Your Garmin, Your Story ...

We're constantly amazed at the positive feedback we get from people who use our products for just about anything you can imagine. Their stories range from geocaching to surviving life-threatening situations.

Scroll below to read about testimonials for this product and don't forget to check out the amazing testimonials and human interest stories on our Garmin Blog!

View testimonials on Garmin Blog

 

" eTrex takes beating during U.S. Army Reserve training"

I am in the Army Reserve stationed in Cocoa, FL. Recently, we embarked on our annual training at Ft. Stewart, GA. Your product, the Garmin eTrex, made this year a great one.

Training is tough, with constant movement through the dense forest, making it very easy to get turned around. The military GPS is large and bulky and comes with an instruction booklet the size of a Bible. It is not very easy to carry and move at the same time. Once I found out that your products could use MGRS coordinates, I decided to give the little Garmin eTrex a try. Your GPS is very user-friendly and small enough to tape to the top of my rifle for easy navigation.

I hold a squad leader position and I am in charge of getting four men to the right destination. Through the rain, hail, heat (105 degrees F), either night or day, your GPS was right on. We didn't get turned around one time! I even used it to call grid coordinates for artillery from my lookout position. Every shell was right on. This of course made me look great. By the end, I was leading the platoon and everyone was constantly asking, "What in the heck are you using?" I replied, "just my compass." They believed it for a little while, but soon the guys found out. It was kind of hard hiding that little bright yellow GPS. I was surprised that most of them had never seen one. It was kind of funny, then, to see how many guys, while on our one-day pass, came back to the base with Garmin GPS units!

For three weeks, your GPS was right on the money, until the second-to-last day when we were on a movement behind enemy lines and were pinned down. When we received enemy fire, we were forced to hit the deck and low-crawl 25 meters behind some cover. I looked at my rifle and no GPS. I looked behind me and there it was sitting on the clay road. There was too much fire for us to move and we were forced to call for an armored platoon (tanks). I wasn't even thinking about it, but here they came rolling on down the road right past us to provide support. Sure enough, not one, but two tanks ran it over! After the firefight was over, I ran over to it to see the damage. At the first, it looked pretty much intact, smashed face down into the clay road. When I pulled it out of its shallow grave and turned it over, the light was on, but the display inside was cracked. Even though it was now worthless, I couldn't believe that it had just been run over by two, 20-ton tanks and this was the only damage. You guys make an army-tested tough product.

I have enclosed three photos that you might find interesting. The two pictures of the GPS are to show you how tough the little guy is. The third one is my friend on the left and me on the right.

SPC S. R.
Satellite Beach, FL

 

 

 

 

" Caving expedition in Socotra uses eTrex® units"

Last year, we went to Socotra on a caving trip (we being eight Belgian cavers). Socotra is an island between Yemen and Somalia. There are no roads and very poor maps for this area. We worked in teams. One team went to find new entrances, and the other team followed the next day to explore the cave. Since it was a lightweight expedition, we chose the eTrex as our companion. Every new entrance was marked on our eTrex, as well as the route to get there. The next morning, we swapped our GPS units, and the exploration team had no difficulties in finding the entrances. We relied on our GPS because there are almost no marks in the landscape as reference points.

(Please see the Socotra Karst Project on the Internet for more information.)

K. W.

"eTrex finds its way around New Zealand"

Dear Garmin®,

I would just like to say thanks for making a terrific product that never ceases to surprise me with its versatility, ease of use, and serious features that are so user-friendly.

I purchased my eTrex two years ago before leaving for a two-year working holiday on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It is an isolated and rugged area of New Zealand where navigation can be very difficult. The eTrex plotted the 530-km journey sitting on the front seat of the car and maintained a tight lock in extremely difficult conditions, all the while using the car windows to access satellites. It got better than that after visiting a friend with access to a mapping program. After manually loading in waypoints, we set up a route to allow me to cross the Canterbury Plains from Ashburton to the West Coast along a shortcut he used often. I left at 4 a.m. in the morning in complete darkness with the eTrex switching its light on each time a waypoint was close and with such accuracy as to guide me at crossroads with four or five directions (to go). I arrived at Jackson's two hours away in record time to find the road closed with a slip. The eTrex guided me around the area through a forest track and at all times I knew my ETA so I could travel at a safe speed and make it home for work with still time for a shower and breakfast.

