Garmin GPS 60 - 2.7 in. Handheld GPS Receiver

Well, it will be hard to add to the reviews posted by sezrfas and dynamicfigure. They covered this unit pretty well. If you skipped these reviews please go back and read them once you have read mine.

I have posted a link to the technical specs of the 60CS at the bottom of this review.

First off, I have owned this unit for a couple of months now. This is my first hand held GPS purchase. I have ATV riding buddies that have similar units, so the hand helds are not new to me.

I did a lot of research on the net and came to the conclusion that the 60CS was the right GPS for me. I use it for ATV riding, auto-navigation and geocaching.

The color screen sells this unit on its own. What a joy to look at. The backlight works great. Sun, shade, rain or snow the screen is easily viewable at all times! The speed at which this unit draws the screens when changing maps is second to none.

This unit fits easily into your hand. It has a very stable and well constructed feel to it. The buttons can easily be manipulated with one hand. It just feels like a well built unit over all.

I have read where the 60CS is packed with about 60 menu and map screens you can scroll though. I have not counted them so I am unsure if this number is true, but don't let this discourage you. The user interface (menu/map screens) is straight forward and can be easily used by the young and old alike.

I use it with an optional RAM bar mount (approx $35USD) while riding my Honda Rincon ATV into new areas. The routes and tracks feature come in handy for this purpose. You can mark a starting point (parking area where your truck and ATV trailer is) then take off into the great unknown on the ATV. Once you decide you want to get back to where you started, the GPS unit can retrace your route and get you back along the same route you arrived on. Or in a straight line if you prefer and no obstacles prevent it. This unit performs this task quite well. The optional Topo software (approx $100USD) makes this a bit easier then the included base maps. One other thing to note here is that the 60CS is water-resistant to about 3ft. Handy to know if a rain storm is approaching and you are 30 miles from shelter. Or if you decide to ride through a river, pond, mudhole, etc.

The 60CS does a remarkable job of auto-navigation for such a small and portable GPS. I also have the auto-navigation kit (approx $140USD) which includes City Select V6 software, suction windshield mount and external power cable for this task. As others have noted, keeping the unit near the front windshield yields the best satellite reception. I have seen my 60CS state it was locked on with 3ft accuracy. Not to shabby considering I do not have the optional external antenna ($45USD).

You can simply select an intersection, input an address or select from the various points of interest loaded on the GPS and you are off. I am amazed at all of the businesses loaded into this thing. You can scroll though the list and see almost every business in you vicinity. Handy when in an unfamiliar city, looking for a good place to eat, sleep and such. This unit offers turn by turn navigation with auto re-routing if you miss a turn. The amount of map detail is amazing given the small screen size. I usually keep the map zoom set to 800 feet while auto-navigating. This allows for good detail of your surrounding area and keeps you informed of upcoming turns in a timely manner. The other navigation screens such as 3D, turn by turn, trip/speed, etc are all very useful and fun to play with. Different beeps alert you to various actions you need to take while driving.

Me and my family have recently discovered the fun that can be had geocaching! ( Geocaching is kind of like treasure hunting. People hide items and you go out and find them using your hand held GPS. My 5yr old son loves it! ( More info can be found here: http://www.geocaching.com ) Take a look at that site, you will be amazed at just how many treasure hunts can be had right in your town or even your neighbors backyard! I live in a small rural town and there are currently 40 or so caches with in 20 miles of my house! This is a world wide phenomenon that is growing daily.

The 60CS is the cream of the crop for geocaching. Caches can be easily down loaded to the GPS, then the fun begins. The compass is a real handy feature while geocaching. The compass feature is worth the added cost over the 60C model in my opinion. The compass works while you are standing still on the 60CS. Cheaper model GPS units require you to be in motion for the compass to lock in and work, but not on the 60CS. The 60CS manages your caches superbly. It will even change the icons of your caches after you find them. Handy for knowing which ones you have already found. Once you find a cache it will point you off to the next nearest cache. Fun times with the family..

I have an average battery life of around 20 to 25 hours with my 60CS. Not to bad for a color screen GPS that only runs on 2 AA batteries! Just don't skimp of your batteries, buy good name brand ones.

The USB interface cable works well. Quick down loads and up-loads. The optional MapSource software is easy to use and adds significant functionality to any Garmin GPS.

If Garmin would have included at least 128MB of internal memory or an expansion slot, I would have given this handy little device a perfect 5 star rating. Don't get me wrong, you can load an ample amount of data on this thing, but including a tad more memory would probably boost the sales of this unit even more. Flash memory is super cheap these days…

Now for the specs:
http://www.epinions.com/pr-Target_Garmin_Handheld_GPS-GPSMAP60CS_GPS_Receiver/display_~full_specs