one_listen's Full Review: Garmin eTrex Legend Handheld GPS Receiver
I purchased this GPS as an entry level handheld to test out the Geocaching phenomenon. If you've never heard of Geocaching, I'd sum it up as a worldwide Easter Egg hunt. People with GPS devices hide weatherproof "caches" all over the planet and publish the coordinates for others to go find. Often times these caches are placed a short distance from a path in the woods and are hidden well enough to keep casual walkers from noticing. The Geocache contains a log book to document your visit and often some little trinkets to trade. Having heard of this little game from my brother-in-law, I logged on to Geocaching.com and found a cache pretty close to home and gave it a try. I was using my Tom Tom car GPS and although I was successful in my first hunt, I realized that an auto GPS was not going to be very effective for Geocaching. The Tom Tom continually tried to point me to the closest road. My wife and I decided this little game would be a good way to get out and get some exercise, so I quickly decided to buy a handheld GPS unit. I did some quick googling and this was the model I decided upon for several reasons. The number one was price. At around $100, the risk seemed low. The last thing I wanted to do was plunk down $500 for a great GPS that ended up in a closet 364 days out the year. The second reason was reputation. Maybe I'm just susceptible to marketing, but Garmin is really the only name I think of for Handheld GPS units. The Etrex Legend is a very small, easy to hold/ carry unit. It runs on two AA batteries and is advertised as waterproof. It does come preloaded with maps, but the unit is cumbersome to use for auto travel. There are only a couple of buttons making the menus very easy to navigate through. There are several modes that my wife and I have renamed for easy reference: Compass Mode - after entering the coordinates of the destination, the unit displays an arrow pointing in the direction of your goal and lists the distance and anticipated time or arrival. Breadcrumb Mode - shows an overhead with dotted line showing where you are, where you've been and a dot for your destination. Data Mode - Needs to be reset for each trip, and the unit displays total distance traveled, time elapsed, average speed. As for performance, the Etrex Legend worked very well in open areas, but often loses the signal in heavily wooded areas. This unit also lacks the sensitivity of the more expensive units, meaning sometimes it is accurate to within 10 feet, and sometimes only to about 30 feet. So the application is very important. For geocaching, getting within 30 feet can mean an unsuccessful trip, but If you get lost hiking, getting within 30 feet of your car would certainly suffice. I have also noticed that the unit becomes even more inaccurate near shear rock walls, I assume from the satellite signals bouncing off the rock. Now that I have used the unit many times, and knowing that I will actually continue to Geocache, I plan to upgrade, but this unit was a great first step. I would highly recommend this unit to a casual user on a budget, but a real outdoorsman or techie will want more.
With the eTrex Legend, Garmin has loaded a full basemap of North and South America into one small unit.The Legend is also designed to provide precise ...More at CampSaver.com
With the eTrex Legend, GARMIN has loaded a full basemap of North and South America into one small unit. The Legend is also designed to provide precise...More at Nu-Image Corporation
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