Garmin 305 vs new 405 for newbie

I have been using the 305 for about a year now and love it. It goes on my road and mtn. bike for every ride. The amount of fields you can display and track are great. I change what and how much is displayed depending on the ride and circumstances.

Taking it on a run is not so easy though. It fits in my pocket, but I tend to constantly check to make sure I didn't drop it and seeing heart rate and pace is tough when it is the pocket.

I just started looking at the 405 this week and like that it will do most of what the 305 will do, just display less at a time. It would be by far better for running though. Garmin states tht it is not intended for swimming, so this is what is keeping me from taking a more serious look.

For the money right now I would rather carry my 305 and the new 705. I really wish they would pull their heads out and make a 405 type device that is true made for swimming on top of what it does. Perhaps there is an alternative, but I have not done that much looking.

Forerunner 405 does not log multi-sport workouts (305 does) and has a shorter battery life than the 305.

Also curious why you run with the 305 in your pocket. Is it the Forerunner 305, or the Edge?

Agree that a 305 that you could swim with would be the ultimate.

well REI.com made up my mind for me.....just bought the 305 for $165!! 

excited to try it out and get rid of the inconsistent Nike +

Sorry, I have the Edge. Gotta remember to be clearer in the future.

I don't think I could ever get a Forerunner though, too big looking. I see them as the cell phone of the 80s compared to current ones. You would think they would be able to pack the features and technology into a nice little package. Maybe someday.

Odd that someone who runs with an Edge in his pocket thinks the Forerunner comes in an inconvenient package...

I also forgot to mention that I only did that once or twice.

Perhaps I need to try to keep my foot on the ground instead of in my mouth...

I just did the same thing, but REI is right around the corner, so I'm staring at the box. I can't wait to get home and start playing with it!

BunnyB - 2008-05-07 10:30 PM I picked up a 305 at a local REI today as well since they seem to be on backorder on the website now. I just resist playing with it, so I went out for a 1.5 mile walk just to play with it and test the features. I couldn't seem to get it to detect my HR. Since I'm posting, I'm pretty sure I'm not dead. Any ideas?

• Moisten the chest strap before putting it on
• Check the chest strap battery.
• See a physician to verify that whole "not dead" assumption.

Also, read the Garmin FAQ.

I highly recommend you take a look at SportTracks software as well as the FTPplugin module for it.

Here are the links for both of those:

SportTracks: http://www.zonefivesoftware.com/SportTracks/
FtpPlugin: http://www.heldwhat.com/running/index.htm

You can see an example of the output from the ftpplugin on my webpage here: http://www.blava.org/running

blech on the Garmin software.

I use motionbased.com.  And you don't have to buy a membership to see more than 20 (or whatever it is) workouts.  Just search your user name and they will all come up.