In-Depth Garmin Montana 750i, 700i, 700 Review

I’ve been using and testing the Garmin Montana 750i extensively for a few months, and to sum it up in a few words, it’s a mixed bag that will be great for some folks and not so great for others. The Montana 7×0 series is unlike any other Garmin handheld GPS out there. It’s big, beefy, has a bright touchscreen, more onboard maps than usual, and that elusive beast for Garmin handhelds, the QUERTY keyboard. In this guide I’ll walk you through the Montana, show you what works and what doesn’t, and then give you some recommendations. The good news is, if the Garmin Montana 750i, 700i, or 700 is not for you, there are other great options (like the GPSMAP 66i, but more on that later).

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[typhoontom]

Outstanding review! I have one and have only used it for Geocaching in Japan but will certainly use it once I start up traveling again. I used my older Garmin Oregon on aircraft and even a ferry and it worked very well. Just like an airliner's map where you can track your own flight. Thank you for this review.

[StampMyArt]

Thank you for your review. I was on the fence, and now I know I'm not happy with the direction Garmin went with the handhelds. Thank you for saving me $$

[Zwd]

the remarks about touchscreen and outdoor environment are absolutely true, no serious gear relies solely on touch screens.

[marctrainor]

I really like your reviews, and this one was no exception. You did a really thorough job on describing it without going in to extreme detail, which is a good idea in my opinion. I ended up buying the 700i a few weeks ago, and everything you said here lines up with my own experience. I'm probably gonna be the guy who doesn't go on the "trip to Mt. Everest", I'll be luckey if I do a couple of small mountains around San Diego county where I live. However, just in case I get back in shape, (I'm 70), I might push it to more robust hikes. I really am happy with it so far, especially happy about the SOS feature, just in case, but I somehow didn't realize I could have bought the mini Garmin for that, I believe, and maybe gone with a cheaper GPS unit to boot. Thanks again for a really thorough review, and shame on Garmin for not supporting you more. I think you do a fine job on these reviews. Marc Trainor.

[jonjetneva]

You can search for all POIs very easily if you select the search function then all POIs then the three hash marks on bottom right. This will allow you to spell what your looking for without a specific category. This is best if you don't know what category your search item may be listed under.

[HexForger]

I took my Montana 700 for a week's worth of pretty extreme hiking in Lake District (UK) last week and I must say, it's exactly what I needed and couldn't get from eTrex or Oregon device I had owned before. I always bring a printed TOPO 1:25k map together with the compass and Montana 700 completes my setup flawlessly. I keep its display off most of the time as I know the direction in which I'm supposed to go, and sometimes, in very challenging navigation conditions, I verify or correct my bearing much quicker with Montana 700 than it would take me with the compass. I reckon, if I kept Montanta 700's display on all the time it would probably run out of juice pretty quickly, but the way I used it continued operating on a single charge for 6 hikes, around 40 hours in total.
What I really like is that it (allegedly?) is going to support AA battery case. What I don't like that much is that there's no easy way to attach it to my rucksack, but luckily I found nice belt pouch, fits like a glove.

[squid]

This is hands down the best review of this product i've seen thus far. Thank you

[simonsutherland]

First I want to thank you for your reviews, still the best I've found on this topic.(and i'll circle back to that)

I'm actually (apparently one of the few) motorcyclists who like to camp in the back country, and do short hikes. So I'm always looking for the GPS unit that can read turn by turn on the 'dash' on the interstate, help me keep my bearings riding in the desert, or keep in my pocket to keep me on the trail. And ideally handle SoS so i don't need an other unit. I was hoping this would be that guy... but i don't think they're there yet, and certainly not close enough for the price,

I think you'll understand the chief reason I come back to garmin, or inreach over my smartphone is the physical buttons (as well as the battery life and bright hi-contrast display) Whether gloved on the bike, in the rain, or in a sand storm there just no contest between physical buttons you can hit with muscle memory. So I'm sad to see the 700i doesn't have at least a few basic function buttons. And then theirs the battery issue...

A lot of the adv rider crowd use the zumo but again no buttons, not ergonomic in the hand, don't fit in pockets, and they're power hogs. And last i checked none have the SoS.

Right now i'm using the 66i, (final decision after watching your review) but I wish that could handle rode navigation, had a slight larger screen, so its easier to read while driving, and of course i do wish they'd bring their UI up to say the 2000's. ;>.

Garmin if you're listening: please make something like the 700i, but maybe 10% smaller when held vertically, with 10% more physical battery (at least 30% more life) and the basic function buttons. With the multi-path accuracy of the SR. The touch screen for scrolling and zooming is nice, but if touch means even 4% increased power draw I'd rather skip it. The last thing that would be clutch, if you could customize the settings between powered and unpowered.. so you set it to taste when it's on the cradle on the bike its bright, high contrast, quick rendering, and increased pinging, and default to turn by turn view ... then as soon as you pull it off everything is slower, lower power and defaults to topo view.

