I'll second the great results from a SiRF chipset unit. I have a Garmin 76CSx, and it keeps a signal in places where a Garmin 60Sx (non-SiRF) does not. I thought it was all marketing until I saw it in action.

Also, to answer a point in the very first post, none of the Garmin hand held units, AFAIK, are time zone aware (why not is something of a mystery). They are DST aware.

Also, a very good resource for reviews of almost all makes is www.gpsinformation.net. There's a review of the Explorist 600 there.

Edit to add: If you decide on a Garmin, be sure to check prices here, www.gpsnow.com, add to a cart to see the discounted price.

My apologies. I was thinking of the LT-20

The PN-20 looks very good.

The Garmin 60CSx works well for me - thought it is somewhat larger than less capable models...

Agreed. And I have been able to get signals in places those smaller models never could.

I too have the 60csx and the sirf chipset is incredible, it locks up incredibly fast.

I had the Garmin VistaC, which I thought was the perfect unit... if it could only have SiRF chipset, it really would be perfect. I used it with the Europe maps to navigate the streets of Rome with ease, but always had problems getting an initial lock. The SiRF would have made it perfect.

Update: Got 60CSx
 

Thank you all for the information. I took the advise and finally got
Garmin 60CSx. Its excellent for what I need to do and so far the
battery seem to last just fine. I have not gone through a full charge yet, but
this unit takes Alkaline, NiCD, NiMH batteries just fine.

It is fast and locks onto the signals pretty quick. Sensitivity is lot better
compared to Magellan Explorist 200 and you can power it via USB if you like.

I haven't used the turn-by-turn feature.. and I probably won't use it..
but this unit has that feature if anybody is interested.

Pre-loaded map is detailed enough for me, but it does not have local streets...
(just FYI)

This unit has a global base map with land/water boundaries and markers
for main cities around the world. Enough for me to get by with.

The size is little big, but I can manage to fit this in my pants/shorts pocket
somehow.

The buttons on this unit are much better compared to Magellan explorist series.

Thank you all

-cpx

I'm looking for pretty much what the OP is looking for (except I'd also like a decent built-in altimeter - for hiking/climbing, not flying). Anything better on the market in the last year?

You won't like the price, but the Garmin Colorado 400t does what you want.

https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=145&pID=11022

Thanks, that looks amazing. I don't know if I could spend that much on it, though :(.

newer stuff
 

Several of the Garmin eTrex series have barometric altimeters.
And now there is an "H" series (for high-sensitivity receiver). I'm not sure if this is using the SiRF chipset, but they seem to work pretty well. I have not personally tried this unit, but a friend of mine has a 60CSx and borrowed a a Vista HCx and said that they were pretty comparable, other than size. For the record I do have the earlier Vista Cx and I'm seriously considering the upgrade.
Check out the Vista HCx at gpsnow.com.

Only drawback is the additional requirements to buy a microSD card for memory (I recommend 2GB) and routable/POI / topo / marine map(s) if you want more detail than the basemap.

altitude issue with 60CSx
 

I've done everything I can, and kept the firmware updated, but the
altimeter drifts.. Its set to use GPS, but it still drifts significantly
even when it has a good lock on over 5+ satellites.

Any way to fix it?

I can keep calibrating it every few minutes, but its annoying.

Whenever I look at Garmin GPS prices, I always compare against GPSnow.com. They also have a nice comparison matrix/tool on their site.

I use a eTrex Venture CX for traveling on the plane. For this purpose the CX is better than HCX due to the longer battery life. At around 30 hours on 2 AA cells, I can fly to Asia or Europe and back on one set of batteries.

The microSD card slot allows any kind of maps one wishes to put in the GPS.

For domestic trips involve driving, I use a Garmin Quest. This model is better for driving and still have long enough battery life for a transcontinental flight.