11. Pros

• Beautiful looking device that's rugged and fits nicely in the palm of your hand
• Rock 'n Roller scroll wheel/joystick is easy to use
• Extremely well built
• Bright, 3-inch screen can be easily seen, even in bright, direct sunlight
• Support for Whereigo cartridges
• Supports automotive, off-road, marine, geocaching, and fitness uses
• Can be paired with an optional Garmin Heart Rate Monitor for fitness use
• Can be paired with an optional Bike Cadence Sensor for cycling use
• Ability to wirelessly transfer waypoints and routes to other Colorado users
• Ability to transfer tracks, routes, and waypoints to and from your computer
• Larger display than previous Garmin handheld units
• SD card memory easier to deal with than microSD used on previous Garmin handhelds
• Excellent battery life
• Easier to use than previous Garmin handhelds
• Digital Elevation Maps can be rendered in a 3D map view
• Excellent tracklog support
• Includes electronic compass and altimeter
• Waterproof to IPX7 standards (can be fully submerged)
• Reliable - never crashed and didn't notice any bugs during testing
• Good customer support

12. Cons

• Expensive
• Mysteriously named menus
• Cumbersome Route Planner
• Slight learning curve
• Some overlap between features can cause confusion

13. Conclusion

Colorado is Garmin's newest handheld outdoor GPS aimed at outdoor, marine, and fitness enthusiasts. Available in 4 versions, the 400t model includes 3D elevation perspective and ships preloaded with U.S. topographic maps. Additional maps can be purchased from Garmin. Colorado is also the first GPS to support Whereigo ("where I go"), groundspeak's newest GPS-based activity (the same folks who made geocaching popular).

Colorado's use of profiles makes it easy to switch the GPS from automotive to marine, recreation, fitness, or geocaching mode, automatically re-configuring the menus so that the handheld is optimized for the chosen activity. Colorado supports paperless geocaching, displaying all relevant information about a given geocache so that you can leave the printout at home.

The Colorado weighs 7.3 ounces, runs up to 15 hours on two AA batteries, includes an electronic compass, barometric altimeter, and has an SD slot for loading additional maps. The Colorado displays air temperature, and can be paired with a heart rate monitor and/or speed and cadence sensor for fitness training.

With a suggested retail price of $599, the Colorado 400t isn't cheap. But it performs extremely well and is ideally suited to the outdoor enthusiast looking to buy one GPS that serves many purposes. The Colorado is a major upgrade from previous Garmin handhelds, and is significantly easier to use than Garmin's GPSMAP 60csx.

The Colorado uses Garmin's own GPS receiver instead of SiRF's high performance StarIII receiver. In side-by-side comparison testing, the Colorado performed identically to the SiRF-equipped Garmin GPSMAP 60csx, quickly locking on to satellite signals and maintaining solid reception.

Handheld units are still harder to use than models designed primarily for in-car use, like Garmin's popular nuvi models. But they're also much more versatile and capable devices, and it's well worth the effort it takes to learn how to fully use the Colorado. Those already familiar with handheld GPS units will find Colorado easy to use and extremely powerful.

Those looking to replace their in-car or boating GPS will want to invest in additional, more detailed maps from Garmin, as only the base and topo maps are included on the 400t.

Overall there's very little to complain about on the Colorado 400t. Well built and easier to use than previous models, Colorado raises the bar on what to expect from a handheld GPS.