| | |  | Color Screen | Home » » » » Magellan Triton 500 Waterproof Hiking GPS | | | | | | | Description: | | The Triton 500 is so easy to use that its user manual may never make it out of the box. It reinvents handheld GPS by combining exclusive compatibility with National Geographic TOPO!® maps, new Magellan VantagePoint¿ content management software, a rugged, waterproof design, and the superior feature set that outdoor enthusiasts need and expect | | | Features: | |
• Accurate Bearings: A simple-to-use, 3-axis electronic compass delivers stationary heading and bearing at any altitude
• Weather Predictions: An embedded barometer allows customers to track pressure and altitude changes
• Memory Boost: Storing data, including additional maps, terrain, and geocache data is easy with the Triton 500¿s SD card slot
• Detailed Maps: Pre-loaded base maps and compatible third-party maps identify major rivers, lakes, cities, and other geographical boundaries
• Crystal Clear Graphics: 2.2" (5.59 cm) full-color display delivers vivid imagery in the field.
| | | Product Details: | | | Product Length:
| 6.0 inches | | Product Width:
| 3.1 inches | | Product Height:
| 8.4 inches | | Product Weight:
| 0.7 pounds | | Package Length:
| 8.4 inches | | Package Width:
| 6.1 inches | | Package Height:
| 3.2 inches | | Package Weight:
| 1.0 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 47 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 47 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
41 of 43 found the following review helpful:
 You get what you pay forJan 10, 2008
By J. Bencina
This is my first time purchasing a hand held GPS system. I didn't want to spend a lot of money on a unit, and frankly I wasn't looking for a lot of bells and whistles. In retrospect, I am happy with my purchase, however I would not spend more money for the pricier Tritons.
When I first booted it up, I was a little disappointed with the base map which only included major highways. For my first test run, we took it for a drive in my friend's car. It tracked us very well, and the speed seemed spot on (judging by the speedometer). This morning, I took it out for a bike ride down to the beach. The unit fit easily in my bike jersey pocket and was able to get a signal for the 8 mile ride. When I got home, I exported the data to Google Earth, and the GPS path matched my actual path. I also checked the vertical profile for my trip which seemed accurate based on USGS maps for the area.
I have a few complaints about the unit. The compass is not 100% accurate. If I needed an accurate heading, I would use my old-fashioned compass. I also think the interface could have used some work to make it flow better. The included Vantage Point software could've been a little more robust, but it gets the job done. If I was expecting a top of the line GPS unit, I could have purchased a much more expensive unit. But for the simple things I was looking for, the Triton 500 works just fine.
56 of 61 found the following review helpful:
 Not for MacsJan 09, 2008
By Exscotticus
I purchased this unit hoping to download maps from NG's TOPO. Unfortunately, this unit doesn't work with Macs--at least not yet. And no word as to when (if ever) it will. So if you're using a Mac you might want to hold off or look elsewhere.
Physically, the unit feels solid enough--except for the battery cover, which is cheap plastic and does not close flush with the unit itself, leaving a noticeable gap that you can see and feel. I don't think this compromises the unit since there is an inner gasket that actually does the (IPX-7) waterproofing.
You'd think Magellan would know what the SD card size limit is for their own product. On their Website they mention 2 GB as a general limit for all their products. In fact I'm using a 4 GB card with no issues. Well... One issue is that the unit will not tell you how large the card is or how much free space the card has. The associated PC-only software will tell you, but the unit really ought to provide this basic information on its own.
Speaking of which, there is a serious lack of options on the Magellan, especially if you're used to using a Garmin. The Triton's user interface is really sparse, and it's not simply because options are hidden; options simply aren't there. The Garmin eTrex, for example, must have ten times as many screens, each with its own set of sub-menus. Heck there are even games. With the Triton, you don't even get an alarm clock. There is way too much dependence on the associated PC-only software to do simple things like delete files from the SD card.
Those of you thinking you'll be able to transfer an entire state map to the unit should think again. Despite having more than enough room to accommodate such a map, I get errors every time I try. 200 MB maps seem to be the limit so far.
You can only activate one TOPO map at a time. So if you're driving through various areas that you happen to have maps for, you'll have to manually switch to them as needed. The obvious solution is to transfer the entire USA as one map--but of course you can't do that.
Another incredibly annoying and pointless limitation: if you're using the unit "offline" to study some map, or to look ahead to see what's coming, the unit will automatically return you to its last known position after an extremely short duration of inactivity. This makes it impossible to plan ahead or to use the unit as a digital map. What should happen is that the unit should show you what you want to see for as long as you want to see it--just like the Garmin units. When you're done browsing, the ESC button should return you to the last known position. As it stands, Magellan has crippled the Triton with a pointless and annoying viewing time limit.
