Haven't been following this thread but just emailed John in response to a PM, and reposting here in case of interest.
Hello. So I love my older 60csx. But truth is I no longer use it for backpacking --too heavy, and I get amazing functionality out of an iPhone loaded with gps-enabled maps, including the Tom Harrison and Nat Geo maps.
One button push on the iPhone and I know exactly where I am. Can't use iPhone quite tfe same way as a dedicated GPS --battery too limited to "drop breadcrumbs" as it were. iPhone is basically most useful just to check if you aren't 100% sure where you are -- I use it in combo with map and compass and it will pinpoint precisely. A check in doesn't use a lot of battery, and I sometimes carry a solar charger to keep it going indefinitely. I also get free terrain maps for anywhere in the works through an app I bought -- Motion-x GPS. In Nepal, their maps were more accurate than Nat Geo!
I still use the Garmin where weight is not an issue, and for snowshoeing. If you are not sure what direction you are facing, the Garmin will help you orient better, at least once you calibrate the internal compass. And if you want to track mileage and gain, the Garmin is a better option because those features will burn the battery in an iPhone. (I do have a wrist altimeter, though, that can track elevation and cumulative gain...use it on every hike. Altimeter uses change in barometric pressure rather than gps, so can be less accurate but battery lasts for years.)
So that's where I am at this point. Hope that is helpful. If you do buy the Garmin, is worth paying extra for the topo. Yes, if you are a techie, you can get a lot of free stuff in the internet for the Garmin. But the stuff that comes with is easiest to use.
bTW, my first GPS was an etrex. Didn't like the interface -- found 60csx much easier to use. Plus the antenna on the Csx is amazing. Etrex has probably changed since then though.
Last edited by Akichow; 12/01/13 10:39 PM.
