a better GPS unit out there for this price. We bought it for geocaching and I highly recommend it to anyone who is just starting out with geocaching. As we have become obsessed with geocaching we have begun to see it's limits and actually just bought a higher end Magellan to use as our primary GPS unit.

Still, if you're not sure that you're going to love geocaching (or be using a GPS unit a lot for whatever you are buying it for) I would highly recommend starting with this GPS unit. It will get you up and running. You can download to it, it has some memory and gets good reception. It also is fairly user friendly, even my 11 year-old can use it.

Some things to consider...

*It does use a serial connector instead of a USB port (I don't even have a serial port on my laptop).
*It loses reception in heavy foilage areas more easily than the Magellan.
*It takes a long time to track the satellites to get started (sometimes up to five minutes).
*The compass only works if you are moving at a fairly good pace, so it is not very useful.
*A minor annoyance is that if you are running it on the cigarette lighter adaptor (which you must buy seperately BTW) in your car and you turn the car off or unplug it, it will turn itself off in 30 seconds. I'm sure this is to save on batteries, but it is annoying as heck when I forget to hit the button so that it doesn't turn off and I have to wait for it to track the satellites and get going again.

This GPS will do just about anything you want for a reasonable price. You can't communicate with it, but you can track back to your vehicle, mark waypoints, and find all but the most forest- or slot canyon hidden geocaches. Great little unit.

Initially I was looking around for a inexpensive GPS receiver to act as a telemetry unit for my R/C vehicles. At first I was seriously considering the basic "Yellow" eTrex, but after looking over the features and the cost differential, I thought that the Legend was a better choice. Thing is, with the additional features, there comes the additional uses :-)The reason I chose the Garmin unit was due both the size (about the size of a cell phone or a pack of cigarettes) and weight (5 oz), which is perfect for my needs.

Performance wise, this unit has exceeded my expectations by a considerable margin. Before my purchase, I was reading some of the other reviews, and it seemed that many of the other purchasers were suggesting that the unit works best on clear days in open areas. While that level of performance was what I basically was after, just for laughs I decided to see how well it could do under less than ideal circumstances. One day I took it out while it was a combination of fog and light rain, and it still tracked OK. There was some hint of signal degradation, but nothing significant. Next, I took it under a tree canopy during the same afternoon. That actually did cause a noticable drop in reception... accuracy went from my units average of 25 feet to 65 feet, but it did still track. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised! Accuracy on a clear day is usually within 25 feet, although I have had it drop to 15 feet on especially nice days.

Durability is not an issue. As noted above, I had it out in a light rain; no problems. Likewise, I had it mounted to the rear spoiler of one of my nitro powered buggies while running it around in a local park, and it didn't even phase it.

Screen is small, but the images are crisp and personally I can live without the color. While I could see how the size could be an issue for some, I found it to be acceptable. Perhaps Garmin or someone else could create a screen magnification tool like that used with the Nintendo Game Boys? I think that would resolve the issues that older users or people with less than good vision might have with this unit.

The other area that I was pleasantly surprised with was overall ease of use. The unit itself is pretty intuative for the most part. Most of the manual is devoted to pre-plotting navigation courses, and correspondingly this is where the lump of issues is probably going to be for the end-user. Still, I didn't have any problems in this area. Actual interface to my PC was painless. Plug in the interface cord to the COM port, hook in the GPS reciever, and that's it. Actual download times from the PC to the GPS unit is a bit slow side, taking about 30 minutes or so to load an 8 Mb regional map into the unit.

Overall, I have been quite happy with this GPS, and would not hesitate to recommend it.

If you've ever been involved with an activity that utilizes GPS, you've run into this little wonder. It's usually the recommended device for geocaching beginners and it does its job well. After having this over a year, I have added higher end units but this is still my wife's staple and she loves it. It has just enought memory to get some good maps of your location and those can be a life saver.
Complaints of accuracy are unwarranted because that includes variables such as satellite locks, weather, trees, ect. You have to remember that when you are looking for something with coordinates given to you - those coordinates were created by another GPSr by someone who may not know what they are doing. In other words, the GPSr gives you direction to a target and then a 20-30 foot radius in which to search.
I would recommend this unit to everyone.

Not very accurate. Mine reads less than 50% accurate in an open area at 200 yards from the mark. The customer service is not very helpful, but they do a good job of explaining why the trinket errors and that it cannot be improved upon. I have mine for sale if anyone is interested. It is in a drawer in my garage.

I bought the etrek legend to use as a basic navigational tool while prospecting. This one has all the bells and whistles I need without clutter. Anyone that wants to get into the "wilds" will appreciate the simple operation of this unit.

I did not purchase the optional "mapsource" software. I really don't like to rely on electronics too heavily so I use the National Geographic topo maps in hard copy form in conjuction with the lat/long from the GPS unit.

I got two of these eTrex Legend GPS units for myself and my boyfriend to use hunting, geocaching and hiking. I got them new at Office Max for $119 each and they are still selling elsewhere for around $169.
They work great, easy to use for the beginner.
The downsides are the signal cuts in and out when in forested areas. Even if there aren't that many trees overhead, sometimes there's no signal.
If you buy this GPS make sure you know which MapSource products you can even load on it. Also, with only 8 GB of memory, you can only hold about 2-3 "regions" from MapSource MetroGuide. If you are traveling, you'd need to erase a region to load a new one.
Overall for the price, it's a good unit for the novice GPSer.


This is a large improvement from the cheaper etrex models as it has a built in map, much more memory, and comes with a serial cable to enable downloading from a computer. The map is not fantastic, but it does give you a decent idea where you are within a mile or so. Geographic features are recognizable at that scale.

It picks up satellites reasonably quickly, but seems hard on batteries compared to other handhelds I've owned. On 2 fully charged NiMH AA cells I can get about 12 hours of use.

This is the second GPS I have purchased. The first was a Magellan. It was nice, but I love the added features on my new Garmin.
The Legend is still fairly inexpensive as was the Magellan, but this model will download waypoints for me. I am into geocaching and this model is perfect for that hobby.
Although it wasn't bad on the Magellan, I do like the navigation between screens better on my Garmin. I also find it more user friendly when pulling up waypoints.

I recently bought this as my first real GPS (had an old Magellan, but never really figured it out), and boy am I happy! Easy to understand (especially after reading the manual), simple to use in the field, and it interfaces well with my laptop and "Terrain Navigator" topographic map program. So much so that, on a recent trip to the desert in California, I set aside my roadmaps and relied entirely on the Legend connected to my notebook computer! Onroad, off-road, it didn't matter! The eTrex was a champ!

I would suggest getting the cigarette-lighter power supply, and networking it with a laptop computer if you have one. If not, it does have rudimentary graphics, but these are only helpful if you have another map to refer to.

All-in-all, well worth the price!

This is the first GPS I've owned and have enjoyed it greatly. I have yet to have it track me on a car trip or follow a planned route. Lots to learn and do. This GPS will keep scratching my head for a while.:0)

i bought this for my husband and he takes it everywhere. he wanted one for hunting trips.(he loves that it has info on best time to hunt and fish)but he takes it everywhere we go.

I'm new in the GPS world, this is my first equipment (Etrex Legend), is very easy to use, the graphics are well done, a friend have a Etrex and we compare the 2 equipment, the Legend's software & graphics are better and, this equipment have a map with most common place of Venezuela-South America. In general,I love mi Etrex Legend and i recomend it to new users.

Manuel A. Hernandez Giuliani
Caracas-Venezuela

The unit works fine but I feel the letters are too small in a small screen. I also feel browsing thru waypoints is a bit cumbersome. I hope the joysticks does not break in time. Otherwise great for the price .

It is an excelent piece of equipment; handy and easy to use. I dropped it a couple of times with no consecuences. Problems: the batteries wear out too fast: no more than 5 or 6 hours of continued use, and the compass does not work unless you move.
Overall: excelent

nice unit- lots of features but small display is better suited to younger eyes ;)

Although not the most powerful GPS device on the market, it's certainly a lot of information packed into a tiny package. For the price, you can't beat the preloaded basemap to guide you along most highways and major streets. I got this one in lieu of the more basic eTrex or eTrex Camo. It's not that much more expensive than those two, and you get the basemap of North America. You can purchase the additional mapping software to get more detail, but the 8 megs of memory only holds a fraction of the amount of available map data. The extra software is handy for points of interest. You can load up the details of your city and quickly find a nice place to eat for a date, or just find someplace new to try. I was disappointed that the device cannot create routes to addresses and intersections automatically. It basically points straight at your destination and forces you to make your own path there. This can be fun when GeoCaching, but, if you're wanting to use this for navigation on the roads, go with a better model. The battery life is excellent, and time to find satellites is usually around 30 to 60 seconds (muuuch longer on low batteries).