Personally, I prefer the vector-based maps that Garmin uses to the raster-based TOPO maps. With vector-based maps you have more control over which map elements you want to see. For example, if you only want to see contour lines then don't view the place-names. With raster you have no such options, since the unit has no idea what information the TOPO map is conveying; it merely takes the raster image and overlays its own vector basemap information. On the other hand, Garmin's vector-based maps are not as detailed as the TOPO maps (not yet, anyway). The Triton series would be so much more compelling if you could use any digitized maps and not merely TOPO's.
Overall, the lack of Mac support, the lack of options, and the annoying usage limitations suggests that they rushed this out the factory door before it was ready. Hopefully firmware updates will address most of these flaws in time.
39 of 46 found the following review helpful:
 nightmare gpsMar 16, 2008
By D. Lee
I hate this GPS unit. In fact, I hate Magellan. I'm a pilot and had previously purchased the Magellan GPS that is designed for airplanes. I found that it was ackward and complicated to use and I eventually just threw it out and bought a competitor's product, which I have now used happily for several years. So, at Christmas, when my wife gave me a Magellan Triton unit, I almost said something about my previous bad experience with Magellan, but bit my tongue and imagined that maybe Magellan had figured out how to be more user friendly than it was a few years ago.
Unfortunately, I found this morning that this is not the case. My wife also bought me three packages of Topo software and maps, which on the box assures us that it works with Macs, so I first tried getting Topo to work with my Mac, thinking that Topo might then be able to update the Triton with a Topo map (it comes with no installed maps of any kind.) Apparently, that was a wrong assumption, as the Triton itself does not recognize the Mac and apparently the Topo driver interface won't work through the Mac.
Fortunately or unfortunately, I also have a Viao PC. So, I started over again, loading Topo, allowing Topo to update itself from the Topo website, then loading the Magellan disc and the Magellan drivers, then allowing it to update itself, all of which took a fair amount of time. It of course asked repeatedly for the various serial numbers and so on, as they apparently spent lots of time developing software to make sure I actually purchased their products and very little time in figuring out how to tell me how to use their product. Then I hooked up the Triton to the computer and ... nothing. I then downloaded the manual ... which has all sorts of information about using the Triton and establishing waypoints and so on, but no information whatsoever about downloading any maps into the Triton. Without the maps, this GPS is no better than the most primary GPS units that became available about 10 years ago.
At this point, I've wasted about six hours trying to figure out how to put topographical maps into the Magellan Triton unit. That's about my threshold for pain. I'm throwing it out and going hiking. I will never again buy or even accept as a gift a Magellan product.
12 of 12 found the following review helpful:
Don't waste your money or time with this one.Sep 17, 2008
By L. Eric Ray
"LER"
I purchased the Triton 500 prior to going on vacation in Kauai, HI. I wanted to go hiking on some of the many trails. After I purchased it, I found out that it had no topos pre-loaded. Why would one buy a handheld GPS without topos. I live in the SouthEast, so I purchased a Southeast set and a West set of maps (found out that they were keyed only to that unit S/N). I downloaded the maps to the Triton and it worked for the first day (of 9 days). The next day, during a hike, the Triton lost the maps including the street maps that were preloaded. That night, I attempted unsuccessfully to re-load, then to get help from tech support, but no response. It was useless the rest of the vacation. My son had a Garmin and we used it. When I got home, I returned the unit for a refund and attempted to get a refund on the map packages. Magellan refused, even though it could only be used on that unit. I did not trust the unit, so I didn't exchange it for another Triton. I finally did what I should have done in the beginning. Do a cost comparison and check the ratings. I found out that the Delorme PN-20 bundle had topos for the whole US for about the same price as just the naked Triton. If I got the equivalent topos for Triton it would have cost me 5 times the cost of the Triton. I decided to take the loss on the Magellan software and purchase a Delorme. In summary, someone would be crazy or down-right stupid (like I was) to have purchased a Triton. I won't purchase another Magellan product. There is too much quality competition out there. One star is too many.
7 of 7 found the following review helpful:
Sending the Triton 500 backMay 13, 2008
By Donner
My Magellan Explorist 600 was in the shop for a couple months before Magellan told us they weren't making them anymore and didn't have parts to fix it. Magellan said they'd give us a great deal on a Triton 500 instead. What a mistake. The unit can't Go To Trails or Tracks because those features "aren't available yet". The big screen navigation page doesn't allow you to change a field to the odometer... one of my key fields. We are sending the Triton back. Why fiddle with Magellan and their poor customer service when you can get a Garmin? I've been using a friend's Garmin 60. It's easy to use and easy to read. I'll buy one.
See all 47 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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