Garmin GPS III Waterproof Hiking GPS by Garmin
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Digital camera reviews of Garmin GPS III Waterproof Hiking GPS
Digital camera Review: This does everything I wanted
Summary: 5 Stars
This is the best featured GPS for the money. I do family research and I use this to find cemeteries using the coordinates given in the GNIS lists. This is my first GPS and the 3+ has all the features I want. One of the best is your ability to rename fields to your liking. On the Position Page, the default sunrise field is not important to me but altitude is, so I renamed the sunrise field to altitude. Another is the big number feature on the Compass Page. It's great to see the big numbers(speed and distance to waypoint) when your driving down the road. The negative is the rocker bar. It's an oval rubber pad and if you have big fingers (like me) you sometimes change the existing selection up or down when you meant to go to the next selection. I would like to see 4 arrow keys. Accuracy with SA turned off is consistant 5-14 ft here in Alaska. The MOB function brought me back within 5' every time. Highly recommended accessories are the 12v cigarette lighter adapter and a training video. The manual is very clear but the video makes the operations a lot clearer. The Garmin web site has firmware download options to keep the unit current. This unit supports DMS and Decimal coordinates. I found the decimal coordinates are a little more accurate. If you have Microsoft's Streets and Trips 2001, this GPS is the perfect companion. You can connect the GPS to your laptop running S&T 2001 and the map will follow your movements. Type an address anywhere in the US on the S&T 2001 and select the tools-location sensor. The location is in decimal. Plug the decimal coordinates into your GPS+ waypoint and take off. I tested it in an unfamiliar remote wooded area at night and, using the compass page, got right to the address the first time. The backlight display has 10 ranges and is bright enough to read in a car at night with the GPS on the dash. It's pricy but well worth the money. List prices in stores here in Anchorage and on the web are about $... but shop around. I got mine with 12v adapter and video and UPS 2nd day air to Alaska for $...Digital camera Review: This is the one.........
Summary: 5 Stars
to get if you need a GPS for hiking and in the car or just to find your way around the downtown. It is a bit heavy for backpacking but I leave home my flashlight because I GOT to have it. This unit actually helped us find our way out of the Utah desert after our group leaders got us a bit "off track" saving us an unnecessary night out with the scorpions. Highly recommend.Digital camera Review: This thing is the best!
Summary: 5 Stars
I have had my Garmin now for 3 weeks. I took it with me to Missouri for Thanksgiving and planned out an entire route with waypoints and everything. It displays estimated time of arrival, mileage, and direction to each waypoint, and the info is updated every second. It is very accurate (I always get good reception from at least 5-6 satellites), and features like speed and altitude are right on the money. Exit information was helpful and accurate, and I used it to find gas stations that I wanted. I also bought a cigarette lighter adapter (for unlimited power) and a car mount. The indiglo feature was extremely useful for the road at night. I can't wait to take it overseas next summer on my tour to Germany with the Air Force. I am definitely buying the CDs so I can download European maps and U.S. topo information. I love this gadget. I find that I am acting a lot like the guy on the Amazon commercial....Digital camera Review: This was my first GPS
Summary: 4 Stars
This GPS has been mounted on the dash of my Explorer for well over a year. Being my first GPS this one has always been my favorite, but the small amount of RAM is a bit of a problem for me these days. I typically use the MAPs from the ROM, but I also have several regions loaded from Garmin's Roads and Recreation CD--though not as many as I'd actually like. The features on this unit are great and the screen is very visible. With the bean bag mount, you can position the screen for the available lighting without any trouble. If you're thinking of taking this hiking, I would recommend the eMAP (8 Meg of RAM) or the ETrex Summit (better outdoor features). For heads up vehicle navigation, the GPS III is the best choice.Digital camera Review: Toy for Men / But defintely useful as a tool
Summary: 5 Stars
A GPS was showing my GPS to a woman friend of mine. After a couple of minutes, she said to me, "Mac, this is just a toy for men!" I started to argue, but then I said, "Ya' know...you're right!"But, what a useful toy (tool) it is!
My am a systems/software engineer currently working on (trying to win a development contract for) the next version of the Military hand-held GPS receiver. It is called DAGR (Defense Advanced GPS Receiver, current version is called PLGR, Precision Lightweight GPS Receiver).
What we hear from our user groups (The soldiers) is that they want Garmins. (A lot of them buy them with their own money!) I have to agree with the soldiers. That's why I spent my own money on a III+.
How I Use My Garmin have been using mine (first a III, then I upgraded to a III+) for about 1.5 years. I have hiked, biked, driven, and flown with it. I have the 3 Map CDs that are available as well. (US Road, US Topo, World Major Roads)
Here are some common ways that I use mine...
Navigating to an Address after getting the coordinates from Get the coordinates of virtually any address in the U.S. (and UK) by going to the "Map" section of Mapblast(http://www.mapblast.com/mblast/mAdr.mb) and typing in the address. You will get a map and the coordinates of the "X" that marks the address of the address that you typed in. (2) Take your Garmin and create a new waypoint with the coordinates from MapBlast. (3) Press the "Goto" Button, select your waypoint, and the unit will give you bearing and distance to your waypoint.
(Note: The Garmin eMap allows you to look up addresses on the unit (If you buy the data cartridge and Map CDs), but it doesn't have nearly the configurabiltiy that the III+ has. I'm waiting for the combination unit! Wireless connection to an address database would work too! Then I won't need MapBlast (and a computer) to get addresses.)
Giving (Pretty) Accurate Estimated Time of Arrivals can set up your Garmin to display ETA based on your current speed and bearing. This really only gives good estimates if you are traveling more or less in a straight line to your destination or if you have input a route with all your turns. I have gotten pretty good at estimating when I will arrive somewhere, whether the distance is pretty large (ie: LA to SF) or small (20 miles or so).
Marking Where the Car is I hike or bike, I mark the place where the car is parked before I head out on the trail. Then, I set up the Garmin to point to the car. This way I always know how far I am from the car.
Also, I usually clear the track log (and the Trip Computer) before I start out so that I can use the TrakBack feature to tell me how far I am (actual trail distance) to the car or to direct me back, as the case may be.
Last Word
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I am very happy with my Garmin III+. Engineering types like me will almost certainly be as well.