ZDNET’s key takeaways The Garmin eTrex Solar is available now for $250, while the eTrex SE without solar sells for $150.
Potential for unlimited battery life, extensive GNSS support, rugged build, and affordable.
Small monochrome display, no turn-by-turn directions of TopoActive maps. $199.99 at Amazon
Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, I gained a deep affection for the great outdoors. The forest is my happy place. I have a good sense of direction, too — even in nature — but the farther out I explore, the more I need GPS navigation to help me get to and from remote locations.
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All smartphones have GPS receivers, but battery life is important to preserve for communications and pictures. My watches also have GPS, but the displays are too small for recreational navigation as they are optimized for specific fitness activities.
Handheld GPS units are designed and built for outdoor activities — hiking, fishing, geocaching, camping, and more — with large displays, long battery life, and durable construction that can survive in various environments and keep going if you accidentally drop or bump them while exploring.
For the past couple of months, I have been using the Garmin eTrex Solar for hiking, trail riding, and geocaching activities. This GPS handheld provides up to 200 hours of GPS navigation with no solar charging; in an area with 75,000 lux sun — bright sunlight — the battery is advertised as providing unlimited GPS navigation support. I haven’t been in an area with that much sun, so I haven’t been able to test for unlimited life.
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But I never had to charge up the unit during my testing either, so you can count on this device to last longer than most of your adventures do. I also regularly saw the solar intensity appear in the 70-80% range so the device is great at collecting minimal sun too.
Matthew Miller/ZDNET
The eTrex Solar is intuitive to use, with five large buttons covered in soft touch material and a 2.2-inch monochrome display. A lanyard opening is positioned on the bottom so that you can carry the handheld around your neck. An integrated belt loop clip on the back is useful for clipping to your backpack. USB-C is used to charge the device, with the port positioned on the back above the belt clip and covered with a rubber gasket to prevent water ingress. The handheld sport an IPX7 water-resistant rating.
The home screen provides quick access to tracking, navigation, solar status, satellite status, and settings. The tracking widget displays elevation, a trip odometer, speed, moving time, and other metrics. Similar to the customization found in Garmin GPS sports watches, you can also select which metrics you want to appear on the display. You can also navigate to waypoints, courses, geocaches, and more.
Matthew Miller/ZDNET
The Garmin eTrex Solar is a fairly inexpensive device that excels at obtaining a GPS signal and navigation. However, it is also fairly barebones when it comes to navigation, with no support for turn-by-turn directions, customs maps, or TopoActive maps. It shows your routes and position to guide you to your destination. You can easily import GPX files to the handset; refer to my Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro article for details on how to find and save GPX files.
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The handheld can load a thousand waypoints and locations and support 50 courses and 200 activities. The eTrex Solar supports GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, IRNSS, and Beidou global navigation satellite systems. A three-axis compass is also inside the device, so you should never get lost with this handheld unit.
To fully enjoy the benefits of the Garmin eTrex Solar, connect it to your phone using the Garmin Explore app. With this connection, you can unlock and explore the full details of geocaching, and you can view your current weather right on the eTrex Solar.
The Garmin Explore app is also used for software updates, cloud storage syncing, trip planning, smart notifications, and additional mapping capability.
Matthew Miller/ZDNET
At just $249, the Garmin eTrex Solar is perfect for anyone who participates in outdoor adventures and doesn’t want to get lost. (The eTrex SE without solar is available for $149.) It has been decades since I geocached, and that was one of the most enjoyable experiences I had with this handheld GPS.
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That capability is great for helping you navigate to specific destinations. It will also familiarize you with the device, so I recommend you try it out when you buy the handset.
ZDNET’s buying advice
If you are looking for a dedicated GPS device to help you navigate and explore new areas, the Garmin eTrex Solar is worth your consideration. The lack of maps may be an issue for some, but Garmin has plenty of other,Garmin has plenty of other more expensive options with maps and color displays.
The eTrex Solar is designed to have an extremely long battery life and provide you with accurate and simple route tracking. Geocaching is well-supported and a fun family activity.
This article was originally published on February 13, 2024, and was updated on February 7, 2025.
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