Garmin Montana 600 Waterproof Hiking GPS

Garmin Montana 600 Waterproof Hiking GPS - Garmin is one of the very first companies that started to market portable GPS systems for navigational purposes and has been improving the software that they use to provide the accuracy and functionality of the products that they make. One such particular product is the Garmin Montana 600 Waterproof Hiking GPS which has a 3 gigabyte built-in memory in which you can store a lot of down-loadable maps to help you get where you need to go. Having a weatherproof GPS system does have an advantage as you can use it trekking on the open trails without having to worry about getting caught in the rain with your GPS that moisture might damage it.

Garmin Montana 600 Waterproof Hiking GPS

Garmin Montana 600 Waterproof Hiking GPS

Garmin Montana 600 Waterproof Hiking GPS Design:

As for its design, the Garmin Montana 600 was made for that rugged outdoor handling along with its ability to withstand the harshest weather conditions. Its back portion has a ribbed surface which lets you handle it in a very ergonomic way, giving you a secured grip since it was primarily made to be a hand-held unit. The bulk of its battery pack rests very comfortably on the palm of your hand along with its lanyard loop that lets you attach a chord that you can wear around your neck. The battery pack and the main casing itself is lined with a rubberized silicon seal that can withstand it being submerged in water depths of up to 1 meter for a duration of 30 minutes before water begins to breach into the casing. Its ability to accommodate ordinary double “A” batteries in any case that you should run out of charge is another added plus which can be considered lifesaving as well.

Garmin Montana 600 Waterproof Hiking GPS Features:

The Garmin Montana 600 has a built-in 3 axis compass and barometric indicator that gives you the convenience of holding your GPS without having to put it on a horizontal level position to give you an accurate reading of your current position, altitude height and pressure. Its touchscreen display can simultaneously render 2 types of maps during navigational mode including street view, satellite or even topographical positions. Having a 3 gigabyte built-in memory lets you download all of the most important maps that gives you a precise detail of all the way points and points of interest along with the current street details of the area that you are in, including a turn by turn voice indicator.

If you like sailing or travel using boats, the Montana 600 can be a great help while you navigate the open seas since it takes advantage of two navigational systems which provides 95% accuracy on your current position. It uses the WAAS (Wide Area Augmentation System) which uses satellite positioning systems and ground stations to pin point your exact position within a 3 meter area. This same technology is also currently being used by the airline industry to determine the current position of aircraft in real time. WAAS also provides a constant stream of data directly to the GPS and that it does not frequently loose its signal compared to those that use conventional methods of tracking.

The Garmin Montana 600 even gives you the option to subscribe to the on-line map providing services such as BirdsEye Satellite Imagery and BlueChart g2 which enables you to directly download map information in real time regardless of where you are in the world. Besides this, you can opt to download your own maps manually through the Internet and even record each and every detail on the routes that you had traveled. The Montana 600 uses a double “A” rechargeable Lithium-Ion battery pack which is charged externally which is a bit of a disappointment compared to GPS systems that have built-in internally chargeable batteries. Although being said so, it does have one advantage when you are caught in the open without having anywhere to charge your batteries and that is its functionality of being able to use regular double “A” batteries for emergency cases. Under regular conditions, the Montana 600 has a 16 hour operational capacity which is longer than most GPS systems in the market today.

Garmin Montana 600 Waterproof Hiking GPS LCD:

Having a 4 inch touchscreen display with anti-glare features gives the Montana 600 a big advantage when it comes to using it in bright environments since most people complain of having difficulty in viewing images in broad daylight. It also has a night mode feature that enhances images under dim lighting conditions which can easily be accessed through its easy to use interface which is surprisingly responsive. Added to this, its 4 inch touchscreen display can be used to the extent of being able to respond accurately even when the user is wearing gloves, in which case can be very advantageous to people that ride motorcycles.

Garmin Montana 600 Waterproof Hiking GPS Final Thoughts:

Priced at about $422.99, it may come as a bit expensive compared with other GPS systems with the same size. However, there are 4 important points to consider with regard to the Garmin Montana 600 and that is versatility since it is Waterproof, it can be used under any weather conditions. Its 4 inch touchscreen accommodates hand gestures even when the user has gloves on makes it very convenient for people riding a motorcycle. Its ability to use regular sized double “A” batteries in emergency cases where you find yourself not being able to charge your battery pack can be very helpful during unexpected situations. Using WAAS to keep track in real time with pin point accuracy is probably the best feature of the Montana 600 since getting the right information at the fastest time is quite useful when you are navigating on the open road in which you are not familiar with.