Garmin GPS III Waterproof Hiking GPS
by Garmin
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List Price: Our Price: $69.99 You Save: $294.28 (81%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: CE See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Garmin GPS III Waterproof Hiking GPS
Customer Review: Indispensable for answering, "are we there yet."
Summary: 5 Stars
A recent TV commercial shows a guy walking around the house with his new GPS from Amazon.com mumbling things like, "at this rate it will take me XX days to get to XYZ" after which his wife comments, "I should have bought him the tie." It's cute, my wife loves it and emphasizes, tongue in cheek, how much guys love gadgets, but these things really are useful!I own the Garmin GPSIII and the new eMap. I have found these GPS units to be extremely useful, competent and entertaining. I've used them for sailing, vacations, business trips, commuting and motorcycling. For motorcycling, I find using a GPS unit to be indispensable, especially when traveling in unfamiliar areas. Pulling over to the side of the road to look at a map requires taking off my gloves and helmet, which is time consuming and frustrating. With a GPS unit, I can preprogram a 1,000+ mile trip and never have to pull over to look at a map, never miss a turn, always know how far and how long it will be to my next rest / fuel stop, etc. It's also nice at the end of the day to precisely know how long you've been traveling (with the eMap, your moving, stopped and total time), your average and top speed, and miles covered. Should you have a problem requiring service, you can communicate your exact location. If you have children, you can answer that perennial question, "are we there yet" to the minute and tenth of a mile.
I was going to upgrade to the GPSIII Plus for its ability to import maps from my computer but learned Garmin had produced a new model, the eMap. Having had a GPSIII (i.e., GPSIII Plus without the maps) for years, I knew how well made, reliable and valuable the unit is but was intrigued by the eMap. The eMap is slightly lighter, definitely thinner and has a screen that is 20% larger than the GPSIII Plus. It is also less expensive. I also liked the fact that the eMap has memory cartridges in 8 or 16 meg sizes whereas I've read that the GPSIII Plus has only 1.5 megs of internal map storage (not upgradeable), considerably smaller. On the plus side for the GPSIII Plus it is significantly more water-resistant (an absolute necessity for water activities), your information can be displayed on a number of different "pages" or screens and it is much more user configurable.
Although I love my new eMap, I'm not getting rid of my GPSIII. As between the GPSIII Plus and the eMap, I would say this. For the vast majority of people using a GPS, especially those new to GPS, the eMap is THE handheld GPS to have. If things like VMG ("velocity made good") are important to you, if you want a unit that can be configured for a number of specialized applications, if you aren't bothered by the memory limitation of the GPSIII Plus, then I'd highly recommend that unit. You could hardly go wrong with either.
Customer Review: Great tool for on-the-fly navigation
Summary: 5 Stars
I recently purchased the Garmin GPS III+ with the idea of using it on my BMW R1100RT motorcycle for "on-the-fly" navigation and related functions. This review is targeted at this specialized use.Negatives:
Relatively small screen size; Unit can only download 4 detailed maps at a time; Need PC to download map information; Distraction from road*
Positives:
Accurate speed measurement (speedo is WAY optimistic on my bike); Location information is fantastic; Waypoints help trip planning; Unit is water resistant; The Garmin MapSource Software is pretty good
Personally, the Garmin GPS III+ meets my needs. Some fellow riders are using the Street Pilot model for its larger screen, but I doubt that it is as rugged as the GPS III+ - I often get caught out in the rain. I use it in my trip planning, while on the road, and after I return home. It allows me the flexibility of exploring unknown and new areas, can be unplugged from the bike and used while hiking, and is just plain cool. Keep in mind that it is a tempting target for thieves, so if you decide to use it in this manner, take the unit with you and never leave it on the bike.
The complete parts list (note that Amazon.com does not carry ALL of the listed accessories) needed to duplicate my installation is:
Garmin GPS III+, Garmin MapSource Software, Garmin Power/Data Cable, Garmin Dash Mount Bracket, and an RCU Shelf ...
First, I had my local dealer connect the hardwired power cable to the back of the dash accessory plug. The connector is routed through the inside of the fairing and out near the windshield. Next, I drilled the appropriate holes for the screws and attached the Garmin Dash Mount Bracket base to the RCU shelf (I decided NOT to use the supplied Velcro). Then, I attached the RCU shelf to the motorcycle. The rest is relatively easy, attach the GPS to the Dash Mount using the supplied screw and then connect the power cable. That's it! The GPS is high enough that I don't have to take my eyes off the road very far for a quick scan and works very well... There has been much discussion on the Internet BMW Riders site ... surrounding the use of devices which may distract the rider from the mission at hand; safe riding. Those riders who do decide to use such a device should exercise extreme caution and never fixate on any instrument or control.
