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Garmin eTrex 30 GPS

$269.95

(22)

Item # 825492

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With a 3-axis compass, full-color display and geocaching, the compact Garmin eTrex 30 offers a fun and easy GPS experience for outdoor enthusiasts.

Comes with a built-in worldwide basemap with shaded relief that helps you navigate with ease
3-axis, tilt-compensated electronic compass shows your heading even when you're standing still and holding the unit upright or at an angle
Features a 2.2 in., 65k color display that can be viewed in bright sunlight
WAAS-enabled receiver locates your position quickly and maintains reception under heavy cover
Compatibility with Russian Glonass system allows about 20% faster and more reliable satellite acquisition, helpful in challenging spots such as deep canyons or tall buildings
Allows wireless unit-to-unit transfer of routes, tracks, waypoints and geocaches; works with Montana-series, Oregon-series, Dakota 20, GPSMAP 62S, 62ST, 78S and 78SC devices
1.7 gigabytes of memory make it easy to add maps; choose from Garmin TOPO U.S. 24k maps, BlueChart® g2 marine maps and City Navigator® road maps (sold separately)
Altimeter tracks changes in barometric pressure to pinpoint your altitude while you're on the trail
Supports geocaching GPX files for downloading geocache locations and details straight to the unit using the high-speed USB connection
Stores and displays geocache location, terrain, difficulty, hints and descriptions—no more manually entering coordinates or toting around paper printouts!
MicroSD™ card slot for storing additional data
Operational buttons are located along the sides of the device for easy 1-hand operation
2 AA batteries (sold separately) provide up to 25 hrs. of use of the Garmin eTrex 30 GPS
Waterproof design meets IEC 60529 lPX7 standards (can be submerged to 1m for up to 30 min.)

Please note: Garmin products can only be shipped to U.S. addresses.

Imported.

Item 825492

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Garmin eTrex 30 GPS Customer Reviews

REVIEW SNAPSHOT®

by PowerReviews

Garmin eTrex 30 GPS

3.9

(based on 22 reviews)

77%

of respondents would recommend this to a friend.

Pros

Compact (12)
Lightweight (12)
Easy to set up (10)
Easy to use (10)
Durable (8)

Cons

Best Uses

Backcountry (11)
Hiking (10)
Day trip (9)
Travel (7)
Climbing (4)

- Reviewer Profile:
- Casual/ recreational (7), Avid adventurer (6), Enthusiast (6)
- What Is Your Gear Style:
- Survivalist / minimalist (10), Comfort driven (4)
- How are you with directions:
- Great w/directions (5)
- Was this a gift?:
- No (18)

Reviewed by 22 customers

Sort by

Displaying reviews 1-10

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May

2013

5.0

Great GPS

By Josh the Something

from Puyallup, WA

About Me Enthusiast

See all my reviews

Pros

Accurate
Quick Signal
Reliable Reception
Simple Controls

Cons

Best Uses

Cycling
Geocaching
Hiking
Jogging

Comments about Garmin eTrex 30 GPS:

This unit is great, it has a lot of nice features but still falls in the realm of the less expensive intro devices. This is also one of the first lines of the new generation of Garmin GPS units that can also receive signals from the Russian GLONASS satellites and that is a definite plus.

You definitely need a Micro SD card to add more than a few small maps and I have found that there is a lot of free (legally free) Garmin compatible topo out there so don't buy the Garmin maps right away. It can work for on-road navigation as well with the right map. It is not ideal but works in a pinch.

Comment on this review

May

2013

(0 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

1.0

Not user friendly.

By my funny bone

from vancouver wa

About Me Enthusiast

See all my reviews

Pros

Should Need A Classroom
To Learn How To Use It

Cons

Complicated Controls
Difficult To Set Up

Best Uses

Hiking

Comments about Garmin eTrex 30 GPS:

it doesn't make sense, not a tool you can take out right away. Must figure it out first.

Comment on this review

Apr

2013

5.0

Excellent Backpacking GPS

By pnwbackpacker

from Portland, OR

About Me Enthusiast

See all my reviews

Pros

Accurate
Intuitive Menu
Quick Navigation
Quick Signal
Reliable Reception
Simple Controls

Cons

Best Uses

Geocaching
Hiking

Comments about Garmin eTrex 30 GPS:

This has been great to use. It is small, lightweight, reliable, easy to use, and has a great battery life. I use it primarily for backpacking and for that use, it is great. The track is remarkably accurate - even in deep canyons with lots of tree cover. It does not have all the bells and whistles of some of the other units, but for basic navigation, topo, waypoints, paths, etc... it has been excellent!

