Garmin eTrex 30x Outdoor Handheld GPS Unit with TopoActive Western Europe Maps and 3-axis compass - Black/Grey

beware the steep learning curve, multiplicity of guides other than Garmin's as a result. The transparent window on the carrying case makes it difficult to read the screen and does not line up with the screen well. GPX Player great for displaying the tracks without having to pay through the nose to download OS maps

There are many apps out there that may seem as good as this Garmin and they very well might be. I had a garmin etrexH for about 8 years and it did most things I required of it well. I bought it after being lost in France when walking and although we had a map and compass we still were not sure where we were. The etrex H was a great companion to the map as we could now check the coordinates. The etrex 30X is a step up as you can view the map on it and it has an electronic compass for direction. There are a multitude of other tools on it that will get used as required. The user interface is a bit fiddly and the screen updating is a tad slow but seems accurate enough so far. The benefits are the batteries which are standard AA , take some spares and you will be sorted for a few days, battery life is much better than my old etrex. Also it uses Russian satellite's as well so should not be in danger of losing a signal. Overall, maybe overpriced, but an invaluable piece of kit.

I used this for the first time in the Brecon Beacons. I had previously plotted a track in Garmin Basecamp and uploaded it to the GPS. On the day of the hike there was gale force winds, rain and it was extremely foggy. In parts it was impossible to see where the trail was. This device gave me the confidence to carry on. It is very accurate and kept me on the right trail. I also like the fact that it's very compact and light, with great battery life. I am a beginner when it comes to using a GPS so I can't compare it to others. But it worked really well on that hike so I'm very pleased with it. My only complaint would be the cost of buying the maps to put on it. I bought the 1:25 OS UK map from Garmin and was shocked at the price. Before you buy this device, do some research into what maps you'll need and what they cost, as you could end up spending twice as much again on maps!!!

Has a lot of features that are not documented. Could do with a 'how to' guide. For instance, simply switching it off does not stop the recording of the track as it simply resumes when you turn it on again which could be hours/days/weeks/months later miles away from its last 'active' location. You need to use track manager to start/stop-save then clear current track.Also not sure if it's the device or the built in error in the GPS signal, but when stationary the track 'wanders' around so when replaying the track it looks like you aimlessly walked around at times.Ideal for walking or hiking but the refresh rate is far too slow and the display far too small for use as a car/motorbike sat nav.The zoom buttons are centred on the cursor location not your location so make sure the two are close or you may lose your position on the display. If you do then just zoom out until the blue 'your location' symbol is visible then move the cursor over it and zoom back in. You may need to re-align the cursor as as you zoom closer.The included maps are surprisingly good considering all the bad reviews I've read about Garmin included maps before. Good enough to use to navigate (walking) around an unfamiliar city, Rome in my case.A pair of alkaline batteries last about 8 - 10 hours or so with light use.

After using this unit for a week while hiking in Spain, I can say that I regret buying it. The unit was good at locking in to GPS and Glonass quickly and ddidn't lose the connection once, so that's one plus. It is also waterproof, so I had no qualms about using it in the rain. Its screen is small but readable and since it is not touch-enabled, there is no danger of activating it when putting it the pocket.In terms of navigation, as long as a track/route (GPX file) was downloaded to it before leaving the hotel, the unit was able to guide me quite well. However, if any adjustments to the route were needed on the way, I found it almost impossible to accomplish them. You can point to something and the unit will lock on to that direction, but it will not calculate a route even on maps that include routable information. So frankly, not so useful when you're trying to reach a mountain peak in the distance, since you're never traveling in a straight line from where you are.And speaking of maps, the ones included (TopoActive Europe) are pretty poor. There is the option of buying or downloading other maps to the unit, and perhaps some of the more expensive maps are better. That brings me to the process of updating or transferring maps to the unit: the process requires the use of BaseCamp, Garmin's computer software for managing these units, which is one of the most unintuitive pieces of software that I've ever used.So, in conclusion, I will try to sell this on and will use my phone with the Wikiloc or Gaia GPS apps and continue looking for a dedicated GPS unit that is easier to use. This, unfortunately, wasn't it.

This is fantastic. Just been out today geocaching. No problems loading my pocket queries and after a few minutes playing was finding caches. After a few hours I'm at home with the menus and have it set up exactly how I want it. Not sure I've quiet got the hang of the trip computer yet but not something I'll be using much. I highly recommend this product and think it's great value for money. Would be nice if it came with a basic lanyard and screen protector but that's easily fixed. The maps aren't super detailed but they show roads, water and foot paths and fields. It's nice to be able to zoom out and plan your route between caches. Great product