wanting good solid basic offroad GPS navigation system

[ArkansasDon]

for almost 2 years I've been looking for a offroad GPS navigation system that I can remove from the vehicle when not in use & install in minutes when in use. That I can enter new locations right around 800.00 in price. 5" to 7" deplay.
I do not own a I Phone or tablet & never will own them, so those are NOT an option for me. I 'm not interested in Magellan because of the reviews.
Currently the wife & I use maps & charts.
I've been looking @ Garmin & Lowrance line.
any suggestions please.

 

[brien]

I'm curious why you won't ever own a tablet, especially considering they are generally, the best option for GPS navigation, routing, tracking, and import/export features. All the major mapping apps also allow you to overlay map layers and meta-data overlays and such (like public land vs private land or a slope heat map) that you typically just can't do with other devices. They are also pretty darn affordable.

Ok, tablets aside, I've heard great things about the Garmin InReach devices, haven't heard much about Lowrance units, I always figured those were more geared at marine use so I never really looked into them myself.

As for me personally, I use a combo of iPhone, iPad, and an Android tablet (I have one simcardless phone and one tablet mounted on the dash at all times used exclusively for navigation/research), all running Gaia as the primary navigation and tracking tool. I won't go into detail because it sounds like you're not interested in that setup, but if you do end up changing your mind at some point, there's a number of threads floating around here about tablets running Gaia or Backcountry Navigator or some other similar application.

Keep us posted on what device you find and end up going with, and of course, keep those paper maps around no matter what! We always keep pretty detailed maps and Gazetteers packed in the rig as a backup if/when the technology should happen to fail us.

 

[ArkansasDon]

Brien, thanks for the reply, on Facebook Overland group I was shown the advantages of a tablet & the apps available vs. what you can buy (the ones I listed in my original post) as a GPS navigation system. I am not technology savvy so that was detouring me from I Pads & Tablets until I was shown why these are much better.
How ignorant I was, which goes back to that saying....your never too old to learn something new.
I purchased a 8" tablet & x grip from Ram Mount, will be down loading ioverlander and gaia offroad GPS .

 

[brien]

Great! With the tablet, just be sure to get one that is GPS enabled (typically these are the ones that can be used through a cell phone service, although you don't _need_ to have it hooked up to a cell provider). If you end up with a WiFi-only tablet, you may need to get a bluetooth GPS receiver to pair with it. (I have both a GPS enabled tablet and a WiFi-only tablet with external GPS receiver, they both work great)

 

[Drifterman]

Following

 

[David C Gibbs]

Hi Dan,
My wife and I spent a long weekend up in the Teton's... We were at the Visitors Center in Jackson, when three guys came in asking about how to get to a specific trail, because "It's not showing up on the GPS". . . The more mature women said "Up here you can't depend on that" "I can sell you a TOPO of the area, show you where the Trail Starts, Do you have a Compass?"
Ah NO... She looked at them and said "You don't belong in the back-country - You aren't prepared!" They bought the map and left... I walked up to her, and congratulated her, on her honest appraisal. She said that it's the # 1 issue for Search & Rescue. People not knowing where they are. Technology can kill you. Batteries go dead... Being prepared, means you have a plan and people know where you're going, when you intend to be back, etc... By the way - I own an iPhone and run Gaia on it. The Tacoma has it's own mapping system........
David

 

[Overland Omnivore]

If your use to using maps and a compass and know how to use them then stick to it...electronics are a luxury in an overland vehicle as far as I’m concerned. I never solely rely on them. Not to mention that map and compass skills are a dying art and the skills need to be passed on to the next generation. ...hmmmm...that gives me an idea [emoji362]

 

[David C Gibbs]

If your use to using maps and a compass and know how to use them then stick to it...electronics are a luxury in an overland vehicle as far as I’m concerned. I never solely rely on them. Not to mention that map and compass skills are a dying art and the skills need to be passed on to the next generation. ...hmmmm...that gives me an idea [emoji362]

I teach Compass and Maps, to Boy Scouts and Explorers... Giving Back - for those who help me. I've hiked 1000's of miles in the wilderness and National Park systems. Topo's are a life saver. Knowing where you're going, matters. DG

 

[Wanderlost]

for almost 2 years I've been looking for a offroad GPS navigation system that I can remove from the vehicle when not in use & install in minutes when in use. That I can enter new locations right around 800.00 in price. 5" to 7" deplay.
I do not own a I Phone or tablet & never will own them, so those are NOT an option for me. I 'm not interested in Magellan because of the reviews.
Currently the wife & I use maps & charts.
I've been looking @ Garmin & Lowrance line.
any suggestions please.

We're in the same boat you're in. We've been using paper maps forever but see the need and convenience of switching over to an electronic form as our primary. Keeping the paper maps as a backup (their batteries never go dead).
We have a typical Garmin and it's nice for any and all road travel but it lacks detail when off on trails in the backcountry. We're going to get a tablet and run Gaia software. We'll also build a mount system that allows for quick detachment. Ram Mounts come to mind. The tablet will also be handy to store our itinerary sheet, menu, grocery list, as well as control some bluetooth devices, like our rock lights. We can also use it when we're in a "free" wifi area to share our travels with friends.