Embrace Your Inner Outdoorsman with Garmin

Thinking about hitting the great outdoors this summer? Then you better be sure you have all the essentials packed. You know, sleeping bag, first aid kit, Garmin Oregon 550t. You heard us. Garmin’s latest GPS device is perfect for the dynamic camper looking to reconnect with nature and blaze their own trail. The handheld rugged, waterproof GPS device will keep you on the right path when the going gets tough, which is good to know when its you against the elements. The 3-inch color touchscreen is perfect for plotting your course using one of the preloaded topography maps for the continental United States as well and a worldwide basemap.  How detailed are these maps? Maps of national, state, and local parks show “terrain contours, elevation information, trails, rivers, lakes and points of interest.”

The 550t has a built-in 3-axis tilt-compensated electric compass, which means no matter what angle the GPS is held (left, right, upside down),  it will always point you in the right direction, eliminating the constant worry of getting lost. The barometric altimeter monitors pressure changes which can tell the precise altitude. The pressure changes can also be used to track upcoming weather changes which can really come in handy in spotting upcoming storms.

But the Oregon is more than your run-of-the-mill. While you’re out discovering your own Walden Pond, you can document the adventure with the built-in 3.2 megapixel digital camera. The camera also includes autofocus with 4x digital zoom. Photos can be taken in either portrait or landscape orientation. The GPS comes with 850MB of storage space but also has a micro SD slot so you never have to worry about missing out on that next amazing shot. After each shot the Oregon geotags the location where the photo was taken, just in case you ever want to revisit the road less traveled. Photos can be uploaded to your computer via the high-speed USB port. Uploading photos through Garmin’s website (my.garmin.com) gives users the option of loading their pictures onto Picasa, the online photo sharing community.

Another key feature on the 500t is its wireless capability. Transmitting to other Garmin or Colorado devices users can send each other routes and waypoints. Thanks to Garmin, outdoormen/women can ditch the paper maps. Simply download the needed info from one of Geocoaching.com’s 5000 caches. At a suggested retail price of $599.99, Garmin Oregon 550t is a great tool to have for a simple camping trip or an extreme mountain-climbing expedition.