Comments on: A Review Of The Garmin Oregon 450t GPS For Field Work: Part II – The Touch Screen Interface

By: Anders

Anders — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 11:19:18 +0000

(comment added Jan. 25 2011.)

By: Anders

Anders — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 11:16:16 +0000

I just got the Oregon 450T a couple of weeks ago.

And the UI is really a disaster and so is BaseCamp and MapSource which looks like it haven’t had an update for the last 8 years.

Also traks suddenly disappear from the unit even if I archived them and imported them to BaseCame.

What a disappointment.

By: Philip

Philip — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 14:45:40 +0000

This is a great review with lots of info to help me but I have to agree with Mike. It’s December 2010 & I cannot tell if the info is one week, one month, or one year old.

By: mike

mike — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 23:11:20 +0000

when was this review published??? it would help a lot if this website had dates for reviews and posted comments..

By: bob fentzlaff

bob fentzlaff — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 16:15:08 +0000

I just ordered the 450T and hope I figure out how to use it I use a E trex now and the orange screen is tough to read in most lights including dark! If shading the screen works I am happy. As far a s entries go most of us use alot less of the features you seem to need for work. I want to find my treestand in the dark, get back to my truck in the dark and explore new areas from time to time. I think the mapping feature will be awesome. With My e trex I will find my way home but have no idea where the lake or next road(s) are.

By: Craig

Craig — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 05:47:39 +0000

What a great page, i am looking for a GPS at the moment, I am tech savvy but a gps newbie, most important to me is the ability to be able to turn it on when i enter the bush or mountains and know its going to be able to help me find my way out ( i carry a compass as a backup)later that evening or the next day.
The ability to save the route and mark POI on the way then view them on google earth is also very important.

By: car dvd gps

car dvd gps — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 07:42:36 +0000

This thing looks great for those who like to explore. Right now I ride with a Garmin Quest, Polar HRM and Shimano Flight deck mounted on my handlebars. I do alot of explorative riding and once I started using the Quest, I wouldn’t be caught without it. Battery life is a concern, Quest advertizes 20 hrs and is pretty true with back light off but the comment regarding the 305 drain to 6.5 with cadence/hrm is a concern. Still eliminating the handlebar clutter/weight to one device with mapping is real tempting. Plus I get a barometric altimeter which the Quest doesn’t have, the gps altimeter is pretty inaccurate and the Polar HRM with barometric costs over $300. Does it support multiple waypoints per route? Quest does, Nuvis don’t, critical for programming in exploration routes.

By: Leszek Pawlowicz

Leszek Pawlowicz — Thu, 27 May 2010 17:25:52 +0000

If you can wait a bit, there may be an acceptable alternative coming up. Garmin will be releasing the model 62 in a few months, which has the same new operating system as the Oregon (which I thought was OK), but no touchscreen – it uses the same button layout as the Garmin 60CSx series. I don’t know how well the buttons will work with the new OS, but it has to be better than the touch screen. At a minimum, you can now enter a waypoint with a single button push. Rich Owings has more on the new model at his site:

http://gpstracklog.com/2010/05/garmin-gpsmap-62-series-first-pics.html

If you can’t wait, the Garmin 60CSx is currently on sale for $200 at REI, Bass Pro Shops and Cabelas.

By: RC Nelson

RC Nelson — Thu, 27 May 2010 16:57:56 +0000

Lescek, Thank you for your very thorough review of the Oregon 450t. I am just about to purchase my first GPS device and was leaning heavily towards this unit, so your observations are a big help. I’ve hiked and backpacked in Utah, Colorado and New Mexico for years without one but have decided it’s time to add it to my gear. I do no fieldwork just days of meandering through the mountains and canyons, many times solo. I know you are very busy but if you have any recommendations for a GPS novice I would appreciate it. Money is not the issue – cheap or expensive is fine – I would just like to have a good, reliable unit that will fit with what I do.

Thanks again for your excellent review. RC

By: neisgei

neisgei — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 10:05:40 +0000

Leszek, thank you very much for this sophisticated review! The points you checked are very interesting. It will help me a lot to make a decision buying the 60CSx or the 450t. I have to test both devices to get a own impression. I’m afraid, that the scrolling on maps with the oregon is much easier (faster?) then with the 60CSx. Moving the cursor around the map to scrol is painful (tested on Edge705). I expect, that this will be much easier on 450t.