ive had the garmin etrex for about 2 years now and it has worked perfectly. it has helped down off of mountains in zero visibility. plus it only costs 120 bucks, you can find it on sale for a 100. i dont think that the 300$ models are worth it. it has all the basic features, create routes, waypoints, speed, etc. also you can hook it up to your computer to up/download routes, waypoints...battery life is good, better than most i believe
ive used the track-back feature while hiking, without looking up to see where i was going and it kept me right on course...