I have a Garmin 800 that is dying (won’t connect to PC tp upload routes or download activities), and have just sold the Etrex30 I bought as a replacement as I didn’t get on with it.

I want a GPS that has OS mapping capability (I have the Garmin Micro SD card with the maps on), the trip info that my 800 has, wireless connectivity, and the ability to last a minimum of 12 hours on a charge, and be able to connect to a battery pack or AA batteries. A reliable colour touch screen at least as big as the 800 also.

The 820 I hear horror stories about, and the screen is no bigger than the 800, the 810 is now obsolete, the 1000 seems to have been superceded bu the 1030, but the 1030 seems to have far too many features that I won’t need or use.

So, is the 1030 reliable, easy to use, intuitive and a worthy replacement of the 800?

Thanks for any help you can give

No one has any view on a 1030?

I still have 800 and have 1000. The 1000 and the 1030 are a great improvement. Do it you wont regret it. Bigger screen etc. I had OS SSD card works fine in 1000 but TBH the mapping that comes with it is better and more upto date. Too many features? You can turn off what you don’t need to save battery life. My 800 is years old and still going strong think 1000 is about 3 – 4 years old same never had any issues. One thing about battery life and GPS is that you must never let them go completely flat, keep them charged up 100%. I also have the rubber case for them that seems to save them a lot of damage in falls etc

When my 800 had the same problem as yours I dried out the connection port and a squirt of GT85 and a cotton ear bud after it had got immersed in a botched stream crossing 🙂 Been working fine ever since.

A bit early to talk about reliability as it’s only jbeen on the market a few months. Maybe look at the 1000 as there are sure to be some good deals about. I’ve had the 1000 for a few years now and have been very happy with it. The included maps a version of openmaps are good for most situations and thete are lot of useful features. The screen can be a pain to use when it’s raining as it’s the sane type as a smartphone and the menu is typical Garmin ….like a maze.

Long term 800 user here also considering what to upgrade to (Relative term with Garmin products as there is always one step forwards, two back)

I think the 1030 is probably the unit to go for, however it is currently very expensive and as the new-fangled Garmin product it will be the one blessed with the most bugs for at least another year!

Really what I want is an updated 800 with a better (higher res and slightly larger) screen, OS maps are a must for off-road nav Imho, I’m considering getting the 1:25k over the 1:50k I have in the 800, faster processor to speed up scrolling around the maps so in winter you can find what you need before getting frost bite..