Off Road Navigation 3rd party

There are a few disparate threads on navigation systems and on pathfinder but I can’t find one devoted specifically to off road navigation systems so here it is. Stu if I’m wrong feel free to merge.

So I have been considering this for a while I use Waze happily on road through Carplay but no good when you lose mobile signal which is quickly in Australia outside of the main cities and routes.

Pathfinder is a cool feature but doesn’t help if you don’t have a map or someone whose been there before.

I have been using HEMA maps on an ipad for a long time and they are overall good, but my iPad is getting long in the tooth, has had a battery replaced, I don’t use it much for anything else anymore and dies from heat sitting on the dash in the sun.

So my options are.
- New iPAd - but not cheap and still dies in the sun.
- Cheaper generic Android tablet - an option but still likely heat impacted and I am not used to Android ecosystem and will likely have to buy new mounting stuff.
- HEMA hardware (HL-2 or 7) - a serious option Mid priced, but the reviews tend to the awful
- Garmin Overlander - uses HEMA maps, very rugged, heat and dust rated and Garmin just makes good gear. - also not cheap though and less versatile than an iPad. But you get what you pay for, also comes with suction mount and adapter for 3rd party ball mount systems. Also can load the files generated by pathfinder to it.

So in the end I have a Garmin Navigator coming for Fathers Day.

Once the CarPlay issues are sorted, you could look at apps which have all your maps downloaded to your phone such as …



Both these have maps for Australia.

Michael H. said:

Once the CarPlay issues are sorted, you could look at apps which have all your maps downloaded to your phone such as …

Hiking Trail Maps, Ski Touring, 4x4 Offroad App | Gaia GPS

www.gaiagps.com

Sygic Sygic GPS Navigation

Redefining the travel experience with the world’s most advanced offline GPS Navigation app for iPhone, Android and Windows phone. Trusted by 200 mil. drivers.

www.sygic.com

Both these have maps for Australia.

Click to expand...

Do they work with Carplay? Can in theory already do that with HEMA but 3 problems.
- isn’t Carplay displayable
- if not on Nav screen phone screen is too small
- my iPhone memory is already struggling so I would need to spend $1800 on a new iPhone with more memory.

AnD3rew said:

Do they work with Carplay? Can in theory already do that with HEMA but 3 problems.
- isn’t Carplay displayable
- if not on Nav screen phone screen is too small
- my iPhone memory is already struggling so I would need to spend $1800 on a new iPhone with more memory.

Click to expand...

Both are CarPlay apps.

Gaia takes up 300MB on my phone.

Sygic takes up 1.76GB.

A couple thoughts on all this...

For on road mapping, I use Google Maps through Android Auto for short trips, and my Tread XL for longer trips. Before heading out on a trip I'll make sure I have all the offline maps loaded for Google Maps to ensure no dead zones).

For true off road mapping, I'm a huge fan of Gaia, primarily because we don't have Hema maps here in the US. I have probably gone through 4 or 5 Android tablets over the past years 5 years because, admittedly, I'm an Android>Apple guy. They always work, but never great. The 3-4 iPads I have gone through (currently have an M1 powered iPad Pro, I think that makes it 2022?) and it is fantastic.

I say that, however, for most of our travels I've been using a Garmin Tread XL (both on road and off road). This is most frequently being used in our Sprinter, which has onboard WiFi, so it flawlessly updates by itself (errr, asks "hey please let me update"), it connects to my phone via bluetooth so I can drop pins and addresses straight to it without having to type it all out (because, realistically, I'm probably searching for places on my phone), and, as you mentioned, it doesn't (hasn't is probably more appropriate) overheat when living on top of the dash. For us, it also took replaced our previous inReach device for sat coms.

My biggest issue with the Android tablets was that since I use Gaia for off road mapping, and we travel all over the country, I like to have nationwide base maps (topo, public lands, streets, etc.) already loaded, as well as all of the routes/tracks that I have cataloged from the internet and our own travels. This translates into somewhere around 180-200GB of data. On the Android tablets this equates to literally DAYS (5-6) of downloading, where the app will inevitably freeze several times or require me to force close it in order to continue the downloads. Every single iPad I've done this on, it just downloads straight away (gigabit fiber at home, WiFi6, so, still hours, but a continuous chunk without requiring interaction). In Gaia, the iPads also crash much less frequently.

Bottom line, if I need to do intricate mapping, Gaia on the iPad; for 99% of everything else, Garmin Tread XL is my go to . The iPad's primary role is being a media consumption tablet for movies and tv shows from our home Plex server

As with everything, YMMV and everyone's uses and needs are slightly different than someone else's. Also,

Michael H. said:

Both are CarPlay apps.

Gaia takes up 300MB on my phone.

Sygic takes up 1.76GB.

Click to expand...

Sound like good options, still like the idea of a separate device as you can then use the vehicle screen for the offroad info at the same time without switching through screens. Gaia at least will also run on the Garmin.

