Garmin eTrex Vista CX Color Handheld GPS

This is my first GPS, and I'm quite happy with it so far. It is quite accurate and very portable. It maintains a good signal, even in the woods. I have yet to purchase any maps for it, but it's been great while cruising around town and looking for a few geocaches. It is complex enough that I won't get bored with it anytime soon - there's lots of room to learn with this unit. The instructions are complicated, but maybe it's just me. There's so many features in this unit that the user manual is probably complex by default. I look forward to seeing all the different things the Vista Cx can do!

I don't know what you guys are talking about this having no sirfstarIII chipset.. IT DOES HAVE THE CHIPSET!
(it doesn't list it in the garmin product page but their news update said it uses it)

I had the original Vista C too and the SirfstarIII chipset of the Cx model is able to hold a fix A LOT BETTER!.

Pro:
- sirfstar hold a fix in coditions that the old C cannot (inside single story building, on the floor of my car)
- better battery life
- expandable memory (with 1 gig card I have topo and street map of the eastern seabord of the USA)

con:
- newest version of trips & wap point manager for some reason takes like 10+ seconds to find the gps for transfer.. wheres the old verison only take 1 second..

Finally entered the GPS field by buying this (Vista Cx) and a Nuvi 350. Nuvi 350 is dedicated for car navigation while this Vista Cx is for all round GPS play and fun. I firstly very much like how solid and compact this unit is. Although there are a lot of functions that required some references to the manual, it's not long before I am fully conversant with all the functions. The screen is very nice and visible even under the sun. In comparison with the Nuvi, this unit clearly is slower in getting a GPS satellite lock (lack of SiRF III chipset). But it's not a significant issue given that I am using this more for recreational purposes. I have upgraded the microSD card to 512Mb and installed World, North America (selected cities), Australia Maps. The road navigation function definitely works, although slower than the Nuvi. Again, for casual use, it's perfectly fine.

In conclusion, very nice solid and compact unit good for travel and off-road recreational use. For those having higher demands, waiting or paying more for a SiRF III unit is the main decision point.

Just got this in today and I already notice 2 problems...

First, the ad states that the bike mounting clip is included and it is not. As this was the primary reason for me getting this, it's a bit of an inconvenience.

Second, Mac users should note that no where in the ad does it state that you can't use Garmin software with the Mac OS. You'll need to get Virtual PC and Windows XP to use their software.

The Garmin ETrex Vista/CX is a very nice handheld GPS unit. I like it a lot. However, it has battery problems. Within a month of getting the unit-- and not using it in any capacity other than simply turning it on and driving places in my car, it stopped being able to operate from batteries. I've tried many different types of batteries, all brand-new with no effect-- still doesn't work. I can plug it in via the USB port though and it works great. Kinda blows the original goal of using it for camping and geocaching though. When I looked it up on the web it turns out that apparently lots of people have similar issues and it is apparently a well-known issue. Even Garmin had some tips on the subject. I think it kind of sucks that a major mfgr like Garmin could make such a great unit and leave it saddled with battery problems-- I mean, this is a core, critical function for most people.

Overall I would rate the unit a 5 but with the battery problems, I can only give it a 3 tops.

I did my first Geocache at the end of January 2006 as part of a group with a shared GPS. I was hooked. I started looking into units and within two weeks, I had a Garmin Legend. After one outing, I traded it in for the Vista Cx and have not regretted it one bit.

Ignoring the Legend experience, it took about a half hour of going over the manual to take in the details. The manual is well written and properly illustrated. Directions are easy to understand and once you grasp the organization of the menu structure, the unit is easy to master.

While a little on the small side, the display is very crisp and the colors are easy to see in the daylight. If you use this after dark, the screen requires backlighting, something that is built-in to the unit. Using the menus, you can even customize the degree of backlight illumination and the time it stays on.

One downside is the base map, the map burned into the firmware, is pretty sparse. I understand this is fairly standard for hiking GPS units. I strongly urge users to get either the Garmin MapSource Topo map for your country or the Garmin City Navigator appropriate to your area. Now we are getting into what the new "X" series is all about, memory.

The Vista Cx uses MicroSD memory, allowing the users to store large amounts of map info. . . if you get additional memory. The 32 MB that comes standard with the unit will hold a LOT of topo map info, but if you are loading road map info, you will need more memory. I have not had the opportunity to try the new 1 GB MicroSD cards, but the 512 MB is holding all the trip info for my summer vacation plus topo info for most of PA, MD, WV, CT, MA, and NY south of Albany.

One negative is that you can display either the topo info or road map info, but not both at the same time. Personally, I find this not too annoying, but sometimes, I'd like to see both. The two buttons controlling the degree of zoom are well positioned.

I bought this primarily for Geocaching, but I recently had the opportunity to test it as a navigation aid and Geocaching tool. In the car, once navigation satellites had been locked onto, the unit kept me on course. Out in the field, I switched to topo only display and the unit performed flawlessly.

This is only the beginning of all this unit can do. I do not use the barometer / altimeter function too heavily, but I've come to appreciate the electronic compass. The rocker switch makes it easy to enter data, but I prefer to use the optional software and my computer for extensive data entry.
This is a GPS primarily for the outdoor person, not a vehicle navigation aid, although it will function nicely as one. Many people would consider this beyond an entry level GPS. I found it easy enough to use and capable enough for future growth that I would recommend it for the entry level user. Buying this unit at the beginning will help put off that upgrade for quite a while. I do strongly suggest getting the largest addition memory you can find and the software to match your navigation needs. It will be money well spent!

Easy to use, with a lot of options and with an accesible price. I Recommended.

I just upgraded from a classic (B/W) eTrex Legend (which I loved) to a shiny new eTrex Vista Cx and it's awesome.

Here'a are just a few details that I was wondering about before I ordered:

Mine came with a 64MB microSD (not 32MB as advertised) but I bought a 1GB microSD at the same time. I've loaded 750MB+ of map data on to the 1GB card and it all seems to be working fine (Some reports only had it working up to 512MB.) It did seem to respond rather slowly when I first loaded in that much map data but it soon snapped out of it and resumed normal speed.

Mine came with the bike mounting clip. It does not include the actual handle bar mount but the clip allows it to works with the old mount that I already had for my Legend.

My stretchy Garmin case (the one with the carabiner) fits just fine.

Since the Garmin USB car charger seems way overpriced, I was happy to find out that this unit uses a standard USB cable and I should be able to use that with an inexpensive USB car charger. (well, not charger, but power supply). BTW I also think it's cool that the GPS runs off USB power when connected to your computer. That'll save my batteries as I seem to always forget to turn it off after I've transferred my data!

I love this GPS.

Previously, I had a Magellan handheld GPS (with dim black and white display). It worked well for about 5 years... getting me from point A to point B while I drove my family around California to visit relatives. Recently, I decided that I wanted more so I bought an eTrex Vista CX.

Important features of this GPS are:

(1) it uses a Micro SD card. This allows for storage of A LOT of maps on the GPS. Buy a larger Micro SD card at Frys or eBay and you will be a happy camper. 128 or 256 megs will do the job. We recently took an Alaskan cruise, and I was able to upload all of California, Oregon, Washington, BC Canada, and Youkon onto the GPS with some room to spare. Having the ability to use a mini-SD card is very valuable if you are a traveler like me.

(2) Turn by turn directions **IF** you buy the correct software to go with it. I bought the MapSource® City Navigator North America DVD to get this feature. The key is to make sure that the map that you buy comes with "fully routable detailed maps" as Garmin likes to say. When you "upload" to the GPS, upload both maps and route info and you are set. By the way, don't bother trying to steal (ie BitTorrent) the maps from the internet. It won't work since maps are sold by Garmin and MATCHED TO THE SERIAL NUMBER OF EACH GPS. Just save some time, and buy the DVD online.

For those that don't know, most GPS come with a "base map" that just has the basics (highways, points of interest). If you want every street and turn by turn directions, then you need to buy a map CD or DVD from the manufacturer. An exception to this is the Magellan Roadmates (and some others) which come with a built in hard drive that has maps included. Read the box carefully for whatever you decide to buy.

(3) Legend vs. Vista and C vs. CX. Garmin makes models that are somewhat similar, and somewhat confusing. Here's a quick way to tell them apart. VISTA is the same as the LEGEND, but with an electronic compass and a barometric altimeter. An Electronic compass allows the compass to work well when you ARE NOT moving. This is important for when you are on foot and want to stop and get a good compass reading. The barometric altimeter uses pressure difference to check your altitude. The "C" in all Garmin GPS systems stands for color, "CX" means it is both color AND allows for a Micro SD card beyond the built in memory. This allows you to get more memory in the future as you need it, as maps become more detailed, and as micro SD card prices drop.

Various random thoughts:

(1) This GPS does a great job in the car. It does NOT give you the sort of "turn left here" verbal directions. If you need that, get a Magellan Roadmate that will speak to you. The Garmin beeps at you just before a turn, and beeps again the moment when you should be making a turn. It also changes the display to show you a diagram of what you should do next. It also has a screen which give you turn by turn TEXT instructions (turn left 0.5 miles onto highway 5, etc) similar to what you get with Google Map driving directions.

(2) The map has a good sized display, assuming you DON'T have vision issues. The Magellan Roadmates have bigger displays and are designed for road use without looking at the GPS as much. Garmins like this one are "multiuse" designed to do a decent job in the car AND as a handheld for camping and backpacking while on foot. It also works great in a boat, and I've used it on cruise ships and other boats.

(3) This GPS works great as a handheld. If you are on vacation, you can use it in the car AND then get out and walk with it (try that with a not as pocket sized Magellan Roadmate). The eTrex Vista easily fits in a pants pocket or around the neck on an lanyard, a Roadmate might fit in a pocket, but it'd have to be a bigger jacket pocket.

(4) Battery life is awesome (using rechargable AAs) *IF* you have the backlight off. I would suggest using the backlight only when you have the GPS hooked to car or computer power. The TFT display looks great outside anyway without backlight.

(5) The user interface is much better than the current Magellan handhelds. It is more logical, and there are many more settings for the geek in us all. Unlike the Roadmate, it doesn't have a touch screen.

(6) The eTrex Vista CX connects to a computer using a standard usb to mini-usb cable. Transfer speeds are good, and much better than my old serial cable Magellan.

(7) COST: For this GPS, I bought the GPS itself, then a car power cable so I could use the backlight while driving, then the Mapsource DVD, then a bigger mini-SD card, and finally, a suction mount for my car windshield. The GPS was about $300. The DVD was about $100. The rest, about $50. So I'm about $450 into this GPS. This is less than the bigger (not so pocket sized) Magellan Roadmate which is about $699.00.

Bottom line:

If you only want to use a GPS in your car, with audible turn by turn directions and a touch screen... get a Roadmate. If you want a smaller multi-use GPS (car, camping, backpacking, walking, boating) this is the best one and you will be happy.