I purchased this GPS to take it with me on my of road motorcycle, the recepcion its great even though I'm carrying in my fanny pack with other tools. I also like the way you can personalize each page.

Being used by a 70 year old retiree who loves it. Great for calculating walk times and distances. Also looking forward to doing the caching.Amazed by all the features.Money well spent.

This is a great entry level GPS with reasonable features for the weekend user. I might have overlooked it, but my son bought one last Summer and loved it. My conclusion is that it is a great value. The serial cable (included) may be a put-off to someone expecting USB, but it works reliably and set-up was a snap. Startup scans are pretty quick if the view is unobstructed. The 8 MB memory sounds a bit short compared to the $300+ models, but I found that's more than adequate for most trips. The display resolution is good for the price; it's not the super-crisp color, but it's fine for a day in the field. Like every electronic system, it takes some getting used to the controls, but after you do, I found it instinctive to use. Are there things I'd like to improve, you betcha. But for the price, it's great. Couple this with a program like EasyGPS and you have a great system for the casual-to-semiserious user.

OK first off... this is 2006... what kind of new electronics uses a serial cable? Lets get real Garmin!

Now I should note that I downloaded EasyGPS and loaded waypoints for Geocaching through the serial cable without a hitch and zero configuration. Nice little program.

Good news is you can buy a converter which will allow you to use USB for your laptop. This cost me $13 bucks. Do a google and you should find several options.

A friend of mine has a Vista. You should know that the legend and the Vista use the *SAME* antenna, so you are not upgrading your reception if you buy a more expensive model. Our reception and navigation was identical. The higher end ones really don't do much for usability. They only give you some "niffty" features like knowing the sunset time, elevation, etc. Really these aren't things that will help you navigate. Color doesn't seem to be useful either (at least as far as geocaching goes)

The backlight is great at night, no problems whatsoever seeing the screen.

The only reason you would want to upgrade from the etrex is if you want a GPS for road navigation OR to get a better antenna.

I have had this GPS in very thick cover in PA and in my car and have never had a problem with getting satellites.

So in my opinion if your looking at the vista or this go with this, if you want to spend extra cash then get something with a better antenna.

I received the Garmin eTrex Legend as a Christmas gift. I have enjoyed using it both in my car and while walking through town. It takes a minute or so to connect with the satellites and then gives you your latitude and longitude. While driving I let it hang from my neck so that when it is safe I can check it. If it was mounted on the dashboard I wouldn't be able to read it. The mileage traveled is easily read and compares closely to what you get on the car's odometer. I have found it fun to use thus far. I need to use the instruction book to learn some additional features.

I got the Garmin Etrex Legend for my birthday a few months ago and I have had a blast geocaching! The Legend is small enough to slip in your pocket but is accurate enough to lead you right to the cache. My only complaint is that the screen is small and I have trouble seeing the details - but maybe that's because my middle aged eyes aren't what they used to be. I haven't added on any street detail software because 8 MB is just too little to try to fool with downloading any expensive mapping tools. I'm just happy with what it does and it suits my purposes quite well.

I was hesitant to buy any mid to low end gps, because always have a few reviews saying someone can not get reception very well. This unit works great in my car, and even will work sitting on my sofa in the living room. Amazing, and good price on this little unit. I am satisfied. Can't wait to use it more this summer when it is more comfortable to be outside.

The eTrex Legend is nothing fancy, but it does the job, day after day. I've used it for Geocaching, driving, and tracking hikes and walks, and it's equal to all tasks. Sure, I'd like a brighter screen and a USB port, but for the price, I just don't see how this unit can be beat.

I recently returned from a 3 day backpacking trip with this unit after haveing used to on short hops since purchasing it a month ago. I remain impressed, and more so after each use.

The unit has little frills, but delivers on ease of operation and functionality. It never lost signal during my entire 3 day trip through the foothills of the Apalachian Mountains in NE Alabama. I simply mounted it on my backpack and forgot about it. Each night at camp, I would turn it off and then restart it the next morning. Once home, I has able to download my entire route to my computer for armchair viewing.

Would I like a color and topo maps...you bet...but for this price, you can't go wrong with this basic workhorse unit.

I recently returned from a 3 day backpacking trip with this unit after haveing used to on short hops since purchasing it a month ago. I remain impressed, and more so after each use.

The unit has little frills, but delivers on ease of operation and functionality. It never lost signal during my entire 3 day trip through the foothills of the Apalachian Mountains in NE Alabama. I simply mounted it on my backpack and forgot about it. Each night at camp, I would turn it off and then restart it the next morning. Once home, I has able to download my entire route to my computer for armchair viewing.

Would I like a color and topo maps...you bet...but for this price, you can't go wrong with this basic workhorse unit.

I've had my Legend for 10 months now and am surprised I haven't reviewed it yet.
I have had occasion to use MANY different units, and by far this is the winner. I find that the price point can seem steep, but it is worth the price tag. I got this hoping to use it to scout for hunting and fishing, but found Geocaching to be a good way to learn my way around a GPS. To be fair, I've always been a map and compass guy but this is so easy to use I sometimes don't even carry maps.
-Waypoints are the easiest to enter of any system, and the many icons make it easy to identify waypoints on the map.
-Solunar tables are nice and can be computed for specific waypoints.
-Nice backlighting, a little dim, but will not ruin night vision.
-They say it's designed for left handed operation, but as a lefty myself, I find it easy to use with both hands.
-The trip computer is very nice, and you can cusomize the data to show what you want. I use this for computing mileage when making long trips for work, so it's paid for itself in mileage checks!'
I have NO complaints about this unit, though I would recommend getting a case/cover for the screen since it's so exposed.


This is an excellent and very durable (the term "crash-proven" is appropriate...) unit. The available bike mount fits most handlebars (for oversize bars, e,g, carbon, just use "tie strips"). The mounting bracket is simply a replacement for the battery cover. The read out has an optional "large numbers" setting that makes all of the data highly readable. It is an excellent replacement for the standard bike computer with of course the GPS features as well. After the ride, download your trip to Google Earth, and you can review your ride and make plans to extend or modify the ride the next time.

Great navigating tool for us horseback riders! Great for tracking time and miles on the trail. Now I know how many minutes are spend moving and how many are spent stopped. Tracks miles and direction. Great tool I won't go riding with out it. I just wish the batteries could be charged like my cell phone instead of alway's needing rechargable batteries and a charger available.

great product. fun and easy to use. Have bought 4, 2 were gifts. Pc cabel also works with othe e Trex models. Use it for geocaching.

I have owned this unit for about 6 months now. I added on the MapSource Topo maps because I use this GPSr for Geocaching. Wile this is not the top of the line GPSr it does the job for me with little problem at all. I have had some problems with getting signal a few times, but no more problem than I have had with other GPSrs. Over all I like this GPSr with the added maps.

WOW this is a powerful GPS with lots of features and it was delivered the very next day (2 days before it was expected)!! Great shipping....Great product!!It was a gift for our son's 27th Birthday....HE LOVES IT!! Now my husband wants one.

I just bought the Garmin eTrex Legend GPS unit, and can't believe all the features that came packed in this tiny unit! It is simply amazing...

The ease of use is the best thing about it. Anyone can operate it! It is real simple and straight forward to use. A lot of the other features are nice but might be a little overwhelming to some at first.

It does take a while to come on once you get put in the batteries and power it on the for the first time (it has to initialize and get all the satellite locations and coordinants). But then once it's up - that's it. It's ready to go. Any time afterwards if you turn it off and power it back up, it comes right up in about 15 seconds.

The map feature is great, but you have to zoom WAY far in to see your street at first. But again, it's a great feature and extremely handy so you can instantly know where you are. The downside to the maps is that all the "extras" they talk about (USA Topographical CD-ROM's, USA full detailed CD-ROM maps, etc...) are ***EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE***


I bought my etrex Legend nearly 3 months ago now. I was told by the store where I bought it that I could borrow someone's mapsource cd and easily download the local charts. Untrue!!! First of all, some versions of mapsource won't work with this unit. I found this out the 2nd time I mailed it back to garmin saying I dare you to download the charts. The first time they insisted the unit was fine, but sent me another one. Second of all, the mapsource cd require a $116 charge for each region, and the regions are quite small. I live near the split of 2 regions, so I would have to pay $232 to access charts for areas within an easy daysail. And third, the customer support is very slow. Calls generally start with a 30 - 60 minute hold period. I kept running out of batteries while trying to program the unit with tech support coaching. And the error messages on the unit and the mapsource cd don't agree. The unit would say transferring data, and the computer would say no memory, insert card. What card? Another call to tech support.... 3 months now and the unit is on it's way back to me from Garmin. I've been asking for a refund for about 6 weeks now. They won't grant one and they won't return my reciept so I can attempt one from the store.
Buy a Magellan!
Anybody want to buy mine off me?

