gratefulHIKE

I would go with the Vista HCX actually, for $70 more you have a unit that accepts Micro SD cards and gets 7-10 hours more battery life, which is VERY VERY useful for a GPS to have....I ordered mine from thenerds.net, and it was $249 with 3day shipping The mouse like pad is not hard to get use too, and it has 3 buttons on the left side and 2 buttons on the right........its a solid unit and in my opinion the best handheld GPS out right now for the money!!! here is a review http://gpsinformation.org/penrod/VistaHcx/vistahcx.html

push screens seem like a nice idea, but you would probably need sometype of built in lithium rechargeable due to excessive battery use I would think, plus screen damage would kinda kill the device I guess it is preference though, because the Iphone seems to be doign quite well........although I hate that new commercial with the pilot looking up the weather.......I mean come on, airports have the most sophisticated weather equipment around usually, I doubt they need a pilot to tell them its CLEAR </end random rant>

I ordered my Vista HCX from thenerds.net for $249.99 including 3day shipping and tax........unit is the absolute most bang for your buck hooking it up to a laptop for those long drives is the GREATEST too, great accuracy and easy plotting

I have seen very little issues with how slow I move......I enjoy it sticking to the current location anyway, its not really a flaw in my opinion its beneficial to the batteries and getting my bearings for a momment

sounds like the 350mpg carburetor

I think you can do that, I have both loaded.....but there is a selection menu as to which you want to see and I think one takes preference over another

I bought metroguide northamerica, because I kept hearing that "city navigator" could only be installed on ONE GPS and never re-used, whereas metroguide comes with nearly the same features except you cant update the maps and one routing feature was lacking but I cant remember which

honestly the 76 is geared more towards marine use with its software options, and the 60 is more towards land use For the money I would go with the vista HCX.........I have owned a 60csx for the past year and bought a HCX last week, I prefer it hands down already for geocaching because its accuracy does not fluctuate nearly as often and I recharge the batteries a bit less in reguards to the 76 vs the 60.....go with the 60 you can easily operate that one handed.....and your thumb wont get in the way of the screen at all overall though for the money its the Vista HCX hands down

Ive had one for my 60csx for 5 months now, and not a single problem, its been in and out of my pocket and no real issues even though there are slight overlaps.....I just bought one for my HCX too and the samething but no real issues overtime unless you are really rubbing it in the sand and soot, which I might add nothing will truly protect against an ABUSIVE user...</end rant>

are you kidding with those pictures?????????????? I mean WOW talk about obsessive first off, Im pretty sure the only impending scratches that can really do any harm to the visual screen would not occur on the black or outer lying edges at all secondly expecting every piece of material to be cut perfectly and placed on correctly by the user is asking quite a LOT and last WOW obsessive.....for $10 you get something that does exactly what it claims to do, it protects fits and sticks more than reasonably well

honestly, I dont really use the auto routing feature when on roads....I mostly use the GPS's for geocaching, if I need the directions I usually just look at the streets as I travel I have on occasion tried it, but even when telling it I dont want to travel on highways it always directs me to the expressway, which Im not entirely sure as to why but whatever

ive owned the 60csx for a year now, and I purchased the vista hcx last week. The reception is the exact same, except the HCX locks onto the signal better with less fluctuations in 90% of the situations I have been in when comparing it to the 60csx. The only thing I dont like about the vista hcx is the button layout, but that's something im sure I will get use too. everyother aspect of the HCX is nearly flawless for such a small package and such a great price, definately get the screen protector...I think its only $13 extra

yes, isnt there an option for it to always be on in the settings it has like 4 intervals, 5sec, 10 sec, 15sec, 30sec and then its "always on" that will definitely kill your battery a bit quicker at always on

For the money the vista HCX is the best out there for handhelds, what are you interested in anyway? You need to be more specific My sister has a child, and she babysits so i let her borrow my GPS to go do geocaching......and usually before she goes out with the kids, she places the cache herself and puts stuff that the children might like in there, and makes them bring something that they dont want anymore to put in there......goood time killer anyway

I would love another new toy, I just bought the vista hcx and the 60csx a year ago.....but an upgrade to the 60 antennae/software is definitely needed and would be a grrrrrrrreat christmas treat if they could pull it off which I dont see why they cant since the rino line seems to have gotten a nice upgrade

