The Adventure Life With Steve Casimiro Gear Review: Garmin Colorado 400t

Text by West Coast Editor Steve Casimiro

Evolution sometimes makes huge leaps, and the introduction of the new Garmin Colorado 400t ($640) is the equivalent of fish growing feet overnight.

Far superior to its predecessors—both from Garmin and competing brands—the Colorado is a different species of GPS altogether. The biggest changes are in mapping and controls. Maps have traditionally been Garmin’s weakness—pricey, a pain to load, and sorely lacking in detail. The Colorado comes with the entire United States preloaded (both topographical and road maps). Its topos are colorful and enhanced by contour shading to give the illusion of three dimensions; a separate 3-D function further illuminates the lay of the land. The unit’s scroll wheel controls almost everything, from switching menus to enlarging maps, meaning I could ride my mountain bike with one hand and check the screen with the other. No more fumbling with five separate buttons or a joystick.

As with any evolving species, there’s still room for improvement: For all their utility, the Colorado’s topos only have contours down to 150 feet—I’d like to see them get down to the 40-foot intervals of competitors’ models. Darwinism being what it is, maybe evolutionary pressure will make that change—and fast.

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