This well-priced unit is exactly right for the beginner geocacher. The ability to download detailed maps (you have to buy the cd) makes it even more usable in other contexts. It's small, light-weight, and, for the most part, easy to use for a product of this type. Entering data is a little cumbersome.

My eight-year old son became proficient in the use of the Garmin eTrex Legend (without any prior gps experience) in less than twenty minutes.

This is my 2nd GPS and I really like this unit, it does everything as designed. I find it to be very accurate and easy to use. The battery seems to hold up vey well so far. I've used it to find caches, map trails while ATVing and hiking. Works for all my needs. Great unit. No whines from me.

I have used this unit for 3 years, and traveled cross country with it twice. First, you get what you pay for. If you want a nice display and easy to use in the car, go spend $1000. Reception in a car is tough (having a sunroof helps) and there is no option for an external antenna. Non-rechargable Batteries only last about a day of continuous usage, so either turn it on and off as needed, buy a car adapter, or lots of spares. The grey-scale display is hard to read at night or under low-light conditions, at least for my older eyes.

But, with all of that, I love it. It was great when I first moved to a large city out west since it had a built in map of all the major roads. I kept it in my car for months just so I could always be sure to get home. You can quickly mark locations as you drive by holding down the joystick (just remember to add a name that makes sense later, it's dangerous while you are driving.)

I used it to drive cross country twice, and have used it on numerous trips to large cities. The built in maps are good enough that I got around without having to download anything. Find a good web site that gives lat/long for addresses and you can probably get around just fine. I have used it several times without an atlas or map handy (except in the trunk just in case) to get around large cities that I had never been to before and once travel across country. But, it is safer with a navigator who watches it because of the small display.

It does shut off without warning, I think it is due to loose battery connections though as it tends to happen mostly when being bounced around (like on a bike). I am rough on it and have not had any problems beyond it shutting off. There are several free software programs you can use to upload/download waypoints and tracks, so don't spend any money unless you really want to.

I bought this item for [...] and it works great! It's accuracy can be off by 10-60 feet (depending on where you are) but it gets me close enough to the spot I want to be at!

This little gadget does pretty much what the description said it would do. I bought it as a toy, so it suits my purposes fine. The only thing I miss in this budget model is better base maps. In Austin, it shows big streets like Oltorf and Lamar, but not the residential streets (just like the box said it would do).

This product is a great buy. I am a tournament bass fisherman and this is a great product for a boating application.

I am very happy with this GPS. It is quite accurate and user friendly. Has many bells and whistles. The price is not bad either.

I had a previous version of the Garmin (in its old format). It was bullet proof but not really very helpful. I decided to update and this seemed to be a good compromise between just the lattitude and longitude gps and the complete "on-star" type system.

It works well, acquires the necessary coverage much quicker than the prior unit and seems accurate and reliable.

It does come only with major road coverage. While that is a great improvement over the original units, you will still need a city map unless you buy the city streets software. The software seems pricy since it is a good percentage of the price of the unit. You might be better off getting one of the models that already has the city streets software included as the overall price is probably less.

However, it works, the colored screen is much easier to see and for overall knowing where you are, what decent sized roads to take to get from city to city it is a good product.

The best gps of its class and for an affortable price. A battery charger or the cigarrete outlet adapter are recomended.

I had the eTrex standard (the yellow one) until it was stolen about a month ago. Decided to try the Legend because of the memory size as I do lot of work on boats. I like the features of this unit. Data entry is easier using the Click Stick, which is real selling point for me as I am constantly updating my waypoints and tracks and such. The only minor complaint I have is that I wish they would make the screen a little larger. I know this is a hand held unit, but a little larger screen would be great. I use the larger text option to overcome this option as I often can't have the unit in my hand when I need it and being able to glance over and get the critical navigating info at a glance is important to me. Overall a great unit at a good price.

We've used this three days and we've had a great time. I haven't found anything wrong with the GPS. And it had some pluses that I wasn't aware off. It works great. We live in Colorado and we've search in parks with trees and had no problems at all with accuracy.

Bought this for a trip to Costa Rica and it perfomed excellently for both driving and hiking. Has a bit of a slow aquisition and startup time but works well once the system is aquired. Also the antenna needs to have a good view of the sky to work well. The included basic North and South America maps were sufficient and the storage and PC compatibility make the unit attractive. The size, weight, durability, and user interface are excellent.

I had dreamt about GPS since childhood. I had seen the GPS in 10 years back in James Bond Movie-GoldenEye. since then I always wished if I could know where I am standing on Earth.
E-Trex worked very fine with me. Atleast I could stop the Car and see where is 101 Freeway and I am going far or near parpendicular or parallel.
I've also tried this in India, It works very nicely here. For the very first time when you start it takes time to find the satelite. but once it starts it gives the same precision. Inbuilt Maps in GPS are not perfect for India and has incorrect boundaries. I know there is not even good map-source CD available for India. I had set these expectations while buying e-trex. I am happy with waypoints and trajectory it makes. Above all it is like light weight looks like mobile.

I bought my Legend and used it moderately for about a year (I've changed the batteries 15+ times) and took good care of the unit when I used it. It was a great GPS. But one day I turned it on and the screen was flickering and all messed up. I immediately emailed Garmin. They were very nice and prompt but informed me that if it was more than a year since the purchase date, it could be sent in for repair for $99. It was a few months past a year, and since the original cost $152, it didn't make much sense to send it in. So now I have a GPS that I can't use. I haven't purchased another Garmin product.

I love this little GPS! It's so much easier to use than our old one. Very quick to learn, we haven't had to keep going back to the owner's manual, it's all logical and simple.

The eTrex Legend took me through the Wadi Rum the first time I used it, having programmed the waypoints from a satellite picture. The road was exactly where it was supposed to be and the eTrex's toggle lever makes it easy to use with one hand on the steering wheel. It has all you need and even more for the price of a night in a New York hotel. If you travel, get Garmin's World Map, too !

The eTrex Legend is great. I've had mine for about 1 month and it has already proven useful on several occassions. A great feature over the lower eTrex models is the mapping capability. The built in base map (mine has North and South America) has more detail than I thought it would and the exits and services look-up feature makes it great for road trips. If you have been thinking about purchasing a GPS unit. This is a great one to start with.

I haven't bought any downloads for it, yet. (They are a little pricey) We used it as-is for a trip last month and it really came in handy. With the database that is already in it, we were able to find rest stops and resturants, etc. The only drawback was I had to hold it directly by a window for it to pick up satellite positions so when I wasn't using it, but still had it on, I had to place it on the dashboard for it to keep up with where we were going. We really like it, though.

For beginning GPS users, this product is easy to use and gives basic options for plotting waypoints as well as logging trips. Ideal for a first time user.

This is my first GPS after weeks of researching. I have not been let down yet after 3 months of use and hundreds of miles.

The only complaint I have is it sucks batteries like crazy. I use the car adaptor whenever I can, but I still have to change them very often.

I haven't run into the memory probs like other reviewers. I can see how that would be frustrating if you could not get to a computer to reload maps.

The lanyard is really uncomfortable too, I have not been able to find one that fits correctly either, but that is not big deal at all.

Not big enough to store data, can take only 4 large cites!
It's a waste of money. First GPS we've owned. The joystick is a little tricky for new GPS and takes some getting used to.
Very sorry we bought it, first time GPS customers, if you want something for your car buy the bigger models and not the portables. We were trying to save a little dough and ended up with something we can't use.
Buyer beware and get your data before buying a GPS.


This was a gently treated unit that had never been dropped or in any way abused and only used occasionaly on weekends. The more serious problems noted below developed only after a few months.

pros: Inexpensive, nice small size, easy to carry. I've used it traveling around various cities, geocaching, camping, etc. The ability to change parameters of the display is a nice feature.
Very good accuracy, I've gotten readings as close as a few feet from target.

