garmin etrex venture HC

[maui]

would really like to hear [ good or bad ] about the garmin e-trex venture HC.
i am really thinking about getting this model and was wondering how user friendly it is and
if it is dependable.
thanks for your valued opinion as i said that i am leaning towards getting this unit.
ron

[Boyd]

Personally, I would not recommend it. The main problem is that it only has 24MB of memory and cannot be expanded with a removable card. This will severely limit the kind of maps that can to loaded.

Get a unit that has a card slot instead. The Legend Hcx would be their bottom of the line unit with a card slot. But the Dakota 20 would be a better choice IMO, because it supports additional types of maps that don't work on the eTrex series. It also supports Birdseye, Garmin's download service for satellite imagery and USGS 24k topo's. It has a touchscreen interface that is more user friendly than the eTrex series.

Street price on the Dakota 20 is ~$250, but sometimes it can be found for less at a sale.