Community Forums

CamJam1 · 02-03-2021, 05:56 PM

Is Garmin 780 still the best choice for RV's? I don't need cameras or bluetooth or anything too fancy, just a good GPS with height and weight alerts that will keep our 34' Class A with toad out of trouble. DW runs Google maps as well, but since we can't always count on cell-phone coverage we need something more reliable.

CamJam1 · 02-03-2021, 08:06 PM

Got back to this too late to edit my original post, but one of things that confuses me is why anyone would want a dash cam built into their GPS? Is this so you can record your travels for YouTube, to show your insurance company that you weren't at fault in the wreck, or what?

**TonyDi** · 02-03-2021, 09:30 PM

I'm using the Garmin 770 and love it. I agree that there is no need for the dash cam in the GPS . I have a separate dash cam. I don't need redundancy

ByeTheWay · 02-03-2021, 09:40 PM

The Truckers Garmin "Dezl" works well for me.

CamJam1 · 02-04-2021, 07:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ByeTheWay

The Truckers Garmin "Dezl" works well for me.

Thanks. Trying to decide whether the truckers Dezl model or the RV specific would be better. Don't think I really need the RV park info as we usually plan that in advance, but you never know. Can't see spending $350 for an RV GPS when the trucker's units are available for as little as $220 (refurbished).

ArtJoyce · 02-04-2021, 11:07 AM

I have the 770 and it's worked well for us. The one fault I have found with it is you enter the gross weight of the RV, but you never enter in the weight per axle. So it does not check weight limits restrictions per axle.

I have several times come across roads with weight restrictions rated per axle. Like 6 tons per axle limit. Which my rear axle exceeds that limit but garmin did not catch it.

**NLOVNIT** · 02-04-2021, 11:27 AM

I've got the Garmin 890 (upgraded from the 770) & still love it. We started out with a Magellan, went to a couple Rand McNally's & have now had 2 Garmin's. For me, the Garmin is much more user-friendly than the other brands (of course they're old so technology has advanced which probably makes the newer one easier) & I really like the large screen on the 890 as it's very easy to see, even from a distance.

I never cared for in-dash navigation devices....whether in a car or an RV. I feel they're a waste because they cost $$$$ to update. We've never used the GPS in our Phaeton & never updated it. I much prefer my portable with free lifetime updates.

Everybody has their favorite. You just have to see which best meets your needs.

Lori-

CamJam1 · 02-04-2021, 06:31 PM

Thanks for the comments. I've searched some previous GPS threads and have seen lots of useful comments on various models, but nothing too recent. In any case, the consensus seem to be that Garmin is the one to beat.

I have an older Garmin car unit that's nearly ten years old now. It looks like the newer ones have the same basic interface, so it will be familiar to me. The newer units seem to be a lot of money for what you get, and I assume it's because they're giving "free" lifetime map updates now. In other words, you're paying for them up front.

One thing I never liked about the one I have is it doesn't easily give you the ability to change the route if you don't like the one it picked for you. You can change preferences to try to trick it, but you're still stuck with whatever route it picked unless you add a bunch of stops along the way to force it to where you want to go. There's nothing as simple as drag and drop to change the route like you can do in Google maps.

Also, I understand that Garmin RV units will prevent you from taking a certain route due to height and/or weight restrictions, which is definitely a good thing, but they don't tell you why or even where the low clearance/weight limit bridge is. Seems like this would make it hard to know if there's a valid reason for what might seem to be an out of the way route or whether it's just a bug in their data that picked a crappy route.

I'm leaning towards the Garmin RV780, but $350-$400 seems like a lot of money for something only marginally more useful to me than my old $100 car Garmin.

I've played around with CoPilot a bit too, but it didn't really grab me, and with their annual subscription now the price advantage over a period of years has really gone away.

2cyber71 · 02-07-2021, 06:40 PM

Save your $$$
I recommend this. It has a 1 yr warranty
Big screen.
GPSs are overpriced. This will work great.
I have the built in Rand Mc Nally RV GPS in my RV because it came with it. It’s just as useless as the rest.
If I needed one this is the one I would buy.
https://www.buydig.com/shop/product/...es-Refurbished

Sometimes they have it on sale for $115

CamJam1 · 02-07-2021, 11:03 PM

That looks like a decent unit for the money alright, however I've already ordered a new Garmin RV780 for $299 (from NewEgg). That's $100 off list and a good $50 less than the best price I'd seen on a new unit, so I went for it.

ByeTheWay · 02-12-2021, 04:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CamJam1

That looks like a decent unit for the money alright, however I've already ordered a new Garmin RV780 for $299 (from NewEgg). That's $100 off list and a good $50 less than the best price I'd seen on a new unit, so I went for it.

Unless your computer challenged, I suggest BaseCamp, which is a free download from Garmin. BC takes a while to learn but offers a lot too.

clawsonbob · 02-13-2021, 12:16 PM

I agree with ByeTheWay above about using Garmin BaseCamp. As he says, it has a steep learning curve, but it is a powerful navigational tool. Ive used it for years planning motorcycle trips, especially when you want to modify Routes for certain waypoints, roads, sites, detours etc. It also allows you to do your route planning on a computer or PC or tablet, and then share with your GPS or with other people.

The Garmin 780/785 etc RV series (which I own & use) does offer some features their std GPS units do not, such as routing avoidance for input size & weight Restrictions, it offers RV trip planning tools and a directory of RV campgrounds and parks.
Other features such as screen size, traffic and dash cam can be selected or not. They too had a 7” model on sale a few weeks ago for $299 and it included free lifetime map/data updates.

https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/p/66...n/010-02228-00

I’ve been told the DEZL models use the same maps and routing logic of the RV series but offers more truckers services vs the RV Services and Camping/Park directory’s.

whalepirot · 02-15-2021, 11:45 AM

Been using a Magellan with "lifetime maps" for some time.

Their support sucks.

BTW, lifetime means 3 years. despite my never being able to update.

Time for a new Garmin!