Cons: dimly lit and low contrast screen not good for older eyes, especially at night.
Serious flaw---randomly turns off on its own for no reason, even with new batteries.
Display developed missing lines and dark lines usually after pressing the side buttons. The only way to get the display back was to gently shake the unit or tap on the screen.
Drops signal too easily in urban areas-even around relatively short buildings (two and three story). Light tree cover kills it as well. The unit requires you to hold it in your hand, out and facing skyward. It will not work if it is around your neck.

If you want to add any waypoints at all, forget the tedious button entry and get a cable and gps software and upload points from your computer. But to be honest on this point, any device without a keyboard is tedious to enter information into.

This unit will not hold up under anything but very gentle treatment, in my opinion.

Despite some serious drawbacks and poor design decisions, the eTrex has potential, if Garmin can fix some issues with the unit.
You get what you pay for...
Even given the above negatives, I would buy garmin again.

This GPS would have got 5 stars but I am a bit leary when it comes to the engenearing of a product. I dont like Cameras that have that flimsey auto shut and open lens cover and with this GPS I cant say I really trust the joystick design. But I bought it for it's name and hope my trust in them pays off.

As for its features. I would have to say 5 STARS all the way!
I have not been out of the city with it yhet but in the city the worst reception I have had was off by 30 feet. This awsome toy tells you ohw fast you are walking, running, and/or driving. In my truck it is only off by 2 mph.. It tells you everything you can think of. If you like... It will tell you how long you have been sitting on the can.

I dont know if it is possable to love a toy but I plan on getting all my hiking friends and evin family one sort of GPS or another. My parents dont know it yhet but I am going to get them one for there car. Because when it comes to them taking or giving directions it is like the US finding Ben Laden. You think something 5 blocks away and 2 turns would be easy directions to take. But it takes like one houre to explain it to them. hehehe Got to love parents.

By the way... The reason I call it a toy is because my grandpaw is a pilot from WWII and he made it a point to teach me how to not only read a map but a compass and a topographic map. So a GPS to me is just a awsome toy.

I've been GEO cacheing for 6 mths now. My wife has a Magellan Meridian Platinum and the combination of the two systems puts us right on top of our finds. I like both systems but the Legend brings you in closer. The Magellan has optional memory espansion. As for which is really the best, its not in the name, it is what you are willing to pay and what bells and whistles you want. The low ends of both manufactures you will be dissatisfied if you stay with it.

Bought my e-Trek Legend in March 2002 for geocaching; initially it did ok, tracked well but lost signal often when under leafcover in the woods. Started noticing power shutoff problems when first turning it on; thought it was the battery connection, I'm beginning now to think it was poor/thin soldering in the manufacture. Now the click stick will only work in two of four directions. For what I paid for it, and as little as I used it, I doubt if I'll replace it with another Garmin e-Trek, they just don't seem substantial enough for hiking (to think, I cradled that thing like a baby in the woods, being careful with it!).

Well, so far I kind of dig it. Its not easy to manage without learning it first. Its not a "duh obvious" operating system. I am trying to figure out still how to map where I have been but not save the whole thing. I want to save just legs.

It is almost one hand useable, but some of the buttons are hard to press with one hand. It is a nice size and very easy to read. It does not come with any computer software and I am not sure how to get other maps on it yet.

I guess I need to buy additional software. Its been fun playing with it since I bought it yesterday, now I need to learn the nitty gritty.

I've had this unit now for about a week Unit offers alot in a little package. Only Highways and State Roads on it, but shareware software on the web really made mapping possible and fun (GPS Track Maker v12). Has lots of POIs (Points of Interests) loaded from the factory. Unit seems very accurate (usually displays 18 or 25 foot accuracy in clear view of the sky). Picks up a good signal on the dash of my car.

I wound up also buying the Mapsouce CD and loaded up all of CT. Fine details to all minor roads and points of interests.
It did wipe out the factory maps some (noticed that channel or river bouys no longer in the unit, but the factory map can be reloaded at any time from Garmin's website).

For the price ($130.00 thru Amazon) it's a fantastic unit. Don't bother with the Etrex Yellow and shoot for the Legend.
Mapsource was $74 on line..

Even though the unit comes with a comport cord, go with a dual 12v & com connection in one. I'm running it indoors plugged into a 12v power supply. Unit is also good on Battery life too.





I have owned this unit for a couple of years now and have been pretty happy with it. The joystick makes screen navigation a breeze. I glanced over the manual, but really did not need to - the unit is very easy to use. Accuracy varies from 15 to 30 feet in most instances. I have had it reach 8 ft. accuracy a few times. Battery life is ok, but not great. Screen is beginning to lose a pixel here and there, but not enough to hinder usage.

I've owned my legend for about 1.5 years. I've enjoyed using it with Mapsource & Nroute for driving...and have used it hiking several times. It is a great unit for hiking...although, it is more of a reference than a compass...due to losing GPS signal under the canopy.

The downside? Having taken pretty good care of it, the unit's screen has gone completely blank...it won't turn on or off. It's only 1.5 years old...and is supposed to be built pretty rugged. I expected a longer life than that. The best part? Out-of-warranty products are $99 to repair -- for $30 more I can have something new....so much for that offer. :-(

Pros:
If you live in the tree barren, Mojave Desert plains on a sunny, cloudless day, with a clear view of the sky, then this unit operates acceptably. If you live in space with an unobstructed view of all the global positioning satellites, then this unit operates just fine. If you are in space, docked directly to three global positioning satellites then this unit operates flawlessly.

Real World: If you are in a park, on a dirt trail, under a canopy of leave-less tree boughs with overcast skies, at least the date you set will be correct. It is then you will find and view the cool LCD animation of the phases of the moon. You will confidently cycle through command screens to see that your top walking speed was in excess of 80mph.

Features: Cold start satellite acquisition in a brisk 7 to 10 minutes if you are absolutely motionless with a clear view of the sky on a sunny day in space. The two fully charged NIMH AA batteries will provide nearly 8 hours of displaying the the "Lost Satellite Reception" message which you then can adjust the contrast so you can see it sharply and clearly or faintly. If you do have the rare opportunity to lock on to the feeble signal of 3 or more satellites and achieve the pinpoint accuracy of + - 250 feet you can zoom in and out to see the map pointer behind an absolutely blank screen, miles away from the nearest road or that you are actually standing out in the river/ocean.

Accessories: For about half the price of the unit, you can purchase additional software that will display enhanced maps and
topographic information and thousands of points of interest under the "Lost Satellite Reception" message. The included serial cable will allow you to download the waypoints at a scathing 11550bps that you set while you were standing out in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. The optional belt clip holder/protector comes complete with a highly reflective screen protector, (no extra charge) so that no one else can look over your shoulder and see the "Lost Satellite Reception" message.

Summary: Mongo paint map on cave wall by light of fire, show tribe he not lost.


After researching to death the various GPS's on the market I finally decieded on the eTrex Legend. I got the gps primarily for geocaching and for this purpose it does just fine. In fact I probaby could get by with the lower end eTrex model but for the few extra dollars I felt that it was worth having the ability to add maps etc to my gps if if choose to at a later time. If you want the gps for street navigation you may want to look into one that has more detailed maps or plan on buying the extra maps Garmin sells. That said the base maps are adequate for most needs.

The "click stick" is definetly a good feature. It makes entering data very easy. I have no problem reading the display in various lighting. I bought the case and that sometimes obstructs the entire display face but it does make it convienent to carry around. There are many features that are not really needed for geocaching, but then you have the features available if you want to use them.

All in all a good product and honestly I couldn't find a better deal at the time than Amazon.com.

I bought the Legend from Amazon in August 2003 after a lot of research. It was and still is the best value in a small GPS. I also bought the Topo CD's several months later. I took the Legend everywhere, and used it almost daily.

The unit recently had intermittent failures, it is out of warranty and it is being retired. I had no issues with reception, acquisition time, reading the display, battery life or using it left handed. The Topo software could use an update but it makes the Legend much more useful. I bought a bike mount, definitely get one of those if you cycle.

The new color units have a USB connection, the Legend uses a serial cable. Not a big deal, but not all laptops have serial ports so consider that before you buy. (A USB-serial converter is available for a rather steep $50, almost half the cost of the Legend!) Data transfer isn't fast but you have to be chronically impatient to care about that.

The first intermittent failure on my unit was the joystick, it would not switch in the left direction, among other things, I could not select routes. That was annoying. The second was a pattern of thin lines across the display, the third was a hard failure, a black display on boot up. The black display rendered the Legend completely useless during a 4 day trip in the Adirondacks, fortunately not on the trail. I almost tossed it but when we got home it began functioning again...another intermittent problem.