I purchased the Vista CX after wanting to upgrade from my Legend. The first out caching, the unit was very eradic and took me 400' feet from the cache. After calibrating the compass, I got within 80' feet. Second cache it got within 90' of it. Garmin CS said they never heard of this but the Vista I purchased two years did the same thing. They both were returned, needless to say. If you want a great no frills GPS, stick with the Legend. Most cachers with higher end Garmins fuss about the cords being off from lower end units. Garmin just can't see to make the expensive units with many features be accurate. The Vista line keeps building on a poor platform. I am waiting on my new Magellan Explorist 500 from Amazon.

My Vista Cx is an excellent GPS. Satellites are quickly acquired and WAAS enhancement works reliably. The unit is sturdy and battery life is much better than I expected. The downside seems to be documentation. Documentation is minimal and occasionally incorrect. No expanded documentation is available on the Garmin website and there doesn't appear to be a Garmin user's group where questions and techniques can be archieved and discussed. The Vista is a very complex device with hundreds of features, and concequently needs a good user's guide.

This lack of documentation is especially noticed with the altimeter and compass. The altimeter apparently makes non-obvious choices between pressure-derived altitude and GPS derived altitude. I've found no way of determining at any moment which altitude is displayed, and the settings can vary by several hundred feet. Similarly, the compass can be very badly misleading with no way of advising you of calibration problems.

Web-accessable white papers describing the internal workiings of both the compass and altimeter would greatly enhance the Vista's usability (and user's confidence).

Unit is well constructed, controls are fairly intuitive, backlighting/screen are also very good. My unit was working great and then would only power up very briefly and then would go out. The unit acted like it had dead batteries put in it even when it had brand new alkaline. Unit is about 28 days old. I will get to see how good the Amazon.com replacement policy is! This was the first thing that I ever purchased from Amazon.com.

This was really a no brainer for me. Garmin's simply got the best interface and includes the most bang for the buck. I primarily wanted a hand held unit for geocaching and the Vista Cx works great in the car for getting us close and does a top notch job getting us to the cache, even under fairly heavy wooded cover. I haven't needed to use the altimeter much, but the built-in compass is an absolute necessity for geocaching. Basically, you can stand still and the compass will determine which way you're pointing in order to point you directly to the location of the cache without having to walk a few paces before it gets its bearing.

I can't say enough about this unit. It works great and is incredibly easy to navigate. The removable/upgradable micro SD card is an absolute necessity if you plan on using maps.

Speaking of maps, be prepared to dish out approximately $100 for the additional maps from Garmin. I purchased the City Navigator North America v8 maps and wouldn't be caught using the GPS without them. It not only works nicely for navigating and auto-routing, but it'll certainly help get you as close as possible to the caches, especially in unknown areas.

The only other accessories that I felt that I needed were the 12-volt power cable (has to be from Garmin) and a windshield or other automobile mount (I purchased a third party one).

Long live geocaching!

I purchased this for biking and hiking. So far, I have only used it while biking. The input buttons are mainly on the sides of the unit (so there is more space for the screen on the front). Most of the buttons have more than one function. The secondary role is used by holding the button down until the screen changes to the intended function, instead of just a press and release. I have had trouble with the scroll/input button on the front of the unit. This button is partly joy stick, for scrolling on the screen, and for navigating through menus. The joy stick part works ok, but it also has two other uses. A single press of the button acts as an enter function, and press and hold acts to change the screen to input a waypoint. The single press does not work well on this button; and if you try to hold it down a little longer, then the unit changes to the waypoint screen. It would also be better if the input buttons were a little bigger.

The first Vista Cx I purchased died after only 3 days of use. I returned it to Amazon who immediately and painlessly replaced it. The second unit lasted for 4 days until I fell waist deep into a stream with the unit in my pocket. Though it was only submersed for a matter of seconds it immediately stopped working and water was seen internally around the screen. Garmin's claim of waterproofness for 1m for 10 minutes is utter baloney. The poorly designed T-style lock on the battery case cannot possibly assure water integrity from anything beyond high humidity. I probably wouldn't buy buy another Garmin but I'm stuck with them as I have already invested $200 in proprietary MapSource software. I guess that was their plan.
On the plus side, the Vista Cx did seem to function as it should...for all of 7 days.

This is my first GPS unit that I bought in June 2006 after discovering the wonderful world of geocaching. Having zero experience with GPS, I spent a couple months researching devices and, most importantly, reading what other users were saying about their hand-held units. The short of it was that after all the info I had gathered, I decided on the Vista CX. It's a middle-of-the-road GPS unit-- I didn't want to go too cheap and end up having to update 6 months later, but I couldn't affort 700 or 800 dollars, either. This device fits perfectly.

I use it constantly and have to say that I drive my husband nuts when we're on trips (I now have it with me at all times), but I'm just *amazed*.... it tells you moving speed, moving average, altitude, time stopped, time driving, direction, time of day, sunrise, sunset, best times to fish and hunt, and a hundred other things you'd ever want to know about where you are in the world. We vacationed in Ocean City, MD this spring and I was just in awe-- we took a boat tour of the bay and sure enough, all the channel markers we passed were on the GPS! And that was just using the free built-in software that came with the unit! In short, this is a heck of a lot of fun and I would recommend this to anyone.

I found that I got pretty savvy with it just by using it... I really didn't use the manual all that much after the first hour or so.

I can't think of any reason you'd buy this and wouldn't use it... it's a constant source of amazement. What I'm finding most frustrating, however, is deciding what kind of street-level software to buy-- there seems to be a difference of opinion in the GPS community when it comes to City Navigator or City Select. Well, I'll just keep researching until I make up my mind.

Another really great thing is that standard alkaline batteries last a really long time-- I've had my unit on constantly for over 7 hours and used only one bar on the battery meter... another great selling point in my opinion.

I bought a eTrex Vista C and a Mapsource CD for my recent trip to those national parks and I deeply regret it! Forgive my English, for I am not a native speaker, and my negtive attitude because of my frustration.
First of all, I couldn't download mapsource onto the unit, even with professional help. I contacted a support crew, who is friendly and patient, and followed his step-by-step instructions. No luck. Then I had a computer engineer to help me with the whole process. Same result. The reason is, the USB driver that Garmin provide via their website does NOT work! At least for me. I planned my trip from more than 10 thousand miles away counting on the Garmin eTrex Vista C, and it simply let me down! Could you imagine how frustrated and angry I was, especially when I got lost and wasted precises time and energy?
Secondly, the unit lost signal too readily. It lost signal in the woods on California and Oregon coast line, on high land of Yesemite Tioga Road, on Rainier's park way, let alone those deep canyons and valleys. It even lost signal several times when I put it into my pocket or hung it around my neck! The more you need it at those critical points, the more likely the unit lost its signal!
Thirdly, it is not precise enough. I drove alone the park way back and forth in Yesemite Valley, the readings swinged significantly when I passed the same point. This does matter if one is on a open area or a road, however, this could be disastrous if one depends on it to navigate in dense, remote areas while hiking.

Bottom line: My experience with this product is anything but pleasant.


I foolishly bought a Magellan Explorist 500. Let's just say the best thing about the experience is that Amazon's return service is absolutely first rate. I was even stupid enough to replace my original malfunctioning Magellan with another, before returning that one too on the grounds that it was impossible to work with and didn't sync with my PC.

The Garmin on the other hand - I had learned more about what a GPS is supposed to do in one hour with this unit, compared to three weeks with the Magellan. Very user friendly, very intuitive....restored my faith in handheld GPS systems.

I purchased the Vista CX from Amazon several months ago. I am VERY happy with it. It's rock solid. It has never failed me. I connect it to my Macintosh iBook and upload my track information after runs, hikes, bike rides, and trips in the car. The Vista CX is a great choice. (Previously I owned the eTrex and eTrex Summit.)

We bought this for geocaching, and though I'm still figuring out all it has to offer, I really love this GPS. I highly recommend the color version, everything is so much clearer.

The Garmin eTrex Vista Cx is quite an item! I am not a technical type who has checked out the item in detail, but so far am impressed. I did check out the product fairly thoroughly before buying (internet, other gps owners, a local store) - I recommend the color screen - images are much easier to see, worth the extra price. I use mine mainly for hiking - was fun to watch it show the path I had taken (used it while doing a round of golf!) and it works well. Reception was also better than I had expected - worked well in the car and near windows in the house. It takes about a minute to locate satellites and get started after being turned off - sometimes a bit longer (50 seconds up to about 1 1/2 minutes under an open sky). I use rechargeable batteries - get fairly good life from them - haven't timed them to see exactly how long they last. Would recommend ones with replaceable AA batteries over ones that need to be recharged . . . not much fun to have batteries go dead and no outlet to charge up available. I keep an extra set or two with the Garmin, just in case needed.

Overall, it is a great little item that does lots more than I have figured out how to use!

It is a "small miracle" in your pocket. Easy to use and usefull

If you're a cyclist and you're buying this because you want the hiking functions as well as using it on your bicycle, then you need to read this:

The "Bike Mount" that comes with the unit as advertised is only half of the actual part used to mount it on a set of handlebars. It is the slider part that bolts on to the battery cover. If you're looking into mounting it on your handlebars, you will need to buy the other half of the accessory, which costs around $11+. This is the actual handlebar clip. You can find the handlebar mount on the Garmin website, as well as all the mapping software in their online store.

Other than that, I agree with most reviewers here, this unit is awesome. 4 stars because of the lack of mapping software included and the fact that the advertising was a little misleading (always a catch!). I really like this thing!

This unit is top notch. I'm not sure what they're trying to pull with the Venture model, as it's very stripped down for not much of a price difference. You get a USB cable included which you can connect the unit to your computer and transfer maps, way points, etc back and forth. It also includes a 64 meg mini sd card which isn't all that bad. I bought a 512MB card which i haven't even really needed. I put the 64 meg in the drawer and have just been using it. So far, I put the US top map for Yosemite on it and metro guide maps for Sacramento to Fresno and some of the surrounding areas and still haven't passed 64 megs yet. But, it's good to have the extra space.

One more note of advice, be sure to put the usb cable in snugly. You may think it's all the way in but it's not. There's a good bit of resistance the first few times you put it in. I had thought it was in all the way and it wasn't. The computer acted like it was in, but couldn't identify it and was throwing errors at me. After messing around with it I realized it wasn't in all the way.

Just got this for christmas, my previous GPS was a lowrance model which I probably would still be using except that it and win xp don't get along well.
I would not reccomend this for a first GPS solely because of interface issues. However as a second GPS I like it quite a bit. I was tracking while sitting in a train in a valley with only a 1 foot by 1 foot window to see out of yet it somehow mangaged to hold lock. The navigation function works quite well on roads and the calculation time is very reasonable (5-10 seconds when on the intensive setting). The battery life is quite good, I have at least 5 hours of on time and the battery still reads as full.

As others have said you need to buy a map to go with it , otherwise the navigation functions barely work. (It does the best it can with a base map on only highways). It has a find feature that I've used to explore my city by selecting the name of the store and then letting it 'lead me by the nose' A nice product, very happy with it.

