Magellan Explorist 710 hiking GPS

Head for the hills

Tue 9 Aug 2011 // 12:33 UTC

For such a feature-laden device, it’s mercifully easy to use. The menu system is logical and there is a very handy user-definable shortcuts page. The CPU may only clock at 400MHz but the UI still moves at a reasonable clip, even if panning across maps is not as swift as the latest generation smartphones.

Main menu and daylight hours

The shortcuts, along with the three other main menu pages, can all be accessed directly from the map screen with a simple tap launching a menu icon in each corner. Magellan calls this Four Corners navigation and it's a simple but effective system.

The two large rubber side buttons by default fire up the camera and let you add waypoints with one press and both can easily be used while wearing gloves. Either button can be resigned to any one of 26 different functions should you so wish.

Well-specified, but with a price to match

The 710 is powered by two non-rechargeable AA batteries. Magellan reckons they should be good for 16 hours but I only got around 10 when I used the device continually out on the hill.

Things go slightly off the beaten track when it comes to price because with an RRP £580 the Explorist 710 is not what you’d call cheap, especially when you are looking at another £145 for national 1:50,000 Ordnance Survey coverage. The good news is that, at the time of writing, I found one retailer offering the Explorist 710 with nationwide 1:50k OS maps for £550, which is more tempting. So there are deals to be had if you shop around.

Verdict

There’s no doubt the Explorist 710 does everything it says on the box and does it pretty well. On the hill, its ability to give you a pinpoint location is useful if you have OS maps loaded, but the 3in screen is an inherent limitation, although it helps keep it compact. If you travel a lot, are into geocaching and want a GPS tracker, it could be a just the job. Considering its price, you’ll need to weigh up whether your needs will take full advantage of the Magellan Explorist 710’s features set. ®