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Recent Navigation Tool Reviews

AntiGravityGear Foothills Trail Pocket Profile

For day hikers and thru-hikers who want a quick reference guide to a trail that doesn’t skimp on information, doesn't require electricity, and which only adds negligible weight (.18 oz/5 g), AntiGravityGear’s Pocket Profile is an aptly named resource worth both the weight and the cost (USD $3.95)! AntiGravityGear produces a number of useful little publications called Pocket Profiles. Among their Pocket Profile titles are releases for the Appalachian Trail (22 different sections/profiles), the… Full review

SPOT Connect

Good service at first, then the product gets disconnected... Please buy a new one!!! At first it was a great product. After a couple of years they disconnect you and do not support you anymore!! Please buy a new device!!!! I now have to throw away a perfectly working product as the company does not support it anymore. It's not even old. It feel like parking your four-year-old car in the trash. Unbelievable!!! Do not buy any SPOT products. They will give you a bad deal in the end!!! Full review

Brunton TruArc 15

Very well made. And before you complain as many have done regarding the double bearings...LEARN THE COMPASS VERY WELL! Somebody has commented that the double azimuth is confusing and the mirror in this compass is placed wrong.  Well do not make a conclusion, unless you have made your homework very well.  Before a product is made, professionals are involved. So before your complaints...do your homework very well in learning the compass in this case. The destination arrow is black. Which means the… Full review

Garmin Instinct

The Garmin Instinct is meeting my needs and lifestyle. I’m quite happy with this purchase...happy enough that I‘m contemplating getting a second one when they’re on sale again. I‘ve only had this watch for about six weeks but in that time I’ve come to appreciate it. All the features that come with it seem pretty accurate when I compare them to other devices/known points of reference. This is one of the most comfortable watches I’ve ever worn...I really don’t notice it’s on my wrist. Full review

Garmin Forerunner 645

A modest looking GPS, heart rate monitor, and smart watch that delivers reams of training information. Pairs with a mobile phone to deliver loads of other features and is fully customizable. A good choice for athletes engaged in systematic training, it also works well for more casual users that can put the smart watch features to use. I (almost) never would have bought this watch for myself. I’m not that serious or systematic about training. I just go out and run by feel, and these days that usually… Full review

Garmin GPSMAP 66i

The 66i is garbage. Don’t buy it. You can’t download maps onto it. I spent two hours trying to do so and gave up. The 66i, once plugged in, powers down so that the computer doesn’t recognize that it’s connected. The computer just searches endlessly for the 66i. It’s a fatal flaw that doesn’t let you download maps onto the 66i. What good is the 66i if you can’t download a topo?? I suppose the SOS feature has marginal value. But at the price point? Forget it. See above. Don’t buy this… Full review

Garmin Foretrex 401

Precision, but not accuracy. The ForeTrex 401 is useless for elevation. The AUTO CALIBRATION uses GPS to calibrate the Elevation (Calibration by GPS is accurate to +/-400 feet; Calibration by barometric pressure is accurate to +/-50 feet). I did both ways and put the ForeTrex 401 on the desk stationary for two hours, the elevation changed 500 feet. Everyone has the same issue. Full review

Cammenga Tritium Lensatic Compass 3H

Way too inaccurate. Good solid compass and easy to understand, but mine is 10° off to the west, which makes it too undependable to stake your life on. Cammenga says they'll repair it for $50??? Really? A new compass? Full review

Garmin GPSMAP 66i

Not for everyone, but uniquely wonderful for those who need it. The Garmin GPSMAP 66i introduced in June 2019 is the world’s first consumer handheld device that combines a full-featured GPS navigation tool and a satellite text message system in one half-pound, rugged, battery-efficient device. And it has a new feature, Expedition Mode, that greatly reduces power requirements. Its attributes are easy to describe to anyone familiar with past Garmin products: Take Garmin's best GPS receiver and combine… Full review