Offroad GPS navigation

[HALLETT BOY]

What is the best offroad GPS Nav unit to buy ? The least expensive ? Best bang for buck

 

[phuggit]

A tablet with your choice of navigation app.

I use backcountry navigator and a 7" tablet.

 

[Havazoo]

I'd suggest you look into LeadNav in conjunction with the Duel GPS receiver. Can't go wrong, this will not only allow you to save your trips, but lay out your trips in advance.
Good luck !!

 

[Havazoo]

Sorry meant to mention, the LeadNav works great with an iPad or iPhone.

 

[2Driver]

Ive tried a bunch and always go back to MotionX GPS. I have it on my phone and a Ipad mini.
I use it for off-roading, hiking, boating on Powell even took it to Palau and used it in the jungle

I like being able to download and have satellite views off line. It interfaces with other apps and I can import from earth or any Garmin... etc

I had leadnav and really didnt find much use for it unless maybe I was racing off-road and had to call every turn out. Maybe I didn’t use it enough.

 

[Dana757]

I use Gaia GPS on my phone and iPad.

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

A tablet with an app is probably the simplest solution, especially if you already have a tablet you want to use. Mounting it in the RZR can be more challenging however. You also may want an external GPS antenna, depending on the tablet.

A 5-7 inch Lowrance works well, there is just a little bit of a learning curve associated with it, but mounting solutions are readily available, and they are pretty rugget and water resistant devices.

 

[Dirtbag]

I have the lowrance hds 7. loaded all the area maps of where i ride and its like having a gps car nav system

 

[Bpracing1127]

I use lowrance and make all my trails on google earth. The tablets get hot and shut off. Also they don’t like vibration and water . Lowrance are easy to do

 

[Meaney77]

I am challenged, I have a Lowrance in my car and it works, but its to much- to many buttons- to many menu's, its like information over load that I dont use often enough to be familiar with. A few guys in our group use tablets and it seems to be pretty easy and is the ticket....

 

[DLC]

If you want the best it’s a Lowrance HDS and get the puck / antenna for the roof as this will help refresh a lot faster.

This is what most racers use

 

[riverroyal]

Ipad with gaia app and external gps is what ive seen. Pretty cool. If you have a ipad you just need the mount, app, and gps gizmo

 

[Havalife]

What is the best offroad GPS Nav unit to buy ? The least expensive ? Best bang for buck

It depends on what you want. The best offroad GPS is the one that does not get you lost.
Do you want a trail (line) to follow or do you want to spend a few bucks and be able to see the image (google) you are at with a line to follow?

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

I am challenged, I have a Lowrance in my car and it works, but its to much- to many buttons- to many menu's, its like information over load that I dont use often enough to be familiar with. A few guys in our group use tablets and it seems to be pretty easy and is the ticket....

Sit down with it for about a 30-45 minutes and turn off all the sonar and fishing features, and adjust the display. Once you turn off all the crap you don’t use anyway, the Lowrance is pretty nice and much simpler to use. You can go into the settings page and disable those features.

 

[yz450mm]

The best unit would be a Lowrance, at least 7 inch screen. The least expensive would be your phone in a holder, but once you lose signal then good luck. Best bang for the Buck would be a Lowrance, they are weather resistant and do not rely on cell phone signal. Yes you have to learn how to use it, but once you do its way better than other options.

 

[DLC]

Sit in your car with the lowrance and have your phone and watch some u tube vids. I spent about an hour watching and figuring hitting buttons and I have it figured out.

don’t go smaller than a 7 inch screen hard to see while hauling the mail.
The elite TI 2 in a 7 inch is like $600, disable the fish finder setting and your rolling

 

[yz450mm]

Sit in your car with the lowrance and have your phone and watch some u tube vids. I spent about an hour watching and figuring hitting buttons and I have it figured out.

don’t go smaller than a 7 inch screen hard to see while hauling the mail.
The elite TI 2 in a 7 inch is like $600, disable the fish finder setting and your rolling

I literally just had to do just that, couldn't figure out why the tracks weren't loading. I knew there was something that I was missing, but I couldn't put my finger on it. Then I googled it and it was all good. Definitely a learning curve, but way better than the tablet based crap.

