Magellan eXplorist GC Waterproof Geocaching GPS

We are beginner Geocahers, but have caught the "bug" so to speak. I was tired of using my expensive Android, and was worried about letting others handle it or taking into wooded/swampy areas to keep track of the GPS. We invested in this one and I don't care who has or where they take it! I'm a bit of wuss for crawling into wooded areas (didn't grow up in the country), so I let the ones don't mind take the GPS with them into those area and they keep track of where to go for ones off the beaten path/trail. With the phone, we couldn't do that, I would have to stand at the edge of the trail and say, it's there somewhere! I don't find the screen too small at all, once I updated the latest software, it got even better. The battery does not drain fast and you can charge it up with the USB cable. Lots of great settings, especially with the new software update, it's even better. A few bugs, but there are work arounds that you can find on the Geocache website. I suggest you set the background to pure white and leave the back light on all time (it will turn off in sleep mode, which you can set) for best viewing in sun or shade. I tried the fancy, pretty backgrounds and they were annoying. Beginner or expert, I don't think you'll be disappointed. It got us right on top of the caches, and there was only one we couldn't find, but I still suspect it was stolen.

I chose to purchase this item as a gift for someone that is wanting to get into geocaching. I have used Garmin's in the past, but this product boasted of being perfect for beginner cachers, and even created specifaclly for that purpose.When I received the unit, I took it out of the box, put in fresh batteries, powered it on and... nothing. I thought, "maybe I need to hold the power button." Still nothing.I attempted several more times and eventually I got to what looked like a start-up screen. It had the magellan logo and what appeared to be some sort of compass or timer. The compass/timer thing didn't move, but remained static and the unit never loaded up-it just froze on that screen. Now, I couldn't get the thing to shut off! I had to take the batteries out to get it off.I tried calling Magellan for support and the only help they could give was to say I should try using the re-set button. Did that, and it started up, great! So I shut it off, tried to restart it normally, and was back to a frozen start-up screen.I'll summarize the next 6 hours I spend trying to get this to work properly. I researched every fix, work around, and firmware update possible. Nothing ever worked.But at least I'm not alone. In fact, what I discovered when doing a Google search for "explorist GC problems" was an entire ocean of people with bad explorist GC units, regardless of where they bought them from. Many people even had the EXACT same issue I had right out of the box or another related major problem. Any product with this many bad reviews and out of the box experiences should be recalled. I've sent this item back and will likely NEVER buy a Magellan product again.

I have had this GPS for a few months. I actually bought two so that I could take visiting family geocaching with me. I've liked that I have easy access to the cache description, previous logs, and hints to refer to as I geocache. I've used it to geocache in Florida and many Caribbean islands.My first issue with this GPS is that, even with programmed updates, the maps are not accurate. I actually "walked on water" on St. Thomas (according to the Explorist anyway).The reason for the "1" rating is the claim that this GPS is waterproof. Today, while pursuing some caches in my kayak, I tipped the kayak enough that everything that was not lashed down went into the drink. Two GPS's went in (the Magellan Explorist GC and my el cheapo yellow Garmin eTrex). The water wasn't deep...maybe 3 ft...I found the Explorist within a minute and fished it out...it was a good five minutes before I found my eTrex.The Explorist was absolutely DEAD...the eTrex...still tracking like a trooper. Note that approximately 10 minutes prior to the dunking, I had replaced the batteries in the Explorist and as part of my standard protocol checked the back lock and the seal over the charging connector...both were sealed tight. Took the unit home, removed the batteries, opened the charging seal and let the moisture evaporate. Still DEAD : (I think I'll go back to relying on my el cheapo eTrex so I won't have to suffer future disappointments like the Magellan Explorist. I plan to write the company to let them know that this product is FAR from waterproof.**Update 4/14/2012...after NO response from Magellan, I attempted again to get their attention by sending another note via email regarding the problem I encountered and also posted on their FaceBook page...hopefully, this will yield a response. (I am a realist...I know the response may not be what I may desire, but a response is expected...no response is just plain disrespectful to the consumer.)**Update 11/9/2012...after posting on Facebook, I did finally receive a response from Magellan. My faith in their customer service is restored. They authorized return of the damaged unit and replaced it with a new one at no cost to me...kudos to Magellan for handling this professionally! I still wish the unit was truly waterproof as many of the geocaches I pursue are water based. Time will tell how the unit holds up. In the meantime, I truly do appreciate the capabilities this unit provides.