Magellan TRX7.... thoughts?

[Battle-Spec]

So I have the paid Gaia maps, which has its uses and is nice to reference, but I would like to have something on tap that I can just open up, pick out a trail somewhere and start heading that way. For that thought, this Magellan seems to be the ticket! Has anyone had personal experience with this unit? I’m really close to just pulling the trigger on it. I’m still new to finding legal trails to get lost on, and in the south-east, trails aren’t as abundant as the west.

*p.s. I tried to find the search function, but I’m on the app and didn’t seem to notice it anywhere. Sorry if this has been beaten to death.

 

[Charles M]

I did not have the TRX7 but, I will never buy Magellen again... I had another magellen for a few years (with lifetime maps) and was prompted to update the maps the unit was working fine it was just missing some new roads. So, I went to Magellens site downloaded the update software and proceeded to update it... The update was simple just a few clicks with a mouse and done.

After it said update was completed I tried to turn on the GPS and it would not start. I tried everything and emailed Magellen and didn't get a response at first. Weeks later they responded with sorry your update must have been corrupted there is nothing we can do about it. In other words sorry about your luck. The update was preformed by their program you down load you click a few prompts and it's done... Or DEAD...

At this point I decide to do a search on the update and found there were tons of people who had the exact same thing happen to them... Do the update and it completely stopped working and no help from magellen. customrer service .

I spent weeks trying to resolve the problem I fanally just tossed it and got a Garmin...

 

[Battle-Spec]

Oh wow! That’s a scary situation to end up in with a $600 GPS. Something to think about.

 

[1Louder]

IMHO software will never be as good as “ask a friend where to go.” Meaning sites like this, trailsoffraod.com ($25/yr), local groups and many others along with data an app like Gaia can provide enough ideas to keep anyone busy. Gaia via the USFS Roads and Trail layer can provide descriptions of trail types but that would never be a primary means for me to plan trips.

I would use the routing feature in Gaia GPS and then verify the trail type with the above layer if available in your area.

 

[Raul B]

I have one and it's Def not worth it. Thr software is clunky and hard to use.

 

[RVA Overland]

I just run the TRX app on my tablet. Not sure if that is still an option, if it is at least you could get a feel for how it operates.. If I were going to spend the money on a dedicated unit I would most likely go with the Garmin unit, which currently looks like they are offering a $100 discount on their unit.

 

[Battle-Spec]

What is the car in equivalent?

 

[1Louder]

What is the car in equivalent?

No car only app exists to date.

Gaia GPS with Apple CarPlay does. However, the CarPlay screen is more of a display only. Most of the functionality still requires you to use you iPhone.

 

[Battle-Spec]

Ah shoot. Autocorrect ruined my reply. I meant to say: what is the Garmin equivalent to the magellan? I’m bout to do some searching about it.

 

[RVA Overland]

Ah shoot. Autocorrect ruined my reply. I meant to say: what is the Garmin equivalent to the magellan? I’m bout to do some searching about it.

It is the Garmin Overlander.

 

[Ron W.]

I have their TR-7 which is cheaper that the TRX. Not really worth it, and the free lifetime updates isn't YOUR lifetime. It is the units lifetime that they estimate to be about 3 years.

 

[Overlord]

I received one as a gift. There is a quick start guide but downloading the CORRECT full length manual ia a challenge In so far as getting a manual that coincides with the actual unit.

 

[smritte]

I wont go into excruciating detail so trust me when I say, worst $600 I ever spent. I've been using different GPS types since GPS became available. When my Garmin Nuvi was stolen, I went to tablets. I hated having to load maps. When this came out I was excited. I'm now back to an I-pad and Gaia. Sadly, I hear nice things about the Garmin but now I'm gun shy.

 

[Flipper]

I sold GPS’s at a national marine store chain for 10 years, I was “the GPS guy”. Magellan failures were off the charts. 30 to 1 compared to Garmin. It got to the point I took them off display, which I wasn’t supposed to do and only showed or sold them only if the customer specifically wanted one but made sure they got an extended warranty.

 

[Battle-Spec]

I sold GPS’s at a national marine store chain for 10 years, I was “the GPS guy”. Magellan failures were off the charts. 30 to 1 compared to Garmin. It got to the point I took them off display, which I wasn’t supposed to do and only showed or sold them only if the customer specifically wanted one but made sure they got an extended warranty.

That is terrifying! I guess I can’t buy the Magellan safely then. And I hear people mention the garmin unit, but when I do a google search on the Garmin overlander, there are loads of bad reviews and even the sponsored YouTube reviews have shown them having issues right out of the box. This is so nerve racking because I want an off road GPS with a large screen and accurate directions and course plotting (and not have to worry about saving my maps before I leave)

 

[Battle-Spec]

I wont go into excruciating detail so trust me when I say, worst $600 I ever spent. I've been using different GPS types since GPS became available. When my Garmin Nuvi was stolen, I went to tablets. I hated having to load maps. When this came out I was excited. I'm now back to an I-pad and Gaia. Sadly, I hear nice things about the Garmin but now I'm gun shy.

Thanks for letting me know. I guess I’ll be holding off then. I’m too worried to waste a lot of money on junk.

