you are totally correct. i refer to my garmin 305 as "the garmin". i am aware that garmin makes full featured navigation devices. my wrong. i'm glad to hear about the reliability of the etrex in the rain.
you say that the etrex talks to you? wow! that is a feature i wasn't even thinking about. i saw this feature used only once. my office in manhattan is over a bar and on the way home i saw a drunk guy using a handheld device telling him how to make it home. it wasn't easy since he was on his knees already and had only 3 points of contact with the ground while holding up the GPS device.