Help needed: GPS unit as a B-Day gift

Hello Group!
My family intends to surprise my father in law with a GPS unit for his
75th birthday. Although not the youngest member of my extended family,
he is a very active and sportive guy, big hiker and bike tour fan. Also:
he loves his gadgets!
In my research to find the best unit for his needs I found this very
knowledgeable group. But a lot of knowledge can create more confusion
for an ignorant person than his well groomed ignorance usually does. I
know, there must be a Q&A page somewhere but I am running out of time here.

So, I need help: what would be the best GPS unit for my father in law?
My guess is that he needs a GPS which is:
-        outdoor suitable (fall proof, waterproof, etc)
-        Easy to use (although gadget fan he is computer illiterate)
-        Easy readable color display (zoom function, any light situation)
-        using card material suitable for hiking and biking (no need for city
or car maps)
-        easy to extend with cards and maps for different regions (he travels a
lot)
-        using free available maps and routes from different websites
If I missed something please add to your answer!
Since I am in computer business, I will have a programmer available who
can create an html page embedding the software for map materials, links
to some portals in web where the maps can be downloaded and to some Q&A
sources. A few clicks should be the max to have him equipped for his
next tour.
I had a Garmin GPSMAP 60CSX in mind. Would this be a suitable unit for
my father in law? What would you suggest?
AFAIK there are many pages where routes and maps could be downloaded for
free. Is this correct? Or are there any copyright issues?
What are the best sources (portals, web pages) in your experience?

Sorry for the lengthy mail and many thanks for your answers.
D. Schmidt

I'm 63 and just researched these units for a birthday present for
myself. I almost bought the 60CSX, but then ran across a discussion
that steered me to what was my second choice, the Etrex Vista HcX. You
probably can't go wrong with either, but I settled on the Etrex Vista
HcX mainly because of it's design, smaller size, and long battery life.

REI has a nice bundle at the moment:
http://www.rei.com/product/769532

Ed,
thank you for your help!
I think I'll go with your advice, your points are convincing.
Especially the longer life battery is a real advantage.
Sorry to bother you but answers to my post were not that many: do you
know if I can download maps and tracks for free and feed them into HcX?

THX!
D. Schmidt

Ed Petersen schrieb:

http://travelbygps.com/