Garmin Handheld Satellite Navigation System (GPS)
eTrex (Yellow)

Accurate & Reliable

Garmin's exclusive 12 channel receiver gives you a position fix in as little as 15 seconds, and stays locked on to satellites in the toughest of conditions-even under heavy foliage or tree canopy. There's even a position averaging feature that helps reduce the effects of Selective Availability (SA).

One-Handed Operation

Mariners and outdoorsmen will likely notice the sleek design of this GPS receiver. All buttons are located on either side of the unit, allowing for simple, one-handed operation that won't obstruct your view of the display. In fact, the eTrex uses only five operator buttons for the ultimate in user-friendly design. If the lighting conditions make it hard to see the screen, you can adjust the contrast or turn on the backlight. In addition, the eTrex uses animated graphics that will help you identify your marked waypoints quickly and easily.

Rugged & Compact

Built to the same rugged specifications as GARMIN military products, this personal navigator stands tough in the harshest environments. The compact case is ultrasonically welded and waterproof to IPX-7 standards. Weighing just 6 ounces, it fits easily into any pocket, pack or pouch. The bright yellow color makes it easy to find in any boat or backpack.

Navigational Extras

All the information needed to use your eTrex is contained on four easy to navigate pages. At a glance you can see where you've been, where your going and other important information like signal strength. A built-in trip computer provides current speed, average speed, time of sunrise and sunset, resettable maximum speed, trip timer and trip distance. You also have the peace of mind of Garmin's exclusive TracBack feature that will reverse your track log and help you navigate your way back home.

Comparison Specifications

• 12 parallel channel receiver
• 500 Waypoints with name & graphic symbol
• 1 reversible route with up to 50 waypoints
• Display size: 2.1" x 1.1"
• Backlit LCD Display, Animated Graphics
• up to 22 hours battery life
• Built-in patch antenna

Additional Specifications

• Automatic track log (save up to 10 tracklogs, 2000 tracklog points)
• Trip Computer
• Waterproof to IEC 529 IPX7 standards
• TracBack
• 45 second easy initialization
• approx. 15 second acquisition time (warm)
• 1 second continuous update rate

Dimensional Specifications

• 5.3 ounces (with batteries installed)
• 4.4" H x 2.0" W x 1.2" D

Garmin eTrex Warranty Details

1 Year Parts and Labor

Garmin E-Trex (September 13, 2001)

Reviewed By: John U. - Orange County, CA

I am very happy with my E-trex purchased from Vanns. I go hunting in the Sequia National Forest. We hunt in an area with only one road in or out. In some areas you can not see landmarks to navigate by map and compass and in the dark to find your way back is hopeless. The E-trex has solved that probblem. You store locations in it's memory and then have it guide you there or back. It is extremely easy to use and durable. Two AA batteries lasted me all weekend in the power conserving mode (it was off at night as well). With this unit I was able to concentrate more on hunting and cover much more ground than I would have normally. It brought me to camp and stands in the day and night easily. It has many features I have not even used yet(such as tracking your way so you can store it for the exact route back!) I was shocked it could give me my speed in a moving car and map my exact location. I wish I had one years ago. It is well worth it's price.

Garmin eTrex (August 29, 2001)

Reviewed By: Mike H. - Montgomery, Alabama

I purchased my first eTrex two years ago. Unfortunately, the software release that was loaded in the unit would not allow the unit to work under heavy tree cover. Since I bought this unit in order to use during my pre season scouting I put it in a drawer. I updated the software to version 2.10 off the Garmin site and lo and behold I am getting accuracy down to 16 feet under heavy tree cover.

This unit now has functionality and is extremely user friendly. I now carry it with me whenever I hit the woods. Battery life is great and it is now my constant companion in the woods. It has allowed me to develop shortcuts to my deer stands and gives me a peace of mind that I want get lost on our 5,000 acre hunting lease.

I recently bought a unit fir my oldest son for his birthday and he uses it constantly.

Great product, great price and Garmin keeps the operating software up to date. I highly recommend this unit.

Very good basic tool (April 23, 2001)

Reviewed By: David G. - Danbury, CT

I'm sure that more expensive models would have more advanced features, but you would have to look a long time for a better basic GPS device. I especially like the small pocket-size and one-handed operation. It took about an hour to have the basic operations down cold.

Garmin E-Trex (March 30, 2001)

Reviewed By: Gerald C. Ruhlman - Warren, PA

This product was very usefull in the activities that I am involved with in the outdoors (volunteer fireman & hunting, fishing & hiking). This product (E-Trex) is just the right size to carry in your pocket, but powerful enough to get the job done with accuracy.

eTrex (March 28, 2001)

Reviewed By: Mike A. - Baraboo, WI

Very easy to use. Great GPS for the money. For a Entry level GPS for Hunting, Hiking or Fishing, This is the GPS for you.

etrex rides shotgun (March 24, 2001)

Reviewed By: Lee G. - Huntingdon, Pennsylvania

This little GPS unit is awesome! I use it everytime I go anywhere, it is easy to operate, and learn to use. It is so small, and compact that you can operate with just one hand. I use it in my truck, and it is also tough enough to use while I go out on my 4 wheeler. In fact, my friends and I were 4 wheeling, it was getting to be night while we were riding in an old logging clear cut. My friend got knocked off his 4 wheeler and his goggles went airborne. It was almost completely dark and the only light we had were the 4 wheeler headlights, so I used my etrex to mark the general area where he lost them. We were able to come back the next day, and after 10 minutes of searching the area, we found his goggles. Thanx etrex!

