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Colorado 300 is a Good Value for the Money.
I have had a lot of experiences with GPS units and systems. It seems that a lot of people are expecting too much from these inexpensive GPS units. None of the relatively low cost handhelds that I have used or tried come with detailed maps. You are not going to be able to get Google Earth levels of detail in a handheld GPS, at least not today. With optional map software you can get good details of limited areas. That said, I do take issue with every handheld GPS manufacturer's inference that useable Maps are included with their units. The Garmin 300 is described as "with North American Maps". True but it will only show Main Roads. If you were expecting your street to show up, you will be disappointed. I knew this would be the case so I did not factor the lack of detail into my rating score. I bought it for accuracy, a useable compass and primarily for tracking while trail riding. The Colorado 300 that I bought worked properly right out of the box. It quickly acquired satellites and determined position correctly. I never had to use the manual, all the functions were easy to use and understand (but probably not for a novice GPS user). I really like the menu wheel and its functionality. Easy and quick to get to any of the functions and settings. One function that worked much better than early GPS units was the Compass. The Compass in the Colorado works in any position, all the others that I had with a Compass required it be level to the ground. I am surprised that one reviewer said they were able to use an 8gb SD card as Garmin says the Colorado 300 will only accept a 4gb non-HC SD card. Garmin said that HC SD cards are unreliable if used in the Colorado 300. I cannot find a 4gb non-HC SD card, Garmin's response was to use a 2gb non-HC SD Card. At this point though, I am not planning on buying any additional map software but perhaps later.Just What I Expected
I've been using GPS for quite a few years now. I actually started off learning on Survey Grade GPS (for work of course), and it peaked my interest and before long I had received my first consumer grade GPS. Since then I have went through several models with my most recent purchase being the Garmin Colorado 300. For me, the price was right, and since I already owned the Garmin MapSource TOPO maps, it didn't make much since to purchase a higher model with the same maps already included. I have used the unit for a couple of weeks now, and feel I have gotten in enough use to write a short review. Initial impressions of the unit out of the box where that it looks well constructed, with a large screen, and easy to get to buttons. I quickly installed the batteries, and let it find it's first satellites and get it's location. I then proceeded to go through the menus, locating where everything was, and getting myself acquainted with the GPS. I found it to be fairly intuitive, easy to use, and the menus were easy to locate. I actually learned to navigate through everything fairly quickly. I suspect it has something to do with previous use of GPS units, and being somewhat familiar with basic GPS menu configurations. Some of my friends who have previous GPS experience also found navigating the menus of the unit to be fairly easy as well. For someone new to GPS, I can understand all the new icons, menus, shortcuts, etc. being intimidating or confusing. It is a little more than a turn on and play type device, something I think many people have gotten use to from using digital cameras, MP3 players, and other user friendly electronics. A first use with a GPS can be a little tough, there are a lot of new terms and ideas to learn, but it's an easy learning curve that only takes a short time to begin to understand. The basemap was just what I expected. I'm afraid that many of the disappointments in GPS unit basemaps are that many people expect map levels found in dedicated navigation units. Something that will be hard to find in a handheld recreational use unit. Different uses require different maps, and it's always going to be hard to satisfy everyone. Something that Garmin is itself working on, with the 400t, 400c, and 400i units. You can now by hand held GPS units that have included topo maps, coastal maps, and inland lake and river maps. A huge step up from having to buy a GPS unit, and then buy a separate set of maps to load to the GPS. I, myself, already owned the separate TOPO maps, so just purchased the base model. I found that loading the maps to the GPS was fairly easy and straight forward. Once loaded the maps are rendered very nicely, with 3-d views also available. I have also been able to run Pocket Queries from [...] and load the GPX file that [...] sends directly to the Colorado. Making Paperless geocaching a snap. I found the process rather easy, and it adds a whole new spin to geocaching. With just the press of a button I have the cache details in front of me, and with another press of a button I can look at the past five logs, or the hint. So far, this has been one of the greatest features of the GPS. The only real downfall I have with the GPS is battery life. I only got about 10 hours out of a set of Duracell AA Alkalines. A real drop considering I'm use to getting close to 30 hours out of my eTrex Legend HCx on the same type of batteries. I have since bought a set of rechargeable 2500 maH Ni-MH batteries to use, and have been seeing better times out of those. In general my likes are: large screen size, uses regular SD Card, Geocaching capabilities, the ease of use after the small learning curve. Dislikes: Short battery life, screen can be hard to see at times with backlight off. I would (and have) recommend this GPS to my friends.Great Product
This a great gps if you are out there camping or simply on the road this you may want to buy.Not as good as Expected
Product i received had problem staying up. It abruptly shutdown without warning fewminutes after power up. Amazon sent me a replacement. The replacement fared better But after a couple of days wouldn't work saying "Cannot find system software" OR "Missing system software". I am trying to work it out with the customer support.New generation of Garmin GPSs
I've used two other Garmin outdoor GPS before and I was expecting this new device. After a month of using, I'm almost decided to switch back to Garmin 60 CSx. Colorado +: - display - gc listings - holders (car, bike) - wig Colorado -: - battery consumption - gc listings (listing is sometimes bad formated) - roller, buttons, menus (60 CSx is much more powerful and faster to control, search...) So if you need listings/wig then buy Colorado. In case having PDA or smartphone, take 60 CSx...Keyword : garmin
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