+WanderingWaypoint Posted March 20, 2008 Share Posted March 20, 2008 I spent several days backpacking in Big Bend NP this past week. I was eager to try out my Colorado 400t for the purposes I bought it. I live in a flat part of west Texas and have not been able to use the '3D View' on the CO, so when I got on the trail I clicked on the feature. Wow, I was absolutely amazed! It was phenomenal to see the peaks and valleys on the unit, pretty much as I was seeing them in real life. Landmarks were easily distinguished in 3D mode, it even had the trail marked in a grey line. As I hiked the little blue triangle on the 3D View moved along the trail, it was great. It was fun to randomly check this view to see where I was in relation to my base camp, and the peak I was climbing. I am not intimidated by viewing a topographical map, but for those that are, I think the 3D view was very easy to get a bird's eye view of your relative location. On the topo map, the trail marked did not seem to be precise (partly because the trails on the map don't show every single step), but in 3D view, it looked precise 95% of the time. Another thing I worried about was the battery life. I've not done a whole lot of research into it, and I know many people on this forum have their opinions, which I've not read too much on. Anyways, I purchased some Energizer Lithium batteries. I had the unit on for over 12 hours throughout my days hiking, and only on my last day did the unit drop from 4 bars of battery to 3 bars. I am well impressed with this battery, in my opinion, it was worth the money I paid for it. I also thought the display was easy to read outdoors. I have read where some people have trouble reading their display, I am not of that opinion. I think it was very easy to read. One more point, I am a previous 60csx owner, and when I had that unit I cracked the display stepping between two rocks in Scotland. I was not happy, because I didn't feel I even hit it that hard. Well, on this trip the Colorado 400t has seen a more difficult journey in which it was exposed to the elements (even snow which Big Bend sees 1 or 2 times a year!), bumped against many things, dropped (scared me to death), and the CO withstood everything thing that I was concerned about. I hate reading long posts, but I did want to add my 2 cents (again) on the Colorado and share my enthusiasm on this unit and the features I was concerned about on this trip. Quote Link to comment
MtnHermit Posted March 20, 2008 Share Posted March 20, 2008 So, did the $600 toy assist you in any significant way? Sounds like you were on a trail, they're generally pretty easy to follow, especially in a NP. Quote Link to comment
+Redwoods Mtn Biker Posted March 20, 2008 Share Posted March 20, 2008 Thanks for the report WW. I love Big Bend BTW. Many fond memories of the place. MtnHermit, RU trolling? Sure NP trails are easy to follow, generally speaking. Why even carry a map? Quote Link to comment
+Klatch Posted March 20, 2008 Share Posted March 20, 2008 So, did the $600 toy assist you in any significant way? Sounds like you were on a trail, they're generally pretty easy to follow, especially in a NP. Wow, was that necessary? I thought the post by Redwoods Mtn Biker was interesting and informative. Quote Link to comment
+Manatee87 Posted March 20, 2008 Share Posted March 20, 2008 (edited) Thanks for the report. I still haven't done any serious hiking with my Colorado. It will be nice to see the visual raised relief on the map. I'm hoping they add some of the old "standard" features, like trackback, before I use is for bushwacking beyond the guidance of traffic noise. (Considering where I live. ) Edited March 20, 2008 by Manatee87 Quote Link to comment
+WanderingWaypoint Posted March 20, 2008 Author Share Posted March 20, 2008 So, did the $600 toy assist you in any significant way? Sounds like you were on a trail, they're generally pretty easy to follow, especially in a NP. Well, contrary to popular belief, not all trails in a NP are clearly marked. In Big Bend some of the more difficult trails are less used and are difficult to follow at times, so yes, the $600 toy assisted me in a significant way. I enjoy tracking my hikes and uploading the data to google earth to view where I've been. Also, I scouted out different campsites and marked them for future use. Quote Link to comment
+fourbeer Posted March 20, 2008 Share Posted March 20, 2008 So, did the $600 toy assist you in any significant way? Sounds like you were on a trail, they're generally pretty easy to follow, especially in a NP. If I was using a new piece of equipment for the first time, I would certainly take it on a clearly marked trail. I would not like to be relying on the unit I am testing to get out of a tight situation. Quote Link to comment
+victorymike Posted March 20, 2008 Share Posted March 20, 2008 I hiked 4 miles thru Brighton State Recreation Area in search of 4 different caches last week. My personal experience mirrors that of Wandering Waypoint (I upgraded from a GPSMAP76C). This thing REALLY shines in the woods. Quote Link to comment
Baumer Posted March 20, 2008 Share Posted March 20, 2008 MtnHermit doesn't play well with others. Did you have the NP series maps loaded? Quote Link to comment
+BiT Posted March 20, 2008 Share Posted March 20, 2008 Did you take any screen shots with the 3D views? I would love to see them. Quote Link to comment
+Thrak Posted March 20, 2008 Share Posted March 20, 2008 So, did the $600 toy assist you in any significant way? Sounds like you were on a trail, they're generally pretty easy to follow, especially in a NP. Well, contrary to popular belief, not all trails in a NP are clearly marked. In Big Bend some of the more difficult trails are less used and are difficult to follow at times, so yes, the $600 toy assisted me in a significant way. I enjoy tracking my hikes and uploading the data to google earth to view where I've been. Also, I scouted out different campsites and marked them for future use. Nice info on the original post. As for this one, you should have added a neener, neener, or so. The post you are responding to certainly deserves it. Quote Link to comment
+WanderingWaypoint Posted March 21, 2008 Author Share Posted March 21, 2008 Did you take any screen shots with the 3D views? I would love to see them. No I didn't. I didn't know how to do that. I wish I would have, it was quite amazing. Do you know how to do that? Quote Link to comment
+WanderingWaypoint Posted March 21, 2008 Author Share Posted March 21, 2008 MtnHermit doesn't play well with others. Did you have the NP series maps loaded? I don't know about the NP series, I just have the CO 400t and it had the trails and stuff. What is the difference? Quote Link to comment
Maximus XX!V Posted March 21, 2008 Share Posted March 21, 2008 (edited) I am bitter about the OP also. I had finally decided I would stick with my 60 CSx for backpacking but now I am having second thoughts... Nice review! Edited March 21, 2008 by Maximus XX!V Quote Link to comment
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