The only downside is Garmin's somewhat clunky Base Camp software and the purchasing and downloading of topo maps - first to the software and then to the unit. I have been able to get it to work just fine (you'll need an additional memory card if you want to download a lot of topo maps), but it did take me a while to get it figured out and I'd say I'm fairly 'tech savy'. If you're not good with computers, get ready to call someone for help if you want to download the detailed topo maps.

Comment on this review

Mar

2013

4.0

Useful, Handy, Easy to set up and use

By Lalo Becerril

from Mexico City

About Me Enthusiast

See all my reviews

Pros

Accurate
Long battery life
Quick Navigation
Reliable Reception
Simple Controls

Cons

Best Uses

Climbing
Hiking
Scouting

Comments about Garmin eTrex 30 GPS:

Good equipment, accurate, battery life really good, nice to see the screen on different light conditions

Comment on this review

Feb

2013

5.0

Good upgrade for my Etrex Vista C

By Timecheck00

from Oakland, CA

About Me Casual User

See all my reviews

Pros

Mini Sd Card
Quick Signal
Reliable Reception

Cons

Best Uses

Hiking

Comments about Garmin eTrex 30 GPS:

Fairly easy to transfer my Etrex Vista C skills to it. Being able to load large maps was a big plus.

Comment on this review

Jan

2013

(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

Easy To operate

By jedn10ac

from Nashville TN

About Me Casual User

See all my reviews

Pros

Accurate
Intuitive Menu
Pocket Size
Quick Navigation
Quick Signal
Reliable Reception
Simple Controls

Cons

Best Uses

Fishing
Geocaching
Hiking
Hunting
Metal Detecting

Comments about Garmin eTrex 30 GPS:

Great to find tree stands in the dark, hiking and not getting lost, the older gps system would only tell me my position, if i didn't have a target area plugged in my navigation was limited. The built in road map assures my direction of travel, even in the woods.

Comment on this review

Dec

2012

(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

Nice little GPS

By djthumper

from Las Vegas, NV

About Me Enthusiast

See all my reviews

Pros

Accurate
Quick Navigation
Quick Signal
Reliable Reception
Simple Controls

Cons

Needs More Mount Options

Best Uses

Cycling
Geocaching
Hiking
In Car

Comments about Garmin eTrex 30 GPS:

This is a nice little unit. I like how compact it is compared to many others. I just wish there was more options out there for mounting, such as a wrist or arm band.

Comment on this review

Nov

2012

(1 of 9 customers found this review helpful)

2.0

Unreliable

By DownTheRiver

from Adirondacks

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Compact

Cons

Inaccurate
Insensitive Antenna
Long Acquisition Time

Best Uses

Comments about Garmin eTrex 30 GPS:

Even the slightest cover will cause failure to acquire sats.
Takes a long time to acquire sats.
Very slow screen refresh..
Very low res screen.
Very inaccurate position. Ex/ height off by several thousand feet.
Mapping software extremely expensive, limited to small regions and missing a lt of trails, on some parks missing all the trails.

I already have many GPS devices... This certainly ipad not impressed me.

Comment on this review

Sep

2012

(3 of 6 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

Awesome

By sonicboom65

from Omaha, NE

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Comfortable
Compact
Durable
Easy To Set Up
Easy to Use
Good Design
Lightweight

Cons

Best Uses

Backcountry
River
Winter Camping

Comments about Garmin eTrex 30 GPS:

I use this for back country backpacking. It is light weight and easy to use. It gives accurate altitude.I can think of nothing bad about it.

Comment on this review

Aug

2012

(7 of 7 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

Just what I wanted

By Julie of the wolves

from McCall, ID

About Me Professional/Guide

See all my reviews

Pros

Compact
Durable
Easy To Set Up
Easy to Use
Good Design
Lightweight

Cons

Best Uses

Backcountry
Day Trips
Travel

Comments about Garmin eTrex 30 GPS:

This GPS is perfect for my needs. I work as a wildlife biologist, so I need something dependable and that can quickly save waypoints while keeping an accurate track log of my off-trail hiking. This GPS is small enough to fit in my front pocket, or belt pocket on my backpack, to keep it accessible and not in the way. You can customize the menus to display the information you want, and even what pages are displayed. The color screen is easy to read, and the I would highly recommend the TOPO maps you can buy separately. Also, I've had problems with GPS's eating up batteries too quickly. With regular alkaline batteries, I can use the GPS all day long for several days and not have it run out of juice. I'm sure lithium would give an even better longevity of power. In any case, this GPS is great!