Recommendations for replacing a Garmin eTrex

Hi all,

A few years ago, I received a yellow Garmin eTrex with which, by and
large, I've been more than happy. Unfortunately, it's succumbed to
the 'slimy glue' adhesive breakdown problem which apparently is
common to these units. I'm looking at buying a replacement --
preferably one which isn't going to suffer the same fate a few years
down the road.

Presently, I'm considering the Garmin Geko 201 and the Magellan
eXplorist 100. However, both of these seem to feature a wraparound
rubber band which looks like it might be affixed by an
adhesive-and-rubber setup similar to the eTrex -- in my opinion,
a poor design.

What I'm hoping to find out (if I could be so forward) is whether or
not anyone else has experienced similar problems with adhesive
deterioration on either the Geko or eXplorist, and if there are any
other units worth considering. I'm happy with the feature set of the
eTrex; I learned to navigate with map and compass in the military, so
this unit does everything I need it to. I'm just looking not to take
a step downwards on the feature curve. It's used mostly for hiking,
some caching, for distance / ETA in the car, and to keep me amused
on airline flights when I'm fortunate enough to get the window seat.


Requirements:
* Not vulnerable to the dreaded glue transmutation problem. =)
* Reasonably durable and waterproof.
* Decent backlight.
* UTM grid.
* Some way of knowing the GPS satellite positions relative to my
own, so that in difficult reception conditions, I know which
region of the sky I need to get clear in order to get a fix.
Garmin calls this the 'advanced skyview' screen or some such.
* Speed, distance, odometer, elevation, ETA, etc...all the basic
trip computer items.
* A lanyard either included or available. (Low-tech, but it's
a feature that's saved the life of my GPS unit more than once.)

Nice-to-haves:
* PC connection. I haven't bothered to acquire a cable for the
eTrex in the time I've had it, and though loading waypoints into
the computer is much nicer than doing it by twiddling buttons on
the GPS unit, I don't mind so much.
* Available 12V external power adaptor.
* WAAS.
* Compass and altimeter, though I don't expect to find them on a
unit that fits within my budget.
* Size: preferably not much larger than the eTrex.

Don't care:
* Mapping. I use topo maps any time I'm in the wilderness and like
to have them as a backup in case the GPS goes dead. Also, I
presume that most of the mapping software required to upload the
map data only works on a Windows machine -- something I don't have.
* Screen size. As nice as it is to have a huge screen, it also
a presents more of a target for rocks when I end up dropping the
unit.

Budget:
* 125 to 175 Canadian dollars.




Thanks!
Rick
--
key CF8F8A75 / print C5C1 F87D 5056 D2C0 D5CE D58F 970F 04D1 CF8F 8A75
Gentlemen, we have no money. We shall have to use our brains.
:Ernest Rutherford
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