Review on 🌲 Ultimate Outdoor Companion: Garmin Montana 700i Rugged GPS Handheld with Built-in inReach Satellite Technology and Glove-Friendly 5" Color Touchscreen by Jermaine Rhodes

Okay, this headline is a little 'exciting' just because you have to be the one to decide if it's really worth it, but let's talk a little bit about it. Especially with such an expensive item, I wouldn't dare not do my homework and read as many reviews and articles as possible. Damn, I'm doing it with a hundred dollar item. If you really care about GPS devices, it won't take you as long as it did to decide what you need or what you're willing to pay for. If you're a beginner, I'll definitely read a few articles that compare the different features of different GPS navigators, especially when it comes to price. Of course, in most cases you get more features if you pay more money, but especially with GPS I would ask questions: what do I really need and what am I willing to pay. Good. As for me, I will never go on a hike knowing I can get very lost without taking a compass and paper map with me. I know from experience that things can go wrong - your battery could die, your device could break or get lost, or more likely you end up in a deep valley with a bunch of overgrowths and the signal stops for the time being. Then again, this GPS is a cat meow in my opinion. I'm not sure I wouldn't use this as my map and compass anymore, partly because of everything it does and partly because it's so much fun. I'm not going to cover all of the features as you can read about them in Garmin's spec sheet, but I'd like to talk about some of the standout features. I know it's bulkier than other devices, but that's not a problem for me because I like the nice real glass touchscreen (I guess). Seems very bright. I downloaded 7.5 minute maps of the west coast (California etc) and they are clear enough for me. They have 40 foot contour lines that I believe match the topographic maps I upload to the USGS website. Using the compass function, you can set a projection point, even add a distance, and if you stray off course, an arrow line break will show you which way you're off. Just go over and get back online and you'll be fine. You can also set a projected waypoint, and no matter where you go, you can set a course back there. I'm talking about possibly having to cross the river and get off the road to the bridge and then return to the checkpoint you set across the river before turning onto the bridge. I like free software called Base Camp. You can go there and set your preferred card type (even 7.5 minutes). You then set up your route, all your waypoints, etc. After that, it's very easy to send them straight to your Montana 700i. or any other blockage you have. You can also send a route that you have set or recorded on your Montana to base camp where you can review it. You can search for names, addresses, points of interest or anything else right on your device. Another nice feature is when you mark a waypoint. If for some reason you need to use a custom waypoint, you can simply enter your longitude and latitude directly above the waypoint and save it with whatever name you like. It would be great for search and rescue if you had this information. I almost forgot one of the most important features that was very important to me when choosing a device. SOS. It is real. You can connect to these special satellites around the world and they will come and save you. To use this feature you need to subscribe to the service, but I configured the security service at the lowest price. It's somewhere around $15. a month or so. Of course, you can purchase a more reliable subscription, but it will cost more. This service also allows you to send messages to someone else's email address. It can also help you, possibly without using the full SOS feature. They can also reply to you. The beauty of this Reach feature is that it's all done via satellite, so you don't need WiFi to use it. It works anywhere your GPS works. I will say that some parts of the user manual were a bit clunky at times, but for the most part it was very concise and readable. I know I probably won't need the compass and altimeter features and could save money by buying a cheaper device, but to get the SOS feature you have to spend some money. It is only available on some more expensive devices. Very happy with the GPS so far. I hope I mentioned that I bought a Montana 700i. I just didn't want to give away the extra "beans" for the 750, which also has a camera. I hope this helps you with your decision. Mark Traynor.