Don't ever rely on one of these things for navigation in the wilderness, the product quality is inadequate. You will be foolishly testing the Aerospace Corollary of Murphy's Law (whatever can go wrong, will...and at the worst possible time) by depending on it for essential navigation. Carry a compass and map or be prepared to get lost and die after the Legend fails.

My advice to those considering purchase is to go for it, but keep your receipt because there's a good chance it will break and need warranty service. After the warranty, it's an expendable. Forget about factory repairs, those are $90.

I'm replacing the Legend with a Vista, I really don't expect better quality but I do like the bigger memory and the altitude profile display will be fun to play with. The most practical decision would have been to get another Legend but that's rather boring. The Magellans are getting better but they don't have the screen resolution and ergonomics of the Garmins.

The Etrex color units are quite nice but way too expensive. When the Vista is broken and out of warranty maybe the price will drop and color will be my replacement. Or perhaps another manufacturer will develop a higher quality GPS with the features, size and display of the Garmin.

Overall, I'd recommend the Legend. It's a good value, provided you have the common sense to understand and manage its limitations.


If you are reading this, you are probably considering the Legend for its combination of price & features, along with the overall user satisfaction. That's why I chose it anyhow. ;)

Before I bought, I too read all of these amazon reviews and decided this GPS would be the best one for the money. ($136 at the time I bought it) I read the reviews of the Magellans, but they were pretty mixed, and their customer service NEVER got any kudos. It seemed like only 50% of their customers were happy out-of-the-box. I was initially attracted to them because they are said to retain satellite lock better than these low-end Garmins. But then I read that they have lower resolution displays, and that they're a lot bigger and heavier. A shame, since some of the medium Magellens had expandable SD memory...

Back to the Garmin Legend, bad news first: reception could be a bit stronger. If you follow Garmin's directions and hold the receiver flat under an unobstructed sky, you will always have excellent reception, a good lock, and good accuracy. (WAAS brings it from 27 ft. down to under 10 ft when you are covered by WAAS enabled satellites) But the signal gets degraded easily. For instance, if you don't hold it flat as you walk around outside, the accuracy generally drops from 10 ft to 50 ft. No big deal really. In the car, mounted to the dash there are never any problems. (check ebay for mounting accessories, unless you want to get gouged for the name-brand ones...)

The features are great, and are pretty easy to learn. The "clik stik' menu navigation is great. The display is very sharp and has great resolution. I can't believe how good it looks. Not that this matters much, but I also like the transluscent blue plastic. I haven't tried any of the external software yet, as it is pricey at around $100. (Garmin is crazy to ask this much for it. Do they think people don't realize how much it is going to cost? If they priced their extra maps at about $20 per country instead of $100+, they would sell a lot more of everything)

I have a friend at work who bought a Legend over a year ago. He just sold it on the bay and got most of his money back and put it towards a Vista C. He says the reception is drastically more reliable. He said that in his bathroom with a roof overhead, he was still able to pick up satellites and get good accuracy. With his Legend, he complained about losing satellite reception when he put it in a chest pocket of his jacket while riding dirtbikes in the desert. He likes that there is 24 MB of memory instead of 8. He likes the display. He also makes about 3X more money than I do, so he can afford a GPS that costs 3X as much as mine! (They're around $360 vs $140)

I went for a 3 mile hike in the forest preserve today and had it hung around my neck with the supplied strap. It worked great, even though it was about 5 degrees Farenheit today. The LCD was getting pretty slow, but everything worked very well.

Some notes if you're also considering the entry level (yellow) eTrex: The built-in USA basemap of the Legend is useful, but it doesn't cover down to street level. Realize that the basic etrex doesn't have this, so it will not be very useful for the car. It has major roads. Generally, anything with a state or interstate # will be on it. If you plan to use it only for outdoor activities where you will never need a map (topographic or street), the basic eTrex has the same hardware but with a smaller LCD screen. I know someone who has a yellow eTrex, and I think her main complaint is that it doesn't have the clik stik. She is an avid hiker and geocacher, and when she enters waypoints (manually, since it doesn't have PC interface capabilities) she doesn't bother to name them since it take so much longer without the clik-stik. She just leaves them numbered.

If you want more information, check out the groundspeak forums. Please do an honest search of the posts that are there before asking questions, as newbies show up and ask the same questions week after week. Someone has already asked your question, believe me.

Bottom line, if you have the dough, buy one of the higher-end Garmins for the reception and memory. If not, you will be very happy with this Legend as long as you realize its limitations.

I love this GPS! The menu system is very intuitive, after a couple of minutes of playing around with it you can figure out pretty much everything. It also has a few features that are best left for more advanced users. The unit itself feels great in your hand, and is compact with a good size screen. The main feature I love about this is it's ability to zoom to 20 feet. That coupled with WAAS makes it great for geocaching and other GPS games. Excellent unit overall.

I purchased my Garmin eTrex Legend about two years ago and it has been a love/hate relationship ever since. I am not a clumsy person by any means, but it seems like everytime I touch this unit it breaks. At the begining of a two-day hiking trip, it fell off the tailgate of my truck and wiped out the LCD screen. Externally, the unit was fine, but the shock damaged the display crystal. So I roamed around for two days without it. I returned the unit to Garmin for repair; $99 later it was good to go, or so I thought. While canoeing in the Ozarks, I had the eTrek attached to my life vest. The waterproof rating states that it can take up to one meter for 30 minutes - hardly! My canoe capsized and the eTrex was toast before I ever made it to shore. The electonics eventually dried out and the unit started working again - after my trip was over! I could send it back for a $99 repair (again) but I think I will buy one of the Magellan Explorist models with USB connectivity. A word of advice - don't buy any GPS unit that uses a serial port (RS232) connection. They are painfully slow during transfer.

Bought this GPS as a gift, and in just 5 minutes of setup, we had already mounted it to a mountain bike and were off in search of GeoCache's. With the WAAS and its thousandth of a minute accuracy, we were able to pinpoint the location perfectly.
I really liked its durable feel as well as the Indigloesque backlighting.

I bought the Legend to replace my original E-Trex, and I've bene pretty happy with it. Compared to the original unit, tracking is better, it'll handle more satellites, and of course you get the mapping and database, too.

As a number of reviewers have noted, it doesn't work so well indoors, or in a forest canopy, but that's true of any unit that uses a simple internal patch antenna. They just don't have the gain, or the wide reception angle. And we hikers do sometimes as a bit much of these units, expecting them to work in a pocket on a waistbelt or pack, where our bodies are shrouding them from half the sky.

But in a clearing, or on the deck of my kayak or on my little sailboat, it works just fine. Sure, it would be nice to have a larger map, but for the money it delivers a lot of resolution and a lot of data. I've used in in my car as well, mounted on a bracket alongside a cell phone and other radio gear. It's great at telling you when your exit is coming up, or where you are relative to nearby cities or other highways.

Sure, I'd like color and a screen with four times the area, but at the price it's hard to beat. And if you have a laptop, it makes a great outboard receiver at a price less than that of some dedicated units. A good choice all the way around.

If you're not sure whether or not to get a GPS but you have the cash, BUY THIS!! It is so much fun you'll want to take it with you everywhere! The basemap, while limited, makes it THEE best entry level GPS for its price [which is the best I've seen it at - ignore the other review]. For me, it comes in handy getting around town but I also enjoy its usefulness on plane trips and backpacking/rock climbing expeditions. The average accuracy is 17 ft which is really good [all that stuff about WAAS hardly ever works]. If you're looking for a good GPS, this is it. If you're just looking around for gift ideas, this will make ANYBODY [outdoors enthusiast, kids, drivers] happy.

Excelent Handheld GPS. Easy to follow menu and options.

I use mine for Navigating / Boating Biscayne Bay Miami Florida.

[GARMIN BISCAYNE BAY GPS MAP SOFTWARE DOWNLOAD] availble at:
http://gps.cyberpine.com



Amazon had this item priced at $134.99 for several months, then on the week of 9/20 it shot up to $169.99, $157 on 9/29, $146 on 10/1 and as I'm writing this (on 10/27) the price is $144.94.

Unfortunately Amazon does not have a policy where you can get credit if something you buy from them goes on sales for a lower price within 30 days (like most brick and mortar stores do). My husband bought this for me as a gift on 9/23 and paid a hefty $169.

