Customer Reviews

Magellan GPS 315 Waterproof Hiking GPS

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The Magellan GPS 315 and 320 are outstanding units. What may be unclear at first sight, is that these units are identical, differing only in the fact that the 315 database has more land based locations, while the 320 has more nautical ones. All these can be updated via CDROM anyway. Hence the price difference is accounted for only by the fact that the 320 already comes with a PC connector + power supply cable for car use. In the field, satellite acquisition is fast and reliable, even mounted on a car dashboard with no antenna. Having used the 320 for some time, I cannot think of any extra functionality which needs to be added. The software is clearly the result of actual field trials and offers 9 practical and useful navigation screens which are quick to access and intuitive to understand. For newcomers, I would recommend 1-2 days navigating in your local park in order to properly understand the large number of menus available. You dont want to be guessing during a real trip. For example, invoking the BackTrack option can create a large number of waypoints. At first, I found it quite tedious to delete these after use. Later I learned that a Clear Memory option does this with one keystroke - very neat. These units are easily superior to comparable Garmin 12 models - mainly due to their much higher resolution displays and light weight. The Garmin displays are comparatively coarse until you consider the much more expensive models. I cannot imagine navigating across land or sea now without one of these Magellan units for backup. In fact, they are such a joy to use that the map and compass tends almost not to be used - although you would be wise never to be without the latter.

Having thought long and hard over my purchase and physically used many models and makes of GPS it is hard to say which is best as they all seem to have positive and negative aspects.

I'll compare the Magellan 315/320 to a Garmin 12/12XL as this is it's most likely competition. (The Garmin 12XL is significantly more expensive).

The Magellan has a far better screen (more pixels therefore finer detail and varying levels of grey/black for graphics) and offers customisable displays not seen in the Garmin(you can choose what data you want to see and what screens you want made available from a choice of nine). A GPS compass only works when you are moving so that if you stop and turn around it will no longer point correctly. The Magellan compass screen shows where the sun/moon should be on the horizon so that you can orientate yourself; this proves extremely useful and is not available on the Garmin. However on the map screen the Magellan does not allow you to change zoom levels as well as pan over other areas of the map, meaning that you cannot zoom in to look in detail anywhere other than your present location - making the screen far less useful (Garmin can pan and zoom).

Both units can display all the same data (e.g. Heading, Bearing, Speed, Lat/Long, Time to Go, etc.)and store more waypoints and routes than most people would use. The Magellan's and Garmin 12XL also have a directory of updateable cities (315/12XL) and nautical navigation points (320). [Anyone considering the Garmin Etrex should note that it does not have a number of useful features seen on these models and has an irritating screen that only shows one item of data at a time so requires constant button pressing].

Satellite lock on times and performance are the same with the Garmin being very slightly quicker but both as accurate and constant as each other. Only the Garmin 12XL has an external antenna port (especially useful for vehicles although all will work well enough if positioned under the windshield). Special re-amplifying antennas work with all models. The quoted figures for battery times are Magellan's 15 hours (using 2x AA batteries) and the Garmin 12, 24 hours (using 4x AA batteries). The Magellan is lighter to carry. Both makes are easy to use once you are familiar with them although the Magellan's manual seems to have been written by someone who was not!

Final test, hold it in your hand examine it, press all the buttons - the Magellan does not seem to have quite as good build quality as the Garmin.

In summary the two makes are very similar in performance but the Magellan does offer more useful features and a nicer display for your money with two batteries instead of four. The Garmin offers better reliability and build quality....... But surely the Magellan will be fine! So I bought the Magellan 315 and broke it within three days by getting it wet!

As I wait for a replacement unit from Magellan I think I am correct in saying none of the GPS available are as good as they could be. What I really need is Magellan features on a Garmin!

I purchased the GPS 315 in December after using another brand for five years. The GPS315 represents a big improvement with better, quicker satelite acquistion, a compass screen that is ingenious allowing the user to use the sun or moon to correct bearing. This way the user is not having to pull out a compass to check bearing. Additional pluses are its small size and light weight using only two AA batteries lasting up to 15 hours. If weight is a concern, that is big. My previous unit used four and lasted five hours. Problems: The manual is as sorry as it can get. It barely covers TrackRoute, Track History, Backtrack, and Reverse Route. These are major important features left to the user to figure out. I have yet to figure them out consistently. With Track History there seems to be an ability to set a scale, but what scale? Nothing tells me. Is it how often it records a waypoint in history?

I have emailed the company with questions twice, called once (had to leave a voice mail because they were not taking calls), faxed once. Heard nothing from their customer no-service. I wrote them yesterday to give them my thoughts. Oh yes, my GPS 315 crashed and had to be replaced last week after it was three weeks old. Glad I wasn't in the middle of 40,000 acres. You can't zoom in on a waypoint if it is very far away from your current location. Actually to do so but you have to set a scale of .1 or .2 and Pan & Scan to it. If is is 50 miles away, you can imagine how long that could take.

