Backpacker 2009 Editors Choice Award Winner: Garmin Oregon 400t

[Dizzyish]

FAIL!!

Even the ultimate GPS is rendered useless in a blackout....

[Smith28Adventure]

Fail.

[LightYagame1]

Definitely need a GPS when walking in Complete Darkness :D

[sasktank]

to bad the fancy artistic topo maps are basicly useless--99% of the world are basic maps--good quality maps of the US only---so unless you want to be stuck is in only one country,the fancy artistic topo maps wont b any good to you----get it together ,garmin

[Remotruker]

The video is black......

[dark3zz]

lol i hear steps and a hit lol its black.... .lol joke ??

[SpeedyNY]

There's no video! Why?

[XXwickedwayXX]

why is the video black?

[magandajane]

Technology, a mixed blessing. A compass still works, and the stars haven't changed position that much in the past 1,00 years or so.

Sorry to sound cynical, but I go outside to get away from stuff like this. It's all well and good, and likely to save someone's life, but just more battery operated stuff to bring with us.

Of course, I'm typing this on the internet. "Hypocrite"

[SlingerDun]

waterPROOF, the USB port cover could easily get pinched creating a leak though,LCD sensitive with gloves,screen is dim in sun and over cast sky ,dont need backlight in the sun but it's do when cloudy, dark, maps suck,roads and POI's often misrepresented or absent, tighter contour intervals would be great like 40ft, shock resistant to at least 3 ft;acted a little tweeky after i dropped it like things werent in line with touch but it has a feature to re-calibrate the screen and all was well again

[SlingerDun]

If i buy another Garmin hand unit it will be the Asus Nuviphone g60 and not the Oregon 550t with digi-cam and 3 axis compass. It's been 3+ months since i bought the 400t and at least 100 hours of use and the dim screen is still dissapointing. I also believe nothing has been done to improve the Oregon550t screen quality. So for pure GPS ability and quality mapping i've got my eye on the Lowrance Endura Sierra

~ POWEREX NiMH 2700 rechargeables for GPS and digital cameras, are freakin awesome!

[aimsuxdoggydills]

Dead tents and a quick flash to the "editor's choice" SD Lightning?

[Broughden]

Steve,

Did you mention that the 400t costs exactly $100 more than the 300 series, and the only difference is that it includes the Topo maps already uploaded to the unit?

But that the 400t doesnt come with the Topo CD and the maps cant be downloaded to your computer from the unit.

So if you want the maps on your computer to plan trips with you have to buy the Topo CD extra for, you guessed it, $100.

So you might as well buy the 300 series and the Topo CD and save yourself $100 in the end.

[virozir]

Is the touch screen heat sensitive? I saw in the video that the guy was always using his bare hand to use the device.

Does anyone see a problem with this? What if you were hiking in very cold weather? Taking your glove off to use the GPS would be asking for frostbitten hands.

[XXwickedwayXX]

where are you hiking where you get frostbit when take off your glove to use the gps? Sounds a bit hypothetical. The only place I could see this happening is Everest and you don't need a gps for climbing mountains.

[M1KOLAJ]

if you'll add this:

&fmt=18

to the URL, video will be displayed in HQ.

[NoClue468]

P.S yes 1st to make comment

[NoClue468]

ONCE again i find my self with more questions towards the end of if review of the item bc they are not well covered in the vieo. Jeesh man maybe i should apply for a job instead at backpackers to review gadgets, gear ect. I knew i should off entered the contest. Ok so the two main questions are...Is it waterproof (from video it seems like it is but this is a review not a lets leave the watcher/reader come to his conclusion) and ofcourse most importatn how durable is it?

[deejayfore]

I think it's probably at least water resistant based on the fact it appears to be wet in the video and yet still functions, but I agree, that's something important to mention.

My beef is BPer trying to convince us we need GPSs for backpacking. The most you'd need is SPOT and that's only if you're truly going backcountry and you're going SOLO (most people don't). It grosses me out that this magazine is trying to get us to buy crap we don't need.