Krys,

Since you have not gotten any responses, I will start it off.  As I mentioned in the othe GPS thread, I have the basic Garmin ETREX which I purchased for $99.  I know you can spend a lot more than that for ones with a lot more bells and whistles.  All I wanted was something that would help me find my way back to camp when I am not sure where I am (which is often).  If you want one with topo maps, etc then you will need to get something more expensive.  It may take a few minutes to get a signal sometime in deep woods but will usually always bring it up within a couple of minutes.  Only time I was unable to get a signal was in a moderate rain shower at Lonesome D in Arkansas.  Fortunately, I knew where I was.   Also, since this is a basic model, the battery life (about 20 hrs) is longer than in the sophisticated models.

My hubby bought me a Garmin e-Trex Vista-C..with the color screen, last year for Christmas (I wouldn't have splurged for the color...but hey...I'll take it!)  The more I use it, the better it gets.  I'm still learning it, wish it showed topography without having to buy additional expensive software, but it also allows me to download trails I've done, and re-load them on my Garmin via a USB port on my computer.  I feel like I'm still tapping into it's potential, but at least I've got the basics waypoint, track back, go-to, etc. down-pat. (It also has clearly demonstrated the lack of accuracy in most campground trail maps I've used!) Let us know what you ended up with!  Happy trails!

I don't consider the E-trex VistaC overkill for trail riding.  It really seems better when using mapping and back-tracking.  The waypoints and maps seem to stand out better.  It didn't come with any great software other than the Mapsource that allows you to download your tracks.  It's very basic and doesn't do as much as I'd like.  My Garmin doesn't show topography (at least I haven't figured out how, and the book doesn't show it) which to me is a BIG drawback when using it to trail ride.  I'm finally having my first problem with it.  I took it on a trail ride this week and it froze up on the return trip....right when I needed to find the fastest way back to camp.  I took the batteries out and replaced them when I got back, and now, it doesn't pick up satellites, the time is not correct, and the only thing that seems to work is the compass.  The book doesn't offer anything for troubleshooting, so I'm going to try and contact Garmin for help.  I sure hope I can get it working again!

If it doesn't pick-up the satellites the time will be off.  If your GPS displays a time, consider it accurate as the Naval Observatory time.  The whole GPS system relies on atomic clock timing to calculate a position.  So it's like having an atomic clock in your pocket.