 An excellent GPS unit that offer high standards of reliability and performance. Consistently accurate to within 6metres, around 6hrs battery life on high quality AAA rechargeables, tough, rough-resistant and waterproof casing. Doesn't misbehave below freezing. Used in conjunction with OS map in Ortlieb case and occasional compass for a very reliable navigation system. Works fine with European GPS systems in Switzerland and Italy. I have relied on the 10 figure xxxxx yyyyyy location reading to stay 100m the right side of a sheer ledge on more than one occasion in a white out in the Highlands. I lost my first one somewhere around NN 20 45 if anyone finds it!
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I really liked mine and then moved to the 301 (as I got a deal for £30); the 201 really is all you need. The 301 has a few extra bits and better battery life....but little else really.
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 I really like mine too. Just occasionally I'd like it to acquire the satellites a bit quicker, or keep a signal under tree-cover a little better, but really it does everything I want. If they'd bring out a new version the same design but with the newer chipset I'd be sorted for the next 10 years  (Oh, I suppose more than 6 characters to name waypoints would be nice - but now I'm just quibling!)
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The chipset does boost battery life a lot on the 301 - I was surprised; often getting two backpacking days from a set of 1000mah AAAs
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 Robust wee things too. I've posted this before, but a couple of years back my 201 fell out my rucksack lid pocket just before we got down to the carpark at the ski centre, following an exciting(!) day in a whiteout on Cairngorm. I had no idea I'd lost it at the time. About 4 months later I got a phonecall from a nice lady that worked at the ski centre, saying it had been handed in after the snow had thawed, that she'd sat it on the radiator for a day or so, it had sparked into life, and my wee "title page" message with my name & phone number had come on screen. On that basis, I'm confident it's waterproof enough for most hillwalking trips. 
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 Superb little gadget for such a tiny device. I had a 201 which I virtually wore out and when I broke the battery cover I had no hesitation in buying a 301. It goes everywhere with me whether walking, running or cycling. My mate uses an Etrex and although it does more than the Geko, its twice the size and weight. If you want a device that offers basic navigation and a fail safe in emergency the Geko is the one. For my comments about the excellent customer support see my entry in the forum GPS help and advice section.
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 Without wishing to hijack the thread, any thoughts on the Foretrex when compared with this? Thanks!
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The Foretrex 201 runs on an internal Lion - so this would dsiqualify it from my backpacking kit; think the 101 uses AAAs though?
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 Now that the display on my etrex is intermittent, I think the 201 could be its replacement - I don't need fancy. A gps for me just needs to tell you where you are (in most cases), keep a tracklog, and connect to a PC.
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Agree Martin. I was looking at the Foretrex 101 (due to the battery issue that ed h raised). Was wondering if it was basically the same thing as the Geko? I wont necessarily wear it like a watch, but it is a bit smaller, and the that functionality along with the handle bar clip for the motor/ mountain bike seems pretty good to me...
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exactly so Martin. 201 or 301 is a bit better.
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 There's a review of the Foretrex and etrex summit coming early next week Personally I think the 201 was probably the best innovation in GPS receivers. It managed to achieve the right combination of features without adding too much or getting too complex. Until on-screen OS mapping on mobiles (ViewRanger) came along you couldn't get better value for money if you just want the essentials.
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 I've had a Geko 201 for years and I can't see myself ever using anything else. It's light, compact, waterproof, reliable and battery life is practically immortal. I only use mine for checking my position but this is an invaluable aid to navigation on featureless moorland or in poor visibility. I'm sure that more modern receivers get a fix more quickly but what difference does a few seconds make? I don't think the Geko has ever failed to get a fix, although the accuracy may vary but, again, do you really need to have positional accuracy to within 5 metres for hillwalking navigation? The 201 is the ideal backup to a map and compass and you can get one for about £75 now.
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We have just bought a Garmin Geko 201in the hope it would help us to walk to remote places on Dartmoor. Having read the manual it seems as though a waymark point can only be entered by being at that particular point. The tracking back system is great which means we won’t get lost as it will always get us back to where we started but what we wanted to be able to do was enter a destination point and for the GPS to point the way there. Am I right in thinking this is not possible? Why would you only ever want to go to somewhere you have been before or back to where you started? Or am I missing something? Obviously I am new to the world of GPS so please forgive me if I am asking a daft question!Any help would be very gratefully accepted.ThanksKarenL823
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Karen The work around for this is to firstly create a waypoint for where you are, then enter the edit mode (using the up & down buttons together with the OK button) and replace the ten figure grid reference with the numbers of the location you wish to go to. Don't forget to enter the correct two letter area prefix also. Unless I've been doing it wrong that is! Personally I hook the gps up to my computer and enter routes/waypoints from memory map, which is a far more efficient way of doing. I still possess my old battered 201, but only use it as a back up. I'm now on my second 301 which I find to be a much better instrument. The 201 will however work perfectly satisfacorily in most situations. Hope this helps
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 a gps will direct you to a point in a straight line. you will have to create a number of waypoints, called a route, and save them for it to lead you along the route.
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Thanks Fellsman for your very interesting and helpful reply,it's very much appreciated. Thanks also to Parky Again. Karen
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