Garmin GPSMAP 62ST GPS

Comments about Garmin GPSMAP 62ST GPS:

I have owned several other Garmin products including two 60Csx units. I really loved the 60 series, but wanted to upgrade for better paperless geocaching options. I now can see hints, descriptions, and previous logs which is really helpful. In addition, the 62st can transmit your found logs and field notes for easy logging of multiple caches later with GSAK. I haven't tried it on a power trail yet, but it is a bit cumbersome to mark a cache as found and proceed to the next compared to the 60.

Besides the geocaching upgrades, I noticed a significant increase in battery life and it seems much faster than the 60, especially when zooming in or out on the maps.

I already had several 24K topo maps on SD cards that were awesome, so the included maps were not a major selling point for me. But the unit has an easy toggle switch to flip back and forth between the installed maps and the map on the SD card. In addition, there are some great decluttering and customizing tools available that make the map easier to read (such as turning off the shading). Overall the screen is easy to read in any light and not cartoony.

The included carbiner was clunky and I ditched it after the first day, instead opting to add a wrist strap. Once the clip was gone, the unit feels great in my hand and fits well in my pocket.

There are some customizing options available, such as changing the screen order and setting preferences, such as screen color, background, and decluttering. I played around with these options, and got it set up in a workable fashion. I also set the tracking feature to auto clear after 24 hours which is great.

I am not a big fan of touchscreens, in fact I hate them. This made the 62st very appealing to me and a major selling point. I am a daily user of my GPS and I am often in rugged terrain and need a dependable unit and have found it with the 62st.

Comments about Garmin GPSMAP 62ST GPS:

This is a very good GPS receiver. It will actually lock onto several satellites while I'm sitting in the middle of my house. It's not all that intuitive to use in the beginning and has a relatively steep learning curve, but it becomes easier to operate with practice. Now that I'm more familiar with using it, I'm very happy with this unit.

Comments about Garmin GPSMAP 62ST GPS:

The UI on the unit was very clunky and not at all refined. I found that an app on my Android phone was more what I was looking for and cost me ALOT less. My biggest problem was I was looking specifically for being able to print my routes, or share them on Social Media sites. I found the only way that I was able to do this with any form of detail, was to export them out to Google Earth, and then print, or shared them to Google+.

Comments about Garmin GPSMAP 62ST GPS:

I use my GPSs for hardcore ATV riding. I do a lot of jumping. I use a mount to attach the GPS to my handle bars. So the device gets A LOT of bumps.

I have had a GPSMap62sc and GPSMap62st. Both worked great for the first few months. Then they would randomly shut off while out riding. I upgraded both to the latest software. This did not help. This Sunday I will be returning the 62st for some completely different GPS unit.

I think these units just can't handle the bumps. I hope whatever I get next can. The one thing that takes all this from negative to positive is REI! Their customer support and return policy is second to none. I'm so glad I purchased from REI and not somewhere else.

Comments about Garmin GPSMAP 62ST GPS:

I had to replace my Colorado 400T and I chose the 62ST. There have been many improvements. I never had to refer to the owner's manual. There may be a better GPS out there but I haven't found it. I would reccommend this unit to anyone.

Service and delivery comments:

I have neber had such fast service. I ordered it on a Tuesday and it was delivered the next day. Amazing!

Comments about Garmin GPSMAP 62ST GPS:

After using a Garmin 60CSx for years, I expected an improvement when I bought the 62st. Instead, I find that the 62st has taken a step backwards in functionality. Time and date information is not available for the waypoints! You can't go back and see what time you left the trailhead! The information is not available! The data is there but you just can't get to it! I'm amazed that they left that out!
Also, if you don't change your batteries within a minute of the unit telling you the batteries are low, the unit will shut down and you will lose all your tracking data up to that point! The battery indicator says you have a fully charged battery until the moment the batteries run out!
The interface is confusing and unnecessarily complicated. Do you want to turn tracking off and on? Don't go to the Track Manager for that. Instead, you have to go through the main menu and settings to do that.
Be careful with the reset button - you might just reset all your settings to default when you're simply trying to reset your trip data. And resetting your trip data does not delete the saved tracks - you have to go to the track manager for that!
I've had this unit for over two months now and and have communicated with tech support 10-15 times and I still can't be satisfied with how this works. I'm going back to my 60CSx. It can at least tell time!

