Customer Reviews

Magellan Triton 500 Waterproof Hiking GPS

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(16)

 

 

This is my first time purchasing a hand held GPS system. I didn't want to spend a lot of money on a unit, and frankly I wasn't looking for a lot of bells and whistles. In retrospect, I am happy with my purchase, however I would not spend more money for the pricier Tritons.

When I first booted it up, I was a little disappointed with the base map which only included major highways. For my first test run, we took it for a drive in my friend's car. It tracked us very well, and the speed seemed spot on (judging by the speedometer). This morning, I took it out for a bike ride down to the beach. The unit fit easily in my bike jersey pocket and was able to get a signal for the 8 mile ride. When I got home, I exported the data to Google Earth, and the GPS path matched my actual path. I also checked the vertical profile for my trip which seemed accurate based on USGS maps for the area.

I have a few complaints about the unit. The compass is not 100% accurate. If I needed an accurate heading, I would use my old-fashioned compass. I also think the interface could have used some work to make it flow better. The included Vantage Point software could've been a little more robust, but it gets the job done. If I was expecting a top of the line GPS unit, I could have purchased a much more expensive unit. But for the simple things I was looking for, the Triton 500 works just fine.

I purchased this unit hoping to download maps from NG's TOPO. Unfortunately, this unit doesn't work with Macs--at least not yet. And no word as to when (if ever) it will. So if you're using a Mac you might want to hold off or look elsewhere.

Physically, the unit feels solid enough--except for the battery cover, which is cheap plastic and does not close flush with the unit itself, leaving a noticeable gap that you can see and feel. I don't think this compromises the unit since there is an inner gasket that actually does the (IPX-7) waterproofing.

You'd think Magellan would know what the SD card size limit is for their own product. On their Website they mention 2 GB as a general limit for all their products. In fact I'm using a 4 GB card with no issues. Well... One issue is that the unit will not tell you how large the card is or how much free space the card has. The associated PC-only software will tell you, but the unit really ought to provide this basic information on its own.

Speaking of which, there is a serious lack of options on the Magellan, especially if you're used to using a Garmin. The Triton's user interface is really sparse, and it's not simply because options are hidden; options simply aren't there. The Garmin eTrex, for example, must have ten times as many screens, each with its own set of sub-menus. Heck there are even games. With the Triton, you don't even get an alarm clock. There is way too much dependence on the associated PC-only software to do simple things like delete files from the SD card.

Those of you thinking you'll be able to transfer an entire state map to the unit should think again. Despite having more than enough room to accommodate such a map, I get errors every time I try. 200 MB maps seem to be the limit so far.

You can only activate one TOPO map at a time. So if you're driving through various areas that you happen to have maps for, you'll have to manually switch to them as needed. The obvious solution is to transfer the entire USA as one map--but of course you can't do that.

Another incredibly annoying and pointless limitation: if you're using the unit "offline" to study some map, or to look ahead to see what's coming, the unit will automatically return you to its last known position after an extremely short duration of inactivity. This makes it impossible to plan ahead or to use the unit as a digital map. What should happen is that the unit should show you what you want to see for as long as you want to see it--just like the Garmin units. When you're done browsing, the ESC button should return you to the last known position. As it stands, Magellan has crippled the Triton with a pointless and annoying viewing time limit.

Personally, I prefer the vector-based maps that Garmin uses to the raster-based TOPO maps. With vector-based maps you have more control over which map elements you want to see. For example, if you only want to see contour lines then don't view the place-names. With raster you have no such options, since the unit has no idea what information the TOPO map is conveying; it merely takes the raster image and overlays its own vector basemap information. On the other hand, Garmin's vector-based maps are not as detailed as the TOPO maps (not yet, anyway). The Triton series would be so much more compelling if you could use any digitized maps and not merely TOPO's.

Overall, the lack of Mac support, the lack of options, and the annoying usage limitations suggests that they rushed this out the factory door before it was ready. Hopefully firmware updates will address most of these flaws in time.

