Garmin eTrex Venture HC

Rated: 5 by 11 reviews.

Campmor

eTrex Venture HC is an essential for any outdoor excursion. It features a high-sensitivity GPS receiver for peak performance in any environment and includes 24 megabytes (MB) of internal memory, a detailed basemap and crisp color screen.

Enjoy Clear Reception
With its high-sensitivity, WAAS-enabled GPS receiver, eTrex Venture HC locates your position quickly and precisely and maintains its GPS location even in heavy cover and deep canyons. The advantage is clear - whether you're in deep woods or just near tall buildings and trees, you can count on Venture HC to help you find your way when you need it the most.

Add More Detail
eTrex Venture HC's basemap contains lakes, rivers, cities, interstates, national and state highways, railroads and coastlines. Venture HC also includes 24 MB of internal memory, so you can load waypoints and routes from the included ® Trip & Waypoint Manager software and add map detail from Garmin's entire line of optional ® mapping products. Its 256-color, sunlight-readable display makes it easy to distinguish map details - even in bright sunlight.

  • Specs:
    • Dimensions WxHxD: 4.2" x 2.2" x 1.2"
    • Display Size: 1.3" x 1.7"
    • Resolution: 176 x 220 pixels
    • Display Type: 256 color TFT
    • Weight: 5.5 oz (w/batteries)
    • Battery: 2 AA (not included)
    • Battery Life: 14 hours
    • Waterproof: Yes (IPX7)
    • Built in Memory: 24 MB
    • Waypoints: 500
    • Routes: 50
    • Track Log: 10,000 points.

REI

With a new high-sensitivity chipset, the Garmin Venture HC GPS receiver helps you get off the beaten path without losing your signal.

  • New high-sensitivity chipset delivers super-fast signal aquisition and lock for reception in narrow valleys, dense woodlands and urban jungles
  • 256-color TFT technology produces a bright display that can be read in direct sunlight and is backlit for easy night viewing
  • Comes pre-loaded with U.S. base map; accepts detailed maps from MapSource® software, sold separately
  • Follow 50 reversible routes with up to 250 user waypoints per route; waypoints can be named and indexed by graphic symbols within GPS unit
  • Audible alarm sound signals anchor drag, destination arrival, off-course, proximity waypoint and clock time functions
  • Trip-computer calculates current and average speed, sunset and sunrise times, trip time and total distance over ground
  • Weatherproof case keeps unit functioning in wet conditions; waterproof to IEC 529 lPX7 standards
  • WAAS (Wide Area Augmentation System) enabled receiver delivers sub-3-meter accuracy
  • Two AA-size batteries (sold separately) supply up to 14 hours of typical use
  • Compatible with most MapSource products, including BlueChart®, City Navigator® and U.S. TOPO 24K
  • Includes MapSource® Trip and Waypoint Manager software for transferring routes and waypoints easily via high-speed USB interface
  • Comes with: Venture HC, USB interface cable, lanyard, MapSource software, owner's manual and quick reference guide

Backcountry.com (Spring 2010)

With a crisp color screen, detailed base map, and 24MB of internal memory, the Garmin eTrex Venture HC GPS is an affordable and essential piece of backcountry gear for your next outing. Thanks to its high-sensitivity GPS receiver, the Venture HC maintains a signal even in deep canyons or under heavy tree cover. The included base map shows you lakes, rivers, cities, highways, and coastlines, and the included Trip & Waypoint Manager software lets you upload routes and waypoints. You can also upload more detailed area maps from Garmin’s line of MapSource products (sold separately).

SummitHut.com

eTrex Venture HC is an essential for any outdoor excursion. It features a high-sensitivity GPS receiver for peak performance in any environment and includes 24 megabytes (MB) of internal memory, a detailed basemap and crisp color screen.

Features:

  • High-sensitivity receiver
  • Includes: eTrex Venture HC, Basemap: Americas Recreational, Europe Atlantic Highway and Pacific Highway, MapSource Trip and Waypoint Manager Software, USB Cable, Wrist Strap, Owner's Manual and Quick Start GuideR4 MB Built in memoryR56 level color TFT display
  • USB interfaceU00 WaypointsQ0,000 point Track log
  • Waterproof
Altimeter:No
Antenna:Internal
Battery Life:14hrs
Battery life at 70 degrees:14 hours
Battery type:2 AA
Color screen:Yes
Compact antenna:High-sensitivity
Compass:No
Computer Compatible:Yes, USB
Country of Origin:Australia
Digital Compass:No
Dimensions:2.2 x 4.2 x 1.2in (5.6 x 10.7 x 3cm)
Display size:1.3 x 1.7 inches
Expansion Card:No, 24MB internal memory
Manufacturer Warranty:1 Year
Mapping:Yes
Material:Plastic
Memory:24 megabytes
PC Compatible:Yes
Position accuracy:WAAS-enabled 3 meters
Quad helix antenna:No
Recommended Use:Hiking, backpacking, trekking, travel
Routes:50
Screen Pixels:176 x 220
Waterproof:Yes
Waypoints:500
Waypoints (total):500
Weight:5.5oz (156g)

