Folks,
I have been using a garmin forerunner 310xt for a few years now. I bought it REI because, after reading about the 310xt on this site, I believed that the "waterproof-ness" of the unit would wear off ;-0. Sure enough, over the 3 year period, I have taken the 310xt back to REI for 2 replacements.
I just took it back for my 3rd replacement and was told that they do not stock the 310xt anymore and there is a newer, more expensive model that takes its place. REI refunded me my original purchase price. They have also re-worded the specs on the 310xt (you can still get it on rei.com) so it is now water resistant.
So, I am now looking for a replacement unit for paddling with. It seems that there are some competitors out there now that were not there 3 years ago. I am looking for the following in the unit:
-waterproof (or at least better than the 310xt was)
-gps
-heartrate
-downloadable data
-easy to read/big screen (a lot of today's watches have smaller screens than the 310xt--I strap the unit to my front iako and my old eyes need all the help they can get to see whatever is on the face of the unit. I am not adverse to getting something with the formfactor of the etrex units.
Any ideas?
thanks,
lndbrusr
Submitted by lndbrusr on Fri, 06/01/2012 - 1:07pm
garmin 910xt
#1 Sat, 06/02/2012 - 5:37pm
Garmin Dakota 20
They make a nice accessory to mount it to the front iako of an OC1/V1 and is easily readable.
#2 Mon, 06/04/2012 - 7:03am
i can see the Dakota being useful for navigation. i once raced with a crew that used a 305. mental.
#3 Tue, 06/05/2012 - 3:19am
Yeah it definitely is. You can set waypoints to direct you to where you need to go, while recording your speed, mileage, altitude, etc.
#4 Tue, 06/05/2012 - 5:10am
Dakota looks good but I can't find a Dakota model that does HR.
#5 Tue, 06/05/2012 - 9:59am
The Dakota 20 does HR.
I've never actually used the HR function in the GPS, but it is in there.
#6 Tue, 06/05/2012 - 10:54am
The Dakota 20 does HR and cadence (for a bike). Not sure if that can be made to work with stroke rates.
The owners manual online talks about both on page 29. I was considering the 910 , now i'll start my research again The Dakota 20 sounds compelling with the larger display and all the navigation features.
#7 Tue, 06/05/2012 - 4:00pm
My battery compartment in my 1.5 year old Dakota 20 corroded. The SD card is also in that compartment. Garmin sent refurbished for $100.
#8 Wed, 06/06/2012 - 8:18am