Best GPS or app for RV

[Daddo]

When considering the use of a mobile phone or tablet for GPS duty, consider if your travels will be in your country of origin or if you'll be crossing international borders.

US cellular data users crossing into Canada, or vice verse, often face prohibitively high data roaming charges that will likely impact your use of this type of device.

 

[CaptBill]

When considering the use of a mobile phone or tablet for GPS duty, consider if your travels will be in your country of origin or if you'll be crossing international borders.

US cellular data users crossing into Canada, or vice verse, often face prohibitively high data roaming charges that will likely impact your use of this type of device.

True, but the CoPilot ap is self-contained on the device, and does not need cell service. I just used it this past weekend; only a 5 hour trip Delaware into central Pa. The routes it chose (and also the alternate routed it presented), were good, but one thing I didn't like is it kept telling me to exit Delaware Route 1, then get right back on. It did this at every exit going up this toll road, and it was not set to avoid tolls. In fact, if it was, it wouldn't have put me righ back on it at the same exit, so they have some work to do.

Overall, it is a very capable GPS app,  for a good price.

 

[Ned]

Many GPS, if set to route the shortest distance route, will try to take you down an exit ramp and right back on again if the exit is on a curve, as the ramps are a shorter distance than the highway.  I have always used shortest time which avoids that little problem.

 

[CaptBill]

Yes Ned, that's right. Shortest route is almost never preferred over quickest, for that reason, and also it would take you down one-lane roads or through cities instead of using the bypass around them.

In the case of my CoPilot app, it is definitely set to quickest, and is not set to avoid toll roads, yet it still wants me to exit and re-enter the highway. I think they still have some detail cleaning to do on the software.

 

[lumpy75]

Just a last update on this. Finally purchased a GPS. Was going to update the old Garmin but it was going to run $79. Was able to get a Tom Tom 55 for $99 from Target with the 5% discount. Did not make sense to update. Going to add the program suggested in the feedback. Unit has all the features I was looking for and a couple of extras like blue tooth to link to Iphone and the truck. Now all I have to do is figure it all out.  Thanks for all the suggestions.

 

[Laserman]

I've been using the RM7720 for a couple years now and I am generally satisfied overall except one little frustation. The import of POI CSV's files fromPOI factory into my RM7720 don't work. The reason is that CSV's files in the POI factory are not in the same format as the RM import format available in the RM unit.Searching the different forums on the subject, I am not the only one suffering this inadequacy from RM. And the support from RM...is NILL. I am now considering buying a Garmin RV GPS unit

 

[MN Blue Skies]

Timely info so just following thread.

 

[William52]

Any GPS unit you buy just be sure the maps are lifetime and updates are free. Some are some not.

 

[legrandnormand]

Just a last update on this. Finally purchased a GPS. Was going to update the old Garmin but it was going to run $79. Was able to get a Tom Tom 55 for $99 from Target with the 5% discount. Did not make sense to update. Going to add the program suggested in the feedback. Unit has all the features I was looking for and a couple of extras like blue tooth to link to Iphone and the truck. Now all I have to do is figure it all out.  Thanks for all the suggestions.

I have been using TOMTOM GPS for the past 15 years and those cheaper gps's do give you the choice of "quickest, shortest and  prefered roads to choose from "; You can even choose when or not to use toll roads or even just be asked if you do want to use the proposed toll roads.

 

[blw2]

Any GPS unit you buy just be sure the maps are lifetime and updates are free. Some are some not.

I actually have a different opinion....
with the dedicated GPS units anyway.

I paid extra when i bought one for DW several years ago.  I nice garmin, and upgraded model. 

It was a pain to update.... but it was  along time ago so things might be better now... but that's not why I didn't like it.

Eventually, the unit started to fail.  It was only a couple years old or so.... not all that old.  I managed to get a replacement from Garmin, but that didn't last long either.  I found out that it was now an OBSOLETE device.... a discontinued model.... so even though I had LIFETIME updates, it was no longer supported!

So, I came to the conclusion that I would have been better off to save the money and put it towards a fresh unit every couple years.... fresh hardware as well as fresh software.

 

[Great Horned Owl]

I actually have a different opinion....
with the dedicated GPS units anyway.

I paid extra when i bought one for DW several years ago.  I nice garmin, and upgraded model. 

It was a pain to update.... but it was  along time ago so things might be better now... but that's not why I didn't like it.

Eventually, the unit started to fail.  It was only a couple years old or so.... not all that old.  I managed to get a replacement from Garmin, but that didn't last long either.  I found out that it was now an OBSOLETE device.... a discontinued model.... so even though I had LIFETIME updates, it was no longer supported!

So, I came to the conclusion that I would have been better off to save the money and put it towards a fresh unit every couple years.... fresh hardware as well as fresh software.

All the more reason to run a GPS app on your smart phone or tablet. CoPilot has free map updates, and you probably upgrade the phone every few years any way.

On a related subject, CoPilot has a new RV version. On the original version, you can tell it that you are in an RV, and what your height is. The new RV version also allows you to input your total length, width, and weight,  but I'm not sure those features are worth replacing what I have now.

Joel

 

[legrandnormand]

I have been using TOMTOM GPS for the past 15 years and those cheaper gps's do give you the choice of "quickest, shortest and  prefered roads to choose from "; You can even choose when or not to use toll roads or even just be asked if you do want to use the proposed toll roads.

When I bought this 2010 MH, it had a TOMTOM navigation system factory built-in tied in to the backup camera system and the radio with Satellite Sirius, what a coincidence !
After reading the pros and cons on different GPS products, this past weekend, I've downloaded the latest North American Map and a full year of updates and service for the cheap sum of $79. CAN. The new map works great and has over millions of new POI's.