eTREX

by  Garmin

eTREX Description

The eTREX is a accessory brought to you by Garmin. Read eTREX reviews or submit your own review to share with the paddling community. Check out a few other accessory recommendations below or explore all accessories to find the perfect one for you!

Garmin
eTREX Reviews

Read reviews for the eTREX by Garmin as submitted by your fellow paddlers. All of the reviews are created and written by paddlers like you, so be sure to submit your own review and be part of the community!

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4

Great little handheld GPS. I…

Submitted by: DavesKayakAdventures on 9/11/2019

Great little handheld GPS. I use mine, along with the RAM mount, for extended offshore trips....I consider this as part of my safety equipment! Easy to operate and input way-points. Seems to acquire satellites much faster than older Garmin handhelds. Great value when considering functionality vs. price. Only drawback is that sometimes you need to press the toggle button a couple of times to get it to work.

5

I have an eTREX 20 and have…

Submitted by: jkirbyd on 9/22/2014
I have an eTREX 20 and have used it on 3 day trips. I am not an expert at using a GPS unit and was a bit concerned if this was a wise investment. It turns out that I was concerned for no reason. After a day or so of watching tutorial on YouTube, and some experimenting around my house and neighborhood I found this to be a great little unit. I did purchase the topo maps from Garmin ($30.00) and discovered that this was another great investment.

The first trip I went on I did not have the topo maps on my unit. The tracking worked as expected as well as the timing devices. The screen is not as big as a smart phone but it didn't take long to adjust to this size. After I downloaded the topo maps and learned the BaseCamp software, I planned the next trip on the GPS unit.

That trip and the trip afterwards were even more fun with the GPS unit. The accuracy of the unit isn't the best on the market, but for my uses the tracking was incredible. The other benefits of having the topos is being able to identify landmarks and features to help pinpoint your location. I often kayak with people new to the sport and the areas, so I am constantly bombarded with the "where are we?" and "how much further?" This helps me quiet those folks down!!

The final point that makes this such a great value is that it tracks moving time as well as total time. It has speed tracking as well. These features are helping me get a more efficient paddle stroke and it also helps me plan for longer trips with more efficiency.

In conclusion this is a high value low cost necessity for my kayak and I would recommend this to every one that owns a kayak or a canoe!!!!!

4

I have had a Garmin eTREX GPS…

Submitted by: MadKanu on 9/4/2014
I have had a Garmin eTREX GPS for years and it has never failed. Although my older model doesn't get as much use as it once did now that I a basic GPS on my phone I've always been amazed by how much functionality Garmin manages to jam into these. In years of use the waterproof seals have never failed.
4

This is the eTREX HC, very…

Submitted by: guest-paddler on 7/24/2013
This is the eTREX HC, very good in its day. Durable, it has been on many Jeep trails and down many rivers!!!! Never a glitch. Excellent battery life. The preloaded maps are less than desirable and maps from Garmin are a little expensive. Some of the newer models (eTREX 20) seem to have improved the map quality. I gave a 7 due to the maps, other than I have been very happy with this unit.
5

Excellent product. We have…

Submitted by: TheNatureGroup on 7/21/2013
Excellent product. We have used ours extensively for over 5 years. We have submerged it and let it dry for several days before putting batteries back in. Worked no problem. I like the size and durability of this unit!
1

My e trex Legend cx leaked on…

Submitted by: guest-paddler on 6/30/2008
My e trex Legend cx leaked on a kayak trip and the batteries corroded. It is rated IPX7 which is 1 meter for 30 minutes. I contacted Garmin and their response was...
"Thank you for contacting Garmin International.
Our units are not 100% waterproof and we do not recommend you using them around water.
The flat rate of repair for your unit is $125.00.
If you would like for me to set up a repair, please send me the following information, and I will give you a return authorization number.
Needless to say I am not real happy.
4

I've had an eTrex Legend for…

Submitted by: EbenGay on 6/4/2007
I've had an eTrex Legend for almost two years. It did what I needed until very recently. Now it fails to find any satellites, even under perfect conditions.
I used it kayaking, as a speedometer and to record a track for later integrating onto satellite maps. It claims to be waterproof, but the seals are sketchy at best. I always used a dry-bag for it.
The screen is very hard to read in sunlight and is fairly small, so the map feature was not useful.

It was great on the water, but the slightest tree-cover and it could not lock to any satellites. It was useless for hiking in the tree-filled Northeast.
The next device I get will have a display I can read in the sun and will work under trees!

