What are you using to mapping your journey and navigating your route?

[Geo Explore and Adventure]

This is more curiosity than a question, wondering what is used for mapping your journey and navigating your route?

I use three different applications; on my phone, I have the free version of Gaia GPS and of course google maps. In my vehicle, I have a Garmin Nuvi 50LM Navigator and a handheld Garmin 64s with vehicle mount. I also use the 64s for kayaking and hiking. Plus, I always have paper maps. I do try to plan my trips well in advance, on an international trip I study maps for up to 6 months so I have an image in my head, you never know…Ok, I know, I’m a Maphead!

 

[Terry Pickens]

Paid version of Gaia GPS. It has been good to me, leading me up in Canada and across the western US. I use the route I planned before hand and follow my route on the screen to get to my destinations. Downloading maps as needed so I do not need cell service.

 

[Geo Explore and Adventure]

Terry, good to hear you are using the paid version of Gaia. As we transition from kayaking and hiking to vehicle supported exploring, I will be upgrading for sure!

 

[Flipper]

Gaia Premium, Found lots of cool locations. 1900 and 1930 topos are great. The new infrared real time of the wild fires could be a lifesaver. The mines are interesting also. I run it on an Airll w/ a Garmin GLOll and a Jetpack for Internet, and a waterproof cover when not in the truck. Just got back hiking the Smoky Mts. Found a half dozen old homesteads, cemeteries,Copper/Gold Mine, Indian Glyphs. The sat view is handy when getting into rough terrain. Nothing like hiking the Smokys and seeing your location real-time on sat. When hiking with the old topos its like walking back in time. How cool is that! Gotta love technology. Great for bushwacking when you get turned around to get back to the truck.

 

[Downs]

GAIA premium.

 

[Alanymarce]

GPS unit with whatever is the best imap for the region (e.g., T4A for Africa) - not for navigating, to know where we are.
Google maps and Waze for navigation in cities and general use (not offroad).
Maps.me for navigation when there's no cell signal.
pdf maps from ITMB for wayfinding (we then feed back our GPX files to ITMB with corrections/suggestions to keep their maps up to date).
Some paper maps in places where it makes sense (National Parks in many places have paper maps which are good).
Ask locals the way.

 

[Robert.Mauro]

Paid Gaia GPS here. Though, I was testing Onroad-X (except, I live in the Northeast, where they have no data/locations/etc). I download offline maps of the regions I am visiting (when I remember, lol), and it works pretty well. I use the head unit in my car as well. TomTom in Gen 3.x Subaru head units has a surprisingly large amount of fire roads, BLM roads and trails, and even some other unexpected trails.

I'm playing with the routing function to build a route for my next big overland adventure, and hoping to get the hang of it.

I've got a Subaru, so, I can't rock crawl my way over crazy things on some of the trails (though something like White Rim Road is pretty easy for it), so, I think my biggest wish is an app that grades trails or allows notes. Apparently, Gaia supports trail and location notes, but, they seem infrequent. Regardless, I haven't found anything better (and, honestly, it's really really good). I bought the paid version within hours of using it.

 

[OCToyCruiser]

Does anyone use AllTrails or OnX off road apps? Does Garmin InReach only get you out of trouble?

 

[LostInThought]

This is more curiosity than a question, wondering what is used for mapping your journey and navigating your route?

I use three different applications; on my phone, I have the free version of Gaia GPS and of course google maps. In my vehicle, I have a Garmin Nuvi 50LM Navigator and a handheld Garmin 64s with vehicle mount. I also use the 64s for kayaking and hiking. Plus, I always have paper maps. I do try to plan my trips well in advance, on an international trip I study maps for up to 6 months so I have an image in my head, you never know…Ok, I know, I’m a Maphead!

I'm using GaiaGPS Premium on an iPad. Recently I added a Dual SkyPro GPS antenna to improve satellite lock. It uses both GPS and GLONASS and upto to 5 devices (GaiaGPS iPad, phones, etc) can connect to it via Bluetooth and sitting forward on the dash at the point where dash meets windshield gives it a better view of the sky than the tablet sees from where it's mounted (and the battery seems good for 8+ hours, but you can charge it via USB while it's being used).

 

[Autism Family Travels]

Gaia all the way. It's awesome. I sit at my desk here, plot out my routes and they are automatically loaded into the tablet.

 

[Robert.Mauro]

Gaia all the way. It's awesome. I sit at my desk here, plot out my routes and they are automatically loaded into the tablet.

Yep! It's awesome, especially with two (or more) monitors! I can use Google Satellite View on one screen and Gaia on another (working with too many overlays on Gaia makes things messy). This May, I will be embarking on my most ambitious off-roading and off-road overlanding trip ever, with two other vehicles following, so, I'm spending bunches of time plotting routes and alternates on the computer. It's pretty awesome having them automatically work everywhere I am signed in.

 

[Autism Family Travels]

Yes, I tried most every other solution on the move now, garmin, other apps etc. Gaia, once I figured out a few things, is the easiest to use by far!

 

[El-Dracho]

It is always intreresting to see what others use and recommend based on their experiences. Thanks for sharing. That's why I also like to share my experiences.

