Garmin Oregon 550

I picked up the Garmin 550 from REI a couple of months back now. I have been using it ever since.

I got the 550 for the fact that I could use the map software that I already had for my 76 CSx that was not locked. It has been great!! There are so many new features compared to my past unit. I recommend checking out the website http://garminoregon.wikispaces.com/ the site is extremely informative and can answer many questions about the unit. I think that this is the site that Garmin is using for its technical support, it is that good.

You will see reviews about the display not being read easily. It has its problems, but rotating the unit a little and you get a clear readable display. And yes, if it is really sunny out, you can turn the backlight off completely.

Also, the issue of what can be used for a microSD card. I am currently using a 16GB card in my unit. To do this you cannot have all of your maps in one gmapsupp.img file. The limit is 4GB per file. I renamed all of my maps to tell me what maps they are, then go into setup/maps and select which maps are active in the current profile.

It is a great change being able to use different maps names and using profiles, you'll love them, I did.

In closing, if you get any touch screen GPS unit, definitely get an InvisibleShield screen protector for it. Any grime from the trail can scratch the screen, and this just protects your investment.

I would recommend this unit, but if you don't have all the cash to lay down on it, look at the Dakota 20 model. It has almost all of the features and is hundreds cheaper, drawback is a smaller screen.

Happy trails, all!!