rickyp: You can do the activities you described for a lot less money. Even with the current rebate on the 600 you can do it cheaper with a lower end Magellan, Garmin, or Lowarnce gps. The good news is that Magellan is currently offering a rebate on the 600.
The Explorist 600 on paper at first glance appears to be just what I want in a gps. But there are some down sides. The biggest one that I see is the battery. I prefer AA batteries. I can buy them most anywhere, or I can use rechargeables. Currently the only charger for the 600 battery is the gps unit itself. The battery is an expensive cell phone type battery. As a Emergency Responder you can find AA batteries at most Incident Base Camps because they are also used in portable radios. I have gone into Base Camps and observed cellphones plugged in all over the place charging.(Including my own) Do you want to leave your expensive gps unit around charging while you sleep or eat?
Two expensive features also require a little technical expertise by the user. The electronic compass needs calibrating. Some of these lose their calibration when the batteries are replaced. The barometer needs re-calibration every few hours. This will not be a problem for some users.
During the last 12 months Costco stores has had the Magellan SporTrak Color for $200. A very good price. They were offering it at this price last Christmas and a least once during the summer. For less then half the price you get your electronic compass, color, and a gps which operates on AA batteries.
Cheaper gps units will leave your bread crumb trail.(track) You can create waypoints or points of interest for your stands. All you need to do after creating a waypoint is to use the GOTO feature to find it from any location. You then use the compass needle as a pointer. Or use the Trac Bac feature to follow an existing trail. Some gps units have more then two features which allow you to return to a waypoint.
After reading a number of reviews on the 600 I feel it is for the advance electronic user. I suggest that you Goggle it for user reviews and the forums section of geocaching.com. If you are set on it, treat it like a new car on the market. Let the manufacture adjust the firmware a couple of times to clean-up any bugs. Most manufactures make a few adustments in their firmware after a product has been out in the field a few months. Take advantage of the learning curve.
Then Garmin and Lowrance need to lookout because this unit looks like it could grab a major chunk of the market. The unit has built in memory but it also takes optional SD cards. For the traveller that can be an important feature. If you live and stay in a small state then it maybe un-important. But I like the product concept.
