Review on 🗺️ Exploring the World with Garmin eTrex 30 Handheld GPS Navigator by Tim Knoepfle

This would be a five star product except for two things: 1) I have one with a dead pixel in a bad spot. 2) Even with the latest software update and after a few years, the app keeps crashing. I've only had a complete GPS failure and reboot. Other than that, this GPS is really amazing. The ability to add custom maps via KMZ is excellent. Stop wasting time on a hike trying to figure out where you are on a paper map using UTM or – God help you – degrees and minutes. I like this GPS very much. I had the original eTrex Vista and then the eTrex Vista HCx. The eTrex 30 deserves an upgrade for the custom map feature alone. I've also found that the eTrex handles 30 downloaded KMZ tracks that the HCx trims. I use BaseCamp for tracks but only copy KMZ for paper map scans. Location fix is faster than HCx in all cases, and this thing works much better indoors or when mountains are blocking the view of the sky. In any case, this is with GLONASS. I highly recommend this GPS, but the quality of the Garmin screen annoys me. I also have a Nuvi 3490 with a dead pixel. How come this wasn't a problem 10 years ago, but it is now? In 2014, there shouldn't be any dead pixels on a tiny LCD screen. Find a new provider and charge a little more for the GPS if necessary. By the way, for GPS newbies wondering whether to get a Nuvi or an eTrex, here's a suggestion: Nuvi are generally great for driving, but they easily lose contact with tall buildings or other surrounding obstacles. They are practically useless for hiking. eTrex maps are great for hiking and cartographic maps can be used for driving, but you must purchase maps separately from Garmin. The eTrex base map is not suitable for driving. The eTrex isn't very comfortable to drive due to its tiny display, but it keeps the correction much better than the Nuvi. this. actually better in a dense city. If you can only get one and plan on relying on it for hiking, get the eTrex 30. The Nuvi won't do you much good if you're hiking or walking in a densely populated city. eTrex is only tolerant to drive. I've been doing this with HCx for years.