Customer Reviews

Garmin eTrex Vista C Waterproof Hiking GPS

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I've own the original Garmin Vista and currently own the high end Garmin 60CS.

I was expecting the Vista C to be just a colored version of the original vista but I was wrong it's actually the little brother of the 60CS. OS, feature and hardware wise it's like the 60CS in a smaller Vista package.

the Vista C is a HUGE improvement over the original vista. it's faster, better screen, better battery life, seems to track satellite better and faster. TONS of features. It works almost the same way and have same features as the more epxensive and bigger 60CS.

the "click stick" is not as easy to use as the dpad on the garmin 60CS. sometimes when I want to press in on the stick it would go left or right. and the button are not that "nice and easy" to press. tho there are "shortcuts" with the buttons like on the 60CS. it's not really that bad, just not as easy and initituive as the 60CS because it has less buttons. I'm use to and familiar with the way the 60CS work so it took me only about 30 minutes to figure how they assign the buttons. but for someone new it will probably take an hour or two to learn the buttons and shortcuts.

if you're use to the easier button interfac of the 60CS you won't like the buttons of the vista C as much.



Pro
- alot faster than the original vista & about same speed as the 60CS (perhap same cpu?)
- updated OS and interface as the 60cs.
- Color screen is easier to read even in daylight than the original Vista.
- USB port
- External antenna port.
- all the software features and hardware of the bigger 60CS in a smaller package.

Con
- screen is kinda small so incar navigation is not as easy to read like the 60cs (but to it's credit it's not meant for car navigation)
- only 24 megs of ram. and you can't expand it.
- garmin propietory interface only load garmin maps/programs

After trying the 60CS and the Vista C I chose to buy the Vista C. While I like the 60CS a lot, there were several reasons why I chose the Vista C over it.

Size: while they are similar in size the Vista C is clearly smaller. On a hot day in shorts and tee shirt the Vista was much nicer to carry around in my pocket. The 60CS was definately more of a burden. The 60CS is not slightly bigger than the Vista C, by my calculations the Vista C is more than 40% smaller than the 60CS (by volume).

Price: Some of the reviews here point out that the Vista C is similar in price to the 60CS and that is definately not the case now 9/05. The Vista C can be bought for nearly $150 less than the 60CS.

Reception: tried them both in the same spots and came up with similar results. The 60CS definately has the edge but not by a huge margin. Granted, I have not compared them in a lot of different terrain. I tried them in a hilly wooded (tall hard wood) area and in the open. The 60CS is faster in getting a lock but the Vista C is still very fast (and tons faster than my old eTrex Summit).

What is really came down to for me: is the bigger screen, slightly better reception, and more ram of the 60CS worth carrying around a substantialy bigger unit and for a lot more money? For me it was not. If I was using the GPS mainly for car navigation I probably would have gotten the 60CS.

Hope this helps!

I was reluctant to give up my trusty Garmin Etrex Legend, but I really wanted an altimeter and digital compass (for the unintiated, GPS compasses only work while you are moving). So, I took the plunge.

All I can say is... WOW. Garmin does such a great job with GPS!

The pros:

1. Brilliant color display-- better than expected. You really can read it in the light, especially with the strong backlight. Also seems speedier in terms of redraws than the old Etrex. I was a little worried that the screen is slightly smaller than before (the whole thing looks like a runt compared to the old etrex series) but honestly the color more than makes up for it.

2. Straightforward interface and controls-- Similar to the interface on the older etrex units with some new additions/ revisions. For example, you can now select which pages you can flip through from the right side key... pretty cool.

3. Weight-- practically the same as the old Etrex! Someone over there at Garmin understands what backpackers care about.

4. Battery life-- I havent' tested it to the limit yet, but if it really does last 20 hours, hallelujah! No more swapping batteries mid-trip.

5. Accuracy-- Others have complained about GPS accuracy in general, but in my testing with this unit thus far, it has been dead-on-- just like my old etrex Legend. Obviously, enabling WAAS improves accuracy. Altimeter and compass seem to function as advertised.


The cons:

1. Complexity-- There are so many features on this little thing that newbies may have a problem comprehending them all at once (I believe there are videos for those needing step by step instructions) Take it one feature at a time and practice, practice, practice. Non-auto-based GPS is NOT like an Ipod-- in order to take full advantage of it, you have to know about waypoints, tracks, routes, declination etc. It also helps to know how to navigate using traditional methods (i.e. map and compass), which you should always carry as a backup anyway.

2. Reception-- All Etrex's use a patch antenna, which used to cause me headaches due to lost satellite reception. However, I discovered that the anntenna works great IF the face of the unit points to the sky. If you don't want to tote this thing in in front of you like a geo-nerd you can belt-clip it to your backpack shoulder strap so it faces upwards. Using this method, I've hiked in some pretty thick forests in vermont, Minnesota, and upstate new york with satellite lock 99% of the time.

