Help with chooseing a GPS

[Paul b]

I'm about to go out on the road. I only have a pre-paid flip top phone. Could anyone suggest a reasonably  priced gps that is simple to operate and view while driving. I would like to be able to plug in coordinates such a finding campsites. And any other advice you can give as to things I should have. I am driving a pickup and don't think I need rv features. All advice is appreciated. Thanks

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

I would suggest that you spend some time on:

Www.poi-factory.com

Get thoroughly familiar with what's available and be sure you pick a gps brand for maximum compatability with the files you want.

 

[LeeRevell]

After several years of dealing with both Garmin and Magellan dedicated GPS units, I find I like my Android phone's Verizon VZNavigator app better, for most of my usage. It has proven more accurate, and updates constantly on it's own, no need to find map updates myself.
But, if you need to plot routes, save POIs, etc., then a real GPS is necessary.

 

[Weight]

I used my verizon navigator and it got me very! lost in Fort Lauderdale, Fl.

 

[Trebor English]

I found Google Maps to be good with traffic issues.  When it says there is an hour delay and suggests a different route it can be believed.

 

[John61CT]

Used smartphone + cheap prepaid service like BYOP Tracfone, either Att or Verizon SIM.

 

[lenny flank]

I loves my Lady Garmin. She gets me everywhere I wanna go.

 

[LoupGarou]

YouTube has reviews on Garmin's RV 770.

You can't beat a GPS that can show you where your at, point you with directions to where you want to go and if you have tracking turned on and displayed, where you've been, all at the same time.

 

[DrJean]

I liked my Tom Tom until I got the Garmin...and I liked the Garmin until it tried to dump me into Mexico. I only use it for the bigger map, but the rest is muted. I use WAZE app now... and contribute to it with notifications of vehicles on side of road, hidden police, construction, etc... It's been perfect for GPS maneuvering.

My Garmin has lifetime map updating but what seems to occur is in busy cities it lags behind your driving, giving you very little or NO time to get off or onto the right road/exit/entrances.

 

[LeeRevell]

I used to use a small Magellan eXplorist 200 B&W handheld, on a selfbuilt handlebar mount for my Dual Sport motorcycle. I liked the tracking function, so if I got lost offroad I could just "follow the breadcrumbs" back the way I came.
It had maps only for highways and major local roads though, and eventually wouldn't synch on the satellites. Just too old. No way to update with new maps.
Worked okay for long highway roadtrips.
Tried two other newer handhelds, but their screens are too tiny, and they are now geared too much to geocacheing, useless for me. Money wasted.
Got a big 7" screen Magellan Roadmate for the minivan, and it worked well for awhile. But a couple times, it failed, and had me going the wrong way.
That was when I got my first Android phone and discovered the VZNavigator app. Even it went full-retard once when trying to drive to a county address. Had to go back, take an alternate road, then retry the nav. It worked the second try.
No GPS is i fallible. I still carry paper maps and Delorme books.
Also, does EVERY GPS gadget and app use that same irritating woman for the voice nav? She ain't from around here. She keeps mispronouncing road names.

 

[rvwandering]

After years of using just paper maps I finally got a GPS about 1 1/2 years ago. I wanted to make sure that I liked using one before spending a lot of money so I bought a refurbished Garmin nuvi 2595 LM. Wouldn't be without it now. Check ebay for cheap prices on used ones

 Since this is my first experience with a GPS I don't know if more expensive ones have better options but it does almost everything that I want it to do. I would like it to load a scenic route that includes interstate if necessary but it only has an Avoid Highway option that will route a trip hundreds of miles out of the way so I have to enter points along the way to make it take the desired route. It has free map updates. I can load Points of Interest databases but I'm still working on learning how. I did manage to load uscampground.info which is great.  Plugging in coordinates for campsites works really well. If we get off of the correct path it recalculates a new one fast. 

 The cons are:
 It doesn't have some parks, businesses, museums and other things that I think it should have but entering coordinates or street addresses is easy.
 The screen is small. I'm the navigator so I don't know how hard it would be if you had to see it while you were driving.
  The recorded voice does not do street names - it's just " turn left in one mile" The computer voice does street names but many are mispronounced.
  The turning instructions come a little too soon.
  Sometimes the number of turns seems excessive.

 

[RVTravel]

If I wanted a standalone gps I would get a garmin nuvi. As it is, I just use my phone gps. They are cheaper and can do much more.

 

[John61CT]

Check out What3words and Navmii, pretty cool way to log & specify a spot anywhere on the planet without latlong notation.

 

[CautionToTheWind]

http://www.randmcnally.com/category/rv-gps