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Looking at getting the Garmin RV 780. When you put the RV info in do you include what you are towing to the length or is there another section for that?

Garmin has a number of RV GPS models. You put in the dimensions of your RV, including weight, and it will advise you if you are about to encounter a road or bridge that can not accommodate your RV's size or weight.

A few months back we replaced our old Garmin 1450 with a newer Garmin RV890 - they've certainly improved! The 890 is nice because of the ways the display can be personalized. I have it set up so the left side of the display shows the map and the right side shows a list of the upcoming gas stations, rest stops, lodgings, and food places. Across the bottom I display the speedometer, altimeter, and the time and distance to the day's destination. We recently stayed at a campground that sent us a text saying to ignore our GPS and use the directions that they provided - it turned out the the Garmin followed their directions exactly. My conclusion was that maybe some older GPS routing engines weren't accurate, but if you always use current maps you should be good. Garmin suggest that you update the maps quarterly and keep both the new 890 and the older 1450 updated, both for free.

Wanting new GPS. Which one would you choose and why?

Agree that Garmin has a great product. I have a built in one on the MH with Rand McNally and it allows all the specifications of the RV to be set. Garmin may not be inexpensive for the better ones, but if you get the one with life time updates it is not such a bad price if you use it for several years. Which ever you decide get a large display. You won't be sorry. You do want one that is designed for RV's with life time updates and traffic. It would help with future questions on you RV if you include your information in your signature line. Welcome. Happy trails!

Welcome to the forum. There are a number of GPS units available. In my opinion, Garmiin is the best. Lots of different models with lots of features so look on the Garmin site to see what fits you best. They can be purchased on line from cheaper sources. People complain that their GPS led them down a cow path so do not ever trust one 100%. I jokingly tell people that a GPS should be used for amusement purposes only. I do trust the one in the plane but we are going in straight line only, not navigating a city

The Garmin 780 includes vehicle "Profiles". You can create multiple profiles, then select the one that's appropriate for your trip. In your case you'd likely create a profile just for the motorhome for when you're not towing and a second one for when you are towing. The information below is from the 780's User Guide. You can download the guide here: https://www8.garmin.com/manuals/webhelp/rv780/EN-US/RV_780_OM_EN-US.pdf Adding a Vehicle Profile You should add a vehicle profile for each camper to be used with your device. 1. Select Settings > Vehicle Profile > . 2. Select your vehicle type:• - To add a motorhome with a permanently attached camper, select Motorhome.• - To add a motorhome pulling a trailer, select Motorhome with Trailer.

Oh my!I just read "almost" all the threads on nav systems...since I saw Garmin mentioned the most I will look there. Please don't tell me what you have, I already read all that. I did like the " wait to get to the McDonald's parking lot and look it up...lol. Pretty no where I am now.

Have any of you used Garmin In Reach for places where you had NO CELL PHONE coverage of any kind in an emergency to summons roadside assistance?