Plus I had to spend an extra $100 for the software. The Legend basemap doesn't have detailed street maps, it just shows major streets and highways. So I ended up buying the Mapsource Metroguide North America Version 6. (Amazon doesn't stock version 6 yet but they have version 5). This software cost anywhere from $80 on up, depending if you go to Ebay or an online retailer.

Besides having to buy the extra software, the Legend is a decent GPS unit. I just don't think the pricing was fair.

This unit provides a good balance between features and price. It is of a convenient size, has an easy to learn interface, and works as advertised.

While not intended to provide address-to-address navigation, the built-in Americas Highways base map provides decent background mapping given its 2MB dataset size and coarse scale. In my locale, all of the major roads that I would care to see are displayed. Large scale detailed streets data are available from Garmin if you need it.

The intuitive interface allows a person to easily explore this unit's capabilities. The built-in trip computer has allowed me a glimpse of the grim reality of how much of drive home is spent literally sitting (stopped) in traffic, even though most of my route is on the Interstate. I also appreciate the relatively large number of tracking log points that the 8MB of internal memory affords.

The NMEA-0183 Interface Standard governs communications between marine navigation equipment via a serial data bus, thus, as would be expected, the included PC interface cable is serial. That said, computer connectivity has worked predictably and reliably, showing me exactly where I am at in Microsoft Streets and Trips on the PC. It's true that my Mac's lack of a serial port prohibits a connection without purchasing a third party adapter, but the reality is that there isn't much great mapping software currently available for this platform (Keyspan is available for about 40USD and is compatible with PC and Mac). The other reality is that my primary purpose for this unit is not as an antenna for mapping software.

While the included compass requires movement to determine bearing and the altitude is inherently not as accurate as lateral position, these shortcomings may not be all that important to the average user. A true electronic compass and a barometric altimeter are available on two other eTrex models. For a small premium, the Summit trades a few of the Legend's features (base map and some utilities) for these two items. For a larger premium, the Vista adds these two items to the full list of Legend features.

If you are looking for something so that you can simply say that you have a GPS unit, look at the standard yellow eTrex or the eTrex Camo for a few dollars more. If you are not a full-on surveyor, but serious about mapping using a GPS as an external antenna for your computer, consider something like the Trimble Pathfinder Pocket (note: this pricier unit uses the serial standard and requires a PC or PocketPC).

I don't understand why this item is priced $80.00 more than anywhere else I've found it. You might as well not even carry it. It's a disservice to your customers. Target usually has good prices, and I do a lot of shopping there.

There are other GPS on the market that do what this little baby does, better, faster and probably with more accuracy. But if you are not willing to spend 700$ on buying them then you may want to consider this one.It is probably the most inexpensive GPS with charting features available.
Easy to use (however you need to read at least the quick start to explore the full potential of the device), PC connectivity, light and robust (electronics are water resistant IP x5 -30 mins underwater-) and has a lot of features you may find usefull (compass, trip computer, auto track saving, navigation, area calculation).
Base map is never enough in terms of detail and it depends on point of purchase (the earth is divided to three large geographical regions). In this case if need to use it outside the US you will need to download the respective map from mapsourse which is extra if you need even basic details (areas outside basemap have minimal detal). Connectivity however is a problem if you only have USB slots since you will need a USB to serial adapter.
The only problem is probably its autonomy which is roughly one day depending on usage. You do need some high capacity rechargable batteries (2 AA) or you will be spending a lot on alcaline. The car kit is a good idea for car usage. Map Redrawing is rather slow but not a problem when you navigate (a little irritating when you pan the map manually).

To sum this up. Great value for money for those that don't have exceptional or proffessional demands from a GPS.


This product basically does what it claims. That is about it. Any maps you may want are EXTRA. There are ZERO maps inlcuded. The ones native to the device are so high level as to be useless on a practical basis.

The device chews up batteries so fast as to be practically useless on long trips UNLESS you are willing to tote around tons of AA batteries.

It is currently RS-232 Serial ONLY. There are also no plans for Bluetooth support. Furthermore, there are NO plans to offer a direct USB interface.

If you want use a Garmin on a Mac, then you are on your own. Garmin support explicitly stated they have NO plans to support Mac interfaces.

If you want to do Bluetooth AND MAC, the only product available is DeLorme. However, it is not a standalone handheld device. You will need a Palm or other handheld pocketPC device or laptop to view your way.

The GPS device market is way behind the times, and you will have to put up with it. Believe me, I spent a LONG time investigating the products on the market. They are expensive, all have various compatibility and wiring interface issues.

If you do not have a business need with a good expense budget for all the extra software and expensive proprietary wiring needed to make the device useful, I would definately pass on this device.

Bryan Grant
bryan_grant@runbox.com

I bought the Garmin E Trex Legend with Europe base map just few days before I went to mountain walking in Alps.I have loaded Map source of Switzerland in detail.When I got down from the train in scenic swiss town I wanted to check if my Gps can help me to find my way to my hotel and surprisingly it did have details about my hotel ( though its a small two star hotel) and indicated it taked 10 min walk and showed the route.( saved my taxi fare)
During the Hike I purposefully went out of the trak to check my Gps and it clearly indicated two near by tracks and nearest and quickest way to go , though the terrain was a bit difficult.The good thing is it shows not only the nearset way but if u go wrong way then it displays the nearest way from that point.

positive points;

1)Reliable and must to have if u go for hiking.
2)low weight , thus easy to carry.
3) comes with opitional map source which has every detail.
4) you cant get missed in unknown area
5)once there is signal then its pretty good even when u go below cliffs or tree line or water sources.
Negative points;
1) low battery life
2)takes some time to download map especially when zooming.
3)very difficult to pick up signals when u switch it on in a moving vehicle ,train , bus.

I have had an E-Trex Legend for over two years. I think it is fantastic device. I use the Garmin USA topographic maps. That 8MB memory can store a lot of maps. I only use lithium batteries and the unit will run in the tracking mode for well over 15 hours. I also download to DeLorme maps on my computer. I have used the GPS in Europe twice. Although I do not have European maps, the tracks are still displayed on Garmin's mapsource software. The only downside is that the small aerial makes the unit lose signal in the mountains sometimes. I also have the Garmin mount for my mountain bike and it is great to watch speed, elevation, distance travelled and direction on one display.

This is my second GPS to own. Most of the reviews will give pros and cons, most seem to be true. Overall, this is a good unit and very accurate. Don't let the cons keep you from this unit.

I like the size and ergonomics of this unit.

A couple complaints:

- PC cable is serial; what the heck is that? New Dells don't even have serial ports any more. Garmin should be using USB!

- The default map is lame; so just know that you will need to shell out more money for a detailed map.

--Paul

ps, I'm a GPS freak; the best automotive GPS is made by Alpine as available in Acura and Honda; I have one of those. I also have a built-in one on my boat, and a portable Garmin III Plus for my boat as backup. And a Garmin Street Pilot for my other car. And three Uniden GPS radar detectors which are cool.

Every other person I know who owns a GPS has this model! I believe that's a testament to the performance and price point this model represents.

I finally bought the GPS receiver after buying a kayak. I wanted to know what kind of time we were making so I could plan future outings, and wanted a record of our trips. It works well in that capacity, but I also use it regularly in the car, and on my road bike. I use the suction cup mount, and it tracked my honeymoon train trip across Canada, stuck in the window of the compartment, and I'm amazed at how well it will work in the window of commercial airliners. Sure, it doesn't have the greatest display for use in a car, but this model was not designed for that. Garmin does have better models for that, but you have to pay 6 times or so as much. Regardless, the Legend has been handy getting me unlost on a couple of occasions, and helping me to return to infrequently visited places.

Despite the numerous features packed into this unit, after a few minutes of reading the manual, its operation quickly becomes intuitive, and you can often find features quickly on your own. Of course, some more advanced features, such as building a track using the map, can become somewhat unwieldy, and are better exercised on a PC with the results downloaded to the Legend.

With the complexity of this unit, I'm sure every user can find nits to pick about how some things are done, or under what menus functions should appear. Overall, I am very pleased with how the Legend operates, although I could come up with a long list myself. These items are pretty minor, though.

For example, the trip computer screen is customizable, but it would be nice to be able to store different screens for later use when using the Legend for different applications. The antenna is a patch antenna, and should work best with the unit horizontal with the face upward. However, if it hanging from its neck strap, it's in a very poor position. An optional external antenna would be nice (but would make the unit cost more.) The built-in maps are rather rough. I expect I-95 to be made of straight segments, but think it's inexcusable that US1 crosses to the wrong side of the Florida East Coast railroad in Cocoa.

