Customer Reviews

Garmin GPSMAP 60CS Water Resistant Hiking GPS

5 star:		(43)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Read all the reviews at GPS sites and then try the GPSmap 60CS out for yourself. You'll see why everyone is so impressed. Garmin's eTrex models were a nice design, but users had to put up with several compromises (limited memory, poor screen, relatively weak satellite reception, etc.) that limited their functionality. The GPSmap 60CS effectively addresses many of the limitations of the eTrex lineup, despite it also being a relatively small, light, rugged device.

Hopefully the following will be helpful to individuals debating whether or not to purchase the GPSmap 60CS. I purchased mine soon after the model was released and think it's overall the best handheld GPS you can buy.

PROS:

- Solid construction (made in Taiwan) with a nice overall "feel". You're getting your money's worth with this GPS.

- Rugged. My main concern about a color GPS was fragility, but I've already dropped mine a few times and suffered no ill effects.

- Nice screen. The 256 color transreflective screen makes a huge difference in using the GPS and I could now never go back to using a monochrome model. The color maps are very easy to read, not only at night but also even in direct sunshine.

- Good battery life. Depending on how much the backlight is used I see anywhere from 10 - 20 hours of use between charges of my two NiMH AA batteries. With the backlight kept off, some people have reported almost 30 hours of use with alkaline batteries.

- Intuitive controls and menus. Even if you've never used a GPS before you'll probably be able to use the GPSmap 60CS right out of the box without consulting the (well-written) manual. There's also a nice (single sheet) color "quick start guide" that gets you up and running in less than five minutes.

- Acquires satellites quickly (fixes position usually in less than a minute) and maintains tracking fairly well.

- USB downloading of Garmin's optional maps is relatively fast. Also accepts serial cable, so I can still use the GPSmap 60CS with an older (non-USB) computer.

- Optional accessories unlock the true potential of the GPSmap 60CS (but count on spending at least another $200 - $300 on maps + accessories). The AutoNav Kit includes a nice beanbag mount to keep the device stable on the car's dashboard, a cigarette lighter power adapter and a CD with the - essential - residential street level maps of the U.S. and several major Canadian cities. I also bought bike mounts so I can use my GPSmap 60CS on my mountain bikes. It's nice to be able to explore the great trails in Marin County and the rest of California without having to worry about getting lost. (It's also easy to then later download your route from the unit to your desktop computer so you can keep a record of a trail if you want to go back in the future.)

- Amazing degree of customization. Background/text colors, sequence of presented screens, orientation of maps (north up vs. track up), metric/imperial units, backlight level, tones, WAAS mode, text language, backlight timeout and a number of other options can easily be turned off or on.

- Present position-to-address routing. Gives turn by turn directions to any addresses that are typed in on the "Find" screen (if you have purchased the optional maps). Having this "autoroute" ability in a GPS as small as the GPSmap 60CS is incredible. The unit also automatically recalculates a new route (but unfortunately takes half a minute or so to do this) if you wander off the previously chosen route or miss a turn. While I will never throw out my paper maps, since getting my GPSmap 60CS I now almost always use GPS when driving to an unfamiliar address. The directions are almost always reliable, but sometimes the suggested route is a bit more circuitous than necessary. It would be nice if Garmin could update the firmware to easily allow users to specify a route that goes by way of an intermediate location.

- Ability to leave "track points" i.e. an electronic breadcrumb trail that can be followed back to your starting point.

- Great speedometer/odometer for bicycles, etc. Thanks to my GPSmap 60CS, I now know that the speedometer for one of my cars is off by 7%! Lists odometer, trip odometer, maximum speed, moving time, moving average, stopped time, overall average speed, total ascent, maximum elevation, current elevation, distance to destination, time to destination, estimated time of arrival and a lot more. It's also easy to customize which fields are displayed.

- Replaces those ridiculously overpriced GPS units sold for cars and can be easily moved from vehicle to vehicle.

- Nice industrial design - about the size of a small walkie-talkie or a large cell phone, but the GPSmap 60CS looks good and feels comfortable in the hand.

CONS:

- If you travel a lot, the built in 56 MB of memory used for storing downloaded maps will be constraining. 128 MB would have been better and the ability to read from CF or SD cards would be ideal. On the other hand, reading from external memory cards would probably have decreased battery life. Furthermore, maintaining simplicity and reliability by forgoing expansion cards may have been a good decision in a device that will be subjected to the abuse that a handheld GPS will frequently see.

