Magellan eXplorist XL Water Resistant Hiking GPS Review

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(More customer reviews)Choosing the eXplorist XL was a tough choice for me. I was trying to decide between the Garmin GPSMap 76CS (the altimeter/barometer version of the of the color-display 76C) and one of the other Magellan eXplorist series units.
ALTIMETER/BAROMETER/THERMOMETER REQUIREMENT
One of the first strikes against the XL is that it lacks an altimeter and compass. This is fine as I use a supplemental analog compass for navigation while hiking, and the XL is able to determine direction based on movement when I'm driving. Evenso, the compass on the 76CS is finicky as it is a 2-axis compass (which means that it must be held level with the ground). I say it's finicky because other users have indicated that it doesn't show direction very well unless they're holding it perfectly level, and sometimes it's a crapshot as to whether or not they're holding it adequately level.
On the other hand, the 76CS has a good altimeter on it (much better than that of the eXplorist 600, the thermometer/barometer/altimeter of which is located too close the hot backlight and makes for some pretty erroneous readings). Still, GPS can estimate altitude well enough. The altitude accuracy tends to be 1.5 to 2 times further off than the horizontal readings (meaning that if you're getting a horizontal accuracy of 10 feet, the GPS altitude will only be accurate to within about 15-20 feet). A properly calibrated altimeter (calibrated every few hours) will provide accuracy of about 15 feet. To me, the increase in accuracy of going from GPS altitude calculations to altimeter calculations isn't significant. Even w/o the alt/bar/temp option, I'm okay. I use an analog thermometer if I need to know it, and use other techniques to determine the weather.
The XL does provide a compass but it isn't magnetic. Instead, like most units that do not include a seperate internal compass, the XL uses changes in GPS position to determine direction of travel. As long as you're moving, you'll be able to determine your direction (or, again, you can just bring an inexpensive analog compass with you if you're hiking). If you're driving, you'll be moving fast enough that the compass indications will be very precise. WEIGHT
The unit is heavy. I believe that the 60C and 76C made by Garmin each weigh about 5.5 oz w/o batteries, and about 7.5 w/ batteries. By comparison, the 400/500/600 series by Magellan weigh about 5.5 oz WITH the battery in them (they utilize a rechargeable Li-Ion battery). The XL, on the other hand, weighs about 8 oz w/o batteries, and about 12 oz with the four batteries installed. BATTERY LIFE
The four batteries can last about 15 hours, comparable to the Magellan 400 & 500 which also last about 15, but pall in comparison to the 60C & 76C, each lasting about 30 hours, and the 60CS & 76CS which last about 20 hours). While the power duration seems comparable to other eXplorist units, keep in mind that the XL uses four batteries at a time. This is inconsequential when driving or geocaching, but very problematic if you're doing long-distance hiking with the unit (in which case I'd recommend a ForeTrex or other lightweight unit). The 15 hours quoted is using the backlight on the "low" setting with occasional use at "high." With the backlight off, I've had the unit last around 25 hours before I changed the batteries just to be safe.
The battery indicator on the unit isn't very helpful. At best, it shows that my batteries are about 80% full when they're full charged (which is accurate -- I'm using NIMH rechargeable that are, technically, rated for 1.2V and at maximum charge will have about 1.4V). The problem is that the unit shuts off (after giving about 30 seconds warning) when the battery indicator shows that the batteries have about 40% remaining. Once you become aware of this, it's not a problem but on first use it's misleading.
No power cord, though will run off of the USB cable when connected to the computer. When connected to the computer (in any mode, not just power mode), you can change out the batteries while the unit is running with no problems or loss of power. I should mention that it will NOT charge batteries while using the USB power connection. I assumed this when I bought it but thought I'd pass the information along. DISPLAY
The display is really nice. On Magellan's website, it indicates that the display is 220x176, which is low resolution for it's size. After finally getting through to someone in the know at Magellan (and this meant bypassing about three seemingly aloof technical support persons who insisted that the website is right) I found out that the resolution is actually 320x240. This is about 115 pixels per inch, which is a little less than the eXplorist 400/500/600 series, each of which are at about 125 ppi. (By comparison, the Garmin GPSMap 60C and 76C have a resolution of about 105 pixels per inch, though I should admit that I cannot distinguish the level of detail between 105 ppi and 125 ppi.)
