Garmin Oregon 300 - 3 in. Handheld GPS Receiver
- Form Factor: Handheld
- Map capabilities: Internal, Map cartridges / Data cards
- Enhanced accuracy: WAAS enabled
- Screen Size: 3 in.
- GPS Type: Handheld (Outdoor)
- Input Method: Touch Screen
Available From
Why are these offers here?
Lowest Price!
- Overview
-
Reviews
- Compare Prices
User ReviewRead All Reviews »
Not recommended
Pros
Easy to use. The touch screen is nice. Boots fast.
Cons
See the review body for the cons.
Recommended it?
No
The Bottom Line:
Buy some other GPS.
I'm a long time user of the Garmin GPS. I recently decided to upgrade from the etrex Vista CX to the Oregon 300. After having the Oregon for less than a week I've decided to take it back to REI for a refund. Here are my observations on the Oregon series:
- The backlight is inferior to the etrex Vista CX. Maps and tracks are extremely hard to discern in full sunlight. This is a show stopper for me.
- The Oregon has less functionality when compared to the etrex Vista CX
o Tracks cannot be renamed without using the MapSource software.
o The customizable Welcome message was removed. This was good place to put your name and contact info in case you ever lost your GPS.
o The waypoint proximity feature was removed.
o The jumpmaster feature was removed. Probably one of the least used features but it wasn't hurting anything.
o With the etrex you could connect to MapSource via USB and still edit data on the GPS and transfer data. You can't edit data on the Oregon while connected to MapSource.
These are just a few of the things I've noticed. Overall, I'd say that Garmin dumbed down the Oregon series to make it more user friendly to the average consumer but they short changed the power user in the process. On a positive note, Garmin customer and technical support is without peer.
- The backlight is inferior to the etrex Vista CX. Maps and tracks are extremely hard to discern in full sunlight. This is a show stopper for me.
- The Oregon has less functionality when compared to the etrex Vista CX
o Tracks cannot be renamed without using the MapSource software.
o The customizable Welcome message was removed. This was good place to put your name and contact info in case you ever lost your GPS.
o The waypoint proximity feature was removed.
o The jumpmaster feature was removed. Probably one of the least used features but it wasn't hurting anything.
o With the etrex you could connect to MapSource via USB and still edit data on the GPS and transfer data. You can't edit data on the Oregon while connected to MapSource.
These are just a few of the things I've noticed. Overall, I'd say that Garmin dumbed down the Oregon series to make it more user friendly to the average consumer but they short changed the power user in the process. On a positive note, Garmin customer and technical support is without peer.