I use the eTrex on my mountain bike to navigate the rainforest tracks and each time it exceeds my expectations! I could go on and on. I love it. Long live the eTrex family. You have a winner on your hands. Thank you.

A. L.
Hokitika, New Zealand

"Escaping a mosquito assualt with our eTrex"

What a lifesaver!

My brother and I recently went on a kayaking/camping trip to a rather remote area. He had just purchased a Garmin eTrex (which was surprisingly affordable), but we didn't think it would be needed. After paddling about 10 miles in marshland and open water, the terrain didn't seem to conform to the map. We knew the basic direction and continued to paddle. Finally, after about 15 miles, we exited our boats to portage them across land to our final destination. As luck would have it, we were attacked by hordes of saltwater mosquitoes (repellant didn't work) and were forced back into the water. After 2-3 hours, we could not find a way across and decided to head back. When I reviewed maps at home, I found out that we had missed our landing target by about 300 yards. The sun was starting to set and we were 15 miles from civilization. Landmarks were getting harder to identify and, as the sun finally set, it became impossible to see much beyond 250 yards. The mosquitoes continued to attack us in the marshy channels, and I knew we were lost at this point. I pulled out the GPS unit and did a GoTo to the nearest waypoint where we could camp, which was about 8 miles away. I had luckily programmed in a few locations. Despite being quite tired after having already paddled 12 hours, we kept going. 

Soon we were on open water and the mosquitoes left us alone. I kept thinking that we were heading the wrong way, but decided to put my faith in the GPS, hoping that I had used it correctly. Within an hour, we both made out lights on the opposite shoreline and after another 2 hours we hit land, set up our tents, and had a good night's sleep. 

Without the eTrex, we might have been forced to sleep in our boats with constant harassment by mosquitoes. This was an extremely unpleasant prospect, and I was so grateful to have this navigation system! Since then, I have learned how to program in waypoints for our destinations using the Internet, as well as using the features of the GPS unit to better advantage. Now I can't imagine traveling anywhere without one.

Sincerely,
P. C.  

"Oregon forest fighter thankful for his eTrex and GPS III® units "

Dear Garmin,

On behalf of the Linn County Strike Team that was sent to Summer Lake, OR to protect homes there during the recent wildfire, I would like to give you my heartfelt thanks. It was our task to protect the homes in and around Summer Lake from the then 97,000-acre Toolbox/Winter Fire. As one of the first structural protection teams sent to the fire, it was our job to locate, triage, and map each home in our division of the fire. Shortly after our arrival, we were given a Garmin eTrex GPS to get coordinates of the homes back to the main fire camp some 30 miles away in Paisley. During the next three days, we triaged and mapped some 50 homes. Each morning, our strike team leader would head into the main camp to get our maps, orders, and weather conditions for the day, and every change or update we had made to the location of those houses could be seen on the maps. The ability for new crews to know the locations of structures they were to protect was a great help. No longer did we have to rely on radio traffic like "put a dozer line south of the house with the blue roof." We could give the exact coordinates. The time we saved using your simple-to-operate GPS receiver made this fire-fighting effort go smoother than any I have been on before. Since that fire, our district has been sent on two other wildland conflagrations, and we have since purchased two of your eTrex receivers to go with our three vehicle-mounted GPS III units.

Thanks again,

B. G.
Firefighter / EMT
Lebanon Fire District
Lebanon, OR

"eTrex finds its way around the Netherlands"

Dear Garmin,

Last year I traveled to the Netherlands, and I bought an eTrex for the trip. (My friends laughed at me.) I also bought a bicycle mount to use on my bicycle. I was visiting a friend in Den Helder (the northern tip of Holland) and, to a new person, all those little houses and streets look the same. The eTrex solved the problem of finding my way home at the end of a long, adventurous day. Even better, my Dutch friend, who was working, would retrieve the track log and see where I had been all day-it was hysterical! He gave me his cell phone in case I got lost, but with the eTrex, he never had to worry about losing me. By the end of the trip, he was no longer laughing at me-he wanted his own eTrex!