Again, these are fairly minor points. The biggest complaint in relation to the Legend, although not with the receiver itself, is the price of the accessories. Adding an additional mount (I have the suction cup and bicycle mounts), a cigarette lighter adapter, and map CD costs as much as the street price of the Legend itself!

One thing that impresses me is that Garmin is continually improving the software, and makes the upgrades available for free on their web site. There have been two upgrades in the year since I bought the Legend. When I first got it, and turned it on after it sat in my hot car in the summer (In Florida, it's not really practical to NEVER have to leave it in a hot car at some time), a message would pop up saying that external power had been disconnected and it was turning itself off in 30 seconds! At the time, I didn't OWN an external power source. As the unit would cool, it would be fine. I returned it to Garmin, and they were accomodating, and sent me a new one. Guess what? It did the same thing. But I see the first upgrade included a change to better detect when external power was removed. Since upgrading, I haven't had a problem. It's a little disappointing that it had problems, but encouraging that the manufacturer was helpful, is continually improving the product, and making those upgrades available for free to the consumer.

Like I said, I think the Legend is remarkable performer for the price. The Vista is the next model up in the eTrex line. In going to it, you go from 8 MB of memory to 24 MB, and add a compass and altimeter, but at almost twice the street price. I would like to have seen a model priced between the two without the compass and altimeter but more memory for downloaded maps, like perhaps 16 MB or 24MB.

Although there are always minor things one can think of to improve this product, after a year of use, I am very very pleased with my decision to buy the Garmin eTrex Legend, and it receives a great deal of use.


I bought this for my dad as a gift, and I am a bit disappointed. The unit is not very intuitive. Once you work with it for about 1-2 hours, you can figure out *most* of the fuctionality. The instruction book helps a little bit, but...

PROS:
good rubberized body
lightweight
easy to use buttons one-handed
once it finds satellites, keeps them usually
CONS:
8 mb smaller than you think! Holds about 2 states worth
you can set a 'route' to find an address, but I still haven't figured out how to tell if you are *ON* that route!
battery life pretty good
long start-up time


Overall, it's not bad for a lower-end GPS unit, in an area where you can spend over $1000 for a good one. This does the basics, and definitely has base maps that are reasonably extensive for larger areas. It is weak in small towns, etc. I got around some of the maps by putting in our home town, destination town, and then relying on base maps for data in between. Also, if you want to hang it off your rear-view mirror, think again: it is top heavy and turns upside down.
If you want a basic GPS unit, this is for you. If you want a detailed tell me to turn left here color bonanza, try something else. If you want a moderate level GPS, this is not quite it.

GOOD LUCK!

My wife and I got into Geocaching last year. We had a blast and had great results using our eTrex Legend. We ended up getting other distractions that kept us from GeoCaching so we decided to sell our Legend.

Well a year later we decided to get backing to caching because of some friends so we went looking again for GPSr units and after looking nothing seems to have topped the Legend in the value section.

I have read complaints about people losing sats but honestly from my previous experience, this only happened to us when the tree cover was almost completely blocked out the sky. I often used the unit indoors (near a window of course) and never had a problem using it in the car.

There are a few items that I buy a second time around, the only one that comes to mind off hand was a FujiFilm FinePix 1300. I tend to like value and items that retain a resale value, and from experience, the Legend fits both of those categories.

If you are looking for a sub $200 unit to Geocache with, this is the unit for you. With EasyGPS you can easily store and download Geocache waypoints to your Legend.

Also I don't think anyone mentioned it, but the Legend has a ton of different waypoint icons you can use, it even has GeoCache and GeoCache Found icons.

If I don't get the same results of the 2nd unit that I just ordered I will post it, but until then I am happy I stuck with the Legend.

Overall the Garmin eTrex Legend is a very good GPS receiver. Reception although not perfect is much better then what some of the reviews led me to believe. I lost tracking once on a 60 mile interstate trip for about 15 secs. Considering that is was cloudy, there is a reasonable amount of trees around the interstate and the GPS was on the passenger front seat I was pretty happy with the result. I managed to get a satellite lock indoors as well but only when in proximity to a window and even then it was sporadic. Average accuracy for me was about 20-30ft. When WAAS satellites are in sight I got as good as 7ft and you could actually see the car changing lanes on the tracking log.
The 8MB memory is for the most sufficient for a detailed street map of a single metropolitan area. Although no where nearly as detailed the built-in base map is also useful.
Battery life is good although not as good as advertised. WAAS does drain the batteries a little more so that may be the reason for my results.
Interface and features are as good as can be expected from a device that size and in this price range. The click stick can be a bit uncomfortable for right handed people but nothing you can't get used to.
Although I have not owned the device long it seems to be well built. I have not managed to put any scratches on the screen yet and I have taken few precautions.
Overall this is a great GPS with reasonably good reception and accuracy. Features are excellent for the price range. The eTrex Legend is moderately useful on the road ( no auto routing on the GPS ) and very useful for hiking, marine and aviation applications.

I am not a GPS guru or a geocaching fan. I bought the Garmin eTrex to help me to roughly map out real estate coordinates.

I know other folks really love the eTrex, but I did not. The reception was much poorer than I was expecting for a middle-of-the-road unit. In the car, forget about it---terrible reception.

I returned my eTrex within a day after purchasing it. Instead, I think that I'll be purchasing a higher end unit from Magellan.

As a newb, I found the user interface okay, but not great. The control stick is a nice touch.

We have been geocaching 9 months now now with our Legend, and have had no troubles at all. Accuracy has been great, down to 3 feet, in some instances. Battery life is as advertised or better. The unit holds up well to minor tumbles and everyday abuse with out a scratch. Our only complaint is the size of the display, wished it was a little bigger. A great entry level unit, would buy another.

The eTrex Legend is one great unit. It's easy to use and despite what too many people here say, it gets great reception, even under heavy tree cover. The key is to hold it the way the manufacturer recommends, which is flat, face up, pointing at the sky. If you hang the GPS around your neck (as one reviewer did), or let it dangle at your side, you will lose reception. Another key is to turn it on well before you enter the woods so it knows where the sattelites are. The latter is true for all GPS units. I use my Legend frequently for geocaching and hiking in the dense, northeast forests and rarely lose reception and those few times I do, I regain it immediately. As far as other features. It's compact and easy to use. The one handed operation is nice, though it's designed to be held in the left hand which can be annoying. I guess the point was to keep your right hand available for other tasks. The base map is pretty useless, which is the case for all GPS's that I've tried, Garmin, or Magellan. But download the Mapsource Topo or Mapsource Metroguide and you get detailed maps which are incredibly useful for finding your way around. The 8 megs of memory is good if you don't travel a lot. It should hold enough maps to cover 50 miles in every direction, but if you travel a lot, you might want the extra memory of the Vista. I highly recommend this unit for someone who wants an inexpensive, mapping GPS.

The interface is nice, and the built-in maps are better than I expected (in and around Seattle, WA). However, the Legend isn't very good at telling you where you are. Getting a reading consists of a) finding a clearing, b) holding the receiver at arm's length away from your body, c) holding it parallel to the ground, and d) praying that it finds satellites. The Magellan SporTrak that got after my first miserable Legend experience had no problems holding satellite lock on the same trails, regardless of tree cover. The next day, I got my money back on the Garmin.

I purchased the Garmin eTrex Legend and the Garmin MetroGuide USA software addon to use connected to my notebook computer. The connecting cable only connects to a serial port (and mine, like so many new notebooks) doesn't have a serial port. I purchased a serial->USB cable and was able to connect. However the Garmin product will only search COM ports 1-4 and most Serial->USB cables will install on COM5 and above.

The eTrex Legend has a very limited installed map .. it correctly finds my town but doesn't have a clue about streets within the town. So I purchased the add-on Metroguide USA software that is supposed to install a more detailed map into the eTrex. However, the software wouldn't install. I kept asking for an unlock certificate that contains an unlock code to open up the maps. I contacted their technical support and was told, "You are looking for something that does not come with the software that you purchased. The MapSource Metroguide software does not have to be unlocked to use." If this is the case, why does this software keep asking me for an unlock code whenever I try to use it and won't work without it. I concluded that not only did the eTrex Legend leave much to be desired, so did the software, and most assuredly, the technical support doesn't have a clue.
I returned the product to Amazon and purchased a 1 "Magellan Meridian Color Traveler". It costs more, but all the features it contains you have to pay extra to Garmin to get, so the end result is about the same. And thise one is in color!
I wrote the technical support back and said, "Antagonizing your customers is not good for business. You loose, Buckwheat!"