3. Cost-- This unit ain't cheap, but I have to say you get what you pay for. If you want something more down to earth with 75%-80% of the functionality, try the etrex legend or vista (non color). Those are a little simpler to operate as well. My old etrex legend saved my butt in the wilderness many a time, and I would totally recommend it.

Overall, I am totally satisfied. A solid upgrade to the Etrex series.

I have had the previous model, the eTrex Vista (so not the Vista-C) and the only thing I really missed was the routing feature. And that works just great with the eTrex Vista-C.

Love the screen, very clear.
Nice little "extras" included as well (functionailty wise).

Little suprise: the eTrex Vista-C is a little shorter and a little wider than the older eTrex models. Later I found this to be an advantage; seeing the routing is much clearer to read (more space).

Initially I read reviews of people complaining that the Vista-C did work with theirPC GPS software (iGuidance, DeLorme, etc). Well that is not entirely true; you do however need a little piece of software to get it going. It's called GPSGate from http://franson.com/gpsgate/ ($14 if I'm right). And it works.

One downside though: the maps (Garmin MapSource) are SOOOO expensive. At least the US should have been included.

I had been considering GPS units for several years, and experience with a family member's eTrex Legend did nothing to hurry me up. Don't even consider buying a B&W (grayscale) display GPS: you will have to stare at the screen for a long time to make sense of the map, which you can figure out instantly when it is in color. The Vista C is THE color handheld GPS as far as I am concerned:

1)The usefulness of the color screen cannot be overstated
2)The internal compass (unique to this model) means that you do not need to move to establish a heading. The view and heading on the screen changes to reflect the direction the unit is facing. This is clumsy to describe but the difference is immediately obvious during operation.
3)The large 24mb internal memory allows for downloading a lot of secondary map information to complement the internal base map, which is not bad itself.
4)Although the instruction manual is 104 pages long (this unit has features I have not even begun to explore) I was able to effectively use mine to map trails and mark waypoints within the first hour of operation, which speaks highly of the intelligent design of the menu system.
5)The unit is robust (sealed watertight to 1 meter for 30 minutes!) and battery life is very very good.

If you want to use this unit in your car keep in mind it was designed as a handheld and you will be making some compromises. You will need some type of dash mount so you can get decent satellite reception (I have been unable to find an external antenna accessory even though that would seem to be a good idea) which will place the handheld-designed controls in a difficult to use position, and the screen is a little small for dash distance viewing. Still, it would be better than no GPS, and once my unit establishes initial connection with the satellites I am able to place it in the center console cupholder and it still maintains position, although your experience with this may vary.

I have seen and handled some other GPS units, some lesser Garmins and some other brands, and even though my Vista C was a little more expensive I am not in the least sorry that I spent the extra money. To paraphrase a great man, I had very great expectations and they have been exceeded.

I have owned and used a Garmin 12 for years. Unfortunately, the Garmin 12 doesn't provide any maps, so I broke down and purchased a Etrex Visa C. All I can say is WOW! What a great GPS. It took a little while to get all the features setup, and to learn how to use all these features. Then it was time for FUN!. If you are looking for a full featured GPS for outdoor use and some vehicle use, you can't go wrong with the Etrex Vista C.

Garmin makes wonderful products. However, their Customer Support SUCKS.

I just bought the eTrex Vista C for a NH White Mountains hiking trip. All in all, it was a disappointment. The hike itself was in moderately tree'd areas ranging from 1,600 up to 4,000 ft elevation. It must have lost reception 40 times over a 16 mile hike. In addition, the trials marked on the Garmin topo maps were very inaccurate, sometimes as much as 400 feet off from where I was actually hiking. I called the store where I bought the device and they claimed that was not unusual (after we spent 10 minutes verifying the device was set correctly). It was a sunny and clear two days, so fortunately I didn't need the device to help find or locate a trail. Finally, the battery life was much less than the advertised 20 hours: I'd say more like 15-16 (I guess actual mileage will vary).

I was looking for something small to take hiking, snowmobiling, and plotting land boundaries and markers on maps. I have used it every other day for about a month and love it. I bought this handheld GPS after reviewing many Garmin models like the Etrex line and also the higher end handheld line. I also reviewed Magellan's lines as well.

I have had a Garmin StreetPilot III for driving from MA to SC to PA and loved it. I already had Garmin's MapSource detailed road and topographical software to use with the SP III. So going with a compatible handheld GPS that could use the software was a factor as well.