Comments about Garmin GPSMAP 62ST GPS:

I wanted to upgrade from my GPSmap 60CSx to obtain more memory and access to satellite imagery. However, the GPSmap 62st doesn't allow use of the unit when plugged into the computer like the GPSmap 60CSx, and I was unable to delete a Geocache that I downloaded from the computer. I could delete waypoints, but not the downloaded Geocache. I also had to drill down another menu level to "Stop Navigation". I liked the overall look and feel, but given the cost of the unit the above issues were more than I was willing to live with. I returned the unit, and look forward to a product that will overcome the above mentioned limitations.

Comments about Garmin GPSMAP 62ST GPS:

The documentation provided and available online (beyond very basic functionality) is well beyond lacking. If you enjoy "trial and error" experiences, you'll enjoy this product.

On my first field use of the unit (first day of a multi day trip), unit locked up. Fortunately, I had backup. Upon my return, I contacted Garmin Customer Support. They were helpful, but could not resolve the lock up. I contacted them three times for this problem (several other times for issues that could have been resolved with better documentation) and we tried three three different approaches. None of which fixed the problem. Final recommendation by Garmin Customer Support was to return the unit to REI, which I will do tomorrow.

Comments about Garmin GPSMAP 62ST GPS:

I am a hiker and a skier, and I wanted a reliable, precise GPS to log the track while hiking, and mark significant points in the path. The 62st is a joy to use: very good battery life (I have never exhausted the batteries, but after 8h of continuous use at -15C the NiMH were still strong), very fast to operate, very visible display. I carry it attached to a backpack strap. Marking a location is a quick two-button press: mark, then enter. Navigating the interface is also very fast. The main drawback is that the terrain shading is so dark as to be useless. You would be better off using the maps at [@] and buying the 62s. The fact that the unit is sold without proper manual might also make the use somewhat confusing.The software application that Garmin makes available with this GPS, BaseCamp, is a gem. It works very well on my Mac, and it is a joy to be able to load tracks and waypoints, and organize my hikes, on the Mac after a hike.The maps are very good at high magnification, which is what you use for hiking. Once you start displaying tens of kilometers, the maps are not nearly as good as what you can get e.g. on iPhone or Androids, but again, it is the high magnification map scales that you would use for hiking.If you are an outdoors enthusiast looking for a precise, reliable, fast to operate GPS, this (or the cheaper 62s) is it. I had it in snowstorms, cooking sun, and rain, in the open and under dense snow-covered forest, and never once it even had a hint of losing the signal. It has a signal even in my house, or in the metal trunk of my car!

Comments about Garmin GPSMAP 62ST GPS:

I received the GPSMAP 62st for Christmas, so I'm still going through a learning phase with it and exploring its limits.
So far, this device is very rugged and ready for trail use right out of the box, using the 100K Topo charts preloaded. However, if you need something with more detail it uses the 24K chart coverage with ease, if you buy and load them onto the device. All the functions are fairly straightforward to use, if you have had some experience with previous Garmin GPS devices. However, if you need more specific details and information on how to use this device, then you will need to download the user manual from the Garmin website, but even then the manual is sorely lacking in some areas; such as how you upload maps onto an optional Micro SD card. Further, the website does not make it easy to find all the information you might need. The good news is that when you do find all the manuals, read the software help files & FAQs, and review the youtube videos you will be much better armed to work this GPS to its fullest potential. It's just a process to find all the instructions and information you might need for more advanced uses. For example the user manual says nothing about how to actually upload maps to the device, just that you can, and that's pretty much it. What you must to do is download either the Garmin Mapsource app (which has a manual you must download separately) or the Basecamp app (does not have a manual, but has a thorough help file) and after reviewing the use these applications you will learn how you can upload maps to your device or the optional Micro SD card.
A side the effort needed to find and learn all you need to know to fully use this great GPS I think it is a superior navigation aid that permits a fantastic array of capabilities for the outdoor explorer to use in the field; able to upload satellite images, plan routes & treks on your computer for use on the device, wireless sharing of data between devices on the trail, geocache apps, very visible screen w/backlight, and fantastic satellite reception capability (I can get reliable satellite data from within the middle of my home!). I would have given it 5 stars if not for the manual and the difficulty in finding needed user info.