Garmin eTrex Vista

I had 2 Garmin eTrex Vista GPS units from new, returning the first for the second. Both of them exhibited the same fault - namely they hang / freeze during use. They hang at random points, any time from switch-on to several hours later, so very unpredictable and very unreliable.

They hung/froze regardless of battery type, or whether the Micro SD card was plugged or not.

I updated the software in each of them to the latest - v2.6. No difference.

I can only conclude that there's a bad batch or design problem. Either way, Garmin are not admitting to it.

If it weren't for this, it would be a great unit.

The Garmin eTrext Vista is the best small handheld for world traveling.

You can get around 20 hours on a set of AA batteries and it can be used in a car but the screen is small and it beeps for changes of direction rather than using speech.

One limitations on the system is that the old vista c only has 24mb memory which isn't enough for all the UK (about 1/2) - this means you have to upload relevant maps for the area you wish to travel to onto the unit from your laptop - The Vista does accept external memory cards though so there is a way around this last problem.

You can keep the Vista in your pocket so it won't get stolen and you can also set waypoints to guide you around town. I use this feature to help me when walking back to my car and have even used the feature to help me locate my car in the NEC car park!

This is a great unit to own if you are starting to learn about GPS. I would strongly recommend that you buy a Garmin MapSource CD-ROM to manage your waypoints, routes and tracks. With little more effort and money you can start creating your own maps using tracks and routes! Personally I had a great experience using it and I'm sure you won't be sorry for owning it!