Shortly after I bought this (before it arrived) I began to suffer buyer's remorse; I started thinking this was just an expensive toy and a waste of money. But after receiving it [and the North American detailed street maps chip (another $160)] I don't regret a single penny spent.

It's great for mapping (showing a route, down to the foot, you've taken) so you can backtrack and not get lost while hiking. And, with the North American street maps microSD Data card, I travel to new destinations stress-free now. With the detailed street map chip, it gives driving directions as well as any automotive gps with the exception that the 60CSx doesn't give voiced instructions and, of course, the screen is smaller. And it'll show all the restaurants (or gas stations, atms, etc) near my location and sorts them according to distance. This comes in handy when you're in an unfamiliar area and need a Starbucks STAT. I know, this is starting to be a review of the Maps microSD Data chip/card, but I think anyone buying this unit should definitely invest in the extra chip, too. Doing so makes the unit many times more useful.

Regarding battery usage, it has accomodations for both alkaline and lithium batteries (supposedly lithium batteries have more energy than alkalines and can cause problems with some electronic devices). And I find that the 20 hour battery life is accurate as long as you don't use the backlight too much. When I first got this, I was playing with it all the time, using the back light and got about 10 hours on Duracell Ultra alkaline batteries.

It also has other cool features like the ability to tell you the exact location (current or any time in the future) of the sun or moon. How cool would it be to know where the shade will be when you get out of that Phoenix movie theatre and have your car already parked there, in a spot that was blazing hot two hours earlier? Knowing the exact time the sun will set or rise can come in handy, too.

When I first got it, I didn't care for the economy of buttons on the device. But after using it almost daily for two weeks now I appreciate that I can effectively operate the unit with one hand because of the smart design/layout of the buttons.

I'd also invest twenty bucks in a protective case. The case is nicely designed with very good functionality allowing you to clearly see the screen and operate the buttons through a thick, tough, transparent barrier.

PRO: Intuitive interface, bright screen, satellite acquisition

CON: screen rather small for driving applications

I have owned a lot of hand held GPS units in the past 15 years, starting with Trimble, Nexus, Magellan and many Garmin units. I used these for recreation but wanted to use them for search and rescue. I am a paid Captain with a fire department in Western North Carolina that does lots of searches in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Because of our steep, deep and heavily vegetated terrain, no GPS has been more than another navigation aid to confirm basic map and compass locations. (Don't get me started on how important map and compass skills are; you simply have to have them.)

That was true until I spent the $300.00 for a Garmin 60 CSx. This unit works like a charm and so far I have never lost a signal for more than two minutes when on foot. I can throw this unit in my pack or side pocket of my pants and still pull in 6-9 satellites, for that matter I receive 5-6 in my office at the fire department!

Add a 1GB memory card and the 1:100,000 topo maps from Map Source and the GPS is a great tool for any outdoor endeavor. I have most of the east coast loaded on my one card. The altimeter is as accurate as any GPS I have used and the electronic compass is a very useful upgrade. The screens can be customized as needed and for those of us who use 1:24000 topo maps, the 60 CSx will allow you to display UTM coordinates on the same screen as Latitude / Longitude so we can call in aircraft or boats as needed, eliminating having to convert between the two. The symbols library is very Emergency Service friendly with ICS symbols as well as tons of other markers for waypoints and routes. Battery life is great and the backlight works wonderfully as well.

Overall this is a huge improvement over the earlier generations of GPS handhelds. My two wishes are for a true fitted custom case to mount on a backpack, and for map software compatibility with Maptech or Topo! State series using 1:24000 scale digital maps.

Folks, this is the best money I have spent in a long time on a piece of outdoor gear.

Awesome product. Very happy with the screen size (it's larger than my buddies Etrex Vista but the overall dimensions are quite similar.) SIRF chipset kept me locked on even in the fairly dense pines of northern Arizona during last weeks camping/geocaching trip. Most times it was locked on 9 or 10 satellites. My only complaint is one I new about going in...this is a 'two handed' unit as the navigation buttons are located way at the bottom. The larger screen size more than makes up for this imo, I only mention it because I need a reason to not give it 5 stars, that to me would mean it's perfect and few things are.

