Garmin eTrex® Solar

Garmin eTrex® Solar

Buy the Garmin eTrex® Solar  at the best price in Kenya only at Volthub Express

The Garmin eTrex® Solar is a simple, stripped-down, solar-powered GPS handheld. Designed for the outdoor enthusiast and arriving hot on the heels of the newer eTrex SE, the unit allows you to collect waypoints, create routes, and access them with ease through a series of simple yet specific menus. It is, in short, everything you could ever want in a GPS unit without all of the superfluous bells and whistles of higher-end units.

But the real shining star (no pun intended here) is the ability to solar charge the unit. This can give you unlimited battery power no matter the mode you’re operating in. And while I’ve yet to reach unlimited hours with the unit, initial testing shows great promise. With a simple screen, minimal processing power, and limited gizmos, the device simply sips juice, and the solar panel can easily keep it topped off for extended expeditions.

Rounding out the impressive features and benefits of the eTrex Solar is its multiband satellite capabilities. While typically a functionality reserved for high-end GPS-enabled devices, this tech has been trickling down to the masses, and by being able to connect to different satellite frequencies, you can be assured that your position is accurate.

Supports Phone Pairing

The Garmin eTrex® Solar also has a dedicated menu item for geocaching, which can be done natively or by pairing the unit with your smartphone and using the Geocaching app. This makes the eTrex Solar a valuable tool for you to take in the outdoors on your own, or when spending time having fun with the whole family.

Pairing the eTrex Solar with your smartphone allows you to access expanded features such as phone notifications as well as weather and sunrise and sunset times. It also allows you to plan your trips ahead of time.

This can be done through the Garmin Explore app which also makes managing waypoints and routes easier without complicating the operating system. The Explore app also allows you to interact with navigation apps like Gaia GPS to import and export information.

Sips of Sunshine — An Expedition-Ready Solar System

With the eTrex Solar walking out the door with the unit into the sun, it can pull up to 112% of solar intensity. That can climb up to 142% once you position it and let it be.

Overall, on average, when you’re walking about with a clear shot to the sky, you can expect to net around 70-80%. The number is always fluctuating, but the point here is that the eTrex Solar’s receptors are wicked sensitive and thereby effective. This is if the unit is on or off. This little goober is takes sips of sunshine even when it’s powered down.

In terms of gains based on that efficacy, it can pick up to 19 minutes of battery life after 10 minutes of leaving the eTrex Solar in the sun. Garmin states that 1 hour of 100% solar intensity will gain 2.5 hours of battery life. The best way to achieve those kinds of results is obviously by keeping the unit in one place, but by all means — charge where you can and when you can.

Battery Life

The eTrex Solar is Garmin’s first solar-powered handheld GPS device* — but it’s not the first solar-powered product. It’s been using solar power in watches to improve battery life for the last few years. Being that they are a wearable device, this eliminates the burden of needing downtime to charge. Adding this functionality to the eTrex provides the same thing, which ultimately enhances ease of use, reliability, and dependability.

Multiband GPS Reception

This is where the whole idea behind multiband GPS comes into focus. For years, GPS has been relying on two frequencies of GPS — L1 (Civilian) and L2 (Military). In 2021, it started using the L5 band for civilian use. We currently have 16 satellites in orbit using the L5 frequency with the plan to have all 24 using L5 by 2027.

A multiband GPS device, like the eTrex Solar, can utilize both the L1 and L5 frequencies to give the unit an undeniably reliable and accurate connection. This means no jumping and lag — what you see on the screen is as real as it gets. It also means there’s a lower propensity for losing a signal and a higher propensity for acquiring one.

This capability also minimizes issues with interference which can occur if you go inside a building, that is under a forest canopy, in a canyon, etc. I live out in the woods and I had an accuracy of 6 feet with the eTrex Solar. Most people are happy if they get 16 feet, which is the standard with GPS-enabled cellular devices.

Considering the fact that the eTrex Solar is both solar-powered and multiband, it creates a beautiful balance between desirable and affordable.

Importing and Exporting Routes & Waypoints

Popular mapping apps, such as CalTopo, work with the eTrex Solar as well. (really any that can export GPX tracks will work also). The process can be a little tenuous at first. But once you get the hang of it, you’ll find yourself importing and exporting with ease. The benefit here is the ability to load up previously tracked routes from other users onto the eTrex which you can use without your phone for a more lo-fi hiking experience.

Geocaching With the Garmin Solar

Letterboxing, the task of using physical directions to find hidden containers has been around since the 1800s. But seeing that GPS, as we know it, didn’t exist until the early 1990s, geocaching didn’t catch fire until the early 2000s.

Similar to letterboxing, with geocaching your goal is to find a hidden container. The big difference in geocaching is that you use a GPS unit to find the container. That container will contain a ledger for you to sign, but will more than likely have a treasure for you to take home and replenish.

Geocaching has a massive following and is quite a bit of fun. The containers aren’t generally out in the open — and they’re not only in the woods. In some cases, they could be under rocks, tucked into holes and trees, or lodged in cracks in ledges.

To use the eTrex Solar to geocache, you’ll need to navigate to the geocaching activity on the unit and follow the instructions on the screen. This will require you to register with Geocaching as well as registering the unit with the platform. Geocaching is free to use if you’re a casual geocacher, but there is a premium subscription available if you find yourself obsessed with it. Which tends to happen.

One major benefit of geocaching with the eTrex Solar is that it’s a prime opportunity for the unit to be soaking up the sun. It’s also a ton of fun on your own or with friends and family.