MY TRUSTY NEW TRAVEL BUD (February 16, 2001)

Reviewed By: John Charles Mack - New York City, NY

Well, let me start by saying this, it took me about a week to develop an approximate 85 % proficiency with the E-TREX. This is not to say I don't love it, because I do. However like most gadgets these days it comes with a multi chapter book to describe and explain its many functional capabilities. It can sometimes take 3 or 4 minutes to acquire the satellites, which feels like watching grass grow but once the link is established its very stable.

Garmin Etrex (February 12, 2001)

Reviewed By: Scott P. - Highland, UT

This is a great product. I use the etrex for recreational purposes. It is small, rugged, and easy to use. It is loaded with features.

Garmin eTrex Rules! (January 05, 2001)

Reviewed By: Eddie F. - Safford, AZ

I install RF equipment all of the time. It's great to have a rugged, inexpensive GPS to help me find relay points, elevations, etc.

The eTrex has been great for me:
It's inexpensive - so if I drop it from 100' up, it doesn't kill my pocketbook.
It's accurate - I've used it hundreds of times and verified both its directionality and the elevation.
It's rugged - I've accidently dropped mine numerous times from heights as high as 60' and it doesn't even seem to phase it.
It's small - The small size is an important factor when climbing towers or just having to wear it around on a sight survey.

About the only drawback to it is that it doesn't have a built in compass. But, for ~$150 less than the eTrex Summit, I can carry a seperate compass.

You can get home again with the Garmin e Trex GPS (December 29, 2000)

Reviewed By: Joan B. - Chatham, New Jersey

Garmin eTrex has it all!! The times of being lost are over . This GPS not only works great, it even has a great look with its' eye cathing bright yellow color. It was easy to initialize and even worked in my car with a sun roof. For hikers, rafters (its' waterproof) and R.V. folk it is a real boon -provides certainity in times of uncertainty. The weight- 6 oz. makes it easy to bring along and there is a great case available that makes it even easier to transport. The added feature of the backlight also makes it a snap to read at any time of the day or might. The price is reasonable given the quality and numerous functions.It can recommend the Garmin e Trex without reservation. My rating for this product is a 5. Joan Burns

garmin etrax gps (December 29, 2000)

Reviewed By: catherine e spanks - gloucester, mass

I ordered the etrax for my boyfriend for Christmas.What a wonderful invention.It is easy to understand and use.It is accurate for our use on the boat.Very happy with product.

Garmin eTrex (November 21, 2000)

Reviewed By: Randy - Exmore, VA

Excellent buy and great value. Use it regularly during hunting trips. Very accurate. Gets me in to my tree stand sites before sunrise and back to my truck after sunset in total darkness. Easy to use with a little practice.

Garmin e-trex (October 30, 2000)

Reviewed By: Patrick N. Kliethermes - Linn, Missouri

I recently returned from a very successful mule deer hunt in Wyoming. I purchased 2 of the e-trex units after careful review. One of my hunting partners is not electronically inclined and had absolutely NO problems using this amazing product.
Garmin has hit the mark with this unit. The features this product incorporates are everything the user could want in a lightweight, extremely compact, easy to use and well designed handheld GPS.
Congratulations Garmin! This should become the benchmark by which future GPS units are judged.
Respectfully,
Patrick Kliethermes

Garmin Etrex used for hunting (September 10, 2000)

Reviewed By: Cory R. - Beaverton, Oregon

I purchased the Garmin Etrex for bowhunting Elk in N.E. Oregon. I had an old Garmin GPS 40 that was only an 8 channel receiver. It took forever to lock up on the satelites. I looked at several GPS units in trying to decide which one to buy. I found that Garmin has the easiest software to read and use. I picked the Etrex because of its compact size and its price. It is one of the most compact on the market, has 12 channels, and is very light weight. It only uses 2 AA batteries so that helps with the weight. I also like the case that it goes in...it has holes cut in it for the buttons and is clear one the screen side so you do not have to take the unit out of the holder just use it right in the holder. This is a bit quicker and adds some cushion should you drop it. The Etrex locks up very quickly and even in heavy timber and down in valleys where I was hunting. I use it mark where I park my truck, head into the woods and then when it is time to go back...I use to get a bearing back to my truck and pull out my compass to head that way rather then walking with it on. If you are looking for a GPS that has a ton of features this may not be the one for you, but if you want a Compact GPS that tells you where you are quickly and where you need to go...this is it.

