Garmin Colorado 400t Handheld GPS Unit with US Topographic Preloaded Maps

Submitted by Reviewer (not verified) on 2 March, 2008 - 02:40.

Garmin Colorado 400t Handheld GPS Unit with U.S. Topographic Preloaded Maps

Model	010-00622-45
Producer	Garmin
Media	Electronics
Catalog	CE
Rank	4081
List Price	US$599.99

Goto Amazon.com

Reviews:

Rating 3.5/5 from 97 reviews

No battery life, terrible user interface - poor design

Rating: 1/5 2010-08-28

I tried to like the Colorado 400t, I really did. It has a great display. Unfortunately, everything else is terrible. 2000mAh NiMH rechargeable AA batteries last 6 hours or less. Alkaline AA cells aren't much better.

If you try to hand-enter UTM coordinates with the rock-and-roller input hardware, you'll find yourself ready for a rubber room. You need to enter EVERY number and character in the easting and northing perfectly, or you get to re-do the entire location. And there's no separation between easting and northing - you need to keep track of where the easting entry ends and the northing begins, or start all over again when you mess up. You won't always have a computer to download locations from in the field, so the kludgy entry is a show-stopper. The user interface for entering other information is similar - there's no way to correct errors without re-entering everything.

I bought this unit a long time before I found out its worst shortcomings, but tried to use it anyway. After a wilderness navigation course this summer, I discovered the problem with UTM entry. Fortunately, I bought it at REI, so I could still return it for a full refund after 18 months. I wasn't sure they'd take it back after so long, but they did.

Even if someone gives you one of these, AVOID IT LIKE THE PLAGUE! There's a good reason Garmin discontinued the Colorado series.

If I could give it no stars, I would.

Do yourself a favor - buy a GPSmap 62st instead. It's a much better GPS, with very useable user interface and great battery life.

Colorado 400t

Rating: 4/5 2010-07-21

It seems to have better sensitivity and accuracy than others I have used. Reasonably easy to operate. Downloads geocaches easily. Awkward to delete them.

it's a nice GPS to have

Rating: 5/5 2010-07-03

It's definitely a rugged, waterproof GPS. We went whitewater kayaking right after buying this GPS, and got knocked off by a fallen tree that laid across the river. Although my GPS was totally submerged in the water, it is still working great now. I like it very much!

One more thing to add: wheel design is much more practical than the touch screen. So choose wisely if you want to have something truly reliable on the mountain or in the river :)

Excellent Device, however...........

Rating: 4/5 2010-06-14

This is an excellent tool for navigating. However, here are my complaints, and the reason that I returned it, and got the tried and true 60csx instead. It does come with pre-loaded topo maps, but there 100k which does'nt do much for you in the backcountry ( you really want 24k) which you have to buy seperately anyway. No big deal, there cheap enough now that it's not a problem. My biggest concern was that this model has been discontinued, and when you go to the update page, there's a warning that the update is not backed up by Garmin, (use at your own risk). They still can service this model, but for how long will they have all the parts? And I've heard that all the parts are the same, but, I'm not sure about that. My biggest concern, or dis-like is that the screen is not sun light readable. You have to use the backlight to really see anything cleary (unlike the 60 series) and it just did'nt feel very comfortable in the hand, a little bulky, and seemingly fragile. The 60 series, though lacking some of the goodies, is tried and true. It's the #1 Choice of everyone I know who really uses there GPS. Garmin just came out with a brand new edition of the 60 series with all the goodies, but I'll wait until they work out the bugs. For now, I'm sticking with this.

Don't Buy a Garmin!

Rating: 1/5 (2 out of 4 think this is helpful) 2010-05-29

I have had my Garmin for about six months now and have mostly given up on it. It is a disaster. Yes, I have seen all the videos showing all the cool things you can easily do with a Garmin and I don't believe any of it. The videos have to be mass produced fakes. Basic things like battery life are annoying (Garmin has none), but using the software on this high tech trivet is another matter all together. Multiple attempts to use Topo 100K, for example, has been nothing but an exercise in frutration. I have followed directions and still come up short. You shouldn't have to commit hours to tech bulletin boards and user groups to figure out how to use a device these days. I couldn't be more disappointed in a product. This is far and away the worst purchase I have made in recent memory...and I'm not the most responsible guy you're going to meet.

Editorials:

Product Description

With the state-of-the-art 3D elevation perspective and preloaded topographic map data of the U.S., the rugged Colorado 400t is the perfect companion for your outdoor adventures. It gives you all the tools you need for serious climbing, hiking or hunting.

Amazon.com Product Description--January 21, 2008

Amazon.com Product Description--January 21, 2008 This rugged, advanced handheld is packed with detailed topographicmaps for all your hiking adventures not to mention 3-D map view, a high-sensitivity receiver, barometric altimeter, electronic compass, SD card slot, picture viewer and color display. Exchange tracks, waypoints, routes and geocaches wirelessly between similar units. Slim, lightweight and waterproof, Colorado is the perfect companion for all your outdoor pursuits.

Watch an interactive demo.

Share Wirelessly
With Colorado 300 you can share your waypoints, tracks, routes and geocaches wirelessly with other Colorado users. Now you can send your favorite hike to your buddy to enjoy or the location of a cache to find. Sharing data is easy. Just select "send" to transfer your information to other Colorado units.

Keep Your Fix
With its high-sensitivity, WAAS-enabled GPS receiver, Colorado 300 locates your position quickly and precisely and maintains its GPS location even in heavy cover and deep canyons. The advantage is clear — whether you’re in deep woods or just near tall buildings and trees, you can count on Colorado to help you find your way when you need it the most.

Explore More
		Colorado's preloaded U.S. topographic maps, 3-D map view and a built-in worldwide basemap with shaded relief give you all the tools for serious climbing or hiking. Map detail includes national, state and local parks and forests, along with terrain contours, elevation information, trails, rivers, lakes and points of interest. Just in case you’re wondering how steep that hill really is, Colorado’s 3-D map view helps you visualize your surroundings — giving you a better perspective of the elevation.

Expand Your Horizons
			The Colorado also accepts SD cards, so you can use Garmin preprogrammed SD cards to add maps that serve any and all of your outdoor activities on land or water. Just take your pick from a wide selection, including street maps, topographic maps, coastal charts or inland lake data. The card slot is located inside the waterproof battery compartment, so you don't have to worry about getting it wet.

Rock on. Find Fun
		Colorado's innovative Rock ‘n Roller input wheel for easy one-handed operation and intuitive screen interface make it as easy to navigate the device as the outdoors. Customize Colorado's interface based on your favorite activity. Even show off photos of your excursions with its picture viewer.

Experience Paperless Geocaching
	Colorado supports Geocaching.com GPX files for downloading geocaches and detail straight to your unit. You'll have at-a-glance cache descriptions and details to aid in your search.

Get Your Bearings
		Colorado has a built-in electronic compass that provides bearing information even while you're standing still. Its barometric altimeter tracks changes in pressure to pinpoint your precise altitude. View elevation data before you begin your ascent or descent. You can even use the altimeter to plot barometric pressure over time, which can help you keep an eye on changing weather conditions.