Garmin or Rand McNally GPS

[Jim1eddoc]

Wife finally said "maybe a GPS would be good" (after 30+ yrs of RVing) so I'm seeking guidance and input. I seem to be looking at the Garmin RV 760LM or the Rand McNally 7730 because they provide both car and RV mapping & directions as well as "life time" map updating.

Would welcome thoughts and comments prior to purchase.
Jim

[sillyme]

RFCN2 wrote:
We have had a Garmin RV760 GPS for about six months now. We had two previous Garmins and so familiar with the controls. I also have a 5" screen smart phone that gets google map directions.

In the six months we have been using the Garmin 760 it has not once misdirected me in the RV. It has a large easy to read screen. Very helpful is that it gives you the lane you should get in to when you need to turn or make any other maneuver. It also has voice command. We tow a Jeep Wrangler. I got the optional back up camera with the Garmin that I use in the Jeep. Works well. I like the new voice command on my phone that is called google now. You can tell it to find a place and it works very well now to look up what you tell it to and give you directions to. For an RV the Garmin is a far superior tool. It is MUCH more reliable. 95% of the time the Garmin functions perfectly. I would say the phone and google might be in the 50% range. With a car you can easily pull over and stop to correct, but you can't do that in a 40' DP. Plus the Garmin tailors the route for the size of your rig.

After doing my own research on the Good Sam by Rand McNally and Magellan as well the Garmin RV 760LMT, I finally chose and ordered the Garmin one. The first two brands both had negative reviews of various basis, one you had to use the Internet to use Windows and/or was not compatible with MacPro, etc.
My husband is on his second Garmin in the last 16 years and it's been as reliable as my previous Google Maps itinerary when we've used it on our trips, so based on the good reviews I purchased one and I'm happy to hear that someone else is also very happy with it! Garmin all the way!

[RFCN2]

We have had a Garmin RV760 GPS for about six months now. We had two previous Garmins and so familiar with the controls. I also have a 5" screen smart phone that gets google map directions.

In the six months we have been using the Garmin 760 it has not once misdirected me in the RV. It has a large easy to read screen. Very helpful is that it gives you the lane you should get in to when you need to turn or make any other maneuver. It also has voice command. We tow a Jeep Wrangler. I got the optional back up camera with the Garmin that I use in the Jeep. Works well. I like the new voice command on my phone that is called google now. You can tell it to find a place and it works very well now to look up what you tell it to and give you directions to. For an RV the Garmin is a far superior tool. It is MUCH more reliable. 95% of the time the Garmin functions perfectly. I would say the phone and google might be in the 50% range. With a car you can easily pull over and stop to correct, but you can't do that in a 40' DP. Plus the Garmin tailors the route for the size of your rig.

[ssia2485]

I have had the best luck with the maps on my I phone. Don't use the Garmin GPS any more. Never have to update either

[wallynm]

We have had anything but Garmin. Current model is DEZL760LMT 7 inch screen we use voice activation and hands free phone as well as GPS function and free lifetime map updates.

[Ray_IN]

xctraveler wrote:
I am a Garmin fan so that would be my recommendation 🙂 It depends on what you get used to. The Garmin has a lot of material that is useful for RVs. To the best of my knowledge the only lack is low clearance information. The reality is that most clearances that are less then 13'6" are clearly marked far enough in advance to take an alternate route.

The problem with Trucker/RV routing is that it takes the most direct and the least interesting route from point a to point b. From our standpoint that misses the whole point of traveling the roads of the US. Anyone can plot a route with maximum use of Interstates, the GPS just wakes you up to take the next exit. We avoid Interstates where ever possible so we want a GPS that caters to that desire. I know how to make the Garmin develop a route we will enjoy.

Features you may or may not want. Traffic, we don't have it because I can get the traffic info I need from Google Maps and from Waze on my phone. Points of interest (POI) Bread crumb - our current Garmin leaves a trail where we have been. Very nice as in the current locale the roads have been changed and the database has not been updated, the blue line shows me I am in the actual route I want even though Garmin database has no road there. Also when backroading with no real destination the track gives me a way to retrace my route.