I hate this GPS unit. In fact, I hate Magellan. I'm a pilot and had previously purchased the Magellan GPS that is designed for airplanes. I found that it was ackward and complicated to use and I eventually just threw it out and bought a competitor's product, which I have now used happily for several years. So, at Christmas, when my wife gave me a Magellan Triton unit, I almost said something about my previous bad experience with Magellan, but bit my tongue and imagined that maybe Magellan had figured out how to be more user friendly than it was a few years ago.
Unfortunately, I found this morning that this is not the case. My wife also bought me three packages of Topo software and maps, which on the box assures us that it works with Macs, so I first tried getting Topo to work with my Mac, thinking that Topo might then be able to update the Triton with a Topo map (it comes with no installed maps of any kind.) Apparently, that was a wrong assumption, as the Triton itself does not recognize the Mac and apparently the Topo driver interface won't work through the Mac.
Fortunately or unfortunately, I also have a Viao PC. So, I started over again, loading Topo, allowing Topo to update itself from the Topo website, then loading the Magellan disc and the Magellan drivers, then allowing it to update itself, all of which took a fair amount of time. It of course asked repeatedly for the various serial numbers and so on, as they apparently spent lots of time developing software to make sure I actually purchased their products and very little time in figuring out how to tell me how to use their product. Then I hooked up the Triton to the computer and ... nothing. I then downloaded the manual ... which has all sorts of information about using the Triton and establishing waypoints and so on, but no information whatsoever about downloading any maps into the Triton. Without the maps, this GPS is no better than the most primary GPS units that became available about 10 years ago.
At this point, I've wasted about six hours trying to figure out how to put topographical maps into the Magellan Triton unit. That's about my threshold for pain. I'm throwing it out and going hiking. I will never again buy or even accept as a gift a Magellan product.

I purchased the Triton 500 prior to going on vacation in Kauai, HI. I wanted to go hiking on some of the many trails. After I purchased it, I found out that it had no topos pre-loaded. Why would one buy a handheld GPS without topos. I live in the SouthEast, so I purchased a Southeast set and a West set of maps (found out that they were keyed only to that unit S/N). I downloaded the maps to the Triton and it worked for the first day (of 9 days). The next day, during a hike, the Triton lost the maps including the street maps that were preloaded. That night, I attempted unsuccessfully to re-load, then to get help from tech support, but no response. It was useless the rest of the vacation. My son had a Garmin and we used it. When I got home, I returned the unit for a refund and attempted to get a refund on the map packages. Magellan refused, even though it could only be used on that unit. I did not trust the unit, so I didn't exchange it for another Triton. I finally did what I should have done in the beginning. Do a cost comparison and check the ratings. I found out that the Delorme PN-20 bundle had topos for the whole US for about the same price as just the naked Triton. If I got the equivalent topos for Triton it would have cost me 5 times the cost of the Triton. I decided to take the loss on the Magellan software and purchase a Delorme. In summary, someone would be crazy or down-right stupid (like I was) to have purchased a Triton. I won't purchase another Magellan product. There is too much quality competition out there. One star is too many.

My Magellan Explorist 600 was in the shop for a couple months before Magellan told us they weren't making them anymore and didn't have parts to fix it. Magellan said they'd give us a great deal on a Triton 500 instead. What a mistake. The unit can't Go To Trails or Tracks because those features "aren't available yet". The big screen navigation page doesn't allow you to change a field to the odometer... one of my key fields. We are sending the Triton back. Why fiddle with Magellan and their poor customer service when you can get a Garmin? I've been using a friend's Garmin 60. It's easy to use and easy to read. I'll buy one.

I got a review unit of the Triton 500 to play with under the Amazon Vine program, and have been using it for the last three weeks, including a trip to Lake Tahoe over the 4th of July.

I have to say this is the first Magellan GPS that I've used in some years, but I've owned a couple, starting with a NAV-1000, the first ever handheld GPS (which cost me $2000-$3000 at the time I believe).

The Triton 500 is a relatively inexpensive "trail GPS" designed for outdoor use rather than for automotive trip routing etc.

It contains a SIRFStarIII receiver as most current GPS models from most manufacturers do these days (since they all gave up on making their own) and it has comparable (which is to say excellent) performance in the basic GPS functions.

I like the quality and construction of the Triton. The battery door screws securely to the unit and is made of the same plastic as the rest of the unit so I don't understand the complaints I saw about it. I dropped the GPS onto concrete from about three feet once, and it survived with just a small scratch to the plastic which I sanded flat.

The current version comes with an offer of a free download of Topo USA map software. I installed a 2GB SD card and was able to put the entire Topo USA map set onto it. It's broken up into eight-ish regions and you manually select which one you want at any particular time. These are vector based maps with more detailed roads than the (rather simplistic) basemap and they include altitude data which is nice as you can use it to determine your true elevation more accurately than GPS usually provides.

The Triton will also do something that (AFAIK) no Garmin unit will (and I've owned about a dozen of them) which is to also support downloadable *raster* maps. I have a very old copy of the Topo California set of scanned USGS Topo maps on CD-ROM. I was able to buy a $13 software update from National Geographic to get the newest software which lets you extract a region out of a map and download it to the Triton and then select it as the active map. If you like the USGS Topo maps this is pretty cool, since it puts an actual image of the map on the display. You can't just download a whole state this way (the scanned maps are just too large) but it's useful for planned offroad activities etc. You can have the vector Topo USA and some raster Topo sheet maps all on the GPS at the same time and switch between them as needed.

