I was concerned with the accuracy issue of this GPSr. I emailed Garmin customer service with my concerns and they assured me that it would not be a problem. I basically wanted some sort of correspondence for proof just in case their was an issue. Then the price became an issue. I tried to order the unit through an online camera shop for a price around 400.00 and found out that what they were selling me was a Japanese (no english installed) no warranty, no topo maps installed unit. How can it be a 400T without Topo maps? Anyway, I went to amazon for a higher price but a more comfortable transaction.

This product is pricey, but I believe that it is well priced for what you get. It hasn't disappointed me yet as far as the accuracy goes. Base maps are preloaded but streetmaps are not. These are separate and will run around 100.00. I went with the SD card street maps and glad I did. This leaves the memory free for geocaches. I was able to load 400 caches along a route and made an insignificant dent in the 256MB memory. Map cards are a no hassle PNP operation. I have been told by Garmin Cust. service, that if you want to have the same maps on your PC Mapsource software (which comes with the unit) as your gps, then you should buy the DVD mapset. With this configuration you can upload the wanted maps onto the unit itself or a seperate memory card. The WAAS works wonders in dense foliage. The external antenna is a must if you are using in the car. Screen protection is a must if you aren't storing it in a case. Screen brightness is not as bad as I was expecting. I usually don't have to turn on the backlight unless It is dark of course or if I am in the shade. Only problem with screen brightness is that you have to reset it after every reboot, as it won't store the setting in memory. Shaded relief maps are nice to have and the topo features are great to have as well. If it wasn't for battery consumption I would have gave it a higher rating.

This unit will go through batteries very fast. For lightweight backpacking you might want to buy lithium batteries, a whole lot of them. Do consider buying rechargeable batteries and the car charger with alkaline spares as I have already found myself hunting down batteries instead of caches. Easy .GPX file transfer with www.geocaching.com and a windows machine but not a linux machine that I know of.

Overall, this is a must for a geocacher

After nearly ten years of service my eTrex can finally take a rest.

One last thing. Phone calls to Garmin customer service are not fun. Expect a 30min wait time before you get to talk to anyone. I am rating their product not their customer service.

I found the product perfect for my needs. I like the many features the device offers, such as the 3D viewing of the terrain and the topographic features are great. It does not work well with automobiles, i.e., that it takes the most direct route - like a bird flies - rather than the road routes - and that's ok, because that's not what I purchased it for. It is a battery hog - so until you learn how to use it, be prepared to put some extra batteries in it - otherwise it is great.

Finally a device that really works in the deep woods. If you like to go mountain biking, hiking or do any type of outdoor exploration, in areas that you're not familiar with, this Garmin unit is a must-have. There's nothing worse than going out in the woods for a nice hike, and then discovering you have no clue where you are. The Garmin 400t will let you know where you are and better yet how to get back to where you started from.

My major gripe with this unit (which is why the 4-star rating instead of 5-stars) is that after buying it and also buying the DVD for City Navigation I was hoping to use this unit for road biking as well. I assumed that the unit was compatible with Garmins Training Center Software because the unit is compatible with both Garmins heart rate monitor and cadence device. Why would Garmin make the 400t compatible with their heart rate monitor and cadence device and not make the unit compatible with their Training Center Software so that rides can be uploaded to the Web. Knowing that the unit was compatible with Garmins heart rate monitor and cadence device it was only logically to think that Garman would have made the unit compatible with the Garmin Training Center Software so that rides could be loaded into the training center software. Unfortunately, Garman decided not to make this unit compatible with their Training Center Software. I think this is a big drawback for anyone that wants to use it for road biking.

I previously used an e-trex legend, and was frustrated that it did not have a compass and barometric altimeter. I was looking to upgrade, but was quite concerned about all of the negative reports about the colorado series. There are some things I would like different, but all in all, I am very pleased with the Colorado. It does what it says it does. I do have to brighten the back light every time, but doing that makes it work well in low lighting conditions, and I can see it perfectly under bright sun! After running through a set of alkaline batteries I switched to rechargeables, and they are working great. I also bought some lithium batteries to use, but am saving them for a long backpacking trip.