I purchased the e Trex Vista Cx for use in Iraq on my deployment there and have been very satisfied with it's ruggedness and ease of use. The downloads have been easy to install and the tracks from map source have been easily transfered over to google maps of the area I was working in. I am very satisfied with Garmin and it's product.

I LOVE MY GARMIN. I just recently traveled to Missouri in search of property and the E-Trex performed great. I was able to travel from property to property with no problem at all. It would have been IMPOSSIBLE without the my Vista Cx. It performed well under deep canopy cover and took us out of some pretty rough looking dirt roads. It was money well spent. I purchased the power adapter and car kit from E-bay and i was ready to go.

Despite all the annoying aspects of it I'd have to say that I'm glad I had this little toy while traveling in Costa Rica. It was nice to know that I couldn't get lost anywhere. I now have my tracks downloaded on my laptop and it's really neat to see the route I took and all the waypoints marked on the map (even the entrances to the parks).

The upsides - huge storage with the 1 gig microSD card, nice display, pocket size (not for teeny tiny pockets like the Razr but fits in standard sized front pockets), user friendly for the most part, and long battery life (AA batteries so you can easily have a spare handy if it's getting low). And it's fun to leave virtual breadcrumbs along your trail.

The downsides to this unit are numerous but I would be surprised if most are not simply limitations in the technology. To name a few - takes a loooooong time to acquire satellites when you turn on the unit and takes even longer when going to a new location (though the latter bothered me much less than the former); loses GPS signal very easily - under forest canopy, under any roof (even just at the gas station under the tiny shelter), and even in my pocket or the center of the car in fully open skies - it gets really annoying when you're walking outdoors and realize that for the last 5 minutes you've had no GPS signal because the unit was in your pocket; expensive accessories and maps, and poor detail on maps for locations not well covered (Costa Rica for example) - don't bother with the preloaded base maps, get the maps for the area you need and if there are none for that area get the world map. Also the anti-piracy stuff on the software is really annoying - it's a whole long process to unlock after installing and it's device specific.

Oh by the way, the customer service agent was really helpful when I called (though limited business hours make it not too convenient) but very slow by email.

Purchased this item for my son who will be using it to go biking. Had time over the holidays to watch him put it to use and he is very pleased with it.

This unit takes a while to acquire satellites but then it's a wonder. It does all you can ask of it. The only major drawback is that Garmin charges for each additional map set that you may want.

This is a great unit for GeoCaching which is what we bought it for. We did have the B&W model, but returned it and bought the color model. It is noticibly better and worth the little additional cost...

I have used the vista gps on two snowmobile trips to the Upper Penninsula of Michigan in the worst conditions. Blinding snows and high winds with
almost no visibility. I lead our group of six, following the track shown by the vista mounted on the dash of my Polaris. I had no idea how to get back without it....the snow conditions made everything look the same. It safely guided us right to the front door of our destination. This is an outstanding product that i will never be without! Carry two additional rechargable batteries for peace of mind.

I just got the Vista CX for Christmas. I rate it a 5 because it functions great for what it is. The units are expensive (and accessories) and will not rate it a 4 based on price. If you are broke then stay out of the GPS game. There is nothing cheap about this technology..right now.

Most of the reviews are right on the money. This Garmin unit has performed very well so far. The battery life is super on this unit with or without the backlight. The same cannot be said of the Magellan units (brother has one). The base maps are not detailed so be prepared to spend $100 on maps and another $75 on a case, 12V power cord, and larger micro SD chip (comes with a small 64 MB chip). If you get a car kit etc. get prepared to spend a bit more. I have almost $400 into this unit.

Mapping - I loaded TN, SC, GA and northern FL using over 64MB. The City Navigator looks good but I have to used the unit more to have a good answer on this. I attempted to load the whole CD on a 2 GB chip and it shut down on me. I then loaded the area listed above and it took perfect. Maybe you have to load small chunks instead of the whole thing.

Locked Maps - Had to call Garmin to get the maps installed. The whole "unlock" process is not clear reading the manual. You download the software, register the unit, enter serial number and get a 25 digit number then follow the screen prompts to unlock the software. Select the maps and send them to your unit. I called just as they were closing 7 pm CT and they stayed with me thru the downloads. They were very polite and helpful.

Bottom Line

Pro's - Tons of features, good reception, clear screen, nice build quality, super battery life, good CS support.

Cons's - Base Maps - You have to spend $100 on maps to make it be useful, accessories are over priced, base memory is not sufficient (why put a chip in there anyway).

I am going to mount this unit on my dirt bike. We will see how it holds up. I will send another review and keep you posted.

I had purchased the vista cx primarily for geo-caching. It seems that the unit has good battery life qualities but is lacking on accuracy when there is any amount of cover like trees or even cloudy days. The GPS comes pretty much bare bones so you have to buy the map software to view streets, addresses, points of interest, ect. I recommend buying a car adapter. That will save on battery life. Overall I am pleased with the unit.

I'm very happy with this product, it is very useful and covered my spectations.

This is the first GPS I've owned, though I have used other GPS units at work. The features of this unit are great, the compass is functional when motionless, the build in data like sun and moon phases and hunting and fishing times will prove very useful to me, it's also fairly easy to use. I bought the Garmin Vista primarily to use for fishing. I've since purchased U.S Recreational Lakes CD and have loaded several potential hot spots in my GPS. Now I'm waiting for the spring thaw to really test the unit. A friend has 3 different GPS units and soon says he'll have one more, the Vista from Garmin.

When GPS were first introduced we used to joke about the inaccuracy of their satellite determined elevations. I bought the Vista Cx because I thought the built-in barometric altimeter would reduce the problem with satellite determined elevations - it does not. The expected error in elevation is 50 to 200 feet, far worse than the positional accuracy of the gps. To reduce error Garmin recommends calibrating the unit every hour to a known elevation - if you know the elevation that well you don't need a gps! So, while you marvel at the positional accuracy of the unit you can still expect to get a good laugh from the elevations.

This is my first portable GPSR unit. I have used 3-4 different build-in street navigation units in my cars so I have some experiences about GPSR unit. The Vista Cx is a well build consumer level GPSR. For hiking purpose, this unit rocks!!! The battery life is amazing and it can hold signal under trees (well, not the forest though).

I have bought the US street nav NT CD and tried to use the Vista Cx as car navigation unit. The Vista Cx seems lack of CPU power so it's very slow. Don't use this unit as your primary car navigation. You should buy a real car navigation unit if you primary goal is using the unit in the car!

Very pleased with how this was shipped and I received it very quickly.

I don't have any complaint in terms of the receiver itself. It works just fine, quickly finding the satellites. The screen is bright, easy to read, buttons are well placed, navigation along menus and functions is OK. I haven't used it on long trips, but battery life seems to be more than adequate.

What I miss is a better base map, not living in the US. Documentation, when it comes to details of how tracks and routes differ, and how to deal with waypoints and viapoints is of no help. The software that comes with the unit is lame. Fortunately several free alternatives are available like GPS Trackmaker and GPS Babel. Also, Google Earth can send and receive data to the receiver.

I bought this GPSr as I intended to use it on my mountain bike.
It's really good for the usage I needed.
For bikers, I recommend the optional Bicycle Mount Bracket.
Every day you can find some nice features you didn't know...
I think it's definitely worth its price.


Unfortunately in Italy there are no topographic maps available... but I knew it!
What I didn't know (and this MUST be clear to any purchaser) is that YOU HAVE TO BUY BlueChart maps (for the sea) and streetmaps if you need, and they are really expensive.
You can find maps on the network, but they need an unlock code that is bound to the GPSr serial number, so there is no way to use them.

For sure that's fine, but if you just need to try it at the sea one day you can't spend hundreds of dollars for the maps...

This works excellent for geo-caching. With the built-in compass and excellent satellite reception, it almost feels like you're cheating. Street navigation is excellent with purchase of additional software. The altimeter works very well for tracking vertical profiles. Because in reality this is a precision barometer, it works best when the weather is steady. If you want to know the exact altitude above sea level, a topo map is still the best choice.

Here's why I only gave it a four-stars: If you plan to do street navigating, plan to spend another $100 or so on "city navigator North America". The software "trip and waypoint manager" included with the unit is sketchy and low detail. You also need to purchase larger micro flash memory.

The Garmin Vista Cx will easily hold the complete Garmin City Navigator NT North America (US, Canada, Alaska, Hawaii, etc) with room to spare on a 2 GB microSD card. The microSD card can be puchased cheaply with a standard SD card holder. The combination can then be loaded (using a standard PC-to-SD card device) with maps from a PC that hold the complete City Navigator NT North America leaving about 3/4 GB of the card empty. Time elapsed about 1/2 hour. Presumably the same method will also permit loading of the 3 topo CD's onto three 2 GB microSD cards. The Vista Cx will then take you anywhere anytime. In style.

All the other excellent characteristics of the Vista Cx have been covered by the other reviewers.

This is a great little unit, so long as one is aware of its limitations:

First, it is designed to be used while held horizontally. That means it doesn't work well while hanging vertically on a belt clip. This probably won't matter, unless you want to record 'bread-crumb' tracks. The tracks recorded by this unit aren't terribly accurate, unless you hold it horizontally while you hike.

Second, it's reception is only okay to good. It won't receive in heavy forest cover or in deep canyons. Basically, you have to get into a clearing to get a fix. And that also means that recorded tracks are likely to be incomplete.

In short, it's a great unit for trail navigation or geocaching, so long as you can find a clearing. If you plan to record tracks, or if you need reception under more challenging conditions, you will need a more robust model, such as the GPSMAP 60Cx.

The Vista CX is a very nice GPS with great features EXCEPT the map software is not Mac OS compatable. You cannot upload maps or use any features which benfit from creation on computer based detailed maps. You can purchase the Garmin memory cards with map info and then establish waypoints etc., on the unit itself, but forget about the full functionality of planning, and mapping points and then uploading to the unit. The Garmin technical rep I talked with said Garmin is working on Mac compatability but would not indicate if this was one month, one year, or longer before reaching the market. The third party maps compatable with Macs I have found, so far, for planning trips, etc., such as National Geographic Maps, cannot be uploaded to the Garmin unit.

The unit I received from Amazon quit working just before the 30 day return period. I left on vacation just after it arrived and didn't really start to use it until I got back. I ultimately ended up getting a new unit direct from Garmin.

My main reason in noting this is that the first unit arrived obviously having been opened previously (light dust on the rubberized grip; user manual creased, etc.) While I understand that people return products and vendors need to try and resell them, I wish they would identify them as such. I suspect this unit got returned because it was acting erratic, but it was missed or ignored by Amazon. Basically I think the Garmin GPS unit is fine; I'm just annoyed with Amazon.

I bougth this unit one month ago.

I really like the color screen, the micro SD Card, and some functions.

But I really have doubts: the reception is not good enough, if I lost reception I have to turn off the unit and turn on again to catch the satellite again. I lost reception very easy, if I am walking in a canyon, or inside a building. Also, when I just turn on the unit, It delays a lot if I was moving. For me It is a very basic GPS no maps preload, only the recreational maps, that's it.

