GPS oregon 450 or etrex 30

[johnpierce]

which one would be best for mountain biking? Garmin etrex 30 or Garmin Oregon 450. thanks

[richpips]

Both are good, also consider the Dakota 20.

[dh024]

I have both of those models and have used both on my bikes.

I like the Oregon 450 much better on the bike. The eTrex works well in the hand, but the side buttons and the tiny joystick that you must use to move around pages are almost impossible to use when riding the bike. The Oregon is (1st gen) touch screen, so everything is accessible from the top, and much, much easier to use.

You might also want to check out the newer Oregon 600. It has a modern touchscreen and a sunlight readable screen (the Oregon 450 isn't great in this respect). It is a slightly larger unit, however.

[ECEGatorTuro]

I just bought the Oregon 600 after losing my Edge 800 (argh!!) and it's really nice! The map is very responsive and the screen is very nice. I'll be testing it out this weekend on a long ride to see how it goes. It is a little big (compared to the Edge) and a little heavy but it's a generic GPS unit so that is to be expected.

[Yagi]

I have an eTrex 20 and really like it.  Try using a touch screen with dirty gloves - maybe they've come a long way since back when I tried using one, but it wasn't my cup of tea.  I really didn't need anything fancy, and the mindless purple line is easy to follow on the eTrex series.  I'm sure the rest are great, too.

[HOser]

I'm a big fan of the Etrex 30, I got one just this spring to replace an old GS 60cx and I really like it. Here are my thoughts:

• Consider battery life. The Etrex 30 has tremendous battery life, I observe close to 36 hours using fresh disposable lithiums.
• I agree with the point made earlier the buttons on the Etrex are a bit hard to use on the bike. But how often do you use them? For me, 99% of the time I'm just mindlessly following a track and not otherwise interacting with the device.

My take is a touch screen is nice in theory, but perhaps not practical in the field for someone who's out for a long time and is usually wearing gloves.