First let me say, I purchased this unit specifically for Geocaching so I can't speak to it's usefulness in other ventures. I took delivery of my Colorado just in time to take it to Geocaching's largest yearly event, Geo-Woodstock. I spent three solid days Geocaching and found almost 150 caches! I stepped up to the Colorado from Garmin's 60CSx (which I still have) and I have to say that the Colorado has got to be "the" tool for Geocachers. The "paperless" features have allowed me to carry fewer items on my cache runs as I no longer need the Palm Handheld as all the cache info is right at my fingertips. Speaking of fingertips... I love the ergonomics of this new unit. It fits nicely in your hand and all the controls seem to fall right where they should. I have not experienced any of the firmware issues mentioned by others. I spoke with a friend who purchased a Colorado right after they were released and he confirmed that the more recent units (like mine) seem to have the new firmware already loaded. As for battery wear, it does seem to burn through batteries quicker than my CSx, but I haven't really made and effort yet to see if I can change anything to help that issue. Count me as one of the satisfied customers.

This is my first GPS and I did a lot of research to find the right one. After looking at all the reviews and waiting for Garmin to clear up some issues I pulled the trigger on this unit. I am not disappointed. The shaded relief is great, the wheel is very intuitive, and maps are pretty detailed. I haven't had any issues with my unit and the battery life lasts plenty long. The price has came down so it makes this a steal compared to any other unit with what you get. I definitely recommend this product to anyone that is looking for a GPS.

I got this from Amazon and played with it for a few days. I have 30 to decide whether I want to keep it. First let me say the unit is EASIER to see in the direct sunlight since its a transflective screen. Its hard to see in shadows because the backlight is very dim compared to GARMIN's Nuvi units. I couldn't see it when the light was on unless it was in direct sunlight. Hiking will be fine since I can look at it directly but in a car, forget it. I guess the backlight has to be dim in order to preserve the battery since the Colorado has some serious processing power which will use a lot of batteries up fast. I was able to get 10 hours on a set of enelope rechargeables. As long as you have at least 3-4 sets of rechargeable batteries, this is a non-issue on the trail.

The graphics are very good as this unit has a lot of pixels. I just wish it were brighter.

I haven't taken it on a hike yet but will update this within a few weeks on how that went. So far it seems to be a great device but a bit pricy. I got it for $482 with $18 overnight shipping with NO TAX so a total of $500, not bad considering most places are selling it for the retail of $599 not including tax. Amazon is really good about that and their return policy.

UPDATE JULY 3 2008:

Have done 4 Geocaches in Northern Michigan. The Geocaches worked great. I uploaded the info for each one paperlessly and has worked great. Battery life is ok, just bring along an extra set or two. So I've decided to keep it. Pretty happy with the unit after about a month of use and several geocaches.

This is my 2nd GPS after using a magellan 500le from costco that I returned due to a very difficult file system that was not user friendly. After reading several reviews on the colorado I was very concerned but decided to try it since it seemed the firmware updates fixed many glitches. As soon as I received it, I did the updates and have not had one problem with it. The display that many say is impossible to read is as bright as my computer monitor. I believe these people who cant see the display did not have enough intelligence to read the first page of the quickstart guide which tells you how to turn the backlight intensity up and down. Even with the backlight on, it wont work unless you turn up the intesity. I have never had the unit crash, the file system is super easy to use with the roller, and the unit has been very accurate so far. Battery life is ok and better than the Magellan. I now use rechargable NiMH batteries and left the unit on with backlight on 100% to check the life and the unit worked for 7 hours straight with the backlight on nonstop before draining the batteries. If using the unit with the light on and off I'm sure it would last most of the day. The only beef I have is that the 400t with topo map which shows the city streets will not give you turn by turn directions unless you purchase the city navigatior map also which at this price point should be included. Other than that I am very happy with my colorado after about 3 weeks of use. You will have no regrets as long as you do the firmware update.