- Basemap included with the GPSmap 60CS is very limited. You really need to buy Garmin's residential street level and topographical maps to use the device to its fullest.

- Residential street level and topographical maps cannot be displayed simultaneously.

- Users cannot easily specify plotting alternate routes (e.g. if recommended route is blocked with construction, traffic, etc.).

- Autozoom mode tends to zoom out too much, forcing users to zoom back in to see street details when following a route. I ended up just turning autozoom off.

- Attaching external power supply doesn't recharge NiMH batteries (very minor complaint).

- Alarms aren't very loud, especially for vehicle use.

- Removing the GPSmap 60CS from the cradle in the beanbag mount is somewhat awkward.

- Altimeter tends to drift quickly and requires periodic recalibration.

All things considered, the GPSmap 60CS is an amazing GPS. It represents a quantum leap forward and is a great value given the features it offers. I'm extremely selective about the things I purchase and would rather spend a little extra to get the best. The GPSmap 60CS was an obvious choice and I expect it will quickly become the most-recommended handheld GPS unit on the market. This model now makes almost every other GPS on the market (including Garmin's own eTrex lineup) look dated by comparison. If you can afford the extra $200 or so the GPSmap 60CS costs compared to the midline eTrex models, you won't be disappointed.


UPDATE (September 6, 2004):

Using the GPSmap 60CS daily since Spring 2004 has reinforced my belief that my previous review is an accurate summary of the most important good and bad points of the unit. This GPS recently paid for itself when it saved me from missing a flight after I got lost en route to an unfamiliar airport. (I had left the GPSmap 60CS in my suitcase. After missing a turn and getting hopelessly lost I simply pulled over, unpacked the GPSmap 60CS and let its autoroute function guide me quickly back to my destination.)

The only significant limitations are the unit's inability to plot a route via an intermediate point/specify detour routes and the limited memory available for map storage. It appears that Garmin has deliberately chosen to cripple the functionality of the GPSmap 60CS in order to "encourage" customers looking for those features to purchase more expensive units like the new Garmin Quest. Garmin could easily upgrade the GPSmap 60CS memory to 256 MB (the added memory would cost less than $5) and include the detour routing abilities of the Quest, but then why would anyone buy their more expensive units? It's a shame, because the GPSmap 60CS is in many ways a better design than Garmin's more expensive units. (Small, light, works with AA batteries, rugged, maps can be uploaded via either USB or serial cable, etc.) I would have been willing to pay more for a version of the GPSmap 60CS with more memory and revised routing software, but I doubt that we will ever see these improvements made.

While I remain quite impressed with the GPSmap 60CS, my sole interaction with Garmin's customer support department was very disappointing. A couple of months after I purchased my unit, Garmin emailed me, announcing that they were releasing version 6 of North American City Select. This version finally includes street level coverage of Canada and updates the map and business data for the U.S.A. I emailed Garmin to receive what I thought was a free update, only to find that they were demanding a fee of $75 for the update. Only individuals who had purchased the software within a month of the new version's release were to be given free upgrades. Garmin's mean-spirted support policy has definitely dampened my enthusiasm for this company and leads me to wonder if they will stand behind the product should something ever go wrong. Just something else to consider if one is in the market for a GPS.

If I was a teacher, I'd issue Garmin the following grades:

GPSmap 60CS = A+
Garmin support = D-

The new Garmin 60CS is great. The barometer and compass are easy to calibrate and are fairly well-intergrated with the GPS feature. For instance, there is a configuration option to have the compass switch from GPS to sensor when your speed falls, and it lets you define that speed.

The 60CS comes with a belt clip, which attaches to the unit with a quick-release. You must mount a small bolt (provided) with a lug onto the back of the Garmin, but it's fairly unobtrusive, and is used in Garmin's other mounts (such as the bicycle handlebar mount).

Up here in the hilly, forested Northwest, the Garmin couldn't keep a signal while on the belt clip at a hiking pace. It was VERY good at getting a signal when elsewhere- for instance it got a lock, inside my home, 15 feet from the windows, with a porch outside.

Garmin claims the 60CS is waterproof, and it appears to be so. The buttons are constructed of a heavy rubber, the fit and finish of the unit is excellent, the three jacks (USB, Garmin 4-pin, and external antenna) are covered with a grommet. Also, the battery cover has a locking mechanism and seals the batteries with an O-ring.