One thing to consider about the display (and is often mis-advertised on many sites) is that the display is 16-color, as is the case for the Magellan eXplorist 500 & 600. For true usage, 16 color is more than ample. The 256-color display of the Garmin units is nice, but more posh than necessary. The only time I notice that the Magellan has only a 16-color display is on the startup screen (wherein it shows a fairly grainy depiction of Earth).
Backlight turns completely off (on a marginally sunny day, it is very readable though it is impossible to discern colors very well). This is better than the 400/500/600 series as they do not allow you to turn off the backlight but instead only turn it down. This is very problematic on the 600 as the backlight messes up the thermometer and altimeter readings.
The Garmin display has an advantage in that it allows the user to change the mode to "nighttime" wherein the background is dark and the colors are subdued such that the night time user (or in my case, night time driver) doesn't lose their night vision when glancing at it. The XL, on the other hand, does NOT have a "nighttime" mode and is pretty bright, even at the lower (readable) light level. It's fine for city and interstate driving but I have to turn the backlight off for low-light driving conditions on the backwoods roads of rural Mississippi (and this is easily done with the push of a button).
A workaround for nighttime driving is to change the GPS usage option from "land" to "marine." This is done by going into the menu, choosing "map setup" and selecting "Marine" as the primary usage. This changes the color of land from a blinding white to a more manageable dark yellow. Though I only use my on land, I always leave it in "Marine" mode.
I should also point out that the keys on the XL are backlit using a subtle red hue. This is invaluable as it allows a user to easily see the keys in low-light conditions. ANTENNA RECEPTION
The eXplorist XL uses a microstrip patch antenna as opposed to the quadrifilar helix antenna utilized by most Garmins. Additionally, it uses 14 channels to collect data (most units use 12 channels). This slight advantage seems to provide greater accuracy. Outside, I typically get an accuracy of about 7-10 feet, which is outstanding for a handheld GPS unit. In my vehicle, I get accuracy of about 7-10 feet with the unit sitting anywhere in my vehicle (could only got 35 feet when using a eXplorist 500 for some strange reason). Inside my apartment, which doesn't allow for good reception at all, I get accuracy of 35-70 feet (which beats out the other units I've tried as I haven't been able to pick up signals in my apartment using other units).
Supposedly the Garmin GPSMap 60CSx models utilize SIRFIII technology to augment their accuracy, making them on par with the Magellans. The GPSMap 60, GPSMap 60C, nor GPSMap 60CS utilize this and require that the user hold the unit fairly upright for best reception.
When I'm hiking, I simply turn off the backlight to save energy, put the XL in a small carrying case (I use a camera case that fits it almost perfectly) and attach it to my belt. The accuracy when I do this is great. At the end of a days hiking, I can look at the unit and see everywhere that I've went (so long as I'm travelling in places that can receive the satellite signals). DISPLAY PAGES AND USER FEATURES
There are four display pages. The main one is map display which can be set up to show north as up, course as up (meaning the direction you want to go), or track as up (meaning the direction you're actually moving). This page has two boxes at the bottom that display ancillary data at the user's discretion. I have it set up to display elevation and accuracy, though I could have chosen Bearing, Speed, Heading, Estimated Time of Arrival, Direction, Off Course, Distance to End, Time, Date, Max Speed, or Average Speed. On the main map page, you can move the cursor over a location or area and it will show you the location's name, how far to the location, and the direction to get there.
The next page is a compass page (uses GPS to determine direction, therefore you have to be moving) and has needle indicating true north (can be switched to magnetic north if desired, wherein the unit uses known magnetic offset from true to calculate magnetic north). It also shows the direction to the sun and moon, as well as to the waypoint (or Point of Interest, as Magellan calls them). Again, you can have two user fields displaying any combination of the information set as listed on the main map page.
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Thales Navigation business, global provider of Magellan consumer GPS products, unveils its unique, new Magellan eXplorist XL handheld GPSthe advanced, yet easy-to-use Magellan eXplorist XL ensures navigators can easily see where they’re going with the largest screen available on a rugged handheld GPS -- a 3.5”, sunlight viewable, high contrast color TFT LCD screen. It also delivers unlimited map storage with 30MB of available internal memory plus expandable memory through a built-in SD card reader/writer. The Magellan eXplorist XL’s enhanced capabilities offer exceptional versatility for camping, boating, fishing, hunting or driving.

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