The Garmin Colorado is the third Garmin outdoor handheld which I've owned in the last ten years. I use GPSs for geocaching, hiking, boating and auto navigation and I have used the Garmin Colorado in all of these activities. Currently I have the Topo maps which come pre-installed on the unit and I also have the City Navigator North America NT 2009 driving maps installed. This review was written based on the Software version 2.51 and GPS Software 2.4.

I purchased the unit in January when it first came out. The first four months, like with many new tech products, have been bumpy. So far there have been 3 software releases which have made things much better but there is still much room for improvement. Overall I'll give the Colorado 3 out of 5 stars but I would recommend holding off on any purchase right now. Read on for more details.

First the good stuff.

- Paperless geocaching mode. Works very well and eliminates the need to carry paper or a Palm/PPC.

- Compact well balanced case and design. The design feels sturdy and fits well in your hand.

- Lots of memory and preloaded map data. This handheld has 4GB of internal memory (2.7GB used by Topo2008 maps) and you can expand with an SD card. I use an 8GB San Disk card.

- Profiles allow you to save and recall configuration depending on your mode of use (e.g. auto or hiking) or by user if there are multiple users.

- Big, high resolution screen as compared to most handhelds

- Autorouting. The Colorado was based on a Nuvi platform so I guess it makes sense that it is pretty good at autorouting using the optional City Navigator maps. No speech and no touch screen but it makes a decent unit if you don't have money for both.

Mixed bag.

- User interface. The Rock'n Roller and soft key entry method works pretty well for most tasks except text entry. Text entry is very time consuming and I avoid it whenever possible. Garmin has improved some aspects of the user interface by making it more simple but in the process they have removed many of the nice shortcuts available on the 60csx series that "expert users" enjoyed. Context sensitive setup options are a prime example. On the 60csx when you entered something like the altimeter page you could easily access the setup and calibration functions, not so on the Colorado. The result is a simpler interface for new users but a much less optimized interface for power users.

The not so good.

- Screen brightness. As compared to the 60cs(x) the screen is hard to read and you'll need to use the backlighting more frequently.

- Battery life. You'll need to use NiMH batteries and you'll need to use good ones, 2500 mAh or more. If you are willing to invest in these batteries and a good charger you'll still only get about 10hrs out of a pair.

- GPS accuracy. A lot of debate on this issue but personally I believe the unit isn't as stable and mature as the Sirf receiver in the 60csx. There are times when the unit wonders and has errors in the 400-500' range. Unfortunately recovery is slow and sometimes power cycling is the fastest way to get it back to normal.

- Waterproofness. IPX7 rated but many reports of leakage. This may be a design flaw or just a issue with early units, time will tell.

- There are many (mostly minor) software features (as of v2.51) that you will find on the 60csx but not the Colorado including waypoint averaging, search from a location on the map, search by waypoint symbol, calendar based recording of events, personalized startup screen, night/day mode, custom waypoint symbols, proximity alarms, viewing multiple tracks on map page and trackback. Some of this will probably be added over time but the list is pretty long so I'm sure some won't.

And the big issue:

- Hardware issues. I've watched a lot of the forums and news groups associated with the Colorado and many early owners have had to exchange their units two, three and in some cases even four times. The issues vary and are well documented but for this reason alone I would suggest holding off on a purchase for at least a few months until Garmin gets the formula right.

I have owned 3 garmin units and its a surprise to find out I should have kept my old 60cs or gotten a 60csx instead of the colorado. Battery life is awful, system is unstable with far more glitches than the previous units.

Garmin can not afford such a great disappointment as this one. I am returning my unit.