Garmin’s Foretrex 401 and Foretrex 301 GPS navigators, rugged and waterproof for tough conditions, have a high-sensitivity, WAAS-enabled GPS receiver, easy-to-read LCD display and a USB interface. Garmin advise that the units are suitable for light hikers, skiers, campers and military personnel to wear comfortably on their wrists. The display and navigation software remind one of a eTrex H which is handheld rather than worn on the wrist.

Combined with the high-sensitivity GPS receiver is Garmin HotFix for quickly acquiring and maintaining satellite reception even in heavy tree cover or deep canyons – our faithful eTrex H has passed many such tests. As one hikes or skis the Foretrex 301 or 401 accurately monitors and stores your routes, tracks and waypoints. When its time to return, it’s a simple matter of turning on the TracBack feature, and Foretrex will retrace your path right back to you point of origin. The software provides breadcrumb trails, data fields and a compass screen to enable you to return to any waypoint.

Both GPS units feature dual-position readout for viewing your current location in multiple formats, including latitude/longitude and an alternate position format of your choice. The Foretrex 301 and 401 also incorporate a trip computer, sunrise/sunset and hunting and fishing information.

At only 3 ounces the both ForeTrex units are light to wear. Sensibly for the application both units are drink from twin AAA batteries which will last up to 18 hours which is an extremely long day if you are on the go all the time. Memory capacity is also more than adequate being capable of storing up to 500 waypoints, 20 routes or a tracklog of up to 10,000 points and 10 saved tracks. If you want to review your efforts or combine your tracklog data with mapping software one can connect to a PC or Mac via the USB connection.

ForeTrex 401 vs ForeTrex 301

In addition to the features of the ForeTrex 301, the Foretrex 401 has an electronic compass (you don’t have to be moving for it to work) and a barometric altimeter for greater elevation accuracy. Aditionally, the Foretrex 401 allows you to wirelessly share routes, tracks and waypoints between certain Foretrex, Oregon and Colorado devices. If you are interested in exercise feedback, the 401 is compatible with Garmin heart-rate monitors and cadence sensors.