I also prefer the Garmin Tread, it is a fabulous device, I do not recommend the Overlander, the map it comes with is very limited (at least in Europe and North Africa) and you cannot put the Garmin Topo maps on it, on the Tread yes .

The only devices I have tried that do not block, or at least not much, and can withstand the heat in the car, are dedicated GPS devices, such as those from Garmin, although there are more manufacturers.

What I'm still looking for is where to place it comfortably, with the clip on the passenger handle I don't really like it.

I went for the Garmin Tread Overland 8". It's not too intrusive and can be mounted next to the steering wheel.

Oscar01 said:

I also prefer the Garmin Tread, it is a fabulous device, I do not recommend the Overlander, the map it comes with is very limited (at least in Europe and North Africa) and you cannot put the Garmin Topo maps on it, on the Tread yes .

The only devices I have tried that do not block, or at least not much, and can withstand the heat in the car, are dedicated GPS devices, such as those from Garmin, although there are more manufacturers.

What I'm still looking for is where to place it comfortably, with the clip on the passenger handle I don't really like it.

Click to expand...

The overlander comes with Hema maps in Australia which are the benchmark and you can add Gaia as well as others.

I went to the Caravan Salon fair a few days ago and visited the Garmin booth. Overlander and Tread were placed next to each other. I really liked the Tread model, much more responsive than the Overlander, seems it has a more powerful CPU. Also, when zooming in, the map (tried North Africa, I'll travel there next month) the Overlander shows labeling in arabic letters, whereas the Tread keep showing latin alphabet. None of the experts at the booth were able to change this. Well it's expensive - they offer 20% off during the fair.

BTW, there is a test:
https://matsch-und-piste.de/das-garmin-tread-overland-edition-navigationsgeraet/
I think one of the formum members wrote this.

So far very happy with the Garmin Overlander but one thing you need to know if you are considering is that it only comes with a cigarette style plug, it isn’t possible to power it via USB, and of course our only cigarette style socket is in the rear load space. Have solved for now by buying a 5m extension and running to the front, I was already designing a more permanent and neater solution, but not ideal. You can run it on battery and depending on the length of your driving days you might be able to drive on battery and charge from rear socket overnight. But also not ideal.

AnD3rew said:

So far very happy with the Garmin Overlander but one thing you need to know if you are considering is that it only comes with a cigarette style plug, it isn’t possible to power it via USB, and of course our only cigarette style socket is in the rear load space. Have solved for now by buying a 5m extension and running to the front, I was already designing a more permanent and neater solution, but not ideal. You can run it on battery and depending on the length of your driving days you might be able to drive on battery and charge from rear socket overnight. But also not ideal.

Click to expand...

@AnD3rew you’ll find that Garmin offer a kit for hard wiring the Overlander. Perhaps it is easier to pick up one of the front footwell sources…

AnD3rew said:

it isn’t possible to power it via USB, and of course our only cigarette style socket is in the rear load space.

Click to expand...

Assuming it is the same as the Tread (which has a separate USB-C port on the side for "home" charging, but otherwise charges through the included mount), just cut the cig. lighter off the end and wire straight to 12v

anand said:

Assuming it is the same as the Tread (which has a separate USB-C port on the side for "home" charging, but otherwise charges through the included mount), just cut the cig. lighter off the end and wire straight to 12v

Click to expand...

https://www.theineosforum.com/threads/adding-power-outlets.12413019/

Nah, not for me, I have other plans for less permanent changes. But yes possibilities

In the US onX Offroad will be available on 2024 Jeep Wranglers.

CB said:

In the US onX Offroad will be available on 2024 Jeep Wranglers.

onX Promo Codes: Offers & Discounts on onX Hunt, onX Offroad, and onX Backcountry

Looking for an onX promo code, coupon, giveaway or details on an upcoming event? Get the best discounts on onX Hunt, onX Offroad, and onX Backcountry in our promotions hub.

www.onxmaps.com

Click to expand...

You can get one offroad and Gaia on android auto.

Because I run dogs, I use the Garmin drive track. And SD cards prepared on a laptop.

I’m looking forward to finding a place to attach a base for it in the grenadier. Closest I’ve seen yet was a suction cup mount on the windshield above theInstrument cluster. The guy on expedition portal doing the Africa drive in the grenadier mounted a unit there. Not really ideal.

Did you order the heated seats? Is this an option for you? Ram make X-grip holders for tablet sized devices.

Lord Ripon USA said:

Because I run dogs, I use the Garmin drive track. And SD cards prepared on a laptop.

I’m looking forward to finding a place to attach a base for it in the grenadier. Closest I’ve seen yet was a suction cup mount on the windshield above theInstrument cluster. The guy on expedition portal doing the Africa drive in the grenadier mounted a unit there. Not really ideal.

Click to expand...

I'm sure that within the first year or so of US release one of the big name dash mount makers (Expedition Essentials comes to mind immediately) will have something available