Is the Garmin Overlander better than a tablet and app?

[Clay B]

Multiple reviews show Gaia and tablet is the way to go. W/ that said, I went with the overlander. It's mounted, hard wired, and always there for me to use quickly. There's some features on it I really like a lot. Like the history features which shows you historical sites like battlefields and such just by hitting a button. Kevin @Lifestyle Overland did a great youtube video on it. I've used both. I see the value in Gaia but the garmin is just fun to mess with.

Now, that is the best thing I've heard about the Garmin and makes me rethink it for a minute. "[It's] just fun to mess with." Cool.

 

[diabetiktaco]

Now, that is the best thing I've heard about the Garmin and makes me rethink it for a minute. "[It's] just fun to mess with." Cool.

?

 

[1Louder]

Remove the word "Overlander" and you can get a similar device for $200 less.. Weird...

Garmin zūmo® XT | Motorcycle GPS Navigator

The zūmo® XT is an all-terrain motorcycle navigator with an ultrabright, rain-resistant, glove-friendly 5.5” display and preloaded on and off-road mapping.

buy.garmin.com

The even more similar Garmin 785 for $499 or $399 without camera.

Garmin RV 785 & Traffic | RV GPS Navigator

RV 785 & Traffic is an RV GPS navigator that includes a built-in dash cam, a 7” high-resolution touch display, and forward collision warnings and much more.

buy.garmin.com

 

[AlanMcW]

Close, but no cigar. The 785, nice unit that it is, looks like it lacks the off road map integration.

 

[1Louder]

Close, but no cigar. The 785, nice unit that it is, looks like it lacks the off road map integration.

They could probably be added. I am not a fan of the maps that Garmin offers anyway. The Zumo XT has them and I find it comical that the device is $200 cheaper. I still think it is overpriced though. There is another device similar to the 785 for hunters which has topo maps and is $399 I believe. Point being the Overlander is a good example of buzz word markup.

 

[AlanMcW]

G'Day 1Louder, I hear what you're saying. As I mentioned earlier, I've come come full circle on this after hearing all the views of other members and I think I'll stick with the gear I have. New gadgets are always tempting though.

 

[Charles M]

Now, that is the best thing I've heard about the Garmin and makes me rethink it for a minute. "[It's] just fun to mess with." Cool.

This got me thinking... I have owned several Garmin units in the past for hiking and mountain climbing and other outdoor exploration and I enjoy the capabilities of their higher end products. I still carry a Garmin Montana and paper maps when overlanding because Gaia and my android are not always the most dependable combination. They have left me high and dry before. I really like redundancy... Most of the guys I know have more than one method of navigation for redundancy and versatility...

So I decided to check into the overlander unit... I think it is definitely worth my investment... Maybe not for everyone but certainly for me... So here is some information on the Overlander that may interest others.

I like the magnetic mounting option and 1 inch ball mount that come with it.
Voice-activated navigation (operate device with spoken commands) it can report traffic conditions and do bluetooth calling, Driver alerts for speed traps and other traffic warnings.

The Overlander has a built-in compass, altimeter and barometer these are things that come in handy when you need to keep an eye on weather conditions. I like to be able to track altitude because I did a lot of mountain climbing when younger and it is mostly a curiosity thing but, often good to know. It does sunset / sunrise times too.

In city mapping, topo maps, hunt maps, 3D Maps, land boundaries, 4x4 roads, forest service roads, trails, storage for Satellite imaging and Quad maps, it has POI info on camping sites and other things of interest without cell connection.

You can input vehicle size and weight for alerts when driving this comes in handy for taller lifted vehicles with RTTs. It does pitch and roll angles so I can get rid of the cheap little gauge I have on my dash and put the Overlander in its place. Paired with an Inreach it will do texting and get other weather reports when out of cell range. In Nevada and many places out west we are way out of cell range all the time. Heck my Sat phone hardly works out here... lol

It can do up to 4 cameras so, one for reverse, one pointed to the right side so I can see traffic better when backing out of a blind parking spot (my rig has no side windows) and one mounted up front for those steep blind declines I hate so much... lol

I was going to get a pad for Gaia but, I think it will wait for now. I can still run gaia on my phone but, this Overlander is making too much sense for me as an all in one tool... I don't have room for a 10 inch pad on the dash right now plus I would have to create a mount for it too. With the Overlander it will replace something on my dash I wont need and I already have a mount for it. I like keeping things simple...

 

[jeffpajap]

I like both Gaia and Backcountry Navigator which I use most frequntly. I have run into a problem where I had a change of plans or had a map go bad on me and couldn't download a map due to no cell service and wished I had the whole map always available. I think the Garmin has all of the US map already loaded and that would be nice to have, even as backup. I do like having many maps available though like I get with Gaia and Backcountry. I especially enjoy all of the National Geographic maps on Gaia. That alone is worth a lot and I can use those maps on my phone when backpacking.

