The Garmin GPSMAP 78 brought a major update to the GPSMAP 76 handheld line. Garmin had a huge hit with the 60/76 series, and instead of messing with a winner, they turned their attention to new interfaces, which were introduced on the Colorado series, followed by the touch screen Oregon line.

Rugged navigator GPSMAP 78s, designed for water sports enthusiasts, includes a 3-axis compass, barometric altimeter, crisp color mapping, high-sensitivity GPS-receiver, new side molded rubber handles, and a slot for memory cards microSD ™, so you can download additional maps.

I'm a first time GPS user. I found this unit to either be too difficult to figure out or unable to do some fundimental things. Was tring to set the units to yards and measure a few golf drives but could not make it do whay I wanted. Screen is too small as well.

Seems to be a high quality unit with some advanced functionality

Short battery life; small screen; difficult to operate

Good value for money, I am enjoying using this instrument for my research purpose. Excellent features in terms of altimeter and barometric pressure is an added advantage.

For boaters and watersports enthusiasts who want to run with the best, the rugged GPSMAP 78 features crisp color mapping, high-sensitivity receiver, new molded rubber side grips, plus a microSD? card slot for loading additional maps. And it floats!

This would be a fine unit if you were only using it minor recreation. The color maps and visable tracks make seeing where you've been easy. However, I use this unit for work where I'm out in the woods all day.