The basemap in the Garmin is less than impressive. I'd already purchased MapSource, and was able to install pretty much every map of Alaska, British Columbia, Washington and Oregon onto the Garmin's 56 MB of space. The included USB cable is easy to use.

The auto-navigation of this unit works well. It prompts you with a beep about an upcoming turn, and then counts down from 500 feet to the intersection. Sorry, no voice navigation.

I'm a bit concerned about the screen getting scratched. I cut and placed a PDA screen cover on it, but that mucks with the resolution and colors a bit. I'll probably leave it on to protect the screen from scrapes and such.

Like everyone else has said, too bad this doesn't have expandable memory. Makes travelling a little more difficult, unless you bring a laptop along. But that's kind of missing the point- why not use a laptop-based GPS then?

Overall- five stars. Garmin did (most of) their homework on this one.

I'm writing this to save other new users from the time consuming research and expensive lessons I've learned about the Garmin 60C, and Garmin GPS in general.

THE GOOD:
The Garmin 60C is a beautiful GPS. It is compact, fits nicely in the hand, has a clear color screen, has great battery life, is fast to acquire satellites, has a good antenna which works even in my truck, has clear button layout, has easy to navigate screens, and is intuitive despite its many many options. I love the basic machine.

As for the 60C vs. 60CS, I prefer to carry an actual compass as backup, thereby saving more rapid battery drain on the 60CS. And the 60C will give you compass and altimeter functions using the GPS. True, it doesn't have an actual altimeter chip, but pressure-sensitive altimeters are quite inaccurate anyway as they fluctuate quite a bit based on the weather. And the 60CS altimeter uses the GPS altimeter to calibrate itself!

THE BAD:
It is difficult and frustrating to expand its use beyond how it arrives in the box.

I *thought* GPS units would connect to other devices, upload and download data, and otherwise be configurable however the user desired. They are not.

For example, the included basemap is practically useless. It mostly tells you where the major freeways are. When I'm in the woods, I have very little use for knowing where the freeway is.

So, my first plan was to upload some detailed maps to it. After research, I really liked the TOPO series of maps. So I bought the TOPO for my state, and thought I'd upload whatever part of the state I wanted to the GPS. Uh-uh. Doesn't work that way. The ONLY map that will upload to the Garmin GPS is the Garmin series of maps. For those of you who know that already are probably chuckling at me. But I didn't know, and it made sense that you should be able to upload *any* geo-referenced map to your machine that you want. Why not? Garmin already got good money from me for the hardware. The software should be a choice, not a lock-in requirement. Okay, so another chunk of change to Garmin for their map-tax so I can upload maps to the 60C.

And, as if that's not enough of a discouragement, you can't simply go buy, for example, the City Select map software and upload it to your machine. You have to call or visit Garmin to register your device and unlock your GPS. Let me restate that: If you go buy a brand new top-of-the-line Garmin GPS, and brand new full-price Garmin map software, you are not allowed to load the Garmin software on the Garmin GPS until you call or visit Garmin to get *permission* to use your items together. And every time you buy a new GPS, you have to call or visit Garmin again to unlock your new device. Want to upgrade your map the the newest version? Call Garmin again. Does that seem fair?

Next, I wanted to connect the GPS to my laptop, to track in real-time my position on the laptop screen with a nice, big, color view of the map area. When I bought the 60C one of the selling points was the cool, simple, small USB connection. "New and Improved" I thought, over the slow serial connection. Those of you who know are probably chuckling again. The problem is the USB connection is a closed, secret, proprietary, locked connection by Garmin, that *only* allows the GPS unit to communicate with Garmin software. So, you can't use the software of your choice on your laptop and have the Garmin plot where you are. You have to use the alternate serial connection on the GPS device, which is bulkier, cumbersome, and requires the extra purchase of a serial to USB converter.

Why is the Garmin so locked down? I mean, it's a basic consumer device! I should be able to upload and download whatever I want to the device once I've bought it.

CONCLUSION:
I love the 60C. I hate being locked in to Garmin for every use of the 60C.

Garmin has come pretty close to the ideal all-purpose GPS receiver with the GPSMap 60CS. It is a great receiver for outdoor use AND a great receiver for highway navigation, with only a few compromises in either area.

For outdoor use, the 60CS has just about everything you would want. It can store 1000 waypoints, has a 10,000 point tracklog, and can store 20 tracks (compressed to 500 points each). It also has a dedicated geocaching mode. When you create a waypoint, you can give it a "geocaching" icon. Then, the 60CS allows you to call up only the geocaching waypoints and go from one to the next. When you find a geocache, you can log notes about what you took or left, then it will automatically let you select the next geocache on the list.

