Garmin eTrex 22x Handheld GPS Review
A rugged trail GPS that keeps pointing the way when your phone signal gives up.
The eTrex 22x is the GPS you carry for the day your phone dies in a valley with no signal and a fork in the trail you didn't expect.
What the eTrex 22x actually is
This is a small, AA-powered handheld GPS built for navigation and nothing else. No touchscreen, no fancy maps app, no group texting your hiking buddies. It has a 2.2-inch color screen, physical buttons, and a single job: tell you where you are when nothing else can. Garmin sells it on Amazon in the rough $180 to $250 range, which puts it well below the trail computers like the GPSMAP 67 or the touchscreen Montana line.
Out of the box it ships with TopoActive maps and 8GB of internal storage, plus a microSD slot if you want more regional maps. It tracks both GPS and GLONASS satellites, which is the practical reason it locks on faster and holds a fix better than your phone under tree cover or in a canyon.
How it performs day to day
Battery life is the headline feature people underrate. Two AA batteries get you roughly 25 hours, and you can swap in spares from a gas station anywhere on earth. That's the whole point. A phone running GPS hard dies in a few hours and can't be revived with a $4 pack of Energizers.
The buttons feel old-fashioned, and they are. But you can work them with gloves on, in the rain, without smearing a touchscreen with mud. The screen is small and not especially bright, so it's harder to read in direct sun than newer Garmins. Navigation menus are dated and a little clunky, the kind of interface that rewards reading the manual once instead of guessing.
Accuracy is exactly what owners expect from Garmin: reliable to within a few meters, with a quick satellite lock. It won't replace a paper map and compass for serious backcountry skills, but as a position-confirming device it does the work without drama.
The good and the annoying
On the plus side: it's nearly indestructible, it's light, the AA battery system is a genuine safety feature, and it holds a signal where phones flail. The price is reasonable for what it does, and free TopoActive maps mean you're not paying extra to make it useful.
The annoyances are real too. The screen is small and dim by modern standards. There's no wireless connectivity, no electronic compass, and no barometric altimeter, so elevation readings come from GPS alone and aren't as precise. Loading custom maps through Garmin's software is a fiddly, dated experience. If you want any of those missing features, you're looking at the eTrex 32x or stepping up to a GPSMAP.
Who should buy it, who should skip it
Buy it if you're a hiker, hunter, or geocacher who wants a dedicated backup that runs all weekend on AAs and survives being dropped on rock. It's also a smart pick for anyone heading somewhere with no cell coverage, where a dead phone is a genuine problem.
Skip it if you mostly hike well-marked trails near civilization. A free phone app with downloaded offline maps will cover you fine, and you already own the phone. Also skip it if you want a compass, altimeter, or bigger bright screen. Spend the extra and get the eTrex 32x or the GPSMAP 67 instead.
Verdict
The eTrex 22x isn't exciting and it isn't trying to be. It's a dependable, cheap-to-run navigation tool with a battery system that makes it a legitimate safety device. The dim screen and dated interface are the price of admission. For most casual hikers a phone is enough. For anyone who actually goes where signal vanishes, this remains one of the easiest GPS recommendations to make.
Frequently asked questions
- Is the Garmin eTrex 22x worth it over a phone app?
- If you stick to marked trails with cell coverage, a phone app with offline maps is fine. The eTrex earns its keep in remote areas where signal disappears and where its AA batteries (about 25 hours, with swappable spares) outlast any phone.
- What's the difference between the eTrex 22x and 32x?
- The 32x adds an electronic compass and a barometric altimeter for more accurate heading and elevation data. If you don't need those, the 22x does the core navigation job for less money.
- Does the eTrex 22x come with maps?
- Yes. It includes Garmin's TopoActive maps and 8GB of internal storage, plus a microSD slot for adding more regional maps later. You don't need to buy maps to start using it.
Marcus has spent over a decade testing consumer tech and gadgets. He cares about whether a product earns its price in real life — not on a spec sheet.
