Garmin (or similar) vs Smart Phone for navigation, your experience?

[Slick]

i have the Garmin eTrex Touch 35 but really struggled with programming it. i have got a little better at setting it up but i still fear it will not take me on a route correctly. however i still think it would be better than a phone

how easy are the new garmins for programming a route etc? have they come along?

Absolutely. Plot a route on cycle travel or similar, upload to Garmin Connect and automagically, it appears on your device. Lovely job.