I can't belive how fast it locks in a postion. I read that dosn't work well in tree cover. Didn't bother me cuz I live in the desert. In fact it even locks in to postion in my house.
Mite say something about modern home construction...LOL.
This is my second Garmin. My first was a GPS-40. This works 10 times better than my last unit. I just wish that they would change the computer cord to a USB. I tried Ceochasing with it and it works well. I'm going to take on bike rides to track speed and distance. It has a very long strap. I put around my neck. It is so small you will foget it's there. I

I purchased this a year ago and it hasnt let me down yet.
I snowmobile through out the New England,and everyone rolled their eyes at me the first time I brought mine along but the first time we came to a trail intersection that wasnt marked, they all looked over to me, I took my gps unit out and directed us to where we needed to go since then 3 more have been purchased in my group. MY wife said to me as we driving home from Vermont this winter and needed to find a place to eat "finally you bought a toy that comes in handy". I always wonder why people will spend thousands of dollars on equipment to go snowmobiling or quadding or hundreds of dollars on hiking and backpacking equipment and not spend 200 bucks on something that could save their lives.

This is my first GPS unit and I have to say I am a bit disapointed. I can hardly get a signal from my house, outside on top of a hill and with hardly a tree in sight. Drove around a bit on I-5 and it finally got a signall 5minutes after heading out. Then I took it on hike (my primary reason for buying it) and 90% of the time I did not have a signal while it was hanging off my neck. I even stopped for in areas where I could see the sky straight up in a 50ft clearing and still nothing. I only had an occasional signal on the drive up to the trail on I-90 near North Bend, WA. Once I was in the forest I never got a signal. This will not work for me so I will be returning it and I think I will try the Magellan Meridian as I have heard that the Quadifiler Helix antenna is the way to go when you are spending lots of time in the woods. Many others have had good luck with the Legend and it is fun to play with when you have a signal, but I found those times to be rare so far. I have read some really good reviews on the Garmin GPSMAP 76S if you really like the Garmin products, but this unit is about twice the price of the legend or Magellan.

There are already many great reviews on Amazon.com, but I wanted to add that special consideration must be taken in regards to the storage capacity of the legend. 8MB might seem like a bunch, but the MetroGuide maps for many cities will quickly consume all the capacity. I can barely fit just Tampa Bay into the Legend. If you are planning on using a GPS for road trips and you want to download many detailed maps, I would strongly recommend a unit with more capacity.

I use this on my motorcycle (handlebar mount), and as a "toy" on travel. Enough freeware is available for manipulating waypoints (it comes with a data cable), and the built-in basemaps are OK -- better within cities than in suburbs, but still better than nothing.

WAAS is iffy in the SF Bay Area, I'm sure it will do better on the water, and further south. Overall reception is good, sometimes surprisingly so.

I also recommend a set of NiMH AA batteries + charger ...

This is my second (first was original "etrex", gave it to my dad) and it's a great value for the $$ (esp on Amazon).

Let me just say that this little piece of equipment saved lives. I'm in the army and I was involved in the initial assult into Baghdad, where needless to say was very intense. I was amazed at the accuracy to which this little Garmin gave me info. It didn't have maps of Baghdad, but instead gave me the points I inputed into the system. I remember in particular one night where we were in battle and I had to go get a causalty about 4 miles away and it got my soldiers there. I was able to track my soldiers movement and how close they were getting to the casualty all by inputing waypoints into the Garmin. Once they were there, I was able to get them back to me with the backtrack option in the device.
The only downfall is it takes a few seconds to scroll from feature to feature or changing the scale of the map from greater to less or vise-versa. But if your not on the battlefield and lives arent at stack, I guess it's OK.
I highly recommend this Garmin for first time users. Great piece of teck.

I gave this 4 stars based on value.

The Good

The included base map contains more data than I would have thought for an 'outdoor' GPS. It includes major roads, interstate exit points and services near the exits.

The high resolution display is quite good. Although the LCD is small, the graphics and text are sharp. Glare and contrast in certain light condistions are definitely a problem though.

The price is good considering you get 8MB of programmable memory for additional maps and a PC cable.

The Bad

The antenna appears to be oriented to get it's best reception when looking down at the display. The unit fails to track reliably when held in an upright position.

The quality of side buttons are bad. In particular the top-left button, which increases the map range, is very hard to push and doesn't 'click' like its paired button. I thought this was a manufacturing error until I read this complaint is common.

The LCD has a lot of glare in bright light. Also the contrast is not good in bright light. In darker light the LCD is easy to read when the backlight is used.

Overall, this is a good unit for the price. Like all electronics, this unit is much better than units I have purchased over the years as competition for features dictate demand. There is plenty of memory in this small unit for waypoints, tracks, and routes. However, the waypoints only contain the basic coordinate information and an icon. It lacks the ability for a date and a comments field! Had I known this in advance of purchase I would have definately not purchased, at any price. As an avid outdoorsman, and past hunting guide of many years I know the value of knowing dates, and adding comments about the marked location. The sceen display is crisp, but only in ideal light conditions. The backlight display is near useless. It's very difficult to see. If you'd like a cost effective gps with a fair amount of memory then this gps might fit your bill, however I'd opt for the Magellan Meridan as my second choice, even though battery life is lower, for the above reasoning.

The GPS etrex Legend from Garmin offers the amazing possibility to locate oneself on earth with an accuracy of 1-2meters, this for an affordable price and a compact design (cell phone size), a lot of achievements!
The device is reasonably user friendly to use with a few menus and a tiny joystick. It is of course a bit tedious while driving and it is better to pull on the side, but when hiking in clear areas it is very usable. In the city the purpose of the etrex is sort of uncertain, better have the thomas guide, but the large paper pages would not fit in a pocket. A few luxury cars have now a GPS and nice display and probably in 10 years computer assisted driving will be very advanced.
With the etrex it is not possible to get lost in wild nature, unless batteries die down! For battery duration i measured about 50mA just on, +50mA GPS activated and +50mA light on, so at night the conso of total 150mA is a bit high (but light autoturns off rapidly).
I was unable to feel the WAAS mode so far, maybe the special satellite was not in view.
My favorite feature is the bread crumb tracks that follow my hiking or driving around with quite some precision. I was able to retrace nearby surface streets. I also conducted some geeky repeatability tests on a big soccer field and saw some dither of waypoints at each corner, but come on: 1-2 meters is good! Think of ancient navigators in the oceans looking at the sun and some stars with a sextant and locating themeselves to miles....

My main regret would be the screen, it is low resolution and no colors. The basemap of LA is super crowded of course. (Was it hard to insert one of today's fine color LCDs, like the back of digital cameras?). I could pay $50 more for this luxury. I will rank 4 stars then. Basically one needs to download the bread crumbs onto a PC which requires the rs232 cable (furnished) and i believe the mapsource CD (not furnished, add about $100. Note: maybe there are ways for the tech oriented person to have the PC interrogate the etrex without the CD, or for the digital photographer to take photos of the screen and stich them to recreate a big image...very tedious)

I give 'coup de coeur' for this marvel of high tech

Very Happy With Garmin Legend GPS. Very Happy With Not Having Any Damage To The GPS During The Shipping Process. Shipping Was Very Slow, Could have Been Faster. Would Buy Again.

My fiance and I play a lot of airsoft (like paintball, but with long military roleplayed scenarios) and at some of the games we have used GPS systems for fun. We tried this one a few times and it worked alright. It took a bit of time to figure it all out, but once we read over the manual it was easy to use.

It appears to have a long battery life. We played with it for over 7 hours and the battery did not run out. It lost connection with the satellite a few times, but considering how long we used it I can't complain. We also used it in lightly wooded, clear sky conditions - I hear that when you are using it in heavy woods, or foul weather that it tends to lose the satellite quite a bit. That is pretty common with all GPS systems though - so until the technology is better, we have to make do!

Overall, this is a great product. Fun and fairly easy to use, reliable in the right conditions, and reasonably priced compared to others of similar quality! I highly recommend it.

I bought a Garmin Etex Legend model a few months ago to go geocaching. It is my first GPS unit. I think it is a great unit, and it only took an hour or so to learn how to use it in conjunction with the owner's manual.

The big drawback is, as others have stated, is that it loses its satellite signal way too often. I live in the pine forests of northwest New Mexico. The trees are big and spaced out with grass growing in between. Yet it was irritating how many times it lost its signal. You definitely have to be in an open area with a clear view of the sky.

I would not recommend this model to anyone who hikes in heavy forested areas, like the Pacific Northwest.