I tested out the software under Windows Vista 64 and had no problems uploading and downloading maps, tracks, etc.

Performance overall was very good. Battery life was reasonable, even having to turn the backlight on a lot (the transreflective display is not as visible in bright outdoor light as some of the Garmins).

Overall I thought it was a perfectly acceptable GPS for someone who wants to use it for Geocaching or other outdoor activities like hiking.

It's tiny speaker (beeps on key presses and various events) is barely audible in a quiet room and definitely difficult to hear outdoors.

The digital compass and barometer seemed to work ok. As far as I can tell the barometer is not used in the GPS altitude computation (this is actually a feature in my opinion when compared to some Garmins that don't let you disable the barometric altitude compensation).

Several of the various display screens are customizable with a pretty large set of data values that can be displayed.

There's a neat track profile display that shows the elevation profile for a recorded track log which you can pan and zoom on so you can answer questions like what time did I reach that peak or that valley.

So for someone looking for an outdoors, offroad type of handheld GPS, you ought to be quite happy with what the Magellan Triton 500 is capable of, and you should be able to have a lot of fun with it.

G.

First off, I would recommend any hiking GPS system as a backup to a simply map and compass. That said, I want to clarify something about this particular model. This is a basic beginner's device to learn about Navigation, Waypoints, Trails, GeoCache and all the additional methods that go along with these. It also has a good "Best Fishing & Hunting Times for Current Location" menu as well as "Viewing Sunrise, Sunset Times" and "Lunar Information". The Triton has all these features and a USA map already included. I would highly suggest a class in GPS along with this.

The biggest problem with Magellan Triton products is they have had some problems with their software in the recent past. After contacting SUPPORT, they assured me that anything not up to date would be processed accordingly. Uh-huh. But, the biggest faux paus was to read, "compatibility with National Geographic TOPO!® maps", stamped on the box cover and stated on-line, only to find out that it is not. Nor is the Triton 300 model. You are unable to download base map information to this device. I was able to download a trail (.gpx), but nothing else. The Triton Models 400 and above have an SD Card for this and they can upload map information, although I went through FOUR 400 models and could not get a 'connectivity' to my PC on any of them.

The overseas support for Magellan is terrible. I wasted over an hour with someone who knew nothing about the product. To make matters worse, not only did I pay for shipping, but when I returned the item, I had to pay for that as well, as it went through a third party. Not good business practices. I would try Garmin.

The brochure for the new Triton GPS units says "Seamless Convergence between Software & Hardware". As a Mac user that sounded like a great deal: a GPS that works with no problems or crashes and is completely plug & play, drag and drop!

However the brochure was misleading. It IS a "Seamless Convergence between Software & Hardware" for those people still forced to use computers with inferior operating systems (Windows). That means it works just as poorly as Windows! In the first 15 minutes of setting up the 500, it gave me a "Fatal Error" message in a Windows looking window and froze up. So they even put in a Windows interface for when it crashes! What a drag. I guess that's because there aren't Mac "fatal error" interface messages. I guess if you're going to say your machine can't work properly you say it with a familiar screen for those people who are used to their equipment not working.

The brochure also says "I-Phone-like" menu and "Works like iTunes." Then on the page talking about National Geographic Maps it says "Compatibility - NG maps are MAC/IBM compatible". These claims are completely misleading and I'm going to file a formal complaint with the BBB. The machine does not have an "iPhone-like" menu any more than my LG cell phone. There's no way it "Works like iTunes" because iTunes works on Macs! Then to say "Compatibility - NG maps are MAC/IBM compatible" leads one to believe it's Mac compatible. All these things are designed to infer to the consumer that this product is Mac compatible which it isn't. Very misleading!

On a better side:
I've been an outdoors enthusiast for over 25 of my 35 years. Knowing how to use a compass and map, I'm a bit disappointed in this unit. They could have made it much more functional for experienced use. However, it lacks the ability to view important info on the map window which means you have to keep switching back and forth between info and map. Kind of a drag.

If you're like me you'll be better off with the 200 and a good map and compass.

If you don't know what you're doing, this unit will seem really cool for geocaching and could get you into a lot of trouble. I recommend taking a course from REI so you know a little about what you're doing before you head out. Always take a good map and compass with this unit.

On the Good side:
The unit looks great, handles great, and is fairly easy to use for a Windows machine. Don't expect to turn it on and go like an iPhone (there's a lot of hidden menus that you need to discover to even set the time zone) but it is easy to view everything, unlike the eXplorer models.