I read that the Garmin GPS 60CXs is much better.

This is my first GPS unit. I bought it for cycling and geocaching since Garmin Edge 305 cannot do both.

Pros: easy to read color display, micro-SD card for map data storage, compact rugged design, AA batteries holds enough to complete 200K ride, compass and altimeter.

Cons: very basic map (and Garmin maps are wildly overpriced), stone-age software (there is better free software available), bike mount is INCOMPLETE (why advertise it at all?), satellite reception could be better (takes some time to aquire signal and drops the signal on the mountain roads).

Overall it is good unit for the price (I paid under $250). I cannot give it 5 stars because you need to invest more for additional maps.

Glad that they finally give more memoryt o these hand held units and work better then my IQUE3 from Garmin and now i can hvae it skiing with me and know how much i have skiied...highly recommended

Great item! Size is awesome and it does so much!

I'm not a GPS guru (this is my first GPS), but I did some research before purchasing and opted for this one for portability - driving, walking, hiking, boating. I am VERY pleased with this device. I purchased this in conjunction with Mapsource City Navigator NT and a 1GB memory card for it. Now I have all streets in the continental US in my GPS!

If I have one complaint, it's that it's a little slow to draw when you zoom in or out a level (4-6 seconds). It just doesn't have a super-powerful computer inside it, but it keeps up well if you stay on the current level as you zoom down the highway. It knows exactly where you are (obviously), so just tell it where you want to go (addresses, cities, intersections, etc) and it calculates a route and also asks whether to follow streets or not (i.e. by car or on foot). If driving, it beeps at you about 30 seconds before an upcoming turn, and again when it's time to turn. The screen shows what you should be doing (turning right or whatever) via a white arrow that's overlayed on the map. There's also a marker showing your current position and you can set it to count down distance (or time) to the next turn. For instance, it counts down 7.2 miles... 2.3 miles... then 512 feet....90 feet....etc. Not to say it makes jumps like this, the countdown updates every second or so.

If you miss the turn, it automatically recalculates a new route. For instance, it typically will have you take the next exit and then a couple of back roads to get you back on track (perfect!)

It usually calculates routes in 10 to 20 seconds (for instance from New York City to Albany), but I have encountered a few problems when there are just TOO MANY roads like around New York City.

For instance, I asked it to get me from Jersey City NJ, through Manhattan, to Yonkers, NY and avoid toll rolls. It hung indefinitely calculating (probably because there's no way to avoid tolls!) However, this is rare. It usually has no problem plotting routes through New York City, Brooklyn, and surrounding areas WHILE ALSO AVOIDING TOLLS!

...and if it can plot routes through this chaos, it can plot anywhere!

It doesn't have a super computer inside it (it just feels a little slow compared to modern computers), but the pluses far outweight the minuses. For instance portability. Park you car at a huge mall parking lot, get out of your car, place a flag marker in your GPS marking where you car is in the sea of parking, and go shopping. When you come back out, you can walk right back to your car. Just steer to the flag marker in your GPS!

It also leaves a little bread-crumb trail as you walk or drive so you can retrace your steps. If you go for a walk in the woods, there's just NO way you can get lost.

As far as size, it's about the size of a baby's shoe when looking at the top (display). From the side it's about an inch thick. It definitely fits in your pocket.

I'd guess 6-12 hours of life with Duracell batteries, give or take, depending on what you're doing with it. But if you've been driving or hiking for 12 hours straight, it's time to take a break anyway. Keep a couple of extra batteries in your pocket if you're doing something mission critical with it. If the batteries do run out, it remembers everything. Take out the old ones, pop in the new, and it picks up where you left off.

There are a LOT of features in this device. Too many to list here. In fact, there's a bit of a learning curve in navigating around the menus. But it's worth taking the time to learn how to use it.

Be careful if you're driving with this device. Try to keep your eyes on the road. Plot your route ahead of time so you're not fooling with the menus while you're driving. Or better yet, give it to your passenger and have them tell you what it says, when to turn, and what direction. Let them have some fun.

I LOVE this device. I tell everyone this is was DEFINITELY money well spent.

Also, it doesn't work indoors, but do any of them?

I have owned the Garmin eTrex Vista CX for about four months and am very pleased with it. I have owned or used three other receivers: a Garmin Rhino, a Magellan SporTrak Map, and a Magellan eXplorist 210. The Garmin eTrex Vista CX is the best of these units. The battery life is excellent, the color display very good, the battery access and USB connection are quick and easy, the software is fast, and the memory can easily be expanded, although I have had no thoughts or needs of doing so. The unit has more good features than I expected, all of which I have come to appreciate. I have not had to contact customer support, so I have no comment on Garmin support. However, I have needed support on a Magellan product and found Magellan's support a complete waste of time; it doesn't exist as far as I can tell.

Back to the Garmin eTrex, on the down side, the base map which is included with the unit is of very limited use. I have added the City Navigator and Topo maps which add about $220 to the cost. Also, for my purposes a carrying case is necessary, so I purchased the carrying case which, unfortunately, slightly obscures the outer edges of the screen and generally makes the screen more difficult to read.

I hike, jog, bike, drive, geocache, and have found this unit to be very friendly to all these activities. Now I must take up sky diving so that I can try out Garmin's jump master feature (I'm not kidding). Over all, I think the Garmin eTrex Vista CX is a very well designed receiver.

I paid quite a bit for this unit but had been using a cheap Magellan GPS that I could not update or download new maps, so everything in it seemed dated, and no rural mapes were available.

Here, even though some of the maps I downloaded weren't totally updated, and it will not give you road construction unless you can download a really recent map, I am fascinated every time I use this. There are a ton of features, but the best part is that I can use it on the road without having to pull over and read the directions.

The other day I was heading to a new place and didn't know if I would get there in time. So I just scrolled ahead on my GPS, it told me how many miles away it was and voila - I could relax, I had plenty of time.

Any GPS that cannot be updated by website downloads just isn't worth anything.

It will take me a while to learn all that this can do, but when I have to travel a lot alone, I don't need to book to figure it out.

I purchased this GPS to replace a Garmin 12 whose memory battery had died (a crucial element that's not mentioned anywhere in their manuals). What an upgrade! Not only does the Vista GPS allow you to log waypoints and figure out where you are, but it does a few dozen other things as well. Like download maps (expensive) onto a memory chip, and store geocaching information, or even play games. It's fully waterproof, and the interface is designed so that you can use the unit one-handed. There are many accessories available so that you can mount your GPS in a car or on bicycle, or wear it on your belt.

The reception of the Vista is a lot better than we ever had with the Garmin 12. Standing still in deep woods? No problem--the Vista can still find the satellites. It has so many bells and whistles, however, that it took us a while, and quite a few consultations with the manual, to figure out how to use it. That big button that sticks out on front--it works like a game stick-shift. Sure wish someone had told us that before we fought with the device for half an hour trying to figure out how to scroll up and down all those menus. Basically, the Vista seems reliable and very powerful, although it requires a bit of learning at first because it has so many features. Best of all, it doesn't have that horrid memory battery whose failure killed our last unit.

I purchased this primarily as a safety device, to help me identify my position when traditional mechanisms failed. It's also turned out to be a nice little unit for trip planning, using the GPS unit and attached software.

To be useful, adding the US Topo software was essential to me. With a 2GB Micro SD card I can easily load pretty much anyplace I'm likely to be with room to spare, and find that these days I'm taking it with me for even the most trivial hikes and mountain bike rides.

The biggest problem with this (as well as most other) handheld units is that the purchase of the unit is just the start. Even the base Topo map is extra, as are the larger MicroSD card, various brackets, cases and other mounting hardware needed to make it really useful.

The screen is a bit small, but not a problem for me. On the rare occasions I've used it in a rental car (my own car has built-in GPS) the maps -- which are another add-on -- have been pretty good and accurate. Accuracy has been sufficient for my purposes, but definitely not as accurate as the aviation units I've used. That is to be expected at the price. Battery life has been a bit worse than advertised, probably because of my use of slightly higher backlighting settings.

Controls are intuitive and easy for my hands to reach.



Both my wife and I were fairly new to GPS's before we bought this unit. We first used a friends when we were driving to a concert and were amazed at the technology. Then, she started using handheld GPS's for her school program and we decided that we wanted to get one for hiking. At first we were looking at fairly cheap ones since we wanted one just for hiking but after I started to look into the technology I decided that it would be best if we got one that was more like an all in one unit. I travel a fair amount for work and we would also like to have a GPS for road trips and vacations. After a couple of weeks I decided on this GPS.

Initially I purchased the Legend Cx in Canada to see if I liked this GPS. I bought that one because the Vista Cx wasn't available and because I was just looking to test the GPS to see if I liked it. It worked great so I then returned it and found the Vista Cx on Amazon for $50 cheaper than I paid for the Legend Cx. In case you don't know the Vista is the same as the Legend except the Vista has an elctronic compass and barometric altimeter. I think the electronic compass is well worth it but like I said, I paid less for the Vista since I bought it in the US. Electronics are generally 15-20% more in Canada so if you can get around shipping costs and customs clearance then buying in the US makes sense.

Anyways, we bought the Auto Navigation Kit and 2 GB memory card to go along with this and we couldn't be happier. Having this GPS has given us more reason to get out. We have plenty of places to hike where we live but a GPS just seems to add more fun to hiking. I find with geocaching it adds more purpose to your trip and also gives you a sense of accomplishment when you find the geocache.

This GPS works great on the road too with the mapping software that comes with the auto kit. I can see the GPS screen just fine on the dash of my car when I'm driving. I don't think I will ever get lost again as long as I have my GPS with me. Once I set a destination in my GPS it does the rest for me. I find when I'm travelling I want to drive around and without a GPS you're kind of stuck staying on the path that you know. With your destination set in your GPS you can take any road you like and it will re-route your trip.

If you want a GPS that you can use for everything then I would say this is definitely the one. So far I have no complaints with the unit.

I upgraded to the Vista CX from a Garmin Legend. This one has a lot of great features including color display, electronic compass, and usb adapter. I am a geocacher and it has geocaching cabalities built into the unit. For the price and the features I give this GPS 2 thumbs up

First of all, the box arrived in a badly damaged condition, but forunately, the gps inside was fairly well protected.My main complaint is that,despite a ok owners manual,there are so many options and screens on this thing that I consider it very hard to use and extremely confusing.I can't even set the barometer or altimeter,and to try and register with Garmin is an exercise in futlity if you try to do so online.All in all, a cheaper, less confusing, more user friendly unit would have made me happy.

I upgraded to the Vista CX from a Garmin Legend. This one has a lot of great features including color display, electronic compass, and usb adapter. I am a geocacher and it has geocaching cabalities built into the unit. For the price and the features I give this GPS 2 thumbs up

First of all, the box arrived in a badly damaged condition, but forunately, the gps inside was fairly well protected.My main complaint is that,despite a ok owners manual,there are so many options and screens on this thing that I consider it very hard to use and extremely confusing.I can't even set the barometer or altimeter,and to try and register with Garmin is an exercise in futlity if you try to do so online.All in all, a cheaper, less confusing, more user friendly unit would have made me happy.