The 60CS pushbuttons are much improved over the older eTrex family. It has both a MARK button and a FIND button (like an enhanced version of the old GOTO button) so you don't have to wade through pages of menus to do two of the most basic GPS functions. The 256-color display is outstanding, even in bright sunlight. At night, you can activate a backlight that provides extremely even illumination. The 60CS also comes with a built-in magnetic compass and barometric altimeter, which is a great marketing ploy but probably not all that useful for most people. I still caution serious outdoor navigators to carry a separate magnetic compass.

For highway navigation, the 60CS has the ability to do autorouting when used with optional City Select or City Navigator software from Garmin. Neither is inexpensive, running $100-130, but the built in basemap is not very detailed, so you can't depend on it for highway navigation. I use City Select and have found it to be quite accurate. I've used it to navigate throughout the East Coast without a paper map (probably a bad idea!) and never gotten lost. I would suggest, however, that it should be a two-person task, with one person serving as navigator. Although the 60CS does an excellent job of autorouting, it does not have voice commands. When you get close to having to make a turn, it beeps and displays written driving instructions. At highway speeds, you probably don't want to be reading the screen just when you need to be thinking about taking an exit. While the map screen only tells you the next driving instruction, push the page button and you get a screen with the full list of driving instructions for the trip.

The 60CS comes with a USB cable, which is a much faster connection than the old RS-232 serial port on most receivers. With my old eTrex Vista, it took over an hour to load 24 megs of map data through the serial port. With the 60CS I can transfer 56 megs in under 5 minutes. Many 3rd party software programs like National Geographic Topo! or the software on the geocaching.com website don't work with the USB port. So the 60CS also comes with a standard serial port connector, although you have to buy the cable separately. It uses the same serial port and cigarette lighter cables as the old GPS 12XL, NOT the same ones as the eTrex.

If you are going to do much highway navigation, you really need to invest in an external antenna. That way you can put the antenna on your dashboard (I wrap it around the rear-view mirror so it doesn't slide around) and leave the receiver in a cupholder or on your lap (or buy the dashboard mount). The 60CS comes with an MCX connector that the antenna cable plugs into. Amazon sells a very nice antenna from Gilsson for a very reasonable price. The MCX connector is somewhat fragile, so I recommend you route the cable through the metal D-ring that holds the battery cover before connecting so that you get more strain relief.

The things I don't like about the 60CS? They are pretty few. First, it is a bit larger than I might wish for hiking, but a bit smaller than I might wish for driving, so I guess it is a good balance. The quadrifillar helix antenna sticks out beyond the main body of the unit, but while that makes it larger overall, it also gives it much better sensitivity than the eTrex family. I've seen quite a bit of improvement in side-by-side tests. Surprisingly, the 60CS seems to take longer to acquire a satellite fix than the eTrex Vista in a cold start (i.e. unit had not been turned on for a day or more), but it was much faster in a warm start (unit had been turned off an hour or less).

One thing I can't complain about is Garmin's service and support. While I haven't had any problems with the 60CS, I've worked with Garmin several times on previous models and always found them to be exceptional. I've heard similar stories from many other people.

The most serious deficiency, in my opinion, is the memory. 56 meg is still too small, and Garmin still refuses to design a receiver with removable memory like Compact Flash or Secure Digital (presumably they are woried about people pirating their maps). With 56 megs, I can load in the City Select maps for the San Francisco Bay Area and not much more. For my East Coast trip, I had to hook it up to a laptop every so often to transfuse new maps.

Can you get better GPS receivers for highway navigation? Yes. Can you get smaller and lighter units for outdoor use? Yes again. But all-in-all, I consider the 60CS the best all-purpose GPS receiver out there, and I'm not likely to want to give it up any time soon. But if Garmin doesn't eventually introduce a version with removable memory, my patience will wear thin.

UPDATE 1/15/06: I guess Garmin read my review, because they've just announced the GPSMap 60CSx, which is an updated 60CS with a removable MicroSD memory card. It includes a 64MB card, but at this point, we still don't know exactly what you can save on it and how large a memory card it will accept. They do offer MapSource products directly on MicroSD cards. Looks like a real winner.

