Garmin Montana 600 GPS

Comments about Garmin Montana 600 GPS:

I have had this GPS for a little over a year now and I still love it. I bought this model because a friend had the 650T and I wasn't a fan of the camera, it seemed to take low quality pictures, and I wanted to 24K topo map not the 100k. I am very pleased with my purchase still. I typically use the Montana 600 for geocaching or hiking on the weekends, so I would say I am a casual user, however because I have had it for some time now I have gotten a good amount of use out of it. I have had two instances where I went to zoom in on a spot and all of a sudden it was showing me in the middle of the ocean, but all I had to do was zoom out to fix it and once I zoomed back in it was fine again. The touchscreen feature is great and the GPS functions are very intuitive, I've never had to read the manual once. It is a little bulky, but it fits nicely in my hand. The screen display is nice and bright even in the sun when wearing sunglasses and the battery lasts a good long time, I've never seen it drop below 40% and sometimes I am out for 8 or 9 hours at a time with the backlight at 100% the whole time. Overall I would buy this product again, and I would recommend it to a friend in a heartbeat.

Comments about Garmin Montana 600 GPS:

We need to think, "Compared to what?" Compared to a paper map, it is magical. But it is very user unfriendly compared to the GPSMap60Cx for example. The Montana has a nice screen, but I had countless bugs and mystery problems with the Montana 600 firmware v3.90 and am now trying the Beta v4.10. Only a little better. Not enough space here to list the bugs. At least twice a week it freezes & I have to unplug the pwr & remove the batteries to get it to work at all. I have 10yrs of Garmin use with 6 units. I have also had them repaired much too often. They have really gone down hill, abysmal manuals & software. The pdf manual has abt 10% of what you need to know. A few of the support people are fantastic, but many tell you to do the wrong thing. Some have crashed my system. I have a LOT of $$$ in Garmin hardware and especially maps. I _WANT_ it to work!! But if you want certain maps, Garmin is the only game in town. I tried to use a friend's DeLorme software for PC to see if I should move to DeLorme. It had many cool features, but was so hard to use that it made Garmin look gifted. But, the GPSMap60Cx was so much better, except for the small screen and USB1 port.

Comments about Garmin Montana 600 GPS:

Really like the Garmin Montana 600 and bought it because I didn't need the camera or 100K topo which IMHO is too large a scale for my purposes. I only use 24K topo software chips from Garmin and HuntingGPSmaps.com who's software shows 24topo, landowners names, BLM land, Forest Service land and much more than the Garmin software chips do. Love the large/bright screen which makes sooo much easier for my old eyes to see.I use this gps mostly for shed antler hunting, hiking and elk hunting. It gives me confidence in my old age that I can find my way back after wandering around the outdoors maybe not paying as much attention to where I am until it comes time to return home. Also with the aftermarket software chip I am using I am able to stay off private land and therefore out of trouble in my outdoor adventures. This Montana will replace my Garmin 76CSX as my primary gps unit with the 76CXS as a backup or loaner. It is a little larger and heavier but the features and large/bright screen far outweigh the size and weight you might notice over previous Garmin units. Glad I waited, which was hard for me till Garmin got some of the early production software bugs out before I purchased mine. So far I am more than happy with my purchase and REI can't be beat for quality customer service. I did have a dead pixel on the first unit and REI quickly sent me a replacement. Most folks might have not have ever noticed the dead pixel which didn't make the unit unusable but bugged me after I knew it was there so therefore the replacement. I was able to use the gps till the replacement arrived which worked out great for me because I use a gps almost on a daily basis for one purpose or another.

Comments about Garmin Montana 600 GPS:

I bought this to take on a Boy Scout backpacking trip. I have four other Garmin products and I Have never had any difficulty with any of them - Nuvi 500t, Nuvi 3790LMT, Nuvi 3490LMT and the Oregon 400t.However, this unit must have been a lemon. The unit only lasted 2.5 hr with 2450mAh NiMh rechargeable batteries. Also the GPS positioning was inaccurate, at some points it was almost 1/8 mile off!This was very disappointing considering the cost of this unit - [$]. I have to admit that this unit has the best display of all other GPS and the customizable screen is definitely a plus too. I am sure the one I purchased must of been a lemon. I am considering the Montana 650t as a replacement. I will write another review after purchasing and using the 650t.As always REI's customer service is second to none, they took back the unit and gave me a full refund -no hassle.

