Customer Reviews

Garmin Carrying Case for the 500 & 550 GPS

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I own and have owned quite a few GPS receivers including a recently purchased Garmin Colorado 400t. I bought my new Nuvi 500 (my 3rd Nuvi) as a cross-over GPS, one that I could walk around with, bike with, use to geocachache, as well as use it in a car. This is what the 500 and the 550 were designed for (according to Garmin's website). I had hoped that Garmin might have designed a great case for it, as they did for the Colorado series. Alas, this was not the case (pun fully intended).

The GOOD:
* It's lightweight
* It is very compact
* It seems to be good at keeping out the elements
* It's priced right

The BAD
* For a GPS that is billed as being field-worthy this case has a zipper (making it harder to get into), not a latch as does the Colorado case
* It has no belt loop, mount or strap to allow one to easily carry it in the field. The Colorado case has several mounting options, this case has only as tiny string on the zipper
* It has no storage options, not even for an extra battery

I am very happy with the GPS unit itself but the case could have been designed to augment the function of the device, not just hold it. This may have been designed with all Nuvi's in mind, which would explain it's generic features. However, a waterproof, multifunctional GPS like the 500 (and it's brother, the 550) deserve a case of their own.

Bought this with my Nuvi 500. It is made of hard synthetic material that smells like new shoes. The only reason it gets 4/5 is because they could've made one side toucher to protect the touchscreen. (or the whole case to protect from falling) The case material is fairly rigid and will protect against scratches and a few bumps but it is not going to save your Nuvi 500 from a fall onto a rock or what have you. However there is no better option on the market that i can see, so this case will keep your Nuvi 500 out of the elements and give it a nice sheltered home. The inside of the case has two elastic bands on the sides that only allow it to open half way before stretching, not sure if i like that or not. I am satisfied with my purchase, however.

The case is ok and does a reasonable job of protecting my Garmin nuvi 550. The problem is that it should have been made with a pocket or two to hold the micro SD chips and maybe an extra battery. I could not find a case with those attributes so I settled for this case. Would have preferred a bright color, so it would be easy to notice.

A few weeks later I bought a larger case which holds this case plus all the accessories, without excessive space left over.

It took a lot of searching to find the perfect case for my Garmin nüvi 550, but finally I found it here, at Amazon.
As we use the GPS more for hiking (geocaching) than for driving, it is important to protect it with a case that is sturdy, but easy to open, easy to take along. I especially like that I can let the GPS sit in the bottom part of the case while the top part protects it from the direct sunlight, helping to see the screen even if I reduce the brightness to save battery. I have been using the case 6 months, hiking with it generally once a week - no signs of wear yet.

This hard shelled case has a little Garmin logo tag sticking out one side. The zipper has a loop that is covered in a plastic/rubber strap cover. The Nuvi 500 Garmin GPS fits perfectly under the elastic strap inside the one cover and the outside texture is a rubbery cloth that prevents sliding around on the seat.

ATTENTION: This Garming Carrying Case is for NUVI 500, 550 Models. It isn't for Garming Aera 500 series. Nuvi is smaller than Aera.

It's a nice case, decent build, pretty straight forward, just big enough to hold my gps nuvi500. It has an elastic band inside to keep it snug. I would have liked it to be a little cheaper though for such a simple case. other than that no problems/fast shipping.

Holds the Garmin securely. Nice fit and finish.

My Garmin model has walking mode. So, this case offers great protection when carrying it in my wife's bag.

I love this carrying case. I'm so glad I got it... its tough exterior is good for someone who tends to drop things!

This case is well padded to protect the GPS device, yet is still small enough to put in a cargo pocket, a purse or hang on a belt loop. A GPS device is too expensive to leave unprotected and this case does the job. We use our Garmin for both traveling and geocaching, so it is handled a lot. Highly recommend this item.