Which handheld GPS do you take hiking, backpacking?

I've decided to go with the Garmin etrex Vista HCx model, I think it's a good compromise between price and performance.
 
I have an eTrex Vista CX that I got after Garmin promised Mac support "starting in spring of 2006". I'm still waiting. Yes, I'm angry with them. I have to go find a Windows box anytime I want to load maps or download waypoints or whatever with it.

I finally just got a 2Gig Micro SD card for the thing and loaded it up with every street map and national park map that they had for sale (and that I cared about). I pretty much have the entire continental United States covered. Now I don't have to use it with a machine, although it would be nice to be able to manage waypoints. So, yeah, I still want my damn Macintosh support. grrrr.....
 
...ability to review my adventures afterwards.
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That's exactly what I use a GPS for mainly. I don't navigate with it, nor do I often pull out the map and compass. I've navigated and lived by the map and compass for many years, so I now appreciate the freedom of being an "aimless wanderer". But I do collect data points along the way with the GPS, and plot them on the computer when I get home to see where I've been. Sometimes it's a real suprise. :D
 
I have to go find a Windows box anytime I want to load maps or download waypoints or whatever with it.
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On the positive side, the Garmin Mapsource products have very low system requirements; I use it successfully on a Windows 95 laptop. You should have no trouble scrounging a suitable PC for free or near-free. Heck, you could snap a new PC together for the price of a Garmin Vista CX...
 
I really love my old Garmin eTrex Venture (now discontinued, I believe).

In combination with the Terrain Navigator software/map CDs, it is an incredibly fun and useful tool.

But don't forget your map and compass. The one and only time I tried to depend on a GPS for navigating unfamiliar territory, it crapped out on me (and was later quickly replaced by Garmin). Luckily, I had a compass with me and the visibility was good enough that I was able to climb to high ground and spot a familiar landmark to get a heading.

I've had a GPS for many years, but I really started to enjoy them more when I could plug one into my PC and interact with a mapping program, transferring marks, routes and waypoints back and forth. That adds a whole new dimension....


Stay sharp,
desmobob
 
Used a Garmin Etrex Legend (old model) while working in Namibia for 18 months. Gave me great peace of mind while travelling unknown trails in desert and bushveld. GPS is mandatory issue with a hired 4X4 in Namibia after foreign tourists became lost and died while relatively close to human settlements (6-4 hour hike away). Found the battery life a bit short but a car cable accessory solved that. Also a bit slow to pick up signals sometimes and also would lose signal in dense vegetation. Now have a Garmin 60 CSX - great instrument - leaps ahead in technology and ease of use. But still remember my old Legend with great fondness...
 
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