Etrex (September 01, 2000)

Reviewed By: Jason R. Traggiai - Euclid, Ohio

I have only had my Etrex one week and it was already worth every penny. I used it to mark and return to a couple stand sites I found to hunt this coming Archery season. It helped me find easy routes in and out of the woods without disrupting the woods. I can't wait to see how well it works in aiding me travel through the woods in the dark.

I also spend a lot of time Racoon hunting with my dogs. In the past my brother and I would have differant opinions of the direction of the truck after a night of following the dogs. We wont have that discussion any longer. Instead he will probably be asking to use my Garmin Etrex.

Thanks,
Jason R. Traggiai
Euclid, Ohio

Garmin Etrex (August 21, 2000)

Reviewed By: Ken A. - Palouse, WA

The ETrex lives up to its claim of being compact and easy to use. This is my 3rd GPS unit and it is far and away the simplest to use. A quick review of the manual and I was off without a hitch. I was surprised at how compact it is, which means it will be taken along on activities where I normally wouldn't bother toting a larger unit. Despite the small size satellite capture is quick, and it holds its signal lock even under fairly heavy cover. Other features I really like are water resistance and the bright yellow color (it would be easy to lose such a small unit if it were black/dark colored). Although it has fewer features than my other GPS units I'm already finding that I'm carrying it more often than the others just because it's so compact and has the features I use 95% of the time.

Garmin Etrex GPS (August 05, 2000)

Reviewed By: John J. - Bonita, CA

This compact unit amazes me. I am a dealer of another brand of GPS and I find this GPS to perform as well as many in the $500-1000.00 price range regarding performance. It locks on as fast and is as stable as any I have trialed. And the price/performance is great. For its size and capabilities it is truely a bargain at the prevailing street price. It is user friendly but a slow process when entering waypoint names and data. A great barga!

Garmin ETREX GPS (July 31, 2000)

Reviewed By: Dennis M. - Farmington , New Mexico

Was looking for a simple, easy to use, first time user GPS and this Little unit far exceeded my expectations. Very easy to use and loaded with more programs and functions than I had thought. The pocket size is Great. All in all a Wonderful GPS.

Great Value in Simple GPS (July 25, 2000)

Reviewed By: Mike P. - Plano, TX

After a quick look through the instructions I was off on my ranch with my new toy!
I need it for locating hunting spots in the woods and it does a great job of getting
me close. However I found that in heavily wooded areas it had a difficult time
staying locked on a good satelite signal...which can be frustrating. But when it
was locked on a good signal I can't think of a better simple GPS for the money!

As accurate as the best, all it lacks are frills (July 12, 2000)

Reviewed By: Bruce O. - Albany, CA

This cheap, tiny GPS is as accurate and fast as any, it works in moderate tree cover and inside light structures, and the specs claim unusually long battery life. It will tell you where you are on a map in any common coordinate system, around the world. It is easily set to read out directly in any of the three different coordinate systems I use in southern Peru, and if you ever find an obscure datum it does not know, you can enter it yourself. Now that "selective availability" has been turned off permanently, I find that horizontal values at a single spot at different times vary within a range of only about 15 meters (+/- 8 m or so). Elevation values are so variable that they are close to useless, but that is a problem with the GPS system, not this receiver. What the eTrex lacks is frills like built-in or downloadable maps. It will trace your path and let you mark points on its small screen at a wide range of scales, but this feature is a bit limited. As a stand-alone navigating tool, it is pretty basic. But if you have a map with any kind of gridlines or tick marks on it, this GPS will pinpoint you on it for less money, weight, and battery replacements than virtually any other.

Least expensive GPS has some frills. (July 03, 2000)

Reviewed By: Ken K. - Saint Louis, MO

Get what you pay for? Well sometimes you do better than that.
The Garmin eTrex seems to be one of those.

For tracking where you have been so that you can get back, the
Garmin eTrex is great. If your problem is getting there, it will
take a little more effort. Without a built-in map data base, you
must choose between buying the Map package which runs on your
PC and down-loads coordinates into the eTrex and entering such
data manually. Finding the longitude/latitude coordinates is easy
on such sites as mapblast, or mapquest. putting in those coordinates
is a bit tedious but works well toward pointing you to a new place
on the globe.

Since the Presidential order to lift the mask on some of the lower
bits on the data from the satellites, the accuracy is exceptional,
often as little as 15 feet. Tree cover can be a problem to signal
strength as it is also with tall buildings near-by. The velocity
readout is very accurate. Battery life is very tolerable. The bike
mount is handy for that part of your life. The trip record includes
distance, average speed, time, and max speed.

More than you pay for but if you want it for travel, consider getting
the eMap model which saves looking up all the places you might want
to go on your trip, before you leave.

Garmin Etrex GPS (July 02, 2000)

Reviewed By: Phil S. - Newport Beach, CA

Never get lost again! This super-small and light GPS does amazing things. First, it finds its position within 30 seconds of turning it on. Just walk around and watch your speed and track on the screen. Fully programmable to your wishes. Find your way back easily. Very simple push-button controls.