What fun! I could take off on my bicycle and explore without worrying about finding my way back to the apartment. I could also explore, and find my way home without retracing my earlier path, which made the trip much more interesting. When I went to Amsterdam, I could mark the train station and wander around the city at my leisure. When it was time to go home, I could pull out the eTrex, bring up AmCen as my waypoint, and off I would go. I didn't have to worry about pulling out maps, looking like a tourist, and putting myself in any danger.

When I was on the seawall by the lighthouse at Den Helder, I actually picked up 12 satellites at one time, and had an accuracy of approximately 3 to 5 meters. It was incredible!

At home, I use my eTrex while camping and hiking, and on my motorcycle for wandering trips through the country. The bicycle/motorcycle mount was a great idea!

The eTrex is definitely one of the best purchases I have ever made. It's a fun toy, a terrific tool, and a wonderful safety net to have while traveling abroad. For a woman traveling alone, the eTrex is invaluable! Next year, the eTrex and I are going to Paris!

Thanks for developing such a great product!

Regards,

A. F.

"eTrex helps to win the race"

Hi,

I just wanted to congratulate you on a great product, the eTrex. I recently bought the mentioned equipment and used it while traveling as a support team for a race car in a Safari Style Rallie in South America. The truck I was assigned lacked a speedometer or odometer, so I relied solely on GPS for tripmeters and other guidance to reach my various destinations. The Rallie was on the "Chaco Paraguayo" in Paraguay, an isolated, remote area with mud and deserted dirt roads without any route signals. We had to rely on drawn maps (the ones used by the rally race car) to find the way. These maps have coordinates, so the best way to find your way is via GPS.

I have to say that the eTrex not only fulfilled my expectations, but surpassed them. Even though I never used or had any knowledge of a GPS, the eTrex was very easy to use, and it took me just about an hour or so of practicing and reading the manual to understand the functioning and usefulness of the equipment. Congratulations again on a great piece of equipment. And for the record, our team car won the race, thanks to Garmin.

R. G.

"Hunter appreciates easy operation of eTrex"

Prior to my hunting trip to Alaska, I purchased an eTrex at an Oshman's in Hurst, Texas. On previous hunts, I have used a (competitor's) GPS, which took an engineer to operate. The eTrex was very simple to operate and very user-friendly. I got a caribou and took a reading at the kill site. After packing out meat for about a mile and a half, I used the eTrex to go back to the site. Unbelievably, I returned to the site within feet. This unit is incredible, easy to use, and very accurate. I even used it on a commuter flight 200 miles southwest of Anchorage, Alaska, and on a float plane flight 50 miles southwest of Illiamna, Alaska. My destination was 3,243 miles from my home in Colleyville, Texas. I never had any emergencies, but I could have directed a float plane to my camp sight.

Thank you for such an incredible product.

G.K.

"eTrex aids firefighters in Montana"

Just passing on a note of thanks. I recently got to test my eTrex unit to its fullest. For over three weeks, our team from Alberta was down helping out on three large fires northwest of Missoula, Montana. Working in very rugged terrain, the GPS was crucial to getting to landmarks in and around the fires, getting crews to where they needed to be, and guiding in the air support to help us out on the ground with water drops. The little eTrex did its job with flying colors. Day in and day out, I was using the eTrex in really extreme conditions: dust, smoke, heat, water and numerous "hard landings." One time, my unit did a hard landing of over 150 feet! That little yellow case is really easy to find against blackened trees, and it showed no signs of being any worse for the wear.

This unit is a keeper. Thanks for a great product.

M.G.

"Fishfinder 240 and eTrex find the best fishing spots"

I have been fishing on my home lake more than 15 years now, and I guess I don't know it as well as I thought. I heard of the rebate offer for the Fishfinder 240, so I got one, took it out on the boat, just playing around a little bit, and I came across what looked to be an old underwater bridge. I said "what the heck," so I started to fish it. It was the very best day I ever had on the lake (lots of fish). The next day I wanted to repeat it. I spent over 10 hours and two tanks of fuel looking for that spot. I never did find it again. After seeing the new eTrex, I got one. I was able to find the spot once again. Now anytime I want, I just go right to that spot. Thanks for making me a better fisherman.