I added a very short review of the HCX labeled "my review" and it should be in this forum I like the HCX hands down, except for the mouse it has..........its just a crappy location but the vista hcx is superior in every other way to the CSX.....and ive owned my CSX for a full year now the HCX tracks just fine and is quite accurate with a stable signal, whenever they upgrade the 60 line I will probably buy another one of those only because of the crappy mouse placement on the HCX

The vista HCX's mouse is actually all very sturdy and very responsive, im sure it will hold up for years to come or they would have dropped the etrex line design completely. The only pain is the location of it and the way the pointer moves on the screen when I interact with it. Most of the time my thumb will cover the upper left portion of the screen unless I really do some manuvering, but the actual mouse thing feels awsem it will just take some time getting use to the way it moves the pointer and the way you press down on it. I think it is masterable within a month The 60csx is much easier in that sense because it has that 4 way pad and buttons surrounding it, but that is the only advantage the 60csx has over the vista hcx, so its not worth staying with the CSX so ill just put it on the shelf.

This is a very short review of my past two geocache experiences with the Vista HCX and the 60CSX. It is my opinion and would apply to anyone trying to make that decision between the CSX and the HCX. Unfortunately I have no images at the waypoints declaring their accuracy. On average the HCX was between 5-20 feet off, and the CSX was between 10-30. Right as you enter thicker brush/forest you notice a difference in how the two jump around, the HCX seems to fluctuate less on the +/- while the CSX will jump atleast 5-10 more +/- feet than the HCX. Its obviously the newer antennae setup that allows it to stick a bit better. In my opinion, the HCX is slightly better in everyway for a geocacher, except the case layout. The screen is smaller than the CSX, but its just as detailed with a odder resolution to fit the screen and the adjustable timer on the bright backlight is nice. Things I like in the HCX: battery life push button style microSD slot size weight in my hand (easy to run with if needed) price accuracy in that tiny package no antennae on the outside to get cought on brush/get hurt in a fall things I don't like: the case layout (mouse thingi) I bought the shield for my GPS (from shieldzone) so I wouldnt have to worry about scratching the screen up like I have with my 60csx since last year. I would declare that the HCX is the best geocaching GPS availible right now, hands down. Its definately the right price and its accuracy is equal too and greater than the CSX. The only argument I can see against it would be the button interfaces. I somewhat despise them, but I really have only had it for a few days now so I guess it will just take some getting use too. Maybe I will comeback with some pictures in the next few days while hunting some more caches. Thanks for reading this. GratefulHIKE

well the reason why I ask, overnight at a camp site I enjoy having a GPS that reads barometric pressure tendencies for weather purposes, because it usually is a great way to predict storm fronts.....but not always and according to gpsinformation.us the vista c is more indepth with that sense http://gpsinformation.us/vistacolor/etrexvistacolor.html

Hello I am about to buy a vista hcx if I can find a satisfactory answer for these two questions I realize thats it has a trip odometer issue that will probably be fixed soon with a firmware update, that's not a real big issue. My questions are, is it true that the GPS on marks your position if you are going atleast 2mph? And is the barometric pressure updating at a slower pace than its previous model the vista c? Not updating the barometric pressure often is probably how it saves on batteries, and I would much rather have a gps that got half the battery life and gave me more detailed information. I can live with carrying two extra AA's. Any response would be gratefully appreciated

well if there is a consensus that they will be releasing other accurate handhelds within the next 6 months then I will wait, if not then the HCX is more or less my best option....?

How often do Garmin/Magellan come out with new handheld mapping units for backpacking? I am interested in a new unit, Accuracy is my number one need, secondary is build and battery life followed by display and lastly key layout.....I see garmin recently released the vista HCX which seems interesting, will they do a similar update to the 60 series within the next 6 months? I dont like touch screens while backpacking, the triton series from magellan looks interesting but definately not something I would want on my pack,,,,,,I bought a 60csx for my brother which was nice, small and seemingly durable, but I however would like anyone with knows something to come FORTH!! and declare if either company will be scheduling any releases within 6 months for such a product....or if the HCX is that such product Any response would be gratefully apreciated...