On the Great side:
It has great reception!!! I would bet my life on it's abilities if it weren't windows based (I need something I know won't crash). I'll use it for quick and easy navigation, but I won't head out without a good map and compass.

Now I have to find someone with a PC to upload my NG maps. If it weren't Windows based I'd expect it to be drag and drop, however after reading the instructions for upload I'm looking forward to a long annoying process: this menu, that menu, go back and set this selection then a new menu, change another setting, upload using a specific setting in the Windows only software which I have to "Install" to use.

This may very well be the best GPS on the market, but "Seamless Convergence between Software & Hardware" takes on a whole new meaning now that I know it's Windows based!

DAY TWO...
I really doubt this is the best GPS on the market!

After a day of use it becomes painfully obvious that the "Base Map" is dangerously inadequate and that's an understatement. The base map is a blank brown screen with red interstate highways. That's it. No water masses, no rivers, no streets, nothing. In order to get the map you see on the box you need to have a PC and use the software.

I also noticed that the map doesn't rotate to show the direction I'm going even though I've set it to GPS orientation. So I called Magellan, got a helper after holding for 15 minutes. They helped me reset the unit and now the fancy Compass spins around like I"m in the Bermuda Triangle.

That's right, the compass spins around like it's possessed and the map won't orient itself correctly. Essentially this is a $250 paperweight!

The tech said it required a simple Firmware upgrade. Oh I forgot the firmware upgrade only works if you're on a PC. So I can't use the gps until I get to a PC so they can email me the info for the upgrade. This is a brand new product, why does it need an upgrade?

I would not buy this product again and I recommend against anyone else purchasing one. They're just plain dangerous because they're not reliable.

Did I mention that after the tech had me reset it the time is different from one screen to the other. It's 12:56PM here. The top of the screen shows 00:56 PM. The nav screen shows the time is 12:56am. You'd think that with that fancy GPS technology they could figure out what time it is. What a piece of junk!!! But it does have "Seamless Convergence between Software & Hardware" with every PC I've ever used.

If I could re-rate this product I'd give it a big 0.


DAY 3
I got a friends PC and installed Vantage Point and ran a Firmware upgrade. OK

I went to upgrade the base map from the solid brown with no water masses etc to the one they show on the product in all the advertising and on the front of the box. No luck. So I called customer support. They said that if I want to get the map that's shown on the box and in all the advertising for the unit I'd have to buy it. Are you freaking kidding me? Why not just advertise it with gold and diamond accents and a sherpa and rolls royce if you have to buy it separate after the fact. That is misleading advertising!!!

You do not get what is shown in the pictures. The background map in all the pictures of the Triton 500 is not what comes with the unit!!! You have to pay extra to get that or any map. Can you say Bait & Switch?

I was planning on purchasing NG topo maps anyway so I'm going to keep the unit if the compass stops spinning now that the firmware upgrade has been installed.

If this gives me any more trouble I'll be switching over to the Magellan Crossover which I know comes with a functional base map plus a much larger touch screen!

I'd now rate this unit -3 stars!!!

I ordered this GPS because I thought it would be useful for outdoor activities like hiking, biking, and maybe for emergency use in the car. After two weeks of struggling with it, I think I'm ready to give up. Neither I nor my husband, can get the software to load properly, and therefore when we turn it on we can't get an accurate reading of where we are on the map (we just get our location on a tan background--which is not very useful). My husband and I are both fairly computer saavy, so I'm shocked that we can't figure this thing out. It also runs on regular non rechargable batteries and seems to run through them pretty quickly, so plan on carrying lots of extra batteries when you go anywhere with this unit!

I've had other GPS units and this is hands down the WORST unit I have ever had. Don't waste your time with the Magellan Titon 500.

I only had this for a couple of days before returning it. On the one hand, it offers many features for a relatively low price [...]. It rapidly acquired a signal and locked in from inside my house, so I can't fault the sensitivity. However, the overall fit and finish seemed poor. The battery door felt cheap and difficult to slide on and off easily. I got the impression if I dropped it on some rocks, it might break. Also, the rubber cover for the SD card slot was so difficult to remove that I was very concerned it might tear, especially a thin edge that had to lay flat in a shallow recession for it to fit properly.

My biggest disappointment was in its highly touted compatibility with the National Geographic Topo! software. It wouldn't connect properly, and I had to search the support groups to find a work-around hack to get the Topo! software to even recognize the Triton. Then it took hours to transfer a relatively small geographic area (less than a 7.5 minute quad) - and all I got was a poor resolution raster image of the original map. Since my primary use for the device was to be backpacking and cycling, I decided this was not the GPS unit for me. [...]