Ted in Texas

"eTrex takes on bike trails in Costa Rica"

I am the webmaster of a mountain biking group in Costa Rica, Central America. Our group's name is Ecociclistas. We have been documenting our trails on our Web site for about a year. I recently acquired a Garmin eTrex to document the waypoints on our rides. I purchased the eTrex because of its size and price/performance. Since the purchase of the eTrex, we have documented our rides with ride descriptions (in Spanish), waypoints, altitude and pictures and scanned 1:50,000 maps of the area. I have copied the waypoint info. manually onto the Web pages. People with no prior knowledge of the area have successfully done the route despite its many intersections and a ride sequence that is difficult to explain with words. A list of all the routes is at: http://www.axioma.co.cr/mtb/rutasmtb.htm

R.A.

"eTrex is an ideal shipmate for offshore sailor"

I am a long time handheld GPS user - my first unit was a [competitor's product] in 1992 and it was about the size of of a brick. Aquisition time was about 10 minutes, roughly half that of the battery life! Now I just have a Garmin eTrex, and as a year-round offshore sailor in Northern Europe, I can safely say it's the first handheld that can put up with the damp and wet AND offer ease of use. The eTrex may have been designed for treking enthusiasts, but it's the short-handed professional delivery skippers that are going to get the most out of it. Long live the eTrex!

"Hang gliding with eTrex"

I'm a commercial photographer based in the Boston, MA. area. Two years ago I picked up your GPS II® Plus, and I loved it for my applications, but it was a little bulky. Two days ago I was in a local retail store (Sports Authority), and I saw your new eTrex. A very nice, compact unit for half the price of my GPS II Plus. Same features, very intuitive button functions, and it locked on in 15 seconds – at least it did today! I'll be in Florida in March shooting and flying for the United States Hang Gliding Assoc. Magazine. I plan to have the eTrex on my control frame for photo opts. The unit is perfect for the slow speeds we fly and great for taking me to declared goals. The ground speed display confirms if I'm cross or flying with a nice desired tail wind. Thanks for a great little package.

M.V.

eTrex, just right for kayaking

I just purchased a new Garmin eTrex from West Marine. I have been waiting for some time now for a good waterproof, small GPS. I have a large sailboat and on it, I use a competition's product and a Garmin GPS III Plus. These units are more than enough for the sailing that I do, but I also do a lot of kayaking, and neither unit was what I wanted for that. The new eTrex fits the bill just fine. It is small enough and waterproof, easy to use and easy to view – a really great product. I am sure that a lot of kayakers will jump all over this product. Thank you.

B.C.

"eTrex aids canine search & rescue unit"

I am a member of Search One K-9 Detection, based out of Tualatin, OR (just outside of Portland). We are the largest canine search and rescue group in the state with 12 state- certified dogs at this time.

The reason for this letter is that in the past year we have realized the importance of using GPS units in the field. Several times, when we could get a fix in the forest, it has helped get a few of our teams out of a jam. Several of our members have aqcuired several different units with mixed results. The variation in complexity and difficulty of use has been frustrating. The president of our group just bought the Garmin eTrex and it is a hit! With its ease of use, its ability to acquire a position in the thick Oregon canopy, and it being waterproof (the bane of our existence) as well as its small size – we love it!!!

Our group covers the entire state of Oregon and SW Washington, responding day or night, 365 days a year. When we do respond, we work in teams of 2-3 persons, a K-9 handler and 1-2 support persons whose responsibilities include radio communications and map and compass. Here is where GPS units are starting to be used by our teams. I envision our teams with the eTrex units and our SAR coordinator at the command trailer with laptop computers using map programs to keep track of the teams in the field, assessing search probabilities. The GPS would be invaluable.

O.G.

"Has eTrex, will venture"

I just bought my second GPS unit, the Garmin eTrex, after owning a GPS II for the last three or four years. You guys just get better and better. I've used my old GPS II for updating TOPO maps, tracking game trails, 4 wheeling, ATV adventures, hiking, and just plain having fun. It can be so useful to load in campsites and then be able to find them day or night, no matter what the weather. We've found abandoned ranch sites, mines, hand-built dams on desert washs — and only with your products can we go back and explore them again. I can't wait to take my new eTrex out for a workout. Keep up the great work and for sure I'll own three.

M.H.