Garmin GPSMAP 66s

Unlike the touch screen products which are difficult to use in wet conditions, this has buttons. It is much more suitable for outdoor use therefore. When necessary the buttons can be locked, so it does not do anything unexpectedly when in a pocket or bag, and this locking/unlocking is easy to do. My only concern is that it did not come with decent maps of uk.

My comments refer tothe model Garmin GPSMAP 66st. I bought my 66st to replace a 64st which had ceased to function. In principle, the 66st is a good addition to using the brilliant OS maps in the phone app Outdoor Active. A phone can be difficult to use in adverse weather and on long hikes (where an additional power pack is essential as the phone will need recharging). The 66st battery life is longer. and the device feels more robust, weatherwise. But the 66 screen is small. I purchased a Garmin sim with the OS UK-wide topographic map, but I have never been able to see an OS map in the 66st display. My 66st is never recognised when linked to a computer for updating, using Garmin Express: indeed I have accumulated 33 updates without any getting installed on the device. (I have tried using 2 different macs and via a bluetooth link to my phone: none work). So, sadly, given how much I paid for my 66st, I cannot get OS maps on it. Because I think it essential to navigate with a GPS and paper map together, displaying identical OS maps, I have never used the 66st for serious UK tracking. Instead I use my phone, Outdoor Active and carry a back-up power pack plus the paper map. My other Garmin devices, including an Edge 1000, do update satsfactorily. That said, I find all Garmin stuff pretty clunky really, with interfaces vastly inferior to those of smart phones.