Obviously one needs to keep in mind the general limitations of any GPS system, those being the + or - accuracy of approximately 30 ft. both because of government regulation and the rotation of the earth and orbitting satellites. Also, that heavy foliage (dense cover where I could barely see sky) or extreme hills or valleys (being below a 50-100ft ledge for example)will temporarily disrupt your reception, but this is true for all GPS systems. But this GPS works well for me in the woods and hills of north central MA/southern NH.

I don't think a black and white display would've cut it, especially in shade and evening use. I would definately recommend color on any display. Color gives you so many variations for marking waypoints and is just plain easier to differentiate between things. I probably didn't need the altimeter and could've got away with a cheaper color model but I live in a rather hilly area and am just nosy as to how high or low I am compared to home, etc.

The altimeter is helpful in plotting trails, boundaries, and marks as it gives a better 3 dimensional perspective of the location you're at or going back to.

Everyone will have their own use or area, but I hope this was helpful for any similar desires or applications.

I'm delighted to have finally tried the Garmin Color Vista C after nearly abandonning the whole GPS endeavor.

I previously purchased a Magellan Meridian Color GPS for hiking after moving to Montana. The outdoor called and my "internal GPS" sense of where I'm going and have been is too weak to rely on for the trails around here. The Garmin Vista C worked much more intuitively than the Magellan. The learning curve was fast even though I'd not used any GPS for over a year.

After working out a couple of glitches, my Vista C has been a delight. I've taken it biking, kayaking and on many trails in Montana. City tours are not my favorite venture, but the Garmin served very well for me both on foot and for tracking where the taxi was transporting me. Now its accompanying my quest to learn cross country skiing. Besides basic directional assistance, I've begun using it even where I'm already confident that I know the trails in order to perform exercise monitoring, to log information on distance, duration, speed, altitude, calculating grade of ascent,landmarking favorite spots where I might want to hide a gift for a friend, and occasionally seeing how much time I have left to doddle before sundown.

The Magellan never became a companion like the Garmin has. It was tantalizing but seemed to fail on practicalities. It devoured batteries -- in fact even if I carefully made sure the device was turned off after less than an hour of use on a new set batteries and put it away, when I returned in a couple of days the new batteries were toast (including Energizer Lithium).

I do like the detail on topo maps for Magellan perhaps a bit better than Garmin's options -- but in practice the Magellan computer interface as well as the handheld interface were quite frustrating and combursome so the Magellan became a neglected "toy" on the shelf. The final kicker happened when I attempted to backtrack a trail and was led so far off course by the Magellan's limited satellite accuracy that I did become seriously lost for about 30 minutes. The Garmin made these frustrations a distant memory and real-time interaction with its maps seems to be helping me develop my internal navigational skills as well.

A FEW ERRATIC GARMIN GLITCHES

It "glitched" once trying to download to my PC which was apparently a corrupted file on the handheld. This has not occured again. The first tech I spoke with at Garmin was rather unhelpful and just told me to delete all of my handheld files (too painful to contemplate since they represented a week of hiking on the Lake Superior Trail). I asked to speak with a supervisor who was professional and gave several good solutions and contingency plans. Ultimately I did not have to use these more remote solutions, just deleted one old trail on the handheld that was a leftover from hiking near my own community.

The other glitch occurred when I was standing on a short hill between taller rock stands and short peaks. The device credited me with a lightening fast 11-mile bounce between these sites. It still downloaded to my PC okay this time and the anomaly easily edited out.

IMPROVEMENTS I'D LIKE TO SEE:

1. A thermometer added.

2. Of course there is always a wish for the WAIS information to be available more of the time in order to get the higher level of accuracy.

3. The software maps at least for this part of the world are outdated and could do more for topo detail. Major trails should be included, like Lake Superior Hiking Trail, the Colorado Trail, Appalachian, etc.

4. The Show Profile feature on the PC software should let you identify trail segments better. It shows the whole trail only and all the AUTOMATIC waypoints -- but not the ones you have landmarked.

Nonetheless I'm hooked. This investment has more than earned its cost in peace of mind, freedom to meander away from the trail and be confident I can get back, finding alternative trails or loops and understanding on the map how they meet up in real time as I am out there scrambling... improving my cardiovascular training ... and much more.

I recently bought the Garmin eTrex Vista C and it is excellent. As with any of these portables you have some compromises. The screen is smaller than you would want, but the overall package is excellent and easily fits in a shirt pocket. The color display is very easy to read, has an excellent backlight, and contributes significantly to the ease of use for this unit.

The unit has an excellent combination of features for on and off road use. It can do on-road navigation, complete with turn-by-turn directions and sound prompts (tones) for turns. It also is feature rich in the off-road realm so you get a great package that excels in both applications.

The on-road navigation suffers a bit because of the small screen, but not so much that you won't like it. Again, the combination of features in this unit makes it a great buy for someone who is looking to use the unit on and off road, with the off-road capability being the primary application.