 

[Bpracing1127]

Sit in your car with the lowrance and have your phone and watch some u tube vids. I spent about an hour watching and figuring hitting buttons and I have it figured out.

don’t go smaller than a 7 inch screen hard to see while hauling the mail.
The elite TI 2 in a 7 inch is like $600, disable the fish finder setting and your rolling

Hey mine is 5” what are you saying lol. Haven’t gotten lost yet lol

 

[Gramps]

the Avenza app on my phone, huge map store

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

Ha! Mine is a Elite TI in a 5” as well. Works well and was under $300. I didn’t know at the time but I could have got 7” to fit in the same spot. They dont make the Elite TI in a 5 inch anymore. You can get a hook2 in a 5 or 7 inch for under $300. You can find elite 5 TI reconditioned from Lowrance for $389. The Elite TI line is touch screen


As long as the trails I’m following are in contrasting colors (you can set the colors) I’ve been ok with the 5”. If you have a 2019+ RZR with the new dash a 7 inch or larger works really well.

 

[SkyDirtWaterguy]

The best GPS unit to get is one that you understand how to use and can effectively use it to navigate your way around.....

 

[DLC]

Hey mine is 5” what are you saying lol. Haven’t gotten lost yet lol

what I’m saying is .... when we were riding on 2 wheels you weren’t watching the GPS,
but
with a 7 inch screen you could easily see the screen and ride on 2 wheels.....
LoL

It has nothing to do with getting lost, you can easily get back on track if a wrong turn is made, at times while driving you need to keep one eye on the trail and one eye on the GPS that’s where the 7inch screen helps.

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

what I’m saying is .... when we were riding on 2 wheels you weren’t watching the GPS,
but
with a 7 inch screen you could easily see the screen and ride on 2 wheels.....
LoL

It has nothing to do with getting lost, you can easily get back on track if a wrong turn is made, at times while driving you need to keep one eye on the trail and one eye on the GPS that’s where the 7inch screen helps.

In the 2014-2018 RZRs it is hard finding dash real estate to mount a larger tablet or GPS in easy line of sight and keep it in arms reach. It is a big oversight in the dash design. The 2019 dash setup is way better.

I put my GPS where most people put their intercom/radio and mounted the intercom and radio below the dash, under the GPS.

It is not the ideal GPS placement I’d want, but is a good compromise where I can see it and reach it.

If you put anything but a small tablet there, you start blocking other components and switches.

 

[stephenkatsea]

Of course, a dedicated GPS such as Lowrence etc is the best way to go. But, I recently used the AllTrails app. It's free and worked well.

 

[riverroyal]

Soooo. What should i buy? 7" lowrance?
Does it plug into cig lighter outlet? Hard wire? Plug and play? How does it update?
Thanks

 

[gqchris]

I love my Lead NAV with an old Ipad with Cellular Chip. (Doesnt need to be active, you just need the GPS chip part)

I have been in LOf's car with the Lowarance and it works great also. Just need to dig in like mentioned to whichever one you get and learn it.

I have friends with brand new built cars and they never can get thier GPS working. Or they think that the straight line back to camp is what you follow!
Im like "Dude, thats how the crow flys. See that big mountain?!"

Then they ask, "Well how do you know all the turns to take?" Im like, i mapped the thing out before hand at home, put the turns in, and have offline Sat maps. It aint Waze!!! LOL

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

Soooo. What should i buy? 7" lowrance?
Does it plug into cig lighter outlet? Hard wire? Plug and play? How does it update?
Thanks

You can wire it that way, but hardwiring it in is better. With the Lowrance, just hardwire it to your ACC circuit or constant 12v. Constant 12v is nice so you can mess with it when the car is off.

There are a few different Lowrance mounts. It depends on what else you have going on in the car. This is one with the mount and GPS as a combo.

https://outlawoffroad.com/i-23805739-can-am-x3-lowrance-elite-7-ti-gps-and-mount-package.html

If you find a deal on a GPS you can get the mounts separate. You can get the Elite 7 TI2 for $549 shipped, the SXS mounts start at $35 or so.