It is Saturday afternoon, May 21, 2022. We are in Chioggia, Italy. It is a beach town south of Venice. How we got here is a long story. I'll begin with our flight from the US. Our flight from McAllen was an early one, we left Sandpipiers Resort at 5:30 a.m. for a 30 minute drive to the airport. Check in was a mess. There was a line until things got stopped up, only two agents and both had customers with problems. Skipping details, they held the plane for Louise and I and one other customer. We got to Houston in time to get to our gate for our next flight to Newark, NJ. The airport at Newark is bizarre. We hadn't had breakfast or much more than a snack and were looking forward to food. Apparently they have an airport wide system for food service. Every restaurant or bar had an electronic menu. You scanned a square code for the menu but it wouldn't work well with our phones. They advised us to switch to Google for our browser. We didn't and managed finally to get help so we could get a couple slices of pizza. We boarded our plane, a Boeing 767-400 wide body at 7:00 p.m. EDT. Once in the air, sunset progressed very quickly and after an inflight "meal" everyone settled down for the night. They woke us at about 2:00 a.m., fed us breakfast and landed in Venice at 9:00 a.m. Venice time (all of Italy is the same time). We were processed through Italian customs in a mass of several hundred passengers from our flight and another tour group. They hustled us through as fast as they could. The Venice airport is a really small airport, one runway and one taxiway. There were two planes at gates. We had reserved a room at the Antony Palace Hotel just west of the airport. A short taxi ride and we were at our hotel about10:00 a.m. The room wasn't ready so we waited in the lobby until about 11. Once in our room, we showered and hit the sack. After about 6 hours of sleep, we got up, went to the lobby bar and had a light meal, a plate of assorted prescutto meats with mozzarella cheese balls and a glass of wine (or two). Now it was about 9:00 p.m. Venice time. We went back to the room and back to sleep. Up the next morning about 9:00, showered again and checked out of the hotel. From the hotel we took a taxi to the Indie Camper rental agency, a completely industrial facility. There was no waiting room, they stacked our gear and took us to nearby mall. We explored the mall, got food and drink and found a large well stocked grocery store. We filled a basket with food and supplies and exited the mall just in time to be picked up, our camper was ready. They helped us get our gear into the camper, a quick orientation and they were closed. We spent about a half hour getting things organized before we hit the road. I had the Italy chip for our Garmin GPS we use in the car so the GPS is familiar. We had identified a campground south of Venice but not too far away as our first stop. The camper had a 1/4 tank of diesel and 1/4 tank of DEF which is the added to the exhaust of diesel engines to clean up the exhaust. First stop was a gas station to fill up. Surprise number one, their gas pumps, completely self service, take credit cards but require a four digit PIN. I haven't seen a PIN needed for a credit card in I don't know how many years and had to look up the PIN in my computer. It was three digits and was not accepted. I figured we would find another station and try again. As we pulled out of the station, the engine which had been running normally now was speed restricted to 35 kilometers per hour. Pretty slow for a major thoroughfare. I was driving on the shoulder with flashers and finally when I couldn't get better performance from the engine decided to call for road service. There was a call box and I pulled up and stopped. Talking to someone on the other end who is struggling with his English as I am with Italian, we finally decided to call for a tow truck. It arrived shortly and the camper was loaded onto the back of a slant bed tow truck. It turns out that the 1/4 tank of DEF and Diesel were much less than that. We had gone about 10 kilometers when the tow truck picked us up. He added DEF at their service center, it didn't help. It wasn't until we left and found another fuel station that the problem was solved. So the Fiat diesel engine derates itself for DEF and/or diesel. We stayed on the slower roads and pulled aside for following traffic when possible. Using cash, I put in enough diesel to get it to 3/4 full. Now things were running fine. It was getting late, the sun was setting so we set out for the campground. An hour and a half later we were there. I missed two or three turns which the GPS corrected each time. I'm not sure how much that added to our travels. In at least one case it simply turned us around and put us back on the same road and I got the correct exit that time. We arrived in Chioggia about 10:00 p.m. The town is on the coast, marinas and beaches everywhere. The bars and restaurants were going full swing. There were people walking everywhere. We also had to contend with 100's of bicycles and heavy traffic on narrow roads. Louise was not happy. No matter how many times we tried we could not find the campground. Tom was not happy. We finally drove by a campground, not the intended one, and pulled in, it was now after 11:00 p.m. They had one space. We took it and are staying 2 nights. We explored the campground, found the restrooms and showers. Facilities at this campground were unisex, everything except sinks were in enclosed spaces. Showers are pay showers and require Euro coins. We had none. No showers. The toilets didn't have toilet paper so it was back to the camper. Fortunately we had purchased toilet paper at the above mentioned mall stop. All was good. It took us a while to get the bed made and enough of our gear stowed that we could get to sleep. We opened all the vents, covered the windshield and climbed into bed. After a good night's sleep, the day looked better. We got more groceries, stopped for a snack and drinks on the way back from the Aldi food store and are now relaxing for the afternoon. The beaches are all controlled entry and have huge full parking lots. We haven't been to the beach yet but may try that a little later as some of the beach goers head off to the restaurants and bars mentioned above. Louise is sleeping soundly as I write this. It takes some time to adjust to the overnight flight and a seven hour change in time. We are adjusting. I am pleased that the driving isn't as bad as I had feared. Despite difficulties we were able to get around without accident or incident. We went through some pretty hairy stuff dealing with crowds, narrow roads and oh yes, did I mention that I'm relearning the standard shift of my childhood. There have been a few missed gears but, hey, it's a rental! So that is installment number one of the great Italian adventure. Four days and counting...

Garmin is a global leader in navigation system manufacturing, offering mapping and GPS systems for the maritime, aviation, automobile, and fitness industries. Garmin devices include information on sites of interest, RV parks, and other locations.

We've been using a Garmin for years - one designed specifically for heavy vehicles - and I still think it's the best way to go for your primary GPS. We used to use the RV version, and now use the trucker version. Yes, the campgrounds and RV related sites are not pre-loaded, but I find that we usually use the trucking sites more often while on the road anyhow, like truck stops and such. That said, even a single Garmin is not enough to make sure that you don't get led onto a weight restricted road like happened to us yesterday. Good thing there were adequate signs leading up to it before the last turn off. Apