Introduction.

You can buy a GPS device from various manufacturers these days but there still remains one market leader – Garmin, who have launched their latest offering in the shape of a new Garmin Montana GPS. What keeps Garmin as the market leader here? Well the new Garmin Montana – is truly a multi-purpose and fully functioning GPS unit capable of using with equal effect on the road, off the road, backpacking or even whilst at sea.

Why this device is so multi-functional.

Multi-function and multi-purpose – the new Garmin Montana – an essential GPS for explorers!

Sure, you could buy a sat nav system from loads of other manufacturers, even cell phone companies, and they’ll say of course you can use it off-road, on the street … etc. But what makes the new Garmin Montana so different is that the case is built for rugged conditions, it’s also waterproof, it is ergonomically designed to fit into a range of mounting options and yet be comfortable to hold and, particularly important as a hand-held GPS for backpacking – it has three power options. It can be powered from an electric output or using the in-built rechargeable lithium-ion battery or, and most significantly for backpackers without access to a recharging facility, you can power it by using three AA batteries – so, when backpacking, it’s just a question of having or being able to buy spares en route. So, particularly if your idea of a great vacation is driving to a remote location, driving off-road to a water front, sailing or kayaking to a trail and then backpacking in the wilderness for a few days – this has to be the GPS unit for you.

What you get.

The Garmin Montana will be available in three models, varying in price according to the mapping features you want. The basics for all the Montana models, starting with the 600, are a 4 inch color screen, sizes and weight comparable to any other similar device – but this one is waterproof and floats! The screen delivers 272×480 pixels and being TFT is readable in sunlight. There’s a micro-SD slot to download specialist maps if needed. The 650 model adds a 5 megapixel camera and the 650t includes 100k topo maps. All this functionality does come at a price with the 600 starting at $550 – but then what price getting lost in the middle of no-where?