Other notes: Know what you are buying! Don't be shocked that it doesn't come pre-loaded with City Navigator like most car based units. Know that you must use Garmin Topo software if you want to load (and of course view) topo maps on your gps. Know that the barometric altimeter is affected by pressure, therefore having the car windows up/down or blower running will affect it's reading. Know that the electronic compass is affected by metallic and magnetic objects at close range. But hey! When moving, the unit uses (by default) the gps coordinates to track heading and this is a handheld/outdoor type use of product so when standing still in the woods trying to find direction at least you CAN USE the compass WITHOUT having to walk around trying to get the compass to update. This is really nice for geocaching as well.

Long story slightly short: I am quite pleased and highly recommend this unit for those who want a handheld gps. Now if only Garmin would put out some top notch US topo software..........ahhh, gps life would be good. I know National Geographic, Maptech and others have great USGS based software but of course you can't upload these maps and even if you could they probably wouldn't be of great use on a 2 inch screen. For those who want to download waypoints and track logs and then view/share/map out/print your hikes/bikes and whatnot, get one of these 3rd party options, they are great, just not what I want.

Bottom line: If this is in your price range then stop fooling around and just go buy it! It's great!

The 60CSx is a very sophisticated GPS that, while its looks may be intimidating to the novice, is fairly easy to learn. This due in a large part to the manual that comes with the unit. Garmin does a very good job of walking a first time user through the basics of setting up the GPS, learning basic navigation with the unit and letting you know how to change features to your liking. If you previously owned another Garmin with mapping capabilities, you will only need to adjust to where the control buttons are as the menu structure is very similar to the rest of the series. In addition to the manual, the 60CSx comes with a lanyard, a USB cable to connect the GPS to a computer and Trip and Waypoint manager, the software that enables you to pass information between your computer and the GPS.

The display screen is nicely sized for a handheld GPS. With the proper maps, more on that shortly, this will make a very good vehicle navigation aid as well as a hiking / geocaching unit. The 60CSx features inputs on the back if you wish to install an external antenna on your vehicle for added sensitivity. Personally, I feel no need to do this, but if you use this receiver frequently in your car, an external antenna may be an option for you to consider.

The 60CSx is larger than the more popular eTrex series, but it is still very portable. An external antenna housing is the reason for this increase in length. This antenna is not just for appearance, it does make a difference in reception over the eTrex series. Internally, the unit boasts of having the SiRF chipset. I don't know what the acronym stands for, but I will say this GPS has a much better ability to lock onto satellites and hold the lock than my previous Vista Cx did. The 60CSx far less bothered by overhanging branches on the trail or overhead bridges and short tunnels than my Vista Cx was.

As with most other GPS receivers, the unit only comes with a relatively sparse base map burned into the circuitry. It is still fully functional, right out of the box, but you may be missing some details for navigation. Like other units in the "x" series, the 60CSx makes use of a MicroSD card to store additional mapping information. Additional maps, either the CityNavigator series for vehicle navigation or topographical maps may be easily sent to the GPS via supplied USB cable to fill in the blank spots on the base map. You may load both types of maps, but only one can be visible at a time.

The unit comes with a 64MB chip. The chip may be replaced with a larger capacity one for storing more information. 64MB is adequate for storing a fairly good sized area of topo map information, but if you are planning an extended road trip, road maps will eat up a lot of space. Changing the chip is easy, but accessing it a little inconvenient as the batteries must be removed to do this. While this is mildly annoying, it is not something that needs to be done frequently, especially if you get a very large MicroSD card. If you get the 2 GB card, you can fit the entire CityNavigator North America onto the single chip and still have room left over for several states worth of topographic maps. Then you don't need to change the card out when travelling. The alternative to a larger capacity MicroSD card is taking a laptop when you travel and updating the navigation maps appropriate to where you are.

After using this GPS for a few weeks both in the field and on the road, I have a hard time finding flaws with it. If I hadn't previously owned the Vista Cx, I'd give this a full five stars across the board. I feel I can only give this unit four stars for value because of the price difference between the 60CSx and the Vista Cx. Yes, the 60CSx is superior, but the cost of the base unit is about what you would expect to pay for the Vista Cx with either City Navigator or a topographical Map set. In comparison, I found the Vista Cx to be extremely reliable and accurate enough for my hiking, geocaching and vehicle navigation needs.

Does mean I think the 60CSx is not worth the extra cost? I'll answer with a qualified "No, it is very much worth the cost". I think the extra cost is justified as you are getting observably improved performance. Using the 60CSx is every bit as easy as the Vista Cx, so it is suitable for a beginner, but the extra price may make it better suited to someone with a little experience looking for a worthwhile upgrade.