I must first say that I did some quite extensive research before investing in my 315. I bought it for a trip to Cyprus. While there I went off to Isreal and Egypt. With its world wide datum I was easily able to track and navigate my position. Just to see how acurate it was I tried it while on a Boweing 777 to London and it tracked me at 695mph and at 38000ft. After trying on land and in air what is left but on water. On a ship bound for Port Said, Egypt (listed in the world datum) I was able to plot a course for the port and see the distance and time ETA as well as the speed and bearing. A lot of the reviews I read complained about the battery life, no problems here. The entire trip for me (all three countries) I only changed batteries once. Overall, a great tool/toy.

I purchased my GPS 315 about two months ago and have used it about 20 times for various purposes. The small display and difficult-to-follow owners manual made it hard to quickly learn how to use it. Do not expect assistance from Magellan's 1-800 help line, they do not answer and do not call back when you leave a message. But with some patience and practice I am finding more and more useful. One of the reasons I had purchased the unit was to help me better establish the locations of the property lines on my heavily-wooded 20 acres. The unit was poorly suited for that purpose due to the poor accuracy (the manual says 100 meters horizontal accuracy and 150 meters vertical accuracy). The reason for the poor accuracy was the deliberate error that was introduced in the signals transmitted from the Department of Defense satellites. But as of this week, that error has been essentially eliminated and my subsequent readings have been much, much more stable and accurate. From what I have read in the news, the elimination of the error has made even the cheaper GPS receivers accurate to within 30 feet horizontally.

I have noted that my batteries do not last as long as the manual says they should. The manual says they should last up to 15 hours; I estimate my batteries have lasted approximately 8 hours.

In summary, I see these lower-cost units an exceptionally valuable tool if you do much traveling, hiking, etc.

Hands down the best GPS under $200. Very impressive sensitivity when walking, riding, driving and flying. As accurate at an in-dash avionics grade GPS when flying under VFR. BUT DON'T IMMERSE IN WATER! Be sure to keep in a zip-lock bag in wet conditions.

I bought the GPS315 for mountainbiking. It really is the best GPS unit for people that don't want to be GPS professionals but want to use it as a tool to not get lost in the outback. First tests approve to be very positive. There's one little thing that concerns me: it seems to eat batteries. That problem is easy to solve when you buy rechargeable NiMH batts. It saves you even more money! Two thumbs up for the Magellan company.

If you are looking for a GPS that will get you into the woods and out again this is it. The GPS315 is a valuable piece of equipment for any outdoor enthusiast. A GPS unit is only as good as its antenna. The GPS315 has a very sensitive antenna that locks onto the satellites and keeps that lock under even the worst conditions. I have had this unit under very dense foliage in the rain and it still manages to aquire and hold a solid lock on the satellite signals (even while in my coat pocket!) I also found that using top-of-the-line batteries increased the units sensitivity (I have no idea why that is the case). This unit is not WAAS enabled, however any latitude higher than 50 degrees north and WAAS is useless anyway. Even without WAAS it is very accurate. Side Note: Any GPS units accuracy is dependent on where the satellites are in the sky at that time. At the best satellite configuration the estimated position error (EPE)
is 3m (10') or 7m (21') average. I have tested these values and they are correct. I have found that the current mapping GPS technology is too coarse in detail at this point to be of use in a backcountry hiking situation. If you are not planning to use your GPS for driving then forget the expensive mapping units, the GPS315 will serve you better and will cost you much less. The controls are laid out well and the various navigational screens are very customizable and very functional. The unit is solid and waterproof (I have never droped it in water but it has got rained on many times). I recommend that you purchase a data cable with the unit since updating the firmware on the GPS315 will lead to increased performance. My unit came loaded with firmware v3.07 the latest release is v3.15. These continual upgrades, which are provided for free on the Magellan website, have virtually removed all bugs from the GPS315. I recommend this unit if you need a solid, easy to use, and accurate GPS.

A very well designed GPS unit. Locks on quickly. LCD is easy to read in most conditions. User interface is well laid out, but can't be modified very much by the end user. Sun and moon position indicator is great for times when your direction of travel is difficult to determine from GPS data. There are tricks for creating simple maps using the inernal icons. Safe for use around water. Will float, but battery compartment is not sealed and the batteries will get wet. Overall battery life is good at right around 15 hours on a new set of AA's. Back light is a battery killer, but very useful when trying to find your way in the dark. Of the three different GPS units I own, this is my favorite and best performing. Well worth the money.

I have had my 315 for about 2 weeks now. I have already gone thru 6 batteries (i use it quite a bit now). I turned of the beeper and the light is set for 15 seconds. That has allowed me about 12 hours on a set of batteries. My overall findings for the gps is great. I have not had any problems at all. I have to agree that the manuel isn't worth the paper it is written on. But there isn't that much of a need for it after you play around with it for a while. The functionality of the gps is very user friendly. I like the fact of the multiple nav screens and possibilty to customize. I describe the 315 as a practical inexpensive and all around gps. I mostly use it for flying right now (VFR) and it gives me all the info I need.