Charlie&Candy

quote:Originally posted by peter: quote:Originally posted by Charlie&Candy:the 76S went flying through the air. The next sound was a loud _THWACK_ as the GPSr's plastic case hit some jagged rocks. Fortunately, the water was very clear and it was easy to find the unit -- under about a foot of water. The 76S floats - how did it manage to get stuck a foot underwater? Don't really know, Peter. I was too busy making a fool of myself to pay much attention to the physical forces acting on the GPSr as it flew through the air and dove into the water. But when I finally collected my wits and got back to my feet, the unit was being held snugly in the crevice of a rock by the current.

We can't speak to the assets of the Vista because the GPS Map 76S is the only GPSr we've owned. But we can attest to the 76S's ruggedness. Charlie (the clumsy one) was holding the 76S in his hand as he crossed a creek in North Carolina last summer. Wrong type of shoes, slippery rocks ... the next thing he knew, he was heading for the drink. He extended his arms to break his fall, and the 76S went flying through the air. The next sound was a loud THWACK as the GPSr's plastic case hit some jagged rocks. Fortunately, the water was very clear and it was easy to find the unit -- under about a foot of water. Picked it up, dried it off, and it never skipped a beat. It's still working perfectly today, over a year later. (It does have a couple of scuff marks on the case.) BTW, the genius was carrying a Nikon digital point-and-shoot camera in his other hand. It also ended its journey at the bottom of the creek. But unlike the 76S, the Nikon ceased to function. We can't compare the two GPSr units because we've only owned one. But we'd definitely buy another 76S.