I received this on 3/11/04 and left immediately for Jackson Hole. As it comes from Garmin, it is good but not great. Only when the optional mapping software is added does this unit shine. I loaded maps from Utah, Colorado, Idaho and Wyoming into approximately 25 mb. Using a 12 volt power cable from a previous IIPlus, the unit performed exceptionally. The ability to customize most of the screens and then change the display order of these screens allows the user to have complete control of the display. Driving over Teton Pass and having the 60CS give me a heads up of oncoming turns makes it even more valuable. Be sure and order topo maps and City Select V to make it the great tool it is capable of.

Watch the pricing close. It changes constantly even though Amazon says "We offer you consistently low prices on every item in our store." If the price is over $370 you can purchase it else where for less.

This is my first GPS device. My main use is tracking my progress on longer bike rides. The 60CS has a nice "track" feature, which records your journey. When used along with the odometer, you can get some nifty data on how fast you were going, time spent stopped, etc. The track data can then be downloaded onto your computer and viewed with the map software provided with the device. The altitude profile view of your track is very cool.

I found the device's software interface easy to understand once I played with it and browsed through the manual.

If you wish to use this device in a car for directions, be prepared to purchase additional maps from Garmin. The provided maps note highways and their exits but not much detail on individual streets.

So why four and not five stars? While the "track" records altitude and distance, I was a little disappointed that the odometer data was not saved along with the track. The provided software also only works on a Windows PC. Also, on one ride where I was using the "track" feature, the GPS device lost connection to satellites when I entered a tunnel. I expected the device to just start tracking me again when I exited the tunnel; however, I had to hit "ok" on the message box telling me that it losts its way before it resumed the track and odometer features.

Because I like transferring my routes back from my GPS device to my computer for long term storage, I found myself buying the AC Adapter (B00005UK9S) so that I don't run through AA batteries too often.

I had to throw my experiences in here after reading many negative reviews about Garmin customer service.
I first had a Garmin V Deluxe then upgraded to the 60cs.

I love my 60cs... I'm certain there are some cons, but I can't think of many right now.
It would be great to have expandable memory.

Customer Service:
I had trouble with my Mapsource software CD. I got a response email within 48 hours... and they replaced my CD within the week.
I had a question about function on my GPS V and I got a reply again within 48 hours.
Two different occassions I got great support from Garmin. It may not be typical, but it does happen.

Back to the 60cs...
I really like it.
I use it while hiking to keep track of the trip (odometer, time elapsed, back tracking)
I use it geocaching.
I use it in the car. (smaller screen but still useable)
The color makes it really nice and clear.

Garmin has a very hard-to-beat product with the GPSMAP 60CS. I've owned 13 different GPS units from Garmin and Magellen and this one is the best I've had. This handheld, waterproof unit does all of the things found in the much more expensive units such as autorouting, providing the user with audible turn-by-turn directions. You can also customize the display to suit your taste of color, etc. The color screen is absoultely superior and its high resolution makes it very easy to see in any condition. Easy interface with a PC allows you to upload a varity of topographical, city, and marine map products for use anywhere on the planet. I've traveled over 2,000 miles with my GPSMAP 60CS with an average accuaracy of 7 feet. Reception is excellent and fast. It's rugged which means you can take it out in the weather without fear of damaging the unit- I take it kayaking regularly. There are so many features with this unit that it can suit just about anyone's requirements for a recreational handheld GPS. You will NOT be disappointed with this gem. This is leading-edge GPS at it's best, all in the palm of your hand. Stop thinking about it and get this one!

I bought the 60 cs to upgrade my broken etrex legend. The 60cs is the best gps I have ever had. I wanted the upgrade to the color screen and better accuracy and I was amazed. The second day I used it and I had all 12 sats w/ WAAS corrections. I got down to 3 feet accuracy. The 60 cs has exceeded my expectations. The electronic compass really helps when geocaching. In the woods you can get to about 7 ft+-. The external antena really helps and gives a considerable edge over the internal patch antena. The MOB feature is nice because it will set the MOB waypoint as the actice waypoint.

PROS: Size, amount of bottons, accuracy, display, features (even a skydiving feature), software is updated alot, usb and serial connections, electroinc compass, backlight intensity.
CONS: Basemap, Speed of the rocker botton when typing, a tad heavy but is still good for hiking, backlight weares down the battery fast so if using in a car get the kit w/ the map, 12 volt cable, dash mount.

In total very good for the $357 I payed. If you don't use amazon alot click on the credit card thing to get $30 off the price.