The Etrex Venture?

[Apollo Bob]

Hey everyone.

Just started out with this wonderful pasttime - had a Magellan 315 briefly, but returned it as I could not resist the alluring siren song of WAAS. So I got a good deal online on an Etrex Venture, which I'm pretty jazzed about - should have it by the end of the week.

However, it seems like the Venture rarely if ever is mentioned on the forums - is it because it's slightly above a beginners model like the basic yellow etrex, and slightly below what experienced geocachers usually upgrade to (Legend, etc...)? I 'm sure it's fine for my purposes, and I dig the nifty green color - just haven't heard much about it. Does it give off radiation that causes male pattern baldness and impotence?

Any feedback on the unit would be appreciated (although I'm pretty much hitching my wagon to it regardless).

Thanks!

[+embra]

People have them; I started off with a Venture and it served my needs well until I figured out what I *really* wanted. There probably are fewer of them in a relative sense for the reason you cited: people looking for the cheapest etrex would usually head for a yellow, and those wanting something more would typically aim higher.

 

So have fun. If/when you decide you want something more, sell the Venture and step on up. Until that time, you should enjoy your Venture just fine.

[Neo_Geo]

My hair stopped falling out when I stepped up to the Legend. Come to think of it, I have a lot more kids now too!

 

Dang! I didn't even realize it 'til you mentioned it!

[+Renegade Knight]

I think you nailed it. It's one above the yellow and one below the normal 'baby step' to the higher end GPS devices.

[+Team GPSaxophone]

My first GPS was an Etrex Venture. I picked it out for use while hunting, so having street maps available was unimportant. Before hunting season came around, I discovered this site. My Venture led me to my first 200 caches, gradually falling apart like any other well-used device. The Etrex line (not just the Venture) is notorious for bad glue on the rubber gasket as well as having loose-fitting internal connectors. Well, my Venture finally gave up the ghost, so I upgraded to the Legend. Since I geocache year-round, and only hunt for a few days a year, having the maps became important.

There's nothing wrong with the Venture as opposed to the Legend. They both have better resolution than the Yellow. It just depends on how many features you want and/or need. The Venture holds 500 waypoints, the Legend 1000. I think the resolution is the same on both, but the Venture has no basemaps while the Legend does. It comes pre-loaded with America's Highways or something like that.

If you'd like to know more details about the Venture, ask away.