Both my wife and I were fairly new to GPS's before we bought this unit. We first used a friends when we were driving to a concert and were amazed at the technology. Then, she started using handheld GPS's for her school program and we decided that we wanted to get one for hiking. At first we were looking at fairly cheap ones since we wanted one just for hiking but after I started to look into the technology I decided that it would be best if we got one that was more like an all in one unit. I travel a fair amount for work and we would also like to have a GPS for road trips and vacations. After a couple of weeks I decided on this GPS.

Initially I purchased the Legend Cx in Canada to see if I liked this GPS. I bought that one because the Vista Cx wasn't available and because I was just looking to test the GPS to see if I liked it. It worked great so I then returned it and found the Vista Cx on Amazon for $50 cheaper than I paid for the Legend Cx. In case you don't know the Vista is the same as the Legend except the Vista has an elctronic compass and barometric altimeter. I think the electronic compass is well worth it but like I said, I paid less for the Vista since I bought it in the US. Electronics are generally 15-20% more in Canada so if you can get around shipping costs and customs clearance then buying in the US makes sense.

Anyways, we bought the Auto Navigation Kit and 2 GB memory card to go along with this and we couldn't be happier. Having this GPS has given us more reason to get out. We have plenty of places to hike where we live but a GPS just seems to add more fun to hiking. I find with geocaching it adds more purpose to your trip and also gives you a sense of accomplishment when you find the geocache.

This GPS works great on the road too with the mapping software that comes with the auto kit. I can see the GPS screen just fine on the dash of my car when I'm driving. I don't think I will ever get lost again as long as I have my GPS with me. Once I set a destination in my GPS it does the rest for me. I find when I'm travelling I want to drive around and without a GPS you're kind of stuck staying on the path that you know. With your destination set in your GPS you can take any road you like and it will re-route your trip.

If you want a GPS that you can use for everything then I would say this is definitely the one. So far I have no complaints with the unit.

I purchased this primarily as a safety device, to help me identify my position when traditional mechanisms failed. It's also turned out to be a nice little unit for trip planning, using the GPS unit and attached software.

To be useful, adding the US Topo software was essential to me. With a 2GB Micro SD card I can easily load pretty much anyplace I'm likely to be with room to spare, and find that these days I'm taking it with me for even the most trivial hikes and mountain bike rides.

The biggest problem with this (as well as most other) handheld units is that the purchase of the unit is just the start. Even the base Topo map is extra, as are the larger MicroSD card, various brackets, cases and other mounting hardware needed to make it really useful.

The screen is a bit small, but not a problem for me. On the rare occasions I've used it in a rental car (my own car has built-in GPS) the maps -- which are another add-on -- have been pretty good and accurate. Accuracy has been sufficient for my purposes, but definitely not as accurate as the aviation units I've used. That is to be expected at the price. Battery life has been a bit worse than advertised, probably because of my use of slightly higher backlighting settings.

Controls are intuitive and easy for my hands to reach.



I purchased this GPS to replace a Garmin 12 whose memory battery had died (a crucial element that's not mentioned anywhere in their manuals). What an upgrade! Not only does the Vista GPS allow you to log waypoints and figure out where you are, but it does a few dozen other things as well. Like download maps (expensive) onto a memory chip, and store geocaching information, or even play games. It's fully waterproof, and the interface is designed so that you can use the unit one-handed. There are many accessories available so that you can mount your GPS in a car or on bicycle, or wear it on your belt.

The reception of the Vista is a lot better than we ever had with the Garmin 12. Standing still in deep woods? No problem--the Vista can still find the satellites. It has so many bells and whistles, however, that it took us a while, and quite a few consultations with the manual, to figure out how to use it. That big button that sticks out on front--it works like a game stick-shift. Sure wish someone had told us that before we fought with the device for half an hour trying to figure out how to scroll up and down all those menus. Basically, the Vista seems reliable and very powerful, although it requires a bit of learning at first because it has so many features. Best of all, it doesn't have that horrid memory battery whose failure killed our last unit.

I paid quite a bit for this unit but had been using a cheap Magellan GPS that I could not update or download new maps, so everything in it seemed dated, and no rural mapes were available.

Here, even though some of the maps I downloaded weren't totally updated, and it will not give you road construction unless you can download a really recent map, I am fascinated every time I use this. There are a ton of features, but the best part is that I can use it on the road without having to pull over and read the directions.

The other day I was heading to a new place and didn't know if I would get there in time. So I just scrolled ahead on my GPS, it told me how many miles away it was and voila - I could relax, I had plenty of time.

Any GPS that cannot be updated by website downloads just isn't worth anything.

It will take me a while to learn all that this can do, but when I have to travel a lot alone, I don't need to book to figure it out.

I have owned the Garmin eTrex Vista CX for about four months and am very pleased with it. I have owned or used three other receivers: a Garmin Rhino, a Magellan SporTrak Map, and a Magellan eXplorist 210. The Garmin eTrex Vista CX is the best of these units. The battery life is excellent, the color display very good, the battery access and USB connection are quick and easy, the software is fast, and the memory can easily be expanded, although I have had no thoughts or needs of doing so. The unit has more good features than I expected, all of which I have come to appreciate. I have not had to contact customer support, so I have no comment on Garmin support. However, I have needed support on a Magellan product and found Magellan's support a complete waste of time; it doesn't exist as far as I can tell.

Back to the Garmin eTrex, on the down side, the base map which is included with the unit is of very limited use. I have added the City Navigator and Topo maps which add about $220 to the cost. Also, for my purposes a carrying case is necessary, so I purchased the carrying case which, unfortunately, slightly obscures the outer edges of the screen and generally makes the screen more difficult to read.

I hike, jog, bike, drive, geocache, and have found this unit to be very friendly to all these activities. Now I must take up sky diving so that I can try out Garmin's jump master feature (I'm not kidding). Over all, I think the Garmin eTrex Vista CX is a very well designed receiver.

I'm not a GPS guru (this is my first GPS), but I did some research before purchasing and opted for this one for portability - driving, walking, hiking, boating. I am VERY pleased with this device. I purchased this in conjunction with Mapsource City Navigator NT and a 1GB memory card for it. Now I have all streets in the continental US in my GPS!

If I have one complaint, it's that it's a little slow to draw when you zoom in or out a level (4-6 seconds). It just doesn't have a super-powerful computer inside it, but it keeps up well if you stay on the current level as you zoom down the highway. It knows exactly where you are (obviously), so just tell it where you want to go (addresses, cities, intersections, etc) and it calculates a route and also asks whether to follow streets or not (i.e. by car or on foot). If driving, it beeps at you about 30 seconds before an upcoming turn, and again when it's time to turn. The screen shows what you should be doing (turning right or whatever) via a white arrow that's overlayed on the map. There's also a marker showing your current position and you can set it to count down distance (or time) to the next turn. For instance, it counts down 7.2 miles... 2.3 miles... then 512 feet....90 feet....etc. Not to say it makes jumps like this, the countdown updates every second or so.

If you miss the turn, it automatically recalculates a new route. For instance, it typically will have you take the next exit and then a couple of back roads to get you back on track (perfect!)

It usually calculates routes in 10 to 20 seconds (for instance from New York City to Albany), but I have encountered a few problems when there are just TOO MANY roads like around New York City.

For instance, I asked it to get me from Jersey City NJ, through Manhattan, to Yonkers, NY and avoid toll rolls. It hung indefinitely calculating (probably because there's no way to avoid tolls!) However, this is rare. It usually has no problem plotting routes through New York City, Brooklyn, and surrounding areas WHILE ALSO AVOIDING TOLLS!

...and if it can plot routes through this chaos, it can plot anywhere!

It doesn't have a super computer inside it (it just feels a little slow compared to modern computers), but the pluses far outweight the minuses. For instance portability. Park you car at a huge mall parking lot, get out of your car, place a flag marker in your GPS marking where you car is in the sea of parking, and go shopping. When you come back out, you can walk right back to your car. Just steer to the flag marker in your GPS!

It also leaves a little bread-crumb trail as you walk or drive so you can retrace your steps. If you go for a walk in the woods, there's just NO way you can get lost.

As far as size, it's about the size of a baby's shoe when looking at the top (display). From the side it's about an inch thick. It definitely fits in your pocket.

I'd guess 6-12 hours of life with Duracell batteries, give or take, depending on what you're doing with it. But if you've been driving or hiking for 12 hours straight, it's time to take a break anyway. Keep a couple of extra batteries in your pocket if you're doing something mission critical with it. If the batteries do run out, it remembers everything. Take out the old ones, pop in the new, and it picks up where you left off.

There are a LOT of features in this device. Too many to list here. In fact, there's a bit of a learning curve in navigating around the menus. But it's worth taking the time to learn how to use it.

Be careful if you're driving with this device. Try to keep your eyes on the road. Plot your route ahead of time so you're not fooling with the menus while you're driving. Or better yet, give it to your passenger and have them tell you what it says, when to turn, and what direction. Let them have some fun.

I LOVE this device. I tell everyone this is was DEFINITELY money well spent.

Also, it doesn't work indoors, but do any of them?

Great item! Size is awesome and it does so much!

Glad that they finally give more memoryt o these hand held units and work better then my IQUE3 from Garmin and now i can hvae it skiing with me and know how much i have skiied...highly recommended

I bougth this unit one month ago.

I really like the color screen, the micro SD Card, and some functions.

But I really have doubts: the reception is not good enough, if I lost reception I have to turn off the unit and turn on again to catch the satellite again. I lost reception very easy, if I am walking in a canyon, or inside a building. Also, when I just turn on the unit, It delays a lot if I was moving. For me It is a very basic GPS no maps preload, only the recreational maps, that's it.

I read that the Garmin GPS 60CXs is much better.

This is my first GPS unit. I bought it for cycling and geocaching since Garmin Edge 305 cannot do both.

Pros: easy to read color display, micro-SD card for map data storage, compact rugged design, AA batteries holds enough to complete 200K ride, compass and altimeter.

Cons: very basic map (and Garmin maps are wildly overpriced), stone-age software (there is better free software available), bike mount is INCOMPLETE (why advertise it at all?), satellite reception could be better (takes some time to aquire signal and drops the signal on the mountain roads).

Overall it is good unit for the price (I paid under $250). I cannot give it 5 stars because you need to invest more for additional maps.

The unit I received from Amazon quit working just before the 30 day return period. I left on vacation just after it arrived and didn't really start to use it until I got back. I ultimately ended up getting a new unit direct from Garmin.

My main reason in noting this is that the first unit arrived obviously having been opened previously (light dust on the rubberized grip; user manual creased, etc.) While I understand that people return products and vendors need to try and resell them, I wish they would identify them as such. I suspect this unit got returned because it was acting erratic, but it was missed or ignored by Amazon. Basically I think the Garmin GPS unit is fine; I'm just annoyed with Amazon.