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Garmin eTrex Venture HC Reviews Summary:

RatingNumber
of Reviews
56
44
31
20
10

Positive Reviews:

Excellent handheld unit for the price

Rating:*****
The Garmin Venture HC is an excellent GPS unit for the price. It's very small, about the size of a large cellphone. It feels durable, and has a nice rubberized grip on the outer edges to keep it from slipping out of your hands when wet or cold. Seems relatively water resistant, I've never submerged it, but I've never worried about using it in the rain or wet conditions. I've used this unit in 100F+ temps, down to near freezing, and I've never had a problem. It's reasonably fast at updating, and seems to be accurate to within 10-15 ft. which is good enough for my uses.

As far as usage goes, the controls are a bit on the complicated side, but once you figure them out it works pretty well. The menus and screens are very configurable. It comes with more features than I was expecting for a unit of this price... I particularly like the odometer/trip screen. It has some geocaching features built in, but I've never used it so I can't really comment on how well it works.

The included base map is pretty sparse (to be expected), so I picked up Topo 2008. Not cheap, but definitely worth it. The maps are very detailed, and pretty easy to read on the unit's screen. When I first got the unit, my main worry was it not having expandable memory. But even with only 24MB of built in memory, I was able to store a few dozen maps on the unit with space to spare. If you're familiar with the National Geographic topo maps, each map is about the same size and detail. You won't be able to store the whole US, but I was able to easily store a good portion of the colorado rockies, so I was pretty happy about that. The Topo 2008 software allows you to swap out the maps as needed between trips.

My main gripe is with the software used to put topo maps onto the unit. If you run Windows, the included software isn't too bad. But for us Mac users, Garmin makes us jump through lots of hoops to manage the topo maps and put them on the gps. After several hours of headaches, I finally ended up installing Windows XP on boot camp, just to run the MapSource app. Hopefully Garmin will finally finish their Mac software suite, but in the mean time this setup will do.

All in all, though, this is a very nice GPS unit.
JustinM at REI on 05/05/2009

Used this Item for more than a year

Rating:*****
This little guy is terrific! I have taken it into the backwoods on my mountain bike for a total of 3,000 hard vibrating miles in the time that I have owned this device and it has held up without problems! Driven across the USA with it mounted on the dash of my Element, and it is fantastic for finding our way there too. You can use a simple 5.0 volt USB output to operate this device. I am using a Griffen adapter for the iPod to run mine in the car. This allows you to keep the backlight on the unit on full time.. Nice!

Once in a blue moon the Venture HC will shut itself off when operating in high temperatures, above 90F, that is my only complaint with the hardware. Garmin's software is good on the PC side in XP, but Garmin has made no effort to cater to other OS until recently. There is a first version "Garmin Road Trip" for the Mac that is goofy at best, watch for upgrades there.

I have the full Topo maps for the US 2008 version loaded on the PC, and can pull map sectors to be copied onto the Garmin for a specific area. For not having a SD card, it holds quite a few maps at a time. I have loaded the Rockies from Montana's border south through the Wasatch of northern Utah down to I-70 and it all can be loaded at once. The complete Topo maps for the US are big, about 2.60 Gig, so it is not all going to fit at once, but the management of maps in XP is great!

Overall this GPS is accurate in general to 10 feet, and is intuitive to operate once you find the display combinations that "you" want to see and customize them for your needs. In bright sunlight, the maps are easy to read, and the backlight has lots of steps of brightness. Color is good, but for some folks, the display size is a bit small for in the car applications.

I give this a 5 star rating for the device, and give Garmin a 3 star rating for their software attempts in other OS platforms.
Mr. MTB at REI on 03/03/2009

Fast, Easy, Fun!

Rating:*****
This device is a WONDERFUL improvement in the eTrex lineup. The HC chipset shows remarkable improvements in reception. It's no longer a big deal to power up/down the device in between marking waypoints on long trips because satellite acquiring is ridiculously fast compared to previous models. In fact, I can actually say that powering up and down now actually DOES save battery life, where with previous models it was a moot point, and used to shorten battery life.