5

Batt. 2 AA's. Great batt…

Submitted by: guest-paddler on 1/8/2007
Batt. 2 AA's. Great batt life. Easy to find AA. Small color screen, thaught it would be to small for some things like driveing. I think color makes all the difference. Way better than I expected. Different color sceems for day and night. More features than I think I will ever use. After enitial set up unit is very easy to use. Manual leaves something to be desired. Very portable. Low cost. I find it to be very accurate rain or shine. I have a couple friends with older models that are still going strong with 0 problems. I would buy another if I had to.
3

I bought the thing years ago…

Submitted by: canoecamp on 11/9/2006
I bought the thing years ago (as it came out) and never had anything to complain. Does all as advertised and with todays lower price (~1/2 of what I paid..) it is worth it's money. I only use it as a back up to maps and compass and for planning at home (with the upload feature). On our latest wilderness trip, my ten year old found out it is definitely not waterproof and it doesn't float-Garmin advertised that in the early days of e-trex. Even without those feature I would buy it again for today's price but if you don't want to bag it to make it float and waterproof, buy something else.
2

I have had an e-trex for a…

Submitted by: mr_canoehead on 6/16/2006
I have had an e-trex for a few years. I had always been satisfied with its performance, and I liked the easy-to-use interface. It seemed quite rugged. Unfortunately, the "waterproof" feature failed miserably in just an inch or so of bilge water. The whole thing failed, and then Garmin was unwilling to stand behind it. They offered to repair it for $59, which seems unreasonable, given that it did not perform as advertised and a new one can be had for about $100.

Overall, I suspect it is an adequate unit, but not something to be trusted, and not supported by honourable after-sales service.

5

I have both the base model…

Submitted by: drnorris on 8/23/2005
I have both the base model ETrex and an ETrex Legend. Both are excellent pieces of equipment. The original is great for use where specific maps are not required. I have used it on hikes and horse trail rides. I have used it several times when the leader of a trail ride has missed a turn and gotten lost. The Legend and the Map Source Software has provided me with so many more features that I carry it in my vehicle all of the time. I keep the local area detail maps loaded unless I need to go on a longer trip. I use it several times a week. Buy a set or two of NiMH batteries and you are in business.
5

I bought the Garmin, eTrex,…

Submitted by: paddler230639 on 11/15/2004
I bought the Garmin, eTrex, LEGEND GPS about 2 months ago. I was afraid to buy a "cheaper" GPS, because I am used to using an Aviation Based GPS, when I fly full scale airplanes.

I am totally impressed with everything this little GPS can do. And what is does, it does well! I could go on for hours raving about this, but I won't.

It shows speed in tenths of a mile per hour, or knots if you like. It keeps track of distance paddled and shows the speed and heading at the same time. You can also customize the display screens to show many other criteria you may want to see. It also keeps track of the track you paddled in the Map Section, so you can go back and see where you paddled, or follow it back home.

I even dropped it in the water for a moment when getting out of my kayak, and the battery compartment didn't get any water in it. It appears to be very water resistant. The 2 batteries seem to last a long time too.

I like the display quality, and the fact that it comes with the computer cable to download new maps.

I want to let you know that this little unit covers about everything you would want from a hand held GPS. It puts my older Aviation unit to shame! It is one incredible little GPS.

4

The Etrex Venture was the…

Submitted by: guest-paddler on 6/11/2004
The Etrex Venture was the cheapest GPS i could get that would transfer data to and from a pc. the Data cable was included, not the case with some. Has worked excelent. I give it a 9 because the data terminals coroded after the Watertribe Ultramarathon. Garmin promptly replaced it. you can be I will be covering the new ones with grease next time. also be carefull the battery compartment will corrode also if it gets wet, its only resistant.
4

Perfect for what it is. The…

Submitted by: guest-paddler on 2/16/2004
Perfect for what it is. The etrex is garmins base model gps receiver. It's not cluttered with bells and whistles so it's very easy to use. Unless your looking for mapping this is all you need for marking waypoints. Would not be hard to mount it to your boat. look into buying a "RAM" mount for it and then with a little modification you'll be all set to mark your favorite spots along the water. You'll never get losted again.
5

Had my eTrex for over 2 years…

Submitted by: PHILIPJEDLICKA on 11/3/2003
Had my eTrex for over 2 years now. It is absolutely great. Waterproof, easy to use, great screens & display features. If you can afford to spend the extra bucks, go for the Vista Expedition version of the eTrex line, as it has a built-in compass and barometer. But for almost all your needs the basic model will perform superb.