Garmin eTrex Touch Review: Trail Tested

Reviewed August 2026

• Video
• Expectations
• Performance
• Positives
• Negatives
• Alternatives

Excellent 6-9 foot GPS accuracy with less than ideal battery performance.

The new hardware, with a touchscreen for the first time, is a step up from older eTrex models, but I saw multi-band mode drain 4-5% battery per hour, putting battery life on par with a smartphone. The new software lacks the level of features and customization that were there before. If you’re looking for a capable replacement for an older eTrex, I’d get the GPSMAP 65s.

Video

In this video, I show the eTrex Touch in real trail conditions, including battery drain data, GPS mode comparisons, and the software behavior I experienced after 100+ miles of testing.

Expectations

I’ve used eTrex units for years, long before smartphones with hiking apps became reliable. When Garmin released the new eTrex Touch, I hoped it would bridge the gap between the two. Specifically, I wanted it to:

• Replace my phone for navigation to preserve battery and reduce the risk of damage.
• Provide full offline topographic maps without needing to pre-download map tiles.
• Deliver multi-day battery life.
• Hold up in rain, cold, and rough terrain, including drops.
• Make transferring routes simple and reliable.

On paper, the eTrex Touch checks all of those boxes. In practice, it fell short in several key areas.

Performance

Garmin’s marketing sets high expectations. Here’s how they held up after hiking with it.

Garmin’s Claim	What I Found
Up to 130 hours battery in SatIQ (Auto Select) mode	Battery life is highly mode-dependent. In “All Systems + Multi-Band,” runtime drops to around 21 hours. SatIQ mode gets closer to 100 hours, but you’re giving up accuracy to get there.
Multi-band GPS and multi-GNSS support	Accuracy regularly hits 6-9 feet, which is exceptional and on par with the GPSMAP 67i in my testing.
Built Tough (Mil-Std 810) and IP67 weather resistance	Passed. Survived pouring rain, mud, and multiple drops without issues.
Swipe and zoom on a bright 3-inch touchscreen	Works in rain with no phantom touches, but the screen is dimmer than the marketing photos suggest. The edges can be finicky.
Preloaded TopoActive maps with routable trails and roads	Maps work well offline and routing is reliable.
Ascent Planning: see upcoming climbs on your route	Listed on Garmin’s website. Not on the device.

Positives

• The hardware is solid. At around 150g, it’s compact and well-balanced, closer to a bar of soap than the chunky rounded-back eTrex units of the past. The flatter, squarer profile is easy to hold one-handed.
• GPS accuracy in “All Systems + Multi-Band” mode is excellent, regularly hitting 6 feet. That’s comparable to my GPSMAP 67i and better than the GPSMAP H1i Plus.
• The TopoActive maps are preloaded and functional, panning and zooming faster than older eTrex models, but not as fast as a smartphone.
• It syncs quickly and reliably with Garmin Explore and Garmin Connect.
• The touchscreen held up in heavy rain with no phantom or unresponsive touches.
• It’s the first eTrex to support RINEX logging, although I didn’t test or use it.

Negatives

• Battery performance is the biggest problem. On other Garmin handhelds, enabling “All Systems + Multi-Band” typically costs 20-30% battery life. On the eTrex Touch, it’s far more severe: I recorded peaks above 4.8% drain per hour, with an average of about 3.1% per hour across all testing. In SatIQ (Auto Select) mode, drain averaged around 1% per hour, which projects closer to 100 hours. But you’re giving up significant accuracy to get there, which defeats part of the point.
• The sleep/wake/power button is hard to press with gloves.
• The screen is readable but dim. Auto-dimming makes it worse; turning it off helps.
• Garmin moved to a new “Spine 2” mounting system, so older accessories don’t fit.
• There’s no microSD slot and no support for Garmin’s microSD chip maps. The 32GB internal storage sounds generous until you realize 16.8GB is taken up by maps and system files, and any additional maps require a paid Maps+ subscription that the device actively promotes in the UI.
• Compared to older Garmin handhelds, the software feels stripped down. Fewer customizable data screens, no activity profiles, and fewer configuration options overall.
• Early firmware had stability issues including settings not saving and random reboots. Version 7.07 fixed most of that, but smaller inconsistencies remain. Garmin hasn’t even created a dedicated support forum for the eTrex Touch. For what it’s worth, the device is essentially a GPSMAP H1 with the buttons and inReach antenna removed.

Alternatives

The eTrex Touch has solid GPS performance, but at $450, the software limitations and battery variability are hard to justify. A $20 battery pack extends the average phone to a similar runtime. If you need a dedicated handheld, there are better options.

• For harsh conditions: The GPSMAP 67i (REI) runs Garmin’s proven older software and has been solid for my backcountry navigation.
• Upgrading from an older eTrex: The GPSMAP 65s (Amazon) is compact, performs well, and uses AA batteries.
• Staying with your phone: A rugged case and an external battery pack close most of the gap. For the majority of hikes, loading a course onto a wearable handles glanceable navigation, and offline maps on your phone via Garmin Explore or similar apps handle the rest.

Next Steps