Travel Gear Blog |
Home 12 Days of Travel Gear Giveaways

Garmin eTrex H GPS Receiver

Garmin eTrex H GPS Receiver – accurate and economical handheld GPS unit
If you want a barebones, high sensitivity, economical GPS receiver, the Garmin eTrex H is it. With handheld GPS units reaching far into the $500 range with more bells and whistles than you could ever even figure out how to use, the Garmin eTrex is a nice reprieve.
The eTrex doesn’t have a colored screen, SPOT satellite messaging, and endless memory space, but it does accurately track your GPS coordinates by continuously tracking up to 12 satellites. A high-sensitivity chip can lock in your coordinates even when traveling through dense forests and narrow valleys. You can store up to 500 waypoints along the way and the trip computer calculates current and average speed, trip time, and distance.
Compact in design, the eTrex is as small as a compass yet its display is as large as many of the more expensive GPS units. The operational buttons are all on the side for easy use and there are only five of them so it is pretty simple to operate.
The quick & dirty:
Where you can find on:
Amazon: $81.55
REI: $99.95
Why they rock:

  • High-sensitivity, WAAS-enabled GPS receiver provides peak performance in any environment
  • Lightweight and waterproof
  • High-contrast 2.1-inch X 1.1-inch screen with bright back lighting
  • 5 buttons located on either side of the device for one-hand operation
  • Stores up to 500 waypoints for easy retrieval and 20 routes with up to 125 waypoints per route

Seat-of-the-pants rating: 9 out of 10
If you only need a GPS unit for geocaching and recreational hiking, all you really need is the Garmin eTrex. Many people purchase the fancier units because they don’t have the navigational skills on their own. If you have a map, a compass, and you know how to use them both, you should be able to get around just fine in the wilderness with this barebones unit, plus you save yourself a couple of hundred bucks.
Looking to buy? Here’s where you can get one:
Amazon: $81.55
REI: $99.95