I bought this as a tool mainly to measure property, but my wife and I have quickly found it indispensible for travel. (1) It is very easy to use. Both I (a gadget nut) and my wife (gadget averse) found it intuitive and mastered it on our first trip. (2) If you buy the software, AND you buy a one-GB smart card for it (it comes with a small smart card), you can load detail maps of over half of North American into it AND upload found waypoints (that campsite up on the lake) back to your maps on your computer. That is plenty for most of our driving trips. (3) With the included Waypoint software and with the additional mapping software, computer synchronization is a breeze -- at least if you have Windows XP Pro. This is important because it is so easy to lay out a route with multiple waypoints using your computer. (4) It finds satellites quickly and reliably in deep woods and even in most residential buildings. (5) While it is ideal for using in hiking, biking, etc., it does make a decent automobile navigational device. We did not notice a need for any additional antenna. Of course -- it does not TALK to you, but it does give you turn by turn directions and plenty of notice (via beeps) as you approach your turns. (6) We own a couple of other GPS devices, and this one is far more accurate. (7) It is very rugged -- we did not get a case for it, but it doesn't seem to need one by design -- it comes with a belt clip.

If you are using it heavily -- especially with the backlite, it can eat batteries (10 hours or a little less on recharegeables), so I would recommend rechargeable batteries and also getting the auto charger. It will power itself from your computer's USB port as well.

I cut my GPS teeth on an eTrex Vista (a great little handheld in its own right) for a couple of years before stepping up to the 60CSx. After five months of use, I have only positive things to say about my latest purchase. I was aware of some owners' early concerns about "wandering" and the seeming inability to enable WAAS, but figured Garmin would eventually address such firmware issues, and so decided to take the plunge. The first thing I did (the first thing any purchaser should do) was to download all of the available updates from Garmin's website, and my 60CSx performed flawlessly from the get-go. So yes, I can enable WAAS, but I don't bother to use it because for me the slight increase in accuracy isn't enough to justify the additional battery drain. Consistently getting within ten feet or less of a waypoint is good enough for me. I'm not doing cadastral surveys, after all.

I replaced the supplied 64mb micro SD with a 1 gb card and have installed selected maps from both City Navigator and US Topo 24K Western National Parks (both relatively pricey extras). I recently used the former to navigate a familiar route all the way from western Colorado to Cincinnati and back, and the directions it generated differed from the route I've long been accustomed to in only one minor way: it chose a different bridge (the MLK) across the Mississippi River at St. Louis than I usually use. That switch obliged me to exit the interstate and wait at one traffic light for a minute or so, but also saved me a couple of miles, so I guess the net effect was zero. On the return trip, I was unable to make a necessary lane change due to heavy rush hour traffic and was forced onto an exit from the Interstate at Louisville. The 60CSx and City Navigator automatically recalculated and got me back on course in a jiffy via a route through the downtown area that would otherwise have been anything but intuitive. The I-70 route through the Colorado Rockies features numerous tunnels, and only in the longest of them did I lose my satellite signal. In those few instances, the unit promptly reacquired the signal upon exiting the tunnels.

I am a retired National Park Service ranger and now volunteer at Colorado National Monument, where I spend a lot of time in the backcountry identifying and plotting the location of cultural sites. The 60CSx and US Topo 24K are incredibly useful for that. I particularly like the unit's ability to average satellite fixes for increased accuracy over whatever interval I choose. I'm regularly able to mark waypoints to within 3 meters, even in forested areas and in the depths of the area's many canyons. The MapSource software that came with the 60CSx lets me print topo maps of the Monument with those waypoints clearly delineated and labeled.

In the early fall, I carried my 60CSx on a recreational climb to the summit of 14,048-foot Handies Peak in Colorado's San Juan Range. Once on top, I photographed the display to document the precise location and elevation of the summit for my records. Since then, I've learned that it's also possible to transfer a bitmap image of any 60CSx display screen directly to my computer using the xImage application available as a free download on Garmin's website. That's a neat way to build a file of memorable waypoints and to share them graphically with others.

I've found the Garmin 60CSx to be a most capable unit. Teamed with an accesssory 12V cable and City Navigator software, it works well as a vehicle navigator at relatively low cost. Used by itself, with or without US Topo 24K, it's a great hiking companion. It has a great color display, commendable acquisition and refresh speeds, myriad useful functions, a long battery life (months, if you don't leave it on continuously to mark tracks), decent ergonomics and superb accuracy. Finally, the additional storage afforded by removable memory cards is a definite plus with this sophisticated unit. The only change I'd urge Garmin to consider would be to add a temperature sensor.

