Satmap are a UK-based company that was founded 12 years ago. Since then they’ve provided us with a number of useful GPS devices, the most notable being the Active 12 which we liked so much we not only featured it in our Winter 2016 Outdoor 100, but in our Summer 2017 edition as well.
We loved its easy-to-use interface, superb Ordnance Survey mapping reproduction and glove-friendly push-button control. But we knew its flaws: the lack of outright weather protection, the easily-scratched polycarbonate screen protector and the fact it lacked the sophisticated wireless connectivity of some of its rivals.
The good news is that it looks like Satmap realised its flaws as well, because this brand new version, the Active 20, seems to have tackled all of those problems and upped the ante in other aspects as well.
“It now has a typical positioning accuracy of 1-2 metres and will even work indoors or under thick tree cover”
One of the most notable changes is the addition of the DualControl option, meaning you can either use the touchscreen interface or the big glove-friendly buttons depending on the conditions or your preferences.
It also now has a waterproof rating of IP68 (1.5m depth for 1.5 hours of submersion), meaning it should be very safe in the rain, and also dependable enough to use for water sports like kayaking.
The screen hasn’t changed in size, but they’ve added an all new super-bright (600cd) transmissive, full colour display. Satmap say it’s optimised for all-round readability and even has a high-contrast sunlight mode for snow and glacier conditions.