The Topo 2008 maps are plenty accurate. If you need more accuracy, a paper topo is better anyways. The unit allows you to select the level of detail shown, which is great. Be aware that turning on the highest detail levels all the time can make redrawing the screen a chore (very slow). While the memory is somewhat limited, it's plenty to hold topo maps for a long hiking trip. I live near Seattle, and I currently have maps loaded for almost all of Western Washington (about 75%), so I don't even have to think about loading up new topo maps for hikes that are within day-hike range.

I have used it off-road in my '05 Scion xB (or on road) for forest service roads a lot with the builtin waypoint warnings, and it's great. It's not very well suited though for actually driving with it as a vehicle GPS.

There's a little trick you can do with this device to save battery life. Get a standard USB car adapter. I use one from Phillips that has a nice adapter set that also works with my mini-usb devices, and has a variable-length USB cable in it (the way this particular system works, you can also use the included usb cable with the cig. lighter adapter); it then powers from your vehicle instead of the batteries.
mhungry at REI on 01/01/2009

Love it for hiking and geocaching

Rating:****
I wanted to use this for a few months before posting a review. I use this for hiking and geocaching and have found it to be nearly perfect. I would not use it for vehicle travel as there are other GPS units designed for that purpose that would be better. I have found it to be very fast to lock on to satellites, even indoors. It holds the signal well in heavy tree cover and even with thunder clouds overhead. I was out today in heavy cover with thunder and lightening storms overhead, the GPS got me out in good time although there were a couple of times I felt I needed to pause to let the GPS catch up to me. I use this with Garmin TOPO US 24K WEST with 1:24,000 scale and I find it has wonderful detail. I would not change anything about this GPS, I love it. The only thing I might change is to upgrade to the eTrex Vista HCx only so that I can have the micro SD Card capability in order to store more map data. This is the only reason I give it a 4 instead of a 5. All things considered, this is a great little GPS unit.
Utility_Player at REI on 06/06/2009

Wow!

Rating:*****
Bought the bundle to address one of the major complaints--cost of mapware--and couldn't be happier. The Topo 2008 is okay, certainly a major improvement on the base map. The software has a nice little tutorial that makes uploading maps to the device a breeze. On first boot, acquired and locked on satelites within 30 seconds and I was on my way. As a full-functioning GPS mapping device, it took me about an hour to sort through all the features to set it up for my needs. After customizing the data screens, I found myself trying to decide if this is a tool or a toy. It's just a hoot to use, and highly recommended.
lobo solitario at REI on 05/05/2008

Great Performance

Rating:*****
We've tested in several situations in preparation for extended outing in the fall. Performed great and was easy to use on the trail. Combined it with Mapsource Topo and very pleased with the results. We've been able to both plan hikes, and then review after. Accurate and easy to read. For our needs, couldn't get any better.
HikeWisconsin at REI on 09/09/2008

HC Summary

Rating:****
This product does not get signal in the Okinawan houses. Note: the hoses on base are concrete so it isn't the products fault. FAST on and off but it takes a while to link with the satellites. Easy to use but the routable maps seem to need some tweaking. Good product overall and I recommend it.
impilcature at REI on 08/08/2009

Great GPS

Rating:*****

This little guy will never allow you to get lost. Has a very limited basemap, but for geocaching, camping, hiking or boating this is one of the best for the price. I always get a clear signal in trees, near building and inclimate weather. I recommend this to anyone looking for a compact accurate gps.

mickey at Backcountry.com (Spring 2010) on 04/20/2009

Great GPS

Rating:****
This is a great gps for geocaching and hiking the trails. It is also a reasonable price for what you get. I do recommend that you get the Garmin topo maps to go with it.
Ranger Keith at REI on 09/09/2008

Works, well, dependable, affordable

Rating:****
Works well, fun to use, great for safety. Nice color screen at an affordable price.
irishskier at REI on 09/09/2007

Neutral Reviews:

Good value, mediocre product

Rating:***
The good:

1. This product handles the basics very well. It gets great satellite reception, even under heavy tree cover in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. It has decent battery life, it's rugged, and it will enable you to find your way home.

2. It uses standard AA batteries.

3. Inexpensive compared to other products.

The bad:

1. The software on the GPS device is not intuitive, nor is the software that you load onto your personal computer.

2. The processor is slow. It takes forever for the images to load when you change the zoom setting or scroll to a different location. Kind of reminds me of the days of internet dial up - the page will load eventually, but you get really annoyed while waiting.

3. It comes with a tiny amount of memory, and you can't add more. It has enough memory to store topo maps for about one New England state.

4. It doesn't track your altitude. If you want to plot changes in altitude, you need to purchase a different model.

Overall:

Think of this device as more of a survival tool than a "fun" gadget.
James F. at REI on 08/08/2009