If you want to take the same routes as a car,set the GPS for car-mode. My Rand McNally 7730 will route me the same as my Garmin-if I set it to car-mode instead of RV.

[Desert_Captain]

Desert Captain wrote:
We have been very happy with our Rand Mc\Nally 7720. Feature rich and user friendly our RM is very accurate. The 7" touch screen is easy to read in any light and comes with lots of useful features such as internet interface (real time weather over laid on the map screen). Nothing wrong with the Garmin line but bang for the buck the RM is hard to beat.

:C

I forgot to mention that our RM 7720 came with lifetime (free), updates. As far as turning down the speed and curve warnings I would not. The "Speed Warning" has saved me from a lot of potential tickets especially on unfamiliar roads. There are speed traps just about everywhere you go and the alerts that come .2 of a mile(this distance is adjustable), before the change give you a nice heads up.

:C

[BigSkyBob]

Been a Garmin fan for many years while using a Garmin 7200 Street Pilot. When the map updates that I had paid for were no longer available I figured it was time to upgrade. I purchased a Garmin RV-760 and set it up for the coach and route types. First trip to Yellowstone it missed 4 out of 5 turns I knew I had to make since I've been there many times. On the return trip back to Helena it missed 3 out of 5 turns, very disappointing. I headed from Helena, MT to Las Vegas on I15 and twice it directed me to leave I15 on a detour that was eliminated a year ago. My maps are current as per Garmin. In retrospect I wish I had my 7200 back.

[ncrowley]

Get a Garmin with lifetime map updates. But never totally trust a GPS - check yourself.

[rgatijnet1]

Unfortunately I got one of the early Magellan Roadmate 9145 GPS that was advertised as being for RV's by Good Sams. It was terrible and fortunately I was able to get a refund. Even tho I could set it up for my exact vehicle type, it still wanted to direct me like a commercial vehicle and would direct me right past an obvious turn to continue down the road and make a U-turn.
I went back to what had always worked in the past and bought another Garmin.

[Scottiemom]

We use our Garmin in the toad. It's sufficient. It's our second Garmin and it works well. As has been stated, most will give some wrong turns, but in the toad, it's not a big deal. In the big rig, we use a laptop and Delorme Street Atlas. So much extra stuff you can load in it, like low overheads, etc. Have been using it and updating it yearly and never been disappointed. We do also use a Trucker's Atlas because most all GPS's ignore truck routes which can be important in a big rig.

We bought a RM7720 for our small B+ when we headed to Alaska. Didn't really have space for laptop to run going down the road. Love the RM. Yes there is a learning curve from the getgo. . . just different from the Garmin. The best feature I like is the trip with multiple stops. You can program in several way points along the way. I haven't found how to do that with the Garmin. . .just one via point there. Also, all saved destinations are listed in a catalog alphabetically. So if I want to go back to someplace I was a year ago, I can look it up quickly by selecting the first letter of the name.

Rarely use maps anymore, but do always keep an up-to-date atlas in each vehicle.

Dale

[10forty2]

Add another vote for the Garmin. I have the DEZL760 for my work vehicle and love both the accuracy and the size. And, the speaker is loud and clear enough for even my deaf self to hear and understand! The RV760 is going in the coach once Santa brings it!

[Effy]

TucsonJim wrote:
I've owned both Garmin and RM. I much prefer the Garmin to the RM.

X2 I've owned both and Garmin hands down.

[TucsonJim]

I've owned both Garmin and RM. I much prefer the Garmin to the RM.

[Smitty77]

Our DEZL 560 on the RV setting has given us some very bizarre routensuggestions. I always look at maps. And usually have a Microsoft Street & Trips route in mind. Google maps ismour tie breaker.

Can't stress how important the 'driver's sanity' test is... Recent trip the Garmin would have taken us 180 or so more miles then needed, and we'd have hit a big city rush hour traffic.

Great graphics, and the smaller 5" screen shows well.

Our older C540 did a better job of routing.

Best,
Smitty