Comments about Garmin Montana 600 GPS:

I've had the Montana for about a year. It replaced a Garmin 76 csx which I liked but I wanted a touch screen. It is much easier to enter information using the touch screen rather than the scroll buttons. The touch screen works well but isn't as sensitive as an iPhone nor is it as sharp.

The unit locks onto satellites much more quickly than the 76 csx and keeps a fix in heavy woods and even pretty narrow canyons. The large, bright screen is easy to read. The interface is menu driven and has the ability to do a lot of customization.

A big plus for me is the ability to download and install custom maps. Google "Garmin Maps" and you'll come up with places to find free maps that can be installed on the Montana. I've also signed up the Garmin's $25/year Bird's Eye subscription program that allows me to easily download and install USGS topo maps. It's great to have the same USGS map on paper and on the unit.

This isn't the smallest gps unit you can buy but for me, the large screen makes up for the bulk and weight. It also has the ability to use either Garmin's proprietary rechargeable lithium batter (included) or standard AA batteries.

Maybe it's just me, but it took me a long time to learn how to make the best use of the Montana. There are loads of features that are not even mentioned in the skimpy documentation that comes with the unit. You really need to spend a lot of time in the field figuring out how this thing works before you will be comfortable using it. If you are new to gps, I'd suggest finding a book that will teach you the basics and then do some online research on setting up and using the Montana.

All in all, I've found the Montana to be rugged, useful and fun to use. It's certainly not cheap but for the price it packs a lot of features.

Comments about Garmin Montana 600 GPS:

I am no nubie to GPS as I have owned 9 Garmin handheld gps units over the last 20 years and have never had any reasons not to buy other Garmin products. Found Garmin customer service to be OK and better than most these days plus I have only had a couple of times I used Garmin CS and they resolved the issues to my satisfaction. Still have 5 working Garmin gps units that I still use today.

I am entering this review because I am really suprise there are only a few reviews and that the rating isn't higher which is giving the Montana a bad rap as far as I am concerned. I love my Garmin Montana 600 and can't find any deal breaker faults with it other than weight wise it is heavier than my 76CSX but not really any bigger because the Montana fits in the same Garmin holster my 76CSX did. The larger screen makes it so much better seeing more map area. Had no problems getting the Montana up and running with all my changed personal preferences added. But then I am very famliar with Garmin GPS units so that helped a lot. You do know you are carring the Montana with the size/weight but my Garmin 76CSX wasn't all that small either. Got the Montana 600 as I don't need a camera as I carry a better quality camera anyway and I didn't need the camera and topo software either because I already have the Garmin TOPO U.S. 24K I will using in my 600.

The Montana is a very rugged unit for most outdoor folks. As far as dropping the gps on the screen goes any gps unit dropped on the screen just right will damage the screen one way or the other. Have not tried using it as an automobile gps unit as I have two Nuvi's for the car/trucks.

Really hope to see more reviews on the Montana series so other buyers can make objective choices on this unit.

Comments about Garmin Montana 600 GPS:

I was in Baja Mexico and in the middle of nowwhere. Error message "unsupported battery detected". Unit eventually shut down, good thing I have a paper map. Garmin Support sent me a new battery. Put the new battery and 200 miles away from home, in the desert, the Montana died again. Same problem. Garmin recommended return it to the store or get a replacement. Upgraded it to the 650, that's another story.

Comments about Garmin Montana 600 GPS:

I have been a Garmin customer since 2006. I have owned four different Garmin devices, and a variety of map products. I have seen their prices skyrocket, and their customer service plummet. I recently purchased a Garmin Montana, and although it is probably the best-of-its-kind device, Garmin's customer service is just so, so...bad.

Seriously, before you purchase a Garmin, Google the terms "Garmin, Customer Service", and any adjective with a negative connotation.

Comments about Garmin Montana 600 GPS:

AFTER HAVING THE MAGELLAN 710 AND WISHING FOR SOMETHING MORE I FOUND IT HERE. NOW I CAN FOCUS ON THE HIKE AND NOT THE GPS. THIS ONE DOESNT HAVE THE CAMERA BUT THE 710 CAMERA PICS WERE FUZZY ANYWAY.