 

[gobi_recon]

I run the Overlander for trips but have an iPad Gaia for trip planning and backup. I normally will create all of my routes on Gaia then upload them to the Overlander. One thing that is a safety feature for me with the overlander
is the database of hospitals, gas station etc that I can get no matter what. In an emergency you dont want to have to find cell service first to figure out which way to drive to get to a hospital or if you are in a pinch on fuel
you want to find the shortest way to a gas station.

 

[zimm]

Going to edit my post after getting an update from my friend:

My friend bought the Garmin and we did a week long trip. Pretty much every POI in the Garmin was bogus. It had issues in one location trying to find a campsite for the night. We were looking for a campsite, it was getting dark, and it kept sending us on "garmin goose chases" for nothing. Gaia and my phone ran the trip without issue.

 

[gobi_recon]

My friend bought the Garmin and we did a week long trip. Pretty much every POI in the Garmin was bogus. We were looking for a campsite, it was getting dark, and it kept sending us on "garmin goose chases" for nothing. Gaia and my phone ran the trip without issue.

Do you know what database the POI's were coming from? Was it ioverlander, Garmin or something else?

 

[zimm]

I talked with my buddy with the Garmin and it was only one campsite that was giving us a terrible goose chase. It didn't exist. I thought it was giving him trouble the whole week. He's happy with it. I edited my previous comment.

 

[HIALT2D]

Does anybody know if any of these companies have, or have plans to cover Baja? There are tons & tons of dirt roads that aren't on most maps & GAIA doesn't cover Baja (unless I'm missing something).

 

[Overland Voyager]

My apologies if this has been discussed already, I don't think I've mastered the search tool yet, but is there any real advantage to having the Garmin Overlander as opposed to using a tablet and app set up. I use an android tablet with Hema Explorer app (Australia) in conjunction with paper maps. Any thoughts? A local GPS store has a sale special of the Garmin Overlander at approx US$525 (AUS$850) which is a very tempting price.

I use both plus paper maps in order to verify my location and routes. recommend the garmin overland it is worth the cost.hope this helps.

 

[Overland Shore]

Multiple reviews show Gaia and tablet is the way to go. W/ that said, I went with the overlander. It's mounted, hard wired, and always there for me to use quickly. There's some features on it I really like a lot. Like the history features which shows you historical sites like battlefields and such just by hitting a button. Kevin @Lifestyle Overland did a great youtube video on it. I've used both. I see the value in Gaia but the garmin is just fun to mess with.

Hi Eric...I searching Overland Mapping Gear and came across you hear....maybe will meet up at ISP. I current have Garmin, still playing with it....no current setup with Gaia yet.

 

[diabetiktaco]

Hi Eric...I searching Overland Mapping Gear and came across you hear....maybe will meet up at ISP. I current have Garmin, still playing with it....no current setup with Gaia yet.

Blue Ridge overland gear put out a youtube video a day or so ago about it. I have both but stick w/ the garmin. It's just easier. And let's face it, we're in NJ. We're never far from a road regardless of where we go. :) I can be found down near the inlet on most weekends but def. let me know if your going.

 

[Overland Shore]

Blue Ridge overland gear put out a youtube video a day or so ago about it. I have both but stick w/ the garmin. It's just easier. And let's face it, we're in NJ. We're never far from a road regardless of where we go. :) I can be found down near the inlet on most weekends but def. let me know if your going.

Ok....Thanks for the FYI on the Garmin. I am around the Judges Shack, but I will head down your way
.. Put a friend request on FB so we can PM each other.

 

[1Louder]

Does anybody know if any of these companies have, or have plans to cover Baja? There are tons & tons of dirt roads that aren't on most maps & GAIA doesn't cover Baja (unless I'm missing something).

Gaia Premium subscribers can now get the NatGeo Baja map layer.

 

[Charles M]

I prefer the Garmin's ability to navigate when you pick a trail or spot to go to. It is nice to have navigational abilities rather than just be a map. Gaia has not been dependable with recording and creating a track back map either. On several trips the Gaia would stop recording and I would have gaps in the route the Garmin has never done this in the twenty years that I have been using them.

 

[1Louder]

Gaia is very popular in the US, tablet based nav app, probably market leader. Free app but you pay for more/better maps. Go check it out! Just found Hema on the Apple Store and bought the NA version. Excited to give it a try! Been watching Shauno and Graham use theirs ;)

Hema NA has not been updated in several years. It is a dead app.