 

[Flipper]

That is terrifying! I guess I can’t buy the Magellan safely then. And I hear people mention the garmin unit, but when I do a google search on the Garmin overlander, there are loads of bad reviews and even the sponsored YouTube reviews have shown them having issues right out of the box. This is so nerve racking because I want an off road GPS with a large screen and accurate directions and course plotting (and not have to worry about saving my maps before I leave)

I understand your concern. I have seen lots of chances with Garmin thru the years. I even had a job offer from Garmin but I would have had to relocate to Salem, Oregon. All my Wifes Family are here in Fl. so that wasn’t going to happen. They used to have a great tech line, we had a non-consumer number. You could call and get a correct answer that would solve an issue every time. There training and seminars were excellent. Hands on, not just listening to someone talk theory for hours. Since then I have retired and have tried to use there consumer tech line several times and it was useless.
In not up on their new models but handhelds that I saw very few issues with are the 76 and 78 series. The Colorado is really cool once you get used to the dial you can really zip around thru the screen pages and menu. The Oregon is also a nice model. I personally have a 76csx. Waterproof, floats. Never missed a beat and it’s been used a lot but has always been taken care of, its probably over 10 years old. I’m not big on extended warranty’s but with and expensive purchase it might be a consideration. Sounds like your doing plenty of research. Imo Garmins definitely the leader with consumer marine, aviation and street navigation with the least issues. Good luck in your choice. If you have any questions give me a shout.

 

[PonoAdventures]

I sold GPS’s at a national marine store chain for 10 years, I was “the GPS guy”. Magellan failures were off the charts. 30 to 1 compared to Garmin. It got to the point I took them off display, which I wasn’t supposed to do and only showed or sold them only if the customer specifically wanted one but made sure they got an extended warranty.

That is terrifying! I guess I can’t buy the Magellan safely then. And I hear people mention the garmin unit, but when I do a google search on the Garmin overlander, there are loads of bad reviews and even the sponsored YouTube reviews have shown them having issues right out of the box. This is so nerve racking because I want an off road GPS with a large screen and accurate directions and course plotting (and not have to worry about saving my maps before I leave)

Maybe you should get a tablet dedicated to navigating. You can input trails on Gaia and just have them all downloaded into there. That way you just start up the app and select the trail to navigate to. May be some work upfront but a good option rather than the overlander.

 

[Battle-Spec]

I sold GPS’s at a national marine store chain for 10 years, I was “the GPS guy”. Magellan failures were off the charts. 30 to 1 compared to Garmin. It got to the point I took them off display, which I wasn’t supposed to do and only showed or sold them only if the customer specifically wanted one but made sure they got an extended warranty.

That is terrifying! I guess I can’t buy the Magellan safely then. And I hear people mention the garmin unit, but when I do a google search on the Garmin overlander, there are loads of bad reviews and even the sponsored YouTube reviews have shown them having issues right out of the box. This is so nerve racking because I want an off road GPS with a large screen and accurate directions and course plotting (and not have to worry about saving my maps before I leave)

Maybe you should get a tablet dedicated to navigating. You can input trails on Gaia and just have them all downloaded into there. That way you just start up the app and select the trail to navigate to. May be some work upfront but a good option rather than the overlander.

Well.... lol. I actually bought a new iPad about 6 months ago, solely for the use of being my mapping and navigation unit in the rig. Sadly, I didn’t do enough research and found out that iPads have the least reliable GPS when they disconnect from cellular. I bought the premium GAIA membership and started saving some trails, and it seemed all good until I actually went off grid and couldn’t get it to keep up with where i was at. So with more research, I found out that Samsung has the best internal GPS of all tablet systems. I may just have to buy yet another tablet and start fresh

 

[PonoAdventures]

I sold GPS’s at a national marine store chain for 10 years, I was “the GPS guy”. Magellan failures were off the charts. 30 to 1 compared to Garmin. It got to the point I took them off display, which I wasn’t supposed to do and only showed or sold them only if the customer specifically wanted one but made sure they got an extended warranty.

That is terrifying! I guess I can’t buy the Magellan safely then. And I hear people mention the garmin unit, but when I do a google search on the Garmin overlander, there are loads of bad reviews and even the sponsored YouTube reviews have shown them having issues right out of the box. This is so nerve racking because I want an off road GPS with a large screen and accurate directions and course plotting (and not have to worry about saving my maps before I leave)

Maybe you should get a tablet dedicated to navigating. You can input trails on Gaia and just have them all downloaded into there. That way you just start up the app and select the trail to navigate to. May be some work upfront but a good option rather than the overlander.

Well.... lol. I actually bought a new iPad about 6 months ago, solely for the use of being my mapping and navigation unit in the rig. Sadly, I didn’t do enough research and found out that iPads have the least reliable GPS when they disconnect from cellular. I bought the premium GAIA membership and started saving some trails, and it seemed all good until I actually went off grid and couldn’t get it to keep up with where i was at. So with more research, I found out that Samsung has the best internal GPS of all tablet systems. I may just have to buy yet another tablet and start fresh

You could link it to a garmin in reach or another gps puck. I used an IPad with no cellular with an inreach and it did really well in Death Valley