Amazon.com
Manufacturer’s Description (July 11, 2008)
Easy to learn and simple to use, the waterproof Garmin Oregon 300 features a high-sensitivity GPS receiver and preloaded worldwide basemap with shaded relief for incredibly detailed map presentation on the unit. It also offers a high-resolution, color 3-inch touchscreen that reacts as you tap or drag through menus and options. With its high-sensitivity, WAAS-enabled GPS receiver and HotFix satellite prediction, Oregon 200 locates your position quickly and precisely and maintains its GPS location even in heavy cover and deep canyons. It’s also equipped with a barometric altimeter and electronic compass, and it’s compatible with Garmin’s heart-rate monitors and speed/cadence sensors.

The Garmin Oregon 300.

The Oregon 300 provides a basemap that can be easily supplemented with additional mapping or charts for your adventures on land or at sea. The device lets you customize five profiles–automotive, marine, recreation, fitness or geocaching–making the most beneficial features for each activity the easiest to access through quick shortcuts. The tough, 3-inch color touchscreen display is easy to read even in direct sunlight, and the Oregon’s easy-to-use interface means you’ll spend more time enjoying the outdoors and less time searching for information.

It also plays well with others, allowing for wireless exchange of tracks, waypoints and geocaches between other Oregon units and Garmin Colorado models.

This unit has a built-in electronic compass that provides bearing information even while you’re standing still, and its barometric altimeter tracks changes in pressure to pinpoint your precise altitude. You can even use the altimeter to plot barometric pressure over time, which can help you keep an eye on changing weather conditions.

Conveniently plug in optional preloaded microSD memory cards for all your outdoor activities on land or water. The card slot is located inside the waterproof battery compartment, so you don’t have to worry about getting it wet. Just insert an optional Garmin MapSource card with detailed street maps, and the Oregon provides turn-by-turn directions to your destination. Add optional topographic maps to take advantage of the Oregon’s 3D map view which gives you a better perspective of your elevation. And with optional BlueChart g2 Vision maps, you’ll get everything you need for a great day on the water including depth contours, navaids and harbors.

Garmin’s HotFix capability automatically calculates and stores satellite locations, greatly reducing satellite acquisition time so that you can turn the unit on and get going. Geocaching is even easier with the Oregon, which quickly downloads online information for every cache, such as location, terrain, difficulty, hints and description, so that you don’t have to tote printouts with you.

Garmin Oregon 300 screenshots.

Features and Specifications

• Worldwide basemap with shaded relief
• Built-in 3D DEM (Digital Elevation Model) basemap
• Wireless exchange of user routes, tracks, waypoints, geocaches and images
• MicroSD card slot for optional mapping and data storage
• Track log: 10,000 points, 20 saved tracks
• Electronic compass, barometric altimeter, temperature sensor
• Display: 3-inch color touchscreen with 240 x 400-pixel resolution
• Batteries: Two high-capacity or lithium-ion AA batteries for up to 16 hours of use
• Unit dimensions: 4.5 x 2.3 x 1.4 inches
• Weight: 6.8 ounces with batteries

Garmin Oregon Model Comparisons

What’s in the Box
Oregon 300, carabiner clip, USB cable, owner’s manual (on disk), printed quick-start guide

Cheap Garmin Oregon Low Price

Garmin Oregon 400T 3-Inch Touchscreen Handheld GPS Unit with Preloaded Topographic Maps
Price: 0.00

20 used & new available from —

Garmin Oregon 400i 3-Inch Touchscreen Handheld GPS Unit with U.S. Inland Lakes and a Worldwide Basemap
Price: 0.00

51 used & new available from USD 557.85

Garmin Oregon 200 Portable GPS System
Price: 0.00

51 used & new available from USD 418.69

Garmin Oregon 300 Portable GPS System
Price: 0.00

55 used & new available from USD 465.07

Garmin Oregon 400C 3-Inch Touchscreen Handheld GPS Unit with BlueChart g2 Coastal Charts
Price: USD 404.97

50 used & new available from USD 557.85

Customer Reviews

Good not “Next-Gen” GPS
This unit is the same interface and dam near same internals as the Colorado Series. For instance: the dimensions, pretty much the same as the Colorado except its 1″ shorter because the antenna and Rock N’ Roller are internalized in part thanks to the touch screen, slimmer is in and would help the Oregon’s “Next-Gen” claim here. Garmin take notes from the Macbook Air here, that computer is infinitely more powerful than this unit and 10 times slimmer. How about the guts, ok there is a jump in memory from 384MB to 850MB, but this isnt worth a couple hundred bucks when you can buy a 2GB memory card for 10 bucks here on Amazon. Then theres Garmin’s new HotFix technology where the unit remembers satellite information, so your first fix is quicker. OK thats still not worth hundred of dollars more, my Colorado takes maybe 2 minutes maximum to get the first fix, plus this isnt anything new. HotFix has been available in past Nuvi models. OK what about the touchscreen? Its the type (TFT) and size and resolution of the Colorado’s screen, and depending on your use (mine mostly being on the trail and Geocaching) I’m still not convinced a touchscreen is a great idea. I like the security of the Colorado in my pack which requires me to roll the wheel and press the button to select an option, and the navigation is pretty darn easy. Garmin, if youre talking Next-Gen then let me talk to my GPSr, Voice Command; yeah now thats Next-Gen! The touchscreen would make it faster and maybe (no word yet) scrolling the maps is easier but again the processor is the same and the screen is the same (except touch capable). I would have pre-ordered this unit if Garmin offered me something truly Next Gen. I want a more accurate compass, more robust satellite fix, more internal memory, higher resolution screen, and comparable gizmos to the Triton like the MP3 player, flashlight, digital recorder and camera; might as well make it a digital camcorder to make that next gen step. Then and only then will I part with $500 more of my money, its not likely that this 1/4 generation step will lure another $500 from my checking account. Hope this helps someone out there. Final note, I am quite happy with my Garmin Colorado, but the few half-hearted improvements between the Colorado and Oregon arent enough for this “upgrade” to this Garmin fan. Take Care!Garmin Colorado 300 Bilingual Handheld GPS Unit with North American Maps