Garmin Montana 680 Touchscreen Handheld GPS - Perfect for Hiking and Outdoor Exploration

Darren w Boutilier: I used this for a few year's and it was very reliable and good in every way . My only problem is i found it complicated to use a few feature's like pre-programming off road tract's . It was fantastic otherwise .

Canada on Nov 06, 2023

Eduardo Gutierrez: El equipo es bastante útil para identificar geopuntos en lugares remotos con difícil acceso a señales de telefonía

Mexico on Jul 20, 2023

Dabab: Similar to the 600 with a few extra software tweaks.
Same weak spot as older models in that there is over reliance of the on/off button for multiple functions which leads to it wearing out quite quickly. Why they can't make some of the functions on screen, it is touch screen, I don't know. For solely walking it is not a great problem but for geocaching the button is used constantly to lock the screen etc. This is my third similar GPS in 10 years, the other two binned after on/off button collapsed. Otherwise I am happy with the general operation. Software is getting a bit dated compared with mobile phones, why!!

United Kingdom on Jul 19, 2021

Rodney L LeBlanc: I'm new to ATV's. The built in camera and the included software make this Garmin a great deal. I got lost in the mountains my third trip out. Seriously, if I did not have this GPS, I would have had to call someone for help. It got me back to my pickup safely. I won't be going ATV'ing without it. It sure does a lot of functions, probably more than I will ever need.

United States on Jul 21, 2017

Anthony C.: Everything that I needed in a relatively compact unit. The lack of lifetime map updates is not a game changer, but it would be nice if Garmin included that with the unit, given the cost of this item. Interfaces easily with Basecamp software. Easily imported twenty years of waypoints.

United States on Jun 24, 2017

wildcamp: At it's heart this is a great GPS unit.

The screen is very large, the touchscreen great - I operated it with Gore Tex mittens with arctic liners, but they were think high-tech material, very bulky gloves and you might struggle. You can program the On/Off button (single and double click) two to customisable features (hold down for off). Speaking of which it's intimidatingly customisable - you can change menus, overlays, and even create complicated quite complicated shortcuts that you can place on the device "desktop". You can make and install your own maps, very flexible device. I used it with TalkyToaster maps, which are UK-wide and cost £10. Far better value than O/S.

I think the use of Garmins "Basecamp" software (PC and Mac, free) is pretty much essential to using the unit, so bear that in mind if you're not a computer owner.

The integrated camera is mediocre, but with a bit of post-production processing you can make some pretty respectable pictures. It won't match a dedicated nice little camera - it's no Sony RX100 - but it Geotags and has you have the unit handy on a hike it's nice to take a shot that you can use to retrace your steps, document a trail,...

United Kingdom on Feb 13, 2017

Filip Hanik: The price is pretty steep, $519. So you have to ask yourself, what are you getting for that price, and is it worth it.

This is actually a pretty nifty device, it acquires GPS signal pretty fast and it seems to hold on to it very well. The screen has been improved, and it comes preloaded with TOPO maps. 8GB of memory, 4GB is already used up.

You get one year of satellite imagery you can download. This is a very cumbersome process. You have to download Garmin Basecamp, then you can only sync a very limited amount of satellite images each time you sync, so you end up repeating yourself, And sometimes the sync fails.

Once you have a satellite image, there is no easy way to toggle satellite vs topo map. It doesn't really have the concept of layers.
The camera is ok, by no means impressive.

This all sounds great, exactly what I need in a GPS device. Why not get it?

Take a look at what you have in your hand all day long? Your smartphone. This phone probably has at least 32GB of memory in it.
I have an iPhone 7. It has 128GB of memory in a rugged case. I use two applications, Gaia GPS ($19.95) and onXHunt GPS Maps ($29.95/year). The phone itself is...

United States on Oct 21, 2016

L. Bassett: I really do like this. I can see this one.
My Garmin Dakota 20 grew on me, but always had a very small screen. This sorts all my issues with the Dakota out

1. Its 4 inch screen makes it user friendly and I personally do not have a problem with the sunlight readable function. There is a back light if you want to use it but, it does not automatically switch on - generally appears to stay at around 10%. I found this is find, even in cloud. No it is not super bright unless you want it to be but, its perfectly readable and that gives it extra batter life
2. It has an lithium ion battery which is rechargeable but, still gives you the option to use 3 AAAs if you wish. The battery seems to last really well, so far 16 hours of battery life seems an honest claim. First time out only used 33% of battery in six hours. Second time about 41% in 8 hours.
3. Haven't found it any more accurate than the Dakota but, it does lock on a little quicker. My daughter is now using my Dakota so we can compare the two when out.
4. Will take a larger map segments when loading. The Dakota limits you to smaller segments under 1gb. The Montana I believe goes up to 8gb. However, I have not...

United Kingdom on Jun 11, 2016

D. Bishop: This is a great device for hiking and even road trips. It has turn by turn voice navigation and it works just like my Nuvi works.The 680T acquires satellites much faster than my other Garmin units and will be with me on all my hikes from now on. Just download your regions trails and viola', you will see your tracks on the trails. Send those results to Google earth to see what your hikes look like on a satellite map!. The camera is OK, but I don't use it much at all.

Update on long term use of the 680T.
After two years this device failed to start up correctly.
Garmin support had me take out the micro SD memory card and the unit now starts correctly.
After two years that memory card got flaky it seems.

United States on Apr 07, 2016

kh: It locks on to satellites very fast, much faster than the etrex. It is too large for pocket carrying. I don't like having to pull out the battery to access the micro SD card since I change between hunting and road navigation maps often. Installing City Navigator maps lets it operate just like a nuvi. When hiking I don't like moving the map, when you touch the screen to move the map it creates a waypoint too quickly and you have to delete it and try again. I'm not impressed with Garmin's software overall which is why I didn't give it 5 stars. Several applications are required to install software and browser support is limited. It took several attempts to install City Navigator to an SD card before it worked. Everything should be able to be done through Basecamp. Contacting technical support requires at least one day to respond, they must located overseas.

United States on Mar 12, 2016