Garmin Colorado 300

Kev Smith
Reviewed: 17 February 2010

DISAPPOINTING

Quality unit well built easy to use.

Eats batteries keeps turning off and when loaded with OS Mapping sometimes it doesn't know where it is !

Having been a GPS user now for some years I was very disappointed with my Satmap (first Issue) so I got rid of it on ebay and had a nice new Garmin Colorado 300 for a birthday present.Like all things they all work great when you a tinkering about with them at home sitting in the chair but on a trip to the Lakes I started to think I had made an error of judgement. The first problem I encountered was just how bad battery life was, I did all the recommended battery saving recommendations,set North Up,Turn Track Off,Set Unit to right battery setting, keep screen light low (very low) in the end I was only using the unit to check my grid reference. On another trip to the Peak District I had invested in some OS Mapping Software and this proved even more disappointing as many times the unit just didn't know where it was despite having a strong GPS lock also the screen started to flicker and shut down.The unit has been updated numerous times but still no improvement, I have emailed Garmin Support three times and as yet never received a reply.
The sad thing is that this unit looks and feels great and has all the makings of being up there with the best but is let down by serious issues.I was disappointed with my Satmap but I think the time has now come to perhaps bin the Colorado in favor of the latest Satmap 10 unit something I never thought I would ever do but the reviews for the Satmap are what can only be described as outstanding.

Matthieu Lienart
Reviewed: 15 February 2010

A GPS MADE FOR MOUNTAINS AND WINTER CONDITIONS

The Rock ‘n Roller wheel which is usable with gloves (a significant advantage in winter)
Simple and user friendly interface
Made for an external usage
Screen quality

Battery life
Price
The screen doesn't go in sleep mode when not used (like a computer) only the backlight feature is turned off. It will help increasing battery life

Why did I bought the Colorado 300 ? For a unique reason : the Rock ‘n Roller wheel. To my opinion, this interface makes the Colorado series the only GPS on the market usable with gloves. I don’t really see myself pulling out my gloves in a snow storm to manipulate a touchscreen. Even if the touchscreen works by pressure sensors, I doubt that it will work with mitten. I have never used the Magellan GPS but just looking at the interface the Colorado GPS seems to be the one that provide the most appropriate interface for mountain usage. Two weeks ago at Tateyama with a pair of fleece gloves + fleece mitten + gore-tex mitten I was still able to manipulate the GPS.

During this week-end the GPS spend three days hanging outside of my backpack in cold weather, in the snow when I was dropping my backpack, exposed to cold during the night on top of the backpack inside the tent… on purpose I expose the GPS to a rough treatment. I was surprised that despite the conditions it never stopped working during the three days. Batteries finally gave up when we arrived at the train station to take our train back to Tōkyō (backlight was at is minimum during the three days). But it appears it was an exceptional situation. On a more regular basis, during snowshoeing tours, even with the backlight at its minimum and the GPS protected inside the inner jacket, batteries only last for about two days. Spare batteries is more than necessary as well as keeping the GPS in warm place in winter, that is to say near the body.

To conclude even if dealing with batteries can be problematic, I think it might be the case for most of the brands and GPS of the market. So the Colorado 300 is for me the best GPS (at least the most convenient) for winter and mountaineering use.

Full review available at : http://www.tozai-trek.com/lang/en/2009/12/gps-garmin-colorado-300/