For planning a journey I still use paper based maps. Also while on the way, I see paper based maps as useful to get (1) a good overview (Especially on long distance journeys) and (2) as backup if electronics fail. There are some good maps out there made from special paper which is waterproof and robust, I like that. Nevertheless, I always recommend to include the electronic navigation device(s) of choice in the trip planning already, to get familiar with it at an early stage.

For navigation purposes I use an old but mighty Garmin 278. Wow, when I recap what this device has seen and went through, that´s a really impressive. I hope it will still last some time. For further navigation and usage of digital maps I have a 10" Tablet on board, Andorid based running Oruxmaps for navigation purposes. On this device I use also all the nice and helpful little apps for overlanders, such as iOverlander (and similar), customs apps, translators, road condition and weather forecast apps, official travel advise app, and so on.

So based on my experiences I could recommend a good mix of classic paper based maps and the modern digital world. Depending on the journey, do not forget to bring a marcing compass or similar for hiking and in case of electronic navigation fails.

 

[Autism Family Travels]

It is always intreresting to see what others use and recommend based on their experiences. Thanks for sharing. That's why I also like to share my experiences.

For planning a journey I still use paper based maps. Also while on the way, I see paper based maps as useful to get (1) a good overview (Especially on long distance journeys) and (2) as backup if electronics fail. There are some good maps out there made from special paper which is waterproof and robust, I like that. Nevertheless, I always recommend to include the electronic navigation device(s) of choice in the trip planning already, to get familiar with it at an early stage.

For navigation purposes I use an old but mighty Garmin 278. Wow, when I recap what this device has seen and went through, that´s a really impressive. I hope it will still last some time. For further navigation and usage of digital maps I have a 10" Tablet on board, Andorid based running Oruxmaps for navigation purposes. On this device I use also all the nice and helpful little apps for overlanders, such as iOverlander (and similar), customs apps, translators, road condition and weather forecast apps, official travel advise app, and so on.

So based on my experiences I could recommend a good mix of classic paper based maps and the modern digital world. Depending on the journey, do not forget to bring a marcing compass or similar for hiking and in case of electronic navigation fails.

If I still had my ADV bike, I would be rocking a 27X garmin too. I like the extras you get with a modern tablet though. And yes, I have paper copies of topos in a book called Backroads map book. Really good for our areas!

 

[Robert.Mauro]

There are some good maps out there made from special paper which is waterproof and robust, I like that.

Do you have any recommendations for Utah (and Colorado & Northern Arizona would be nice too)? I always have multiple off-line copies on multiple devices (two of which are waterproof), but, paper is sometimes nicer to use in certain occasions. It's a lot nicer for a co-pilot to be double checking things on paper and re-tracing routes.

 

[El-Dracho]

Do you have any recommendations for Utah (and Colorado & Northern Arizona would be nice too)? I always have multiple off-line copies on multiple devices (two of which are waterproof), but, paper is sometimes nicer to use in certain occasions. It's a lot nicer for a co-pilot to be double checking things on paper and re-tracing routes.

To be honest, I have no idea about the maps available in the US. I guess it is better to ask someone who is located in that area because then he could really judge which map is good and which one not.

What I can tell you is that while we overlanded Northamerica some years ago, I used maps of a publishing company based in Europe. They have a project called the "world mapping project" where they print maps ccovering places all over the world on a waterproof and extremely resistant special material called POLYART ™. These maps are GPS aligned and my experience is really good with them (used them for Northamerica, Asia, Africa and Europe). You can see some information in english on their website and at the bottom is a link to a distributor in the US: world mapping project – Information in English | Reise Know-How Verlag

But maybe someomne based in your are could give a better advise.

 

[El-Dracho]

If I still had my ADV bike, I would be rocking a 27X garmin too.

... and shall I tell you something, I used the 278 for years and around 100,000 km on my adventure bikes (previously a 176, which was also very robust, but not yet capable of autorouting) and now it lives in my 4x4 since ten years and around 300,000 km and still going strong! This is an amazing quality kepping in mind also all the dust, vibrations, cold, heat and so on.

 

[Edy Coyote]

I'm using Garmin Overlander. It was expensive but it serves my needs. The reason I chose this is because I dont like computers at all. Getting a tablet, Gaia, downloading things black blah blah...I'm not interested in any of that. I wanted a unit I could plug in and just use. I realize there is alot of computer orientated options still on the Overlander and I realize I'm missing out on ot of extras. Maybe my wife can walk me through this someday, lol. BTW I'm not an old man, Gen X I just dont like tech stuff.

 

[ptgarcia]

My first love is off road racing, and I've chased a couple times for a friends team, so 14 years ago I installed a Lowrance Baja 540c into my truck. It's a fantastic mapping GPS and I still use it to this day.

 

[El-Dracho]

My first love is off road racing, and I've chased a couple times for a friends team, so 14 years ago I installed a Lowrance Baja 540c into my truck. It's a fantastic mapping GPS and I still use it to this day.

Interesting. I know the brand from the water sports and shipping sector. Didn´t know that Lowrance has also GPS devices for land vehicles. The Baja 540c ssems to have quite a big screen which is good to get a proper overview of the map. What digital maps are usbale with the Lowrance? What maps are you using? Thanks.