The Vista CX is a very nice GPS with great features EXCEPT the map software is not Mac OS compatable. You cannot upload maps or use any features which benfit from creation on computer based detailed maps. You can purchase the Garmin memory cards with map info and then establish waypoints etc., on the unit itself, but forget about the full functionality of planning, and mapping points and then uploading to the unit. The Garmin technical rep I talked with said Garmin is working on Mac compatability but would not indicate if this was one month, one year, or longer before reaching the market. The third party maps compatable with Macs I have found, so far, for planning trips, etc., such as National Geographic Maps, cannot be uploaded to the Garmin unit.

This is a great little unit, so long as one is aware of its limitations:

First, it is designed to be used while held horizontally. That means it doesn't work well while hanging vertically on a belt clip. This probably won't matter, unless you want to record 'bread-crumb' tracks. The tracks recorded by this unit aren't terribly accurate, unless you hold it horizontally while you hike.

Second, it's reception is only okay to good. It won't receive in heavy forest cover or in deep canyons. Basically, you have to get into a clearing to get a fix. And that also means that recorded tracks are likely to be incomplete.

In short, it's a great unit for trail navigation or geocaching, so long as you can find a clearing. If you plan to record tracks, or if you need reception under more challenging conditions, you will need a more robust model, such as the GPSMAP 60Cx.

The Garmin Vista Cx will easily hold the complete Garmin City Navigator NT North America (US, Canada, Alaska, Hawaii, etc) with room to spare on a 2 GB microSD card. The microSD card can be puchased cheaply with a standard SD card holder. The combination can then be loaded (using a standard PC-to-SD card device) with maps from a PC that hold the complete City Navigator NT North America leaving about 3/4 GB of the card empty. Time elapsed about 1/2 hour. Presumably the same method will also permit loading of the 3 topo CD's onto three 2 GB microSD cards. The Vista Cx will then take you anywhere anytime. In style.

All the other excellent characteristics of the Vista Cx have been covered by the other reviewers.

This works excellent for geo-caching. With the built-in compass and excellent satellite reception, it almost feels like you're cheating. Street navigation is excellent with purchase of additional software. The altimeter works very well for tracking vertical profiles. Because in reality this is a precision barometer, it works best when the weather is steady. If you want to know the exact altitude above sea level, a topo map is still the best choice.

Here's why I only gave it a four-stars: If you plan to do street navigating, plan to spend another $100 or so on "city navigator North America". The software "trip and waypoint manager" included with the unit is sketchy and low detail. You also need to purchase larger micro flash memory.

I bought this GPSr as I intended to use it on my mountain bike.
It's really good for the usage I needed.
For bikers, I recommend the optional Bicycle Mount Bracket.
Every day you can find some nice features you didn't know...
I think it's definitely worth its price.


Unfortunately in Italy there are no topographic maps available... but I knew it!
What I didn't know (and this MUST be clear to any purchaser) is that YOU HAVE TO BUY BlueChart maps (for the sea) and streetmaps if you need, and they are really expensive.
You can find maps on the network, but they need an unlock code that is bound to the GPSr serial number, so there is no way to use them.

For sure that's fine, but if you just need to try it at the sea one day you can't spend hundreds of dollars for the maps...

Very pleased with how this was shipped and I received it very quickly.

I don't have any complaint in terms of the receiver itself. It works just fine, quickly finding the satellites. The screen is bright, easy to read, buttons are well placed, navigation along menus and functions is OK. I haven't used it on long trips, but battery life seems to be more than adequate.

What I miss is a better base map, not living in the US. Documentation, when it comes to details of how tracks and routes differ, and how to deal with waypoints and viapoints is of no help. The software that comes with the unit is lame. Fortunately several free alternatives are available like GPS Trackmaker and GPS Babel. Also, Google Earth can send and receive data to the receiver.

This is my first portable GPSR unit. I have used 3-4 different build-in street navigation units in my cars so I have some experiences about GPSR unit. The Vista Cx is a well build consumer level GPSR. For hiking purpose, this unit rocks!!! The battery life is amazing and it can hold signal under trees (well, not the forest though).

I have bought the US street nav NT CD and tried to use the Vista Cx as car navigation unit. The Vista Cx seems lack of CPU power so it's very slow. Don't use this unit as your primary car navigation. You should buy a real car navigation unit if you primary goal is using the unit in the car!

When GPS were first introduced we used to joke about the inaccuracy of their satellite determined elevations. I bought the Vista Cx because I thought the built-in barometric altimeter would reduce the problem with satellite determined elevations - it does not. The expected error in elevation is 50 to 200 feet, far worse than the positional accuracy of the gps. To reduce error Garmin recommends calibrating the unit every hour to a known elevation - if you know the elevation that well you don't need a gps! So, while you marvel at the positional accuracy of the unit you can still expect to get a good laugh from the elevations.

This is the first GPS I've owned, though I have used other GPS units at work. The features of this unit are great, the compass is functional when motionless, the build in data like sun and moon phases and hunting and fishing times will prove very useful to me, it's also fairly easy to use. I bought the Garmin Vista primarily to use for fishing. I've since purchased U.S Recreational Lakes CD and have loaded several potential hot spots in my GPS. Now I'm waiting for the spring thaw to really test the unit. A friend has 3 different GPS units and soon says he'll have one more, the Vista from Garmin.

I'm very happy with this product, it is very useful and covered my spectations.

I had purchased the vista cx primarily for geo-caching. It seems that the unit has good battery life qualities but is lacking on accuracy when there is any amount of cover like trees or even cloudy days. The GPS comes pretty much bare bones so you have to buy the map software to view streets, addresses, points of interest, ect. I recommend buying a car adapter. That will save on battery life. Overall I am pleased with the unit.

I own a Garmin eTrex Legend, a Magellan eXplorist 210, and a Garmin eTrex Vista Cx. I really think that the Vista Cx worths its price. It has a nice display, lots of features and USB interface. The GPS Track Maker, that is a nice free software to manage tracklogs and routes, promptly recognized the Vista Cx (I had some problems with the Magellan). The display is pretty much more readable than the Legend. Overall, I would say that this GPS is one of the greatest things for the outdoor enthusiast.

I gave it only four stars because I think this GPS is not able to calculate an area using only some waypoints, as the Legend was. Currently, the area calculator feature requires me to follow the whole perimeter of the area (this is not always possible due to several reasons). The Legend had a "Route Area Feature" that I did not find on the Vista Cx. I minimized this issue building a PC program to calculate the area (but it only works for some specific cases and I need a PC to calculate the area).

In general, it is a very good product.

A cautionary note for Mac users, the GPS is great, but all of the touted MapSource charts and connectivity is for Windows users only. I gave the GPS to my husband for Christmas, and he was so dissappointed when he slipped the CD into our computer he hasn't even looked at it again. He'd hoped to use it to chart kayak routes on the computer before making trips.

I use this GPS both on my bike and in my car. I don't know half of its capabilities yet, but I am impressed with what I have figured out so far. The machine seems rugged (a concern on the bike), it's easy enough to use, and provides much more than just a map of your location.

The maps (purchased separately, which makes this a more expensive unit than some) contain huge amounts of information. I wonder about which shops/restaurants are in the database, versus which ones are not, but have no flagrant ommissions to report. Roads, turns, etc., are all correct, and it instantly adapts when you change course. Directions (when you enter an address and hit "go to") are as good, or better, than sites like MapQuest, though they do have similar limitations in that they don't know the way to avoid traffic delays. But if you take an alternate route it patiently gives you directions for the remainder of the trip.

Very clever machine.

My gripes are that any computer would be hard to use if it only had 6 keys. The multi-function enter/move around key is a bit finicky about what it considers an "enter", and navigating through menus to type words for searces is annoying. A real keyboard would be a nice option. Secondly, since I do not use Windows, borrowing a computer to upload maps is an annoyance. Please beg Garmin for a linux and Mac version of their software. the security hurdles you have to go through to install the maps are over the top as well.

The screen is small, but that is the price you pay for portability and usability on a bike or when hiking.

On the other hand, I thank them for making the thing only beep when you get to a turn. If I had one of those talking GPS's it'd be out the window in a week.

Purchased the product as a Christmas gift for my husband. This GPS is his first one and he has loved it. He has had no problems using it and takes it with him everywhere. He is also teaching the Scout troop how to use it.

I received the E-Trex Vista Cx for Christmas and have really enjoyed using it for Geocaching. With the WAAS enabled I have been directed to within a few (4-6) feet of every cache I've hunted so far. Very impressed as everything I've read says that once you get near the cache you should just start looking for it and stop looking at the GPS unit. This unit has gotten me VERY close to the cache every time.

I was told that manually entering a waypoint's coordinates was time consuming, but I've found the rocker button very efficient. Still, it's great to have the connectivity so I can download waypoints instead.

Included base map is poor, but that's not a surprise. I am awaiting arrival of my City Navigator CD and 1Gb MicroSD card in the mail.

The main problem I see is with the documentation. This unit has great capabilities, and I'd like to see a more exciting user manual. The one they include is accurate, but it is focused on what button or menu does what rather than on "Here are the cool things this unit can do for you." As a beginner, I feel the manual only lets me scratch the surface of the unit's powers.



I just got the Vista CX for Christmas. I rate it a 5 because it functions great for what it is. The units are expensive (and accessories) and will not rate it a 4 based on price. If you are broke then stay out of the GPS game. There is nothing cheap about this technology..right now.

Most of the reviews are right on the money. This Garmin unit has performed very well so far. The battery life is super on this unit with or without the backlight. The same cannot be said of the Magellan units (brother has one). The base maps are not detailed so be prepared to spend $100 on maps and another $75 on a case, 12V power cord, and larger micro SD chip (comes with a small 64 MB chip). If you get a car kit etc. get prepared to spend a bit more. I have almost $400 into this unit.

Mapping - I loaded TN, SC, GA and northern FL using over 64MB. The City Navigator looks good but I have to used the unit more to have a good answer on this. I attempted to load the whole CD on a 2 GB chip and it shut down on me. I then loaded the area listed above and it took perfect. Maybe you have to load small chunks instead of the whole thing.

Locked Maps - Had to call Garmin to get the maps installed. The whole "unlock" process is not clear reading the manual. You download the software, register the unit, enter serial number and get a 25 digit number then follow the screen prompts to unlock the software. Select the maps and send them to your unit. I called just as they were closing 7 pm CT and they stayed with me thru the downloads. They were very polite and helpful.

Bottom Line

Pro's - Tons of features, good reception, clear screen, nice build quality, super battery life, good CS support.

Cons's - Base Maps - You have to spend $100 on maps to make it be useful, accessories are over priced, base memory is not sufficient (why put a chip in there anyway).

I am going to mount this unit on my dirt bike. We will see how it holds up. I will send another review and keep you posted.

