Garmin GPSMAP 60CSx

I am a USMC grunt and have recently returned from Iraq. I brought a Garmin GPSMap 60CSx with me, and needless to say, I have put this unit through it's paces. I believe my experience may be useful to… others considering purchasing a rugged, outdoor GPS unit. First off, the 60CSx is an extremely rugged unit. I have put this unit through more than 200 combat patrols, 130+ degree weather and freezing cold temperatures. It has been dropped, submerged in water, knocked, covered in mud, and crushed against my gear innumerable times. The only evidence from all this wear and tear is that the text on the "QUIT" and "ENTR" keys have worn off, which is more from me taking it in and out of its pouch over and over than a poor design of the unit. Throughout all this abuse, it has performed extremely well. When I wento to Iraq, I brought a Magellan Explorist unit with me as well. The screen cracked on our third patrol, rendering the unit worthless. I am still using my Garmin. The 60CSx has a fast acquiring time. From a warm start, it will have your location within a few seconds, and a cold start, in about a minute. The sensitivity is significantly above any other GPS unit I have seen. I have yet to see any other unit on the market that can get reception inside an up-armored Humvee. (Not only did it get reception, it was accurate to within a few meters.) This accuracy proved to be extremely useful in country, and a few times it helped my squad find the right house in a packed urban area where otherwise we would have been left scratching our heads. I would assume for someone in the United States, where WAAS is available, the accuracy will be higher. It's battery life is also good, although with the backlight on the battery can drain fairly quickly. Average lifetime without the backlight is about 17 hours. You could probably drain the battery within a few hours if you turned the backlight brightness all the way up and turned off the auto-dimming feature. I also liked how easy the LCD screen is to see in direct sunlight, instead of being washed out. The sun actually seems the help the brightness and contrast of the display. The 60CSx uses two AA batteries. I found this to be useful, as sometimes I would be away from a power source for weeks at a time so I would just grab some extra AA batteries and I'd be good. Some other units (such as a few of the Rhino series) use lithium batteries. While lithium batteries may last longer, I have found that they are much less convenient as you are tied to an outlet, although you can purchase (often bulky) AA adapters for those units. For the most part, I have been pleased with the menus and features. It's tracking and mapping abilities came in handy. I was able to generate a map of my location simply by using the tracking feature. It is fairly easy to customize what screens and data you want to display, so you can see what you need, and avoid what you don't. One thing I do not like is that it does not have the ability to overlay user-generated maps on the screen. Many times I would have to juggle physical maps with the GPS unit. I believe a few devices on the market now offer this feature. So if you are in a situation where you need to consult maps other than the ones available for purchase from Garmin, you will have to bring them with you. Another minor negative, and one relevant primarily only to those in the military, is that the screen cannot be seen with night vision equipment unless the backlight is turned on, meaning you either have to cover up or emit a small amount of light in order to see your location. Overall, I highly recommend this product. Anybody looking for a rugged outdoor GPS unit that is accurate and light, with fast acquisition times and long battery life need look no further. I can honestly say it is one of the best purchases I have made in my lifetime.

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A good quality rugged GPS. A good all rounder for hiking, boating and driving. Buyers should be aware that it comes with relativly basic maps; so the maps have to be bought to go along with it. If you are… planning to use a mostly GPS for driving then there are other cheaper options out there. Get a GPS that is designed for driving because it will already come with a detailed road map.

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