first timer questions

[timeforcamping]

I just started a project where we are converting an Isuzu/GMC cabover. It weighs about 25,000 pounds and was wondering where to start for recovery gear.

Secondly, GAIA vs onX vs Garmin overlander for a beginner to get offline maps? This truck in addition to the weight will be right around 13 feet tall. I saw that Garmin let's you input size and weight of vehicles and adjusts routes accordingly. Is this right as far as knowing height and weight restrictions? Will GAIA and onX do this too?

Starlink for internet or is there a better solution?

And anything any of y'all wanna throw in will be much appreciated.

Thanks

 

[Ethan N]

Talking about Starlink I'm going to assume money is no issue here, but for your trail navigation generally I would advise using Google Maps on satellite view for a "'beginner" as you mention. I've been in the game for a long time and while I have used some high-tech equipment before, I still only run Google Maps in my rig. To that end I can't speak on any of the apps you mentioned with experience, other than I've heard good reviews from both onX and GAIA users. Google Maps a great way to self-teach route planning and changes on the fly, I spend hours on my computer looking for stuff to jump out at me and I have found some excellent spots to visit that I would have never seen on a forum.

Recovery gear, tough with that weight you have. I would guess your best bet is going to be tow straps from www.uscargocontrol.com or www.tacticalrecoveryequipment.com. I have a 60,000lb tow strap and have used it to pull ~50,000lb rigs out of a tough spot. Albeit I wasn't in my little Jeep that I have now. At that weight I think you're looking at winches that cost over $5k. Hopefully some of our bigger rig owners can chime in here. As always, a shovel can come in handy for a thousand tasks. You're going to want a spare tire, tire plugs, an electric drill to help place the plugs (one time using that little screwdriver thing will beat that one home), check out online lists for off-road, camping, field first aid, and mash them all together with your picks from each to make a tailored list specific to you.

Here's my big rig experience, haha.

 

[K12]

I have tried to use GAIA becore and just could get into it. I have used google maps and the OB1 map for a while but purchased the garmin overlander about 5 months ago. I like being able to not use the phone as navigation. Its pretty easy to use, the basecamp app is not the best but manageable for making and importing gpx files. I havent gotten to in depth with the overlander but it does well for my needs.

As far as internet starlink is the way to go imo, not sure if you are planning to fulltime in the rig (I may have missed that) but if you are, Starlink is a no brainer.

 

[timeforcamping]

Thanks for the responses. Yeah, the winch thing I am really curious about. I have heard I can use a transferable one that can be used both from the back and the front. Does this exist?

Also, are any recovery tracks rated for something like this?

 

[Prerunner1982]

Thanks for the responses. Yeah, the winch thing I am really curious about. I have heard I can use a transferable one that can be used both from the back and the front. Does this exist?

Yes you need a front and rear receiver hitch, and the associated winch cradle that goes into the receiver hitch. You will also need to route power to the front and rear of the vehicle to be able to plug the winch in at either location.

 

[MOAK]

If I were doing this I think id have the largest electric winch, I could find, (25,000 or more, rated,) permanently mounted in the rear and mount an even heavier hydraulic winch up front. 25,000 lbs is a huge amount of vehicle and your not gonna want to be using an electric winch as your primary extraction devise. Imagine worst case scenarios. You’re gonna need industrial strength extraction equipment.

 

[Jim SoG]

For nav I use the OB app on my phone, I have an iphone which has emergency sat comms when no cell coverage. I also run Google earth on my laptop. I donbwload all area maps before the trip so everything is smooth. I also record my track and interesting places on the OB app.

Start a build thread for your rig, I know many of us would love to follow along on your build.......

Welcome to OB!


Jim

 

[timeforcamping]

Thanks folks!

As far as the build thread for this, it's almost done, waiting on engine from Isuzu. Will post pics when/if ever done, lol.