Anyway as promised back to the beginning I keep looking for reviewers in the extended moto community and no one comes close to your videos and articles for my money, so i keep coming back to you. Thanks for all your work!

[ImTheBlade]

Just bought this monster 2 days ago. I decided to purchase the 24K topo micro SD card for southwest US. I live in Arizona and love to hike all over this beautiful state. I enjoy on sighting areas that I've not ventured into before, so the added detail of the 24K gives me a better idea of what I'm headed for. I've owned many of the older Garmin GPS models that are built the same as the 66i and I must admit I do miss the ability to just hook it on the shoulder strap of my backpack with the carabiner. This unit, with the silicone case that I added, its big, . It's awfully BIG! I have 30 days to try this thing out, and if I haven't lost all my bodyweight by lugging this television set around for a month, then I may keep it. I'll need to find a carry case that I can put on my belt & or attach to my pack. If I stuff it inside my backpack, even on the outside pouches I won't use it as much. Especially, in the beginning weeks, I want to enjoy the learning curve. Honestly, the only reasons I haven't returned it already, is I own a serious off road Jeep that I take off road and it'll be pretty cool to mount this brick on my dashboard and use it for that purpose. I took it up in the helicopter yesterday, I'm a flight nurse, and man that huge screen is awesome. My pilot shared all the waypoints we have in our system for rendezvous landing zones with ground EMS, police, fire etc so it was cool to use it in the back of the helicopter and compare it to his Garmin Area 760 up front. (This unit, despite how powerful it is, is not recommended for aviation use). So for someone who needs a very utilitarian unit that can go from trail to vehicle's, SUVs, etc and want to do it all with one unit, this is the bomb! When I show it to other hikers who have smaller handheld devices they all drool at the size of the screen, which I think for most people, once they get a taste of that visual, they'll be hooked. From my personal experiences, regardless of the size of the screen on the unit, by the time you're really familiar with it, you'll be well adapted to the screen size. Love the marriage with GEOS for obvious reasons. We constantly promote the use of GEOS supported devices for anyone going into the backcountry.

Thanks again for what you do! I'll keep you updated as to how this cinder block does over the next month, and if it hasn't drowned me during a creek crossing, I'll post some more updates.

John.

[jerrysambrook]

Once again, thanks for the review. I will stay with the 66i for another year, and look at this next winter.

[richarddufresne]

The one thing I do not like about the Montana 750i is the following thing: It has a lanyard, at the top, but you cannot attach it to something at the bottom. So, in other word, if I need to reach for it, I have to reach it in a pocket, or somewhere else. Let me explain. I have a Garmin etrex Touch 35. It has a lanyard at the top, but I can attach a carabiner at the back of it. That way, I attach a retractable lanyard at the top, and a carabiner, so I can access my gps quickly, and release it. With the way this Montana series is done, I cannot do that. For me, it is important, because I do a lot of hiking of different trails, and I like that I can access my GPS quickly. I have the same setup with an inReach mini. Great review once again, ... ! 😃😃😃

[williamadelmann]

An example of an off-road trail through a USFS would be helpful for 4x4 drivers. I'd just like to see what the display looks like when following a trail through a forest or desert, and how it calculates a route.

[raulfriedmann]

Very nice, assertive, useful review.

[albertangulo]

I got caught on a kayaking trip in a massive rainstorm and yes these touchscreens wig out, it was turning functions on and off like a bunch of tiny fingers hitting the screen all over lol, that being said i would not give up the touch screen myself personally.

[DB-mejt]

I’m looking for motorcycle navigation for on/offroad navigation. The latest advise I got was: “Put your iPhone in your pocket and use a rugged Android smartphone/tablet for navigation on the bike” If you crash you can still use your phone to call for help if your bike dropped in a ravine. I was told that Android has more offline navigation apps then iOS. I wonder what would be the pro’s and cons for the Garmin Montana and its ecosystem VS a rugged Android phone/tablet setup with offline maps.

[Serge]

Excellent review, I have been thinking of getting one and now I decide I will, , thank you.

[atkore]

Thanks so much. Brilliant explanations without hiding issues depending on the goals. You let the user make his own opinion. Great job again!!

[Motoseaner]

You can reach that home screen by swiping down from top too which has brightness etc. I use this on a dirt bike and it’s amazing

[pinkiewerewolf]

Thanks for all of your work on these GPS units. I used your Amazon link to purchase the 700i for motorcycling off road, hiking, and I wanted the in-reach function because I'm solo most of the time.

[dynamicphotography_]

Just wanted to pop in the comments and say really really good video. Very useful information. Thx.