This is a great unit for GeoCaching which is what we bought it for. We did have the B&W model, but returned it and bought the color model. It is noticibly better and worth the little additional cost...

I have used the vista gps on two snowmobile trips to the Upper Penninsula of Michigan in the worst conditions. Blinding snows and high winds with
almost no visibility. I lead our group of six, following the track shown by the vista mounted on the dash of my Polaris. I had no idea how to get back without it....the snow conditions made everything look the same. It safely guided us right to the front door of our destination. This is an outstanding product that i will never be without! Carry two additional rechargable batteries for peace of mind.

Purchased this item for my son who will be using it to go biking. Had time over the holidays to watch him put it to use and he is very pleased with it.

This unit takes a while to acquire satellites but then it's a wonder. It does all you can ask of it. The only major drawback is that Garmin charges for each additional map set that you may want.

I purchased the e Trex Vista Cx for use in Iraq on my deployment there and have been very satisfied with it's ruggedness and ease of use. The downloads have been easy to install and the tracks from map source have been easily transfered over to google maps of the area I was working in. I am very satisfied with Garmin and it's product.

I LOVE MY GARMIN. I just recently traveled to Missouri in search of property and the E-Trex performed great. I was able to travel from property to property with no problem at all. It would have been IMPOSSIBLE without the my Vista Cx. It performed well under deep canopy cover and took us out of some pretty rough looking dirt roads. It was money well spent. I purchased the power adapter and car kit from E-bay and i was ready to go.

Despite all the annoying aspects of it I'd have to say that I'm glad I had this little toy while traveling in Costa Rica. It was nice to know that I couldn't get lost anywhere. I now have my tracks downloaded on my laptop and it's really neat to see the route I took and all the waypoints marked on the map (even the entrances to the parks).

The upsides - huge storage with the 1 gig microSD card, nice display, pocket size (not for teeny tiny pockets like the Razr but fits in standard sized front pockets), user friendly for the most part, and long battery life (AA batteries so you can easily have a spare handy if it's getting low). And it's fun to leave virtual breadcrumbs along your trail.

The downsides to this unit are numerous but I would be surprised if most are not simply limitations in the technology. To name a few - takes a loooooong time to acquire satellites when you turn on the unit and takes even longer when going to a new location (though the latter bothered me much less than the former); loses GPS signal very easily - under forest canopy, under any roof (even just at the gas station under the tiny shelter), and even in my pocket or the center of the car in fully open skies - it gets really annoying when you're walking outdoors and realize that for the last 5 minutes you've had no GPS signal because the unit was in your pocket; expensive accessories and maps, and poor detail on maps for locations not well covered (Costa Rica for example) - don't bother with the preloaded base maps, get the maps for the area you need and if there are none for that area get the world map. Also the anti-piracy stuff on the software is really annoying - it's a whole long process to unlock after installing and it's device specific.

Oh by the way, the customer service agent was really helpful when I called (though limited business hours make it not too convenient) but very slow by email.

Just got this for christmas, my previous GPS was a lowrance model which I probably would still be using except that it and win xp don't get along well.
I would not reccomend this for a first GPS solely because of interface issues. However as a second GPS I like it quite a bit. I was tracking while sitting in a train in a valley with only a 1 foot by 1 foot window to see out of yet it somehow mangaged to hold lock. The navigation function works quite well on roads and the calculation time is very reasonable (5-10 seconds when on the intensive setting). The battery life is quite good, I have at least 5 hours of on time and the battery still reads as full.

As others have said you need to buy a map to go with it , otherwise the navigation functions barely work. (It does the best it can with a base map on only highways). It has a find feature that I've used to explore my city by selecting the name of the store and then letting it 'lead me by the nose' A nice product, very happy with it.

This unit is top notch. I'm not sure what they're trying to pull with the Venture model, as it's very stripped down for not much of a price difference. You get a USB cable included which you can connect the unit to your computer and transfer maps, way points, etc back and forth. It also includes a 64 meg mini sd card which isn't all that bad. I bought a 512MB card which i haven't even really needed. I put the 64 meg in the drawer and have just been using it. So far, I put the US top map for Yosemite on it and metro guide maps for Sacramento to Fresno and some of the surrounding areas and still haven't passed 64 megs yet. But, it's good to have the extra space.

One more note of advice, be sure to put the usb cable in snugly. You may think it's all the way in but it's not. There's a good bit of resistance the first few times you put it in. I had thought it was in all the way and it wasn't. The computer acted like it was in, but couldn't identify it and was throwing errors at me. After messing around with it I realized it wasn't in all the way.

If you're a cyclist and you're buying this because you want the hiking functions as well as using it on your bicycle, then you need to read this:

The "Bike Mount" that comes with the unit as advertised is only half of the actual part used to mount it on a set of handlebars. It is the slider part that bolts on to the battery cover. If you're looking into mounting it on your handlebars, you will need to buy the other half of the accessory, which costs around $11+. This is the actual handlebar clip. You can find the handlebar mount on the Garmin website, as well as all the mapping software in their online store.

Other than that, I agree with most reviewers here, this unit is awesome. 4 stars because of the lack of mapping software included and the fact that the advertising was a little misleading (always a catch!). I really like this thing!

I purchased the Vista CX from Amazon several months ago. I am VERY happy with it. It's rock solid. It has never failed me. I connect it to my Macintosh iBook and upload my track information after runs, hikes, bike rides, and trips in the car. The Vista CX is a great choice. (Previously I owned the eTrex and eTrex Summit.)

We bought this for geocaching, and though I'm still figuring out all it has to offer, I really love this GPS. I highly recommend the color version, everything is so much clearer.

The Garmin eTrex Vista Cx is quite an item! I am not a technical type who has checked out the item in detail, but so far am impressed. I did check out the product fairly thoroughly before buying (internet, other gps owners, a local store) - I recommend the color screen - images are much easier to see, worth the extra price. I use mine mainly for hiking - was fun to watch it show the path I had taken (used it while doing a round of golf!) and it works well. Reception was also better than I had expected - worked well in the car and near windows in the house. It takes about a minute to locate satellites and get started after being turned off - sometimes a bit longer (50 seconds up to about 1 1/2 minutes under an open sky). I use rechargeable batteries - get fairly good life from them - haven't timed them to see exactly how long they last. Would recommend ones with replaceable AA batteries over ones that need to be recharged . . . not much fun to have batteries go dead and no outlet to charge up available. I keep an extra set or two with the Garmin, just in case needed.

Overall, it is a great little item that does lots more than I have figured out how to use!

It is a "small miracle" in your pocket. Easy to use and usefull

I foolishly bought a Magellan Explorist 500. Let's just say the best thing about the experience is that Amazon's return service is absolutely first rate. I was even stupid enough to replace my original malfunctioning Magellan with another, before returning that one too on the grounds that it was impossible to work with and didn't sync with my PC.

The Garmin on the other hand - I had learned more about what a GPS is supposed to do in one hour with this unit, compared to three weeks with the Magellan. Very user friendly, very intuitive....restored my faith in handheld GPS systems.

I bought a eTrex Vista C and a Mapsource CD for my recent trip to those national parks and I deeply regret it! Forgive my English, for I am not a native speaker, and my negtive attitude because of my frustration.
First of all, I couldn't download mapsource onto the unit, even with professional help. I contacted a support crew, who is friendly and patient, and followed his step-by-step instructions. No luck. Then I had a computer engineer to help me with the whole process. Same result. The reason is, the USB driver that Garmin provide via their website does NOT work! At least for me. I planned my trip from more than 10 thousand miles away counting on the Garmin eTrex Vista C, and it simply let me down! Could you imagine how frustrated and angry I was, especially when I got lost and wasted precises time and energy?
Secondly, the unit lost signal too readily. It lost signal in the woods on California and Oregon coast line, on high land of Yesemite Tioga Road, on Rainier's park way, let alone those deep canyons and valleys. It even lost signal several times when I put it into my pocket or hung it around my neck! The more you need it at those critical points, the more likely the unit lost its signal!
Thirdly, it is not precise enough. I drove alone the park way back and forth in Yesemite Valley, the readings swinged significantly when I passed the same point. This does matter if one is on a open area or a road, however, this could be disastrous if one depends on it to navigate in dense, remote areas while hiking.

Bottom line: My experience with this product is anything but pleasant.


This is my first GPS unit that I bought in June 2006 after discovering the wonderful world of geocaching. Having zero experience with GPS, I spent a couple months researching devices and, most importantly, reading what other users were saying about their hand-held units. The short of it was that after all the info I had gathered, I decided on the Vista CX. It's a middle-of-the-road GPS unit-- I didn't want to go too cheap and end up having to update 6 months later, but I couldn't affort 700 or 800 dollars, either. This device fits perfectly.

I use it constantly and have to say that I drive my husband nuts when we're on trips (I now have it with me at all times), but I'm just *amazed*.... it tells you moving speed, moving average, altitude, time stopped, time driving, direction, time of day, sunrise, sunset, best times to fish and hunt, and a hundred other things you'd ever want to know about where you are in the world. We vacationed in Ocean City, MD this spring and I was just in awe-- we took a boat tour of the bay and sure enough, all the channel markers we passed were on the GPS! And that was just using the free built-in software that came with the unit! In short, this is a heck of a lot of fun and I would recommend this to anyone.

I found that I got pretty savvy with it just by using it... I really didn't use the manual all that much after the first hour or so.

I can't think of any reason you'd buy this and wouldn't use it... it's a constant source of amazement. What I'm finding most frustrating, however, is deciding what kind of street-level software to buy-- there seems to be a difference of opinion in the GPS community when it comes to City Navigator or City Select. Well, I'll just keep researching until I make up my mind.

Another really great thing is that standard alkaline batteries last a really long time-- I've had my unit on constantly for over 7 hours and used only one bar on the battery meter... another great selling point in my opinion.

The first Vista Cx I purchased died after only 3 days of use. I returned it to Amazon who immediately and painlessly replaced it. The second unit lasted for 4 days until I fell waist deep into a stream with the unit in my pocket. Though it was only submersed for a matter of seconds it immediately stopped working and water was seen internally around the screen. Garmin's claim of waterproofness for 1m for 10 minutes is utter baloney. The poorly designed T-style lock on the battery case cannot possibly assure water integrity from anything beyond high humidity. I probably wouldn't buy buy another Garmin but I'm stuck with them as I have already invested $200 in proprietary MapSource software. I guess that was their plan.
On the plus side, the Vista Cx did seem to function as it should...for all of 7 days.

I purchased this for biking and hiking. So far, I have only used it while biking. The input buttons are mainly on the sides of the unit (so there is more space for the screen on the front). Most of the buttons have more than one function. The secondary role is used by holding the button down until the screen changes to the intended function, instead of just a press and release. I have had trouble with the scroll/input button on the front of the unit. This button is partly joy stick, for scrolling on the screen, and for navigating through menus. The joy stick part works ok, but it also has two other uses. A single press of the button acts as an enter function, and press and hold acts to change the screen to input a waypoint. The single press does not work well on this button; and if you try to hold it down a little longer, then the unit changes to the waypoint screen. It would also be better if the input buttons were a little bigger.