 

[cug]

Re Gaia and OnX – they might be okay for regional trails but both utterly suck for actual traveling. You want something that can download large maps, e.g. full states, have full functionality offline and actually work. OnX I gave up on due to the stamp sized offline maps and when I started pushing Gaia more it turned out to be a total disaster for actual travel. I’m currently using mostly Google maps with local trail view in Gaia.

 

[tjZ06]

I just started a project where we are converting an Isuzu/GMC cabover. It weighs about 25,000 pounds and was wondering where to start for recovery gear.

Secondly, GAIA vs onX vs Garmin overlander for a beginner to get offline maps? This truck in addition to the weight will be right around 13 feet tall. I saw that Garmin let's you input size and weight of vehicles and adjusts routes accordingly. Is this right as far as knowing height and weight restrictions? Will GAIA and onX do this too?

Starlink for internet or is there a better solution?

And anything any of y'all wanna throw in will be much appreciated.

Thanks

Are you dead-set on that rig? My truck with FWC weighs around 10k lbs and I'm already always the heaviest rig in my group/that I see out on the trail. At 25k lbs I imagine we're talking about a large ex-military rig? It looks like you're in the Rockies, are you sure something that heavy is ideal? Are you planning to stick to major fire/forest service roads and established campsites, or do you want to have more freedom/flexibility? My truck and camper have the trail-stripes to prove they're about as big as is practical in wooded areas. Heck, I actually do a ton of desert camping too and I still find tight squeezes here and there.

-TJ

 

[Cypress]

I run Gaia on an 8" tablet for mapping. Downloading entire states is extremely easy, as is downloading routes and POIs. It has worked very well for the almost 10 years I've been using it. I also carry a Garmin 7" GPS and have OB1 on my phone for backup and additional information. For creating routes, I use Gaia, OB1, Google Maps, and Google Earth. Gaia for public and private property, and Google for satellite and street views looking for gates and such.

For recovery, you are going to need some heavy-duty stuff. I'd look into hydraulic winches. You can find them on Marketplace and Craigslist on occasion for fairly reasonable prices. Some of them, like the Mile Marker, can be powered off of the power steering pump. There is one listed local to me for $500. Link for the interested. If you go with an electric winch, get a big one and keep a couple of snatch blocks handy to increase your pulling capability.

 

[pluton]

Re Gaia and OnX – they might be okay for regional trails but both utterly suck for actual traveling. You want something that can download large maps, e.g. full states, have full functionality offline and actually work. OnX I gave up on due to the stamp sized offline maps and when I started pushing Gaia more it turned out to be a total disaster for actual travel. I’m currently using mostly Google maps with local trail view in Gaia.

That's funny-using GaiaGPS I have the entire western half of the United States on my iPhon Do you have enough memory on your phone/tablet?

 

[cug]

That's funny-using GaiaGPS I have the entire western half of the United States on my iPhon Do you have enough memory on your phone/tablet?

Of course I do. I have a 256GB iPhone and the same in the iPad. Storage is wide open. Gaia sucks because it often doesn't work properly when offline. Search often didn't work for me, routing often didn't work properly. On my last trip, On-X didn't even show city or roadnames when offline. That's utterly useless when traveling. It was okay when trying to follow a trail that was offline available, but other than that, both programs aren't great for TRAVELING.

On the last trip I mainly used OsmAnd and it actually sucked less than Gaia or OnX. It's easy to download large areas, but it utterly sucks when setting it up the first time or actually trying to understand how it all works. Gaia is much easier to use – and that says something, because Gaia isn't great from a UX perspective either. OsmAnd is completely and utterly bonkers from a usability perspective, but I have to say that it JUST WORKS in offline mode (it basically only has offline mode) and it had all the information I needed when traveling.

Again, Gaia and OnX might be okay for short and planned outings, I personally find OnX useless and Gaia is at best an addition to a real navigation application, more like a tool to be used at an offroad destination, not to be used while actually traveling long distances to that destination.