2 Bad Cats

I agree with all the comments so far. I used a Legend for a few weeks then returned for a Legend C. World of difference in reception and battery life. I assure you - these are not just rumors. For the price difference the Legend isn't even worth considering IMHO. 500 waypoints is the only downfall. Garmin could fix this with a firmware revision - lets hope they do.

Sweet machine!!!! Unfortunately the accuracy is a bit pointless to geocachers. We're dependant on the accuracy of the GPS used to place the cache. Now if everyone had one.... Hmmmm! Nah... That'd just be too easy!

GSAK will connect via USB

I answered this question earlier today... look further down the posts. It was about a vista C, but same idea. Short answer is Yes - should work fine.

I would tend to say yes but since you are down to numbers - I can't give you a 100% My take on it is USB is USB so power from you cigarette lighter adapter *should* be as equivelant to your computer (otherwise it wouldn't be much of an adapter). The unit comes with a mini usb cable - there appears to be nothing special about it. I have used both the included cable and a similar once that came with an mp3 player I own. I have also powered mine in the car using a cheap $5 cigarette lighter usb adapter and the included mini usb cable. Han't had any problems Also on this line of thinking - someone noted yesterday that when using rechargeable batteries the runtime is so good that you might not need to use the cord. While I haven't tried rechagables yet - on regular AA's the runtime is already very good (expecially compared to a Legend)

I'll have to give them a try. I have some 2500mah rechargable AA's for my camera already. You're right - it does suck to use the cord. (And some advice to others who might want a 12v cord. Do not buy the $30-$40 garmin one - a cheap $5 version will do the job nicely)

Screen protectors - I dunno about them - never tried one on my GPSr or PDA. I can say one thing about the Vista C screen - it is very scratch resistant and durable - but it's not perfect. I'm very careful with mine but shortly after I got it it slipped out of my pocket while I was reaching under a stump for a micro. It landed face down on a rock and put a scratch on the screen. I was quite annoyed for my moment of carelessness and immediately planned to purchase some sort of protection. I decided on a Garmin case but when I went to purchase it I wasn't sure it would fit the new "C" (color) units as it appeared to be sized for the older non color versions. I emailed Garmin to see if they offer a case for the color units and they confirmed that the same case should fit both the non-color and the color units. Then they offered to send me one free of charge to "try out". (Thank-you Garmin!) Turns out that even though the cutout could be a bit bigger to accomodate the shape of the color screen - the fit is pretty good. I use the case all the time while hiking - there is more glare and the screen is harder to see but I don't have to be so protective!!! I reccommend the suction cup windshield mount, and the bike mount. Both work well for me. Also recommend a 12v to USB converter to power the GPS with backlight on while in the car at night

If you are concered about reception and have a bit of interest in auto routing in the future - then consider a Legend C I had a Legend for a while and we always disappointed with the reception (I'm almost always under tree cover). Switched to a Legend C and there is no reception issue at all - it holds a signal easilly while hiking without needing to hold the gps horizantal in your hand all the time - very important if you want a track recorded! Plus you get autorouting capability which works very well when combined with a windshield or dash mount. My 2c - I know it's certainly more expensive, but there have been some huge price drops recently on the Legend C so it may not be so bad.

We've only got 50 finds so far, but there have been 2 frustrating rock piles where a good hint and accurate coorinates would have made the finds much more enjoyable. A hint saying "under a rock" is just not appropriate, and in one case we were zeroing out with 5M accuracy 15M+ from the actual cache. Not good. Being stuborn, we will eventually get there, but a good hint or photo never hurts. Another micro we went for called "rainy day" turned out to be in a rock pile with a vague hint and bad coordinates. It was raining hard and I really didn't feel like crawling over a rock pile in those conditions. Fortunately it is a worthy location so we'll go back - just not when it's raining. Like everyone else says - don't take it personally.

We use a Legend C and it's great. Compared to the Legend/Vista ( I had a Legend prior) I find the reception to be far superior under tree cover and in the car. Autorouting as great (for occasional use - certianly no replacement for dedicated in car navigation) Battery life is also much better. Screen redrawing is faster. I picked up a suction-cup mount for the car, a 12V to USB adapter so I can run the backlight while in the car at night without draining the battery, a handlebar mount, and a Garmin case (which I'd point out is a better fit for the older etrex not the new Vista C and Legend C - but I got it for free and if fits well enough, just not perfectly) Overall - very satisfied

I had a ST Color for a few weeks. $250 CAD from Costco. Compass was great, reception was great. Big advantage here is you can hold the unit upright for bes reception and still use the compass. Pros Compass Reception Price!!! Nice size and button layout Cons Screen is functional but that's about it! Battery life - my unit drained it's batteries in a week when not being used ??? Slow compared to new units I ended up returning it and got a Legend C. It's reception is almost as good as the ST color but it has no compass. The screen is vastly better. I much prefer the Legend C and it was only somewhat more expensive ($60CAD)