Garmin Colorado 400c gps opinions?

[Ringding]

Does anyone have experience or opinions of the Garmin Colorado 400c gps? It looks like a decent product with Bluecharts, but several reviews have issues with short battery life and not being able to provide headings. It is currently priced at $349 at WestMarine and seems like a decent price compared to comparible units. Thanks for the input!

[davidpm]

Welcome aboard.
I have the Colorado and reviewed it here.
http://www.sailnet.com/forums/genera...-question.html

[labatt]

After talking to numerous people, I picked the Oregon 400C as our backup GPS as opposed to the Colorado. I heard too many complaints about the wheel on the Colorado. I can say that I love my Oregon. Here are some links that may be of interest:

Garmin Oregon Wiki - home
Garmin Colorado Wiki - home

[davidpm]

Originally Posted by labatt

After talking to numerous people, I picked the Oregon 400C as our backup GPS as opposed to the Colorado. I can say that I love my

That's good to hear.
Touch screens are certainly the way the world is going.

The way I use the Colorado is to keep it in my pocket turned on.
I can reach it grab the top take a quick peek then put it back without touching any buttons.

Can you do that with the Oregon?
I was worried that I would touch the screen and change it.
I know there is a screen lock but then I would have to put the screen lock on and if I wanted to zoom or something turn screen lock off then on again.

Entering way points is easy on the Oregon and a real pain on the Colorado for sure.
Also can you see the Oregon screen without the back light?
The Colorado screen is just tolerable and the Oregon with the reflective touch screen is supposed to be even dimmer.