Make sure the mount you get is for your GPS.. Elite 7 TI 2 is not the same as an HDS 7.

Most of the 7 inch GPS have SD card(s) and WiFi capability.

 

[DLC]

Soooo. What should i buy? 7" lowrance?
Does it plug into cig lighter outlet? Hard wire? Plug and play? How does it update?
Thanks

my lowrance has a Bluetooth, WiFi, kitchen sink and beer coozies, it’s got it all and even a micro SD card!

I have the elite TI 2 -7inch, same one on my boat, disable the fish finder stuff and your good to go, just get the hockey puck antenna think it’s called Baja, it’s self powered and get it from PCI they do some extra stuff to it. With the antenna it refreshes a lot faster so you know right where you are in relation to the trail your following

google some videos so you have an idea of what your getting. Rugged routes has some good vids. Once you know how to operate the unit it’s fairly easy....

now down loading maps to an SD card that’s a different story... I’m kinda lost on that part.

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

my lowrance has a Bluetooth, WiFi, kitchen sink and beer coozies, it’s got it all and even a micro SD card!

I have the elite TI 2 -7inch, same one on my boat, disable the fish finder stuff and your good to go, just get the hockey puck antenna think it’s called Baja, it’s self powered and get it from PCI they do some extra stuff to it. With the antenna it refreshes a lot faster so you know right where you are in relation to the trail your following

google some videos so you have an idea of what your getting. Rugged routes has some good vids. Once you know how to operate the unit it’s fairly easy....

now down loading maps to an SD card that’s a different story... I’m kinda lost on that part.

You should have Ian or myself show you that. It is pretty easy. You will need a laptop or tablet with an SD card reader, or buy a cheap USB SD card reader for your laptop. Now someone can email you a map before a ride or you can build them yourself.

Once it is on an SD card I can pop your card in my GPS and download a map to my GPS that way as well.

You may be able to sent the map to the GPS via WiFi. I have never tried that.

 

[185EZ]

I use a Garmin 57 for everyday navigation stuff. It fit perfect in the stock compartment.
I got a handlebar mount and put an inexpensive 10" tablet on the grab bar and use Avenza maps.
Most are free and it shows on the map where you are.

 

[Taboma]

I use a Garmin 57 for everyday navigation stuff. It fit perfect in the stock compartment.
I got a handlebar mount and put an inexpensive 10" tablet on the grab bar and use Avenza maps.
Most are free and it shows on the map where you are. View attachment 823300

Is that tablet Android or Apple ? Can you see it with the glare and dust ? I'd imagine you'd want to have rip-off screen protectors as I can't imagine the screen appreciating getting the dust wiped off of it ? Do they make a universal antenna puck for those --- USB ?
I'm like a deer in the headlights on these various Nav options -- so I haven't committed to any yet.

 

[185EZ]

Android
Actually see it good on a sunny day. It's on a ball swivel so you can move it a little if the sun is directly on it.
It's a glass screen. Carry a micro fiber towel to dust it off so it's EZ to clean and no scratches yet.
I just plug it into the power outlet with a regular USB cable and power plug. Battery lasts a long time before i need to plug it in.
No antenna. Once the map is downloaded you put in waypoints and see where you are.
It's just a Viking pro tablet. I got it a couple years from walmart for $60.
A Ram mount would be better if you're doing some aggressive off roading but this one is working for us.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/TAB127-Sai...040147?hash=item3b3b9a5393:g:lnUAAOSw9fZdtxHq

 

[Bullhead bully]

I'd suggest you look into LeadNav in conjunction with the Duel GPS receiver. Can't go wrong, this will not only allow you to save your trips, but lay out your trips in advance.
Good luck !!

That’s the combination we use and I agree....Awesome and simple. And never outdated like a built in GPS. Update the app and everything is new again. Built in hardware you’re replacing units.

Running in Mexico or long multi trips I’d run both a GPS and a tablet. Redundancy is key on long trips

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

I use a Garmin 57 for everyday navigation stuff. It fit perfect in the stock compartment.
I got a handlebar mount and put an inexpensive 10" tablet on the grab bar and use Avenza maps.
Most are free and it shows on the map where you are. View attachment 823300

Nice setup!