Garmin's Foretrex 201 Wrist GPS looks like a wrist-mounted, military-issue beeper. Measuring 2 inches wide, this olive drab device is a little hard to get used to wearing, but once we got past the style issues the Foretrex became one of the coolest toys we've ever seen. After all, the Foretrex is really a GPS unit with a black and white LCD that fits on your wrist and weighs less than 2.8 ounces. The Foretrex uses GPS to pinpoint your location to within 15 meters of anywhere on Earth, provided you have an unobstructed view of the sky. Building on Garmin's Forerunner 201, the Foretrex combines traditional GPS functions like orienteering and waypoints with powerful training functions, including average speed and distance, all available at a glance. This means you can either set destination coordinates and hit the road, receiving instructions from the Foretrex, or measure your distance, speed, and time on the run.

 

This waterproof block has a complex user interface and 6 buttons on the bottom edge. From left to right, there is a power button that is slightly recessed next to a "Goto" button that changes the operation modes. Next to the Goto button are the Page and Enter buttons for handling menu pages and selections. Finally, there is a rocker switch for navigating menus. The interface lets you create pages of information, including the time and sunrise/sunset times, to use when trekking. For example, you can set up a page with your average speed, direction, and time in motion, or you can create a compass page with the four cardinal points and a bit of time and speed information.

 

Given the complexity of the Foretrex, telling the time, unfortunately, is rather difficult. We finally figured out how to set one of the customizable readouts to show the hour. Quite a bit of work, considering the Foretrex is a watch, but we found the distance and max speeds very useful during runs.

 

Another great feature is the auto-mapping system, which creates a small map of your current trip. An icon moves around the screen in the same direction you are moving, creating a snail trail of waypoints, allowing you to figure out if you've backtracked during a hike or what route you took during a run.

 

Given its range of functions, one possible scenario makes the Foretrex 201 an excellent companion. We could see this as an indispensable guide during business or tourist trips. For example, you could set the Foretrex to map your route through a strange city, allowing you to return back to your hotel without having to depend on unfamiliar landmarks.

 

The Foretrex 201 had excellent reception in clear areas but failed under heavy foliage and in the shadow of tall buildings. Once it locked onto a signal, however, it was able to keep us on track without losing much data. The battery is built in and requires a plug-in cradle, which may put off some backwoods hikers with no access to a power socket. We clocked its battery life at about 14 hours, which is on par with its rating.

 

Garmin includes a serial cable for interaction with mapping programs. This feature is useful for downloading a set of waypoints in order to create a detailed trail or driving map after a trip.

 

Though you wouldn't want to use it primarily as a watch, the Foretrex is an excellent wrist-mounted GPS device. This bulky but versatile receiver will definitely keep you on, or off, the beaten track.