If you can afford it, and even if you can't, get a Garmin 60CSx.

If all you are doing is navigating to a campsite or back to your car in fairly open country the Etrex units will do just fine at a much lower price. Plus the 60csx is bigger and heavier than an Etrex. However if you ever need a gps in steep or heavily wooded country the 60csx is amazing. Being a GIS (geographic information systems) professional the thing that gets me excited about the 60csx is that it starts to bridge the gap between recreational grade and mapping grade gps units without having to bother with differential correction or the significant added expense of a unit that will allow you to do that (not to mention being three or four times as big and heavy). As WAAS satellites are added units like the 60csx will continue to move closer to the accuracy of the differentially correctable units.

I have used it quite a bit to map trails and except for a little clean up at the ends of the lines the gps files hardly need any editing and what little editing that may be necessary can be done with the included MapSource software. This unit is a great tool used in conjunction with say Google Earth or Google Maps. GPS data can be saved as gpx files and there is a menu item that will open your GPS file in Google Earth. (I imagine all the Garmin units will do this now with this included MapSource software but the 60csx produces much higher quality results)

I have used the unit on the handle bars of a mountain bike in the woods and it will keep a good satellite fix the whole time. I have also tested the 60csx side by side with a several thousand dollar industry standard 2006 Trimble GeoXT and an Etrex Legend in steep heavily wooded terrain, inventorying potential land slide areas. In the most challenging scenarios there, even with the PDOP set the to the max, the GeoXT typically would not be able to get a fix at all, the Legend would be at plus or minus 80 feet after taking several minutes to get a fix and the 60csx would quickly lock in at about plus or minus 20 feet.

The other astounding bit of technology as other reviewers have mentioned is being able to load all the roads in the US and Canada on a 1 Gigabyte Micro SD card the size of a finger nail for under a hundred dollars.

If only Garmin would make a unit like this that you could add more attribute information to the GPS data without having to have it hooked up to a laptop or tablet PC and specialized software.

After purchasing a number of gps units over the last decade, I finally have a unit the does not leave me with that nagging feeling of dissatisfaction after plopping down a sizable chunk of change.

Cons:

1)Audible alerts could be a touch louder.

2)Turn notification could come a bit sooner.

3)Lat/Lon data fields appear to be missing though manual says they should be available (you can only view lat/lon from satellite page)

Pros:

1) SanDisk 2GB microSD works in my unit(I have seen statements that 2GB cards don't work) so I have entire US street detail easily stored, with plenty of room to spare if i decide to get Topo maps.

2) Abilty to acquire sat. connection is unparalleled in places any previous unit I owned would not have a chance without an external antenna. In fact, I can take the unit on walks in my jacket pocket and it maintains a consistent lock.

3) Auto-routing is very impressive with the MapSource v8 street detail. I was able to even get routing along unimproved country roads.

4) I am impressed with the PointsOfInterest database for locating all types of services such as food, lodging, shopping, etc...

I would not hesitate to recommend this unit for those wanting to cover a broad range of applications from hiking, geocaching to on-road navigation. I suppose if I were only interested in auto navigation I might focus on those units designed specifically for that purpose.

Rugged design, waterproof, compact, and with a great color screen.... what more could you ask for!

I use this unit for boating and in my car. I recommend the vent mount over the windshield mount for the car.

The unit gets fair-good reception inside my house and perfect reception outside or in the car.

The color screen is top notch. Very clear display when the back light is on. Fair display with it off.

Mapping is super easy and the unit comes packed with so many features, probably more than I've ever use.

The only down side is that you really need to buy city navigator and blue chart to make use of Garmin's units. The maps that come with the unit are 99% useless. So figure in at least another $100 for city navigator maps. If you want to use this unit in the car, you'll also need to pick up the cigarette adaptor, which will conserve the batteries and allow the back light to be left on.

This unit can be used for turn by turn navigation in a car. With it's early turn warning tones, and high accuracy, this unit works like a charm every time.

I picked the 60csx over the slightly more expensive 76csx because it has a much better feel in my hand and the buttons are easier to access.

I also suggest picking up a 1Gig MicroSD card. The 1 gig card can hold 90% of the US map on it. If you backpack, boat, Ski, and love the outdoors like I do, than this unit is for you! I hardly leave home without it and either will you!