Unit is well constructed, controls are fairly intuitive, backlighting/screen are also very good. My unit was working great and then would only power up very briefly and then would go out. The unit acted like it had dead batteries put in it even when it had brand new alkaline. Unit is about 28 days old. I will get to see how good the Amazon.com replacement policy is! This was the first thing that I ever purchased from Amazon.com.

This was really a no brainer for me. Garmin's simply got the best interface and includes the most bang for the buck. I primarily wanted a hand held unit for geocaching and the Vista Cx works great in the car for getting us close and does a top notch job getting us to the cache, even under fairly heavy wooded cover. I haven't needed to use the altimeter much, but the built-in compass is an absolute necessity for geocaching. Basically, you can stand still and the compass will determine which way you're pointing in order to point you directly to the location of the cache without having to walk a few paces before it gets its bearing.

I can't say enough about this unit. It works great and is incredibly easy to navigate. The removable/upgradable micro SD card is an absolute necessity if you plan on using maps.

Speaking of maps, be prepared to dish out approximately $100 for the additional maps from Garmin. I purchased the City Navigator North America v8 maps and wouldn't be caught using the GPS without them. It not only works nicely for navigating and auto-routing, but it'll certainly help get you as close as possible to the caches, especially in unknown areas.

The only other accessories that I felt that I needed were the 12-volt power cable (has to be from Garmin) and a windshield or other automobile mount (I purchased a third party one).

Long live geocaching!

My Vista Cx is an excellent GPS. Satellites are quickly acquired and WAAS enhancement works reliably. The unit is sturdy and battery life is much better than I expected. The downside seems to be documentation. Documentation is minimal and occasionally incorrect. No expanded documentation is available on the Garmin website and there doesn't appear to be a Garmin user's group where questions and techniques can be archieved and discussed. The Vista is a very complex device with hundreds of features, and concequently needs a good user's guide.

This lack of documentation is especially noticed with the altimeter and compass. The altimeter apparently makes non-obvious choices between pressure-derived altitude and GPS derived altitude. I've found no way of determining at any moment which altitude is displayed, and the settings can vary by several hundred feet. Similarly, the compass can be very badly misleading with no way of advising you of calibration problems.

Web-accessable white papers describing the internal workiings of both the compass and altimeter would greatly enhance the Vista's usability (and user's confidence).

I purchased the Vista CX after wanting to upgrade from my Legend. The first out caching, the unit was very eradic and took me 400' feet from the cache. After calibrating the compass, I got within 80' feet. Second cache it got within 90' of it. Garmin CS said they never heard of this but the Vista I purchased two years did the same thing. They both were returned, needless to say. If you want a great no frills GPS, stick with the Legend. Most cachers with higher end Garmins fuss about the cords being off from lower end units. Garmin just can't see to make the expensive units with many features be accurate. The Vista line keeps building on a poor platform. I am waiting on my new Magellan Explorist 500 from Amazon.

I love this GPS.

Previously, I had a Magellan handheld GPS (with dim black and white display). It worked well for about 5 years... getting me from point A to point B while I drove my family around California to visit relatives. Recently, I decided that I wanted more so I bought an eTrex Vista CX.

Important features of this GPS are:

(1) it uses a Micro SD card. This allows for storage of A LOT of maps on the GPS. Buy a larger Micro SD card at Frys or eBay and you will be a happy camper. 128 or 256 megs will do the job. We recently took an Alaskan cruise, and I was able to upload all of California, Oregon, Washington, BC Canada, and Youkon onto the GPS with some room to spare. Having the ability to use a mini-SD card is very valuable if you are a traveler like me.

(2) Turn by turn directions **IF** you buy the correct software to go with it. I bought the MapSource® City Navigator North America DVD to get this feature. The key is to make sure that the map that you buy comes with "fully routable detailed maps" as Garmin likes to say. When you "upload" to the GPS, upload both maps and route info and you are set. By the way, don't bother trying to steal (ie BitTorrent) the maps from the internet. It won't work since maps are sold by Garmin and MATCHED TO THE SERIAL NUMBER OF EACH GPS. Just save some time, and buy the DVD online.

For those that don't know, most GPS come with a "base map" that just has the basics (highways, points of interest). If you want every street and turn by turn directions, then you need to buy a map CD or DVD from the manufacturer. An exception to this is the Magellan Roadmates (and some others) which come with a built in hard drive that has maps included. Read the box carefully for whatever you decide to buy.

(3) Legend vs. Vista and C vs. CX. Garmin makes models that are somewhat similar, and somewhat confusing. Here's a quick way to tell them apart. VISTA is the same as the LEGEND, but with an electronic compass and a barometric altimeter. An Electronic compass allows the compass to work well when you ARE NOT moving. This is important for when you are on foot and want to stop and get a good compass reading. The barometric altimeter uses pressure difference to check your altitude. The "C" in all Garmin GPS systems stands for color, "CX" means it is both color AND allows for a Micro SD card beyond the built in memory. This allows you to get more memory in the future as you need it, as maps become more detailed, and as micro SD card prices drop.

Various random thoughts:

(1) This GPS does a great job in the car. It does NOT give you the sort of "turn left here" verbal directions. If you need that, get a Magellan Roadmate that will speak to you. The Garmin beeps at you just before a turn, and beeps again the moment when you should be making a turn. It also changes the display to show you a diagram of what you should do next. It also has a screen which give you turn by turn TEXT instructions (turn left 0.5 miles onto highway 5, etc) similar to what you get with Google Map driving directions.

(2) The map has a good sized display, assuming you DON'T have vision issues. The Magellan Roadmates have bigger displays and are designed for road use without looking at the GPS as much. Garmins like this one are "multiuse" designed to do a decent job in the car AND as a handheld for camping and backpacking while on foot. It also works great in a boat, and I've used it on cruise ships and other boats.

(3) This GPS works great as a handheld. If you are on vacation, you can use it in the car AND then get out and walk with it (try that with a not as pocket sized Magellan Roadmate). The eTrex Vista easily fits in a pants pocket or around the neck on an lanyard, a Roadmate might fit in a pocket, but it'd have to be a bigger jacket pocket.

(4) Battery life is awesome (using rechargable AAs) *IF* you have the backlight off. I would suggest using the backlight only when you have the GPS hooked to car or computer power. The TFT display looks great outside anyway without backlight.

(5) The user interface is much better than the current Magellan handhelds. It is more logical, and there are many more settings for the geek in us all. Unlike the Roadmate, it doesn't have a touch screen.

(6) The eTrex Vista CX connects to a computer using a standard usb to mini-usb cable. Transfer speeds are good, and much better than my old serial cable Magellan.

(7) COST: For this GPS, I bought the GPS itself, then a car power cable so I could use the backlight while driving, then the Mapsource DVD, then a bigger mini-SD card, and finally, a suction mount for my car windshield. The GPS was about $300. The DVD was about $100. The rest, about $50. So I'm about $450 into this GPS. This is less than the bigger (not so pocket sized) Magellan Roadmate which is about $699.00.

Bottom line:

If you only want to use a GPS in your car, with audible turn by turn directions and a touch screen... get a Roadmate. If you want a smaller multi-use GPS (car, camping, backpacking, walking, boating) this is the best one and you will be happy.

Easy to use, with a lot of options and with an accesible price. I Recommended.

I just upgraded from a classic (B/W) eTrex Legend (which I loved) to a shiny new eTrex Vista Cx and it's awesome.

Here'a are just a few details that I was wondering about before I ordered:

Mine came with a 64MB microSD (not 32MB as advertised) but I bought a 1GB microSD at the same time. I've loaded 750MB+ of map data on to the 1GB card and it all seems to be working fine (Some reports only had it working up to 512MB.) It did seem to respond rather slowly when I first loaded in that much map data but it soon snapped out of it and resumed normal speed.

Mine came with the bike mounting clip. It does not include the actual handle bar mount but the clip allows it to works with the old mount that I already had for my Legend.

My stretchy Garmin case (the one with the carabiner) fits just fine.

Since the Garmin USB car charger seems way overpriced, I was happy to find out that this unit uses a standard USB cable and I should be able to use that with an inexpensive USB car charger. (well, not charger, but power supply). BTW I also think it's cool that the GPS runs off USB power when connected to your computer. That'll save my batteries as I seem to always forget to turn it off after I've transferred my data!

I did my first Geocache at the end of January 2006 as part of a group with a shared GPS. I was hooked. I started looking into units and within two weeks, I had a Garmin Legend. After one outing, I traded it in for the Vista Cx and have not regretted it one bit.

Ignoring the Legend experience, it took about a half hour of going over the manual to take in the details. The manual is well written and properly illustrated. Directions are easy to understand and once you grasp the organization of the menu structure, the unit is easy to master.

While a little on the small side, the display is very crisp and the colors are easy to see in the daylight. If you use this after dark, the screen requires backlighting, something that is built-in to the unit. Using the menus, you can even customize the degree of backlight illumination and the time it stays on.

One downside is the base map, the map burned into the firmware, is pretty sparse. I understand this is fairly standard for hiking GPS units. I strongly urge users to get either the Garmin MapSource Topo map for your country or the Garmin City Navigator appropriate to your area. Now we are getting into what the new "X" series is all about, memory.

The Vista Cx uses MicroSD memory, allowing the users to store large amounts of map info. . . if you get additional memory. The 32 MB that comes standard with the unit will hold a LOT of topo map info, but if you are loading road map info, you will need more memory. I have not had the opportunity to try the new 1 GB MicroSD cards, but the 512 MB is holding all the trip info for my summer vacation plus topo info for most of PA, MD, WV, CT, MA, and NY south of Albany.

One negative is that you can display either the topo info or road map info, but not both at the same time. Personally, I find this not too annoying, but sometimes, I'd like to see both. The two buttons controlling the degree of zoom are well positioned.

I bought this primarily for Geocaching, but I recently had the opportunity to test it as a navigation aid and Geocaching tool. In the car, once navigation satellites had been locked onto, the unit kept me on course. Out in the field, I switched to topo only display and the unit performed flawlessly.

This is only the beginning of all this unit can do. I do not use the barometer / altimeter function too heavily, but I've come to appreciate the electronic compass. The rocker switch makes it easy to enter data, but I prefer to use the optional software and my computer for extensive data entry.
This is a GPS primarily for the outdoor person, not a vehicle navigation aid, although it will function nicely as one. Many people would consider this beyond an entry level GPS. I found it easy enough to use and capable enough for future growth that I would recommend it for the entry level user. Buying this unit at the beginning will help put off that upgrade for quite a while. I do strongly suggest getting the largest addition memory you can find and the software to match your navigation needs. It will be money well spent!

The Garmin ETrex Vista/CX is a very nice handheld GPS unit. I like it a lot. However, it has battery problems. Within a month of getting the unit-- and not using it in any capacity other than simply turning it on and driving places in my car, it stopped being able to operate from batteries. I've tried many