Customer Review: A thing that will answer: Where On the World?...(or, WOW)
Summary: 5 Stars
In this age of materialism where we encounter tons of new products daily, there are a few precious items that becomes a necessity. For me, during the past three years, it has been the Palm pilot(the very first model from now-acquired US Robotics). Now, as for today, another item has checked in. The Garmin GPS III Plus. For me, many times driving alone, I needed a navigator that would direct me where I am heading to, besides plunging down from the Golden Gate bridge while shuffling through the maps. I bought it on the spot, and what a SURPRISE. First, you are surprised at its tiny size. Why, your fist can grap around it and also, it is so light. Second. this is one powerful tool. Whenever you turn it on, the system initializes by tracking at least four satellite signals and then pointing out where you are now. MY HAIR stood on its end when this model pointed out the street in which I am writing this currently. Why, you can even zoom in up to 120 ft. There are some downsides. In order to get more accurate address(the model does points out on the map where I am now currently, but it does not say which street I am in), you have to buy CDs that has enough data.
Personally, I think this is more practical than the in-board GPS systems found in top autombiles like Mercedes S-class, since they can only help you during driving only. It cannot help you when you travel, go out biking, or in to the sea. Also, the data in the GPS is upgradable. It can download 1.5MB worth of maps. Too small? 1.5MB means that it can hold upto 1.5 Million characters of data. That is sufficient for a trip. Also, you can change the maps by downloading it from the CD via the PC or, in case of traveling, a notebook.
I still have 14-day trial period, but boy, this will not leave my hand. It BEGS you to be tested. This system will WOW you, or, it will answer a very profound question that billions of people have pondered and is still pondering to this moment: Where On the World am I?
Become the very few that has a highly precise answer to that profound question: "From downtown Manhattan to cold, Siberian plains, I have satellites that tracks and informs me of where I am right now."
Customer Review: This does everything I wanted
Summary: 5 Stars
This is the best featured GPS for the money. I do family research and I use this to find cemeteries using the coordinates given in the GNIS lists. This is my first GPS and the 3+ has all the features I want. One of the best is your ability to rename fields to your liking. On the Position Page, the default sunrise field is not important to me but altitude is, so I renamed the sunrise field to altitude. Another is the big number feature on the Compass Page. It's great to see the big numbers(speed and distance to waypoint) when your driving down the road. The negative is the rocker bar. It's an oval rubber pad and if you have big fingers (like me) you sometimes change the existing selection up or down when you meant to go to the next selection. I would like to see 4 arrow keys. Accuracy with SA turned off is consistant 5-14 ft here in Alaska. The MOB function brought me back within 5' every time. Highly recommended accessories are the 12v cigarette lighter adapter and a training video. The manual is very clear but the video makes the operations a lot clearer. The Garmin web site has firmware download options to keep the unit current. This unit supports DMS and Decimal coordinates. I found the decimal coordinates are a little more accurate. If you have Microsoft's Streets and Trips 2001, this GPS is the perfect companion. You can connect the GPS to your laptop running S&T 2001 and the map will follow your movements. Type an address anywhere in the US on the S&T 2001 and select the tools-location sensor. The location is in decimal. Plug the decimal coordinates into your GPS+ waypoint and take off. I tested it in an unfamiliar remote wooded area at night and, using the compass page, got right to the address the first time. The backlight display has 10 ranges and is bright enough to read in a car at night with the GPS on the dash. It's pricy but well worth the money. List prices in stores here in Anchorage and on the web are about $... but shop around. I got mine with 12v adapter and video and UPS 2nd day air to Alaska for $...Customer Review: Very Versatile. As of May 1, 2000 Very Accurate too !
Summary: 5 Stars
If you are looking for one GPS unit that you'd like to use while driving, hiking or flying, then this is it. Smaller screen than the eMap, but this unit can remember up to 20 routes and 500 waypoints. (The eMap supports only one route). Also, the US military discontinued SA (Selective Availability - Intentional scrambling of GPS satellite signals for civilian use) as of May 1, 2000. So this unit, along with many others becomes highly accurate !I love the trip meter on it. Sometimes I take it along while I jog (It's small enough to hold in one hand) - fun to watch how fast I jog, how many miles I jogged and the time it took.
Mounted on a Velcro strip on your car's dashboard, it neatly shows you where you are, which way you are heading and your speed (All this is configurable, and it has at least 8 pages with different views and tons of statistics) In fact thanks to the GPSIII+, I discovered that my speedometer was off by about 5mph ! (I verified this with a couple of friends, all armed with FRS units and going at the same speeds on the highway!)
It has 1.5M of memory (Re-Writable) in it, apart from the base US highway map built into it. I also bought the MapSource CD that contains the detailed maps of the US. I can plot a route very easily on my PC with the Map Source software and upload it to the GPS. With memory becoming cheap and small, I expect future GPS units to have anywhere from 64Meg to 1Gig of memory.
It has great finish. Beautiful and crisp LCD display. The buttons are nice to the touch. It will be very intuitive to use after the first 5 minutes.
It has support for DGPS, making it accurate almost to the sub meter level where DGPS is available.
It doesn't do auto-routing. That is, if you punch in an address or coordinates, it will not do the routing. None of the GPS units in this price range do that. Magellan NAV 750 or Phillips Carin are good ones that do that kind of thing. They cost about $2k and are strictly for auto-navigation.