Garmin eTrex Vista Question

[Guest wasmith]

Is anyone out there using the eTrex Vista? How does it stack up against other units? I have a StreetPilot and an eMap and am considering the next member of my GPS family.

[Guest geofly]

It has worked out great for me. I?m sure people will complain about the antenna, but lack of reception has not been a problem for me. The Vista is loaded with options and 24 Megs of memory which is just enough for me. I would not want anything less. I have been extremely pleased with mine. I use it mostly for hiking and fishing.

[Guest Hawk-eye]

I've been using one since they were first available ... no problems with the click stick like other's reported ... I do think it is the weakest part of the whole package ... so I just protect it as much as I can. The antenna is whimpy in heavy cover ... just have a solid fix before going in ... that seems to help ... forget starting cold in a dense canopy. Nice size ... nice resolution on the screen ... I like it ... easy to carry ... I go overseas a lot and it doesn't "weigh me down". Memory level is great ... but it takes forever to down load that many files ... If it had a rocker switch instead of the stick ... and an external antenna connection .. it'd be near perfect. Well there's your free advise ... take it for what it's worth.

[Guest wasmith]

Thanks Hawk... One follow up, what's the "click stick" and why does it need protecting? I don't have a good image of one of the units, just the wimpy one on the Garmin site, but it looks like the buttons are on the side, unless the click stick is the blob to the left of the eTrex logo... kind of like a little joystick or something?

[Guest gstrong1]

Yup.Thats the click stick.Works like a joy stick to move around on the map or to go through the options on the menu & pushing in on it is how you enter whatever you've selected.The click stick died on my Vista after about 8 weeks & garmin replaced with a new unit after 1 unsuccessful try at repairing it.Personally I prefer my MAP76 to the Vista for many reasons I've dicussed on other threads. About the same price as the Vista & I like the design better. For cache hunting, a rely on nothing but the III Plus.Antenna is the key feature.I do however prefer the Vista when I'm heading out & want to bring a unit along in my pocket.But won't attempt to use it cache hunting in the woods.Been there,tried that.

[Guest wasmith]

The click stick sounds like something that will wear out rather quickly... Maybe a reconsideration is in order. My little beat up eMap took me right to where I was almost standing on my first cache I tried to find.