eTrex® SE

The eTrex SE is for people who want navigation that does not share a battery with their text messages. Two AAs run it up to 168 hours in expedition mode, the monochrome screen stays readable in direct sun where a phone washes out, multi-GNSS reception holds under canopy, and the buttons work with gloves on. As the unit still alive on day seven, it is hard to argue with. It is also deliberately basic. The 2.2-inch monochrome display and 28 MB of storage mean you cannot load detailed topo maps, so you get a rudimentary basemap and a breadcrumb track while real route-finding still happens on paper or your phone. There is no barometric altimeter, no color, and entering waypoints by button is slow enough that you will do it at home. At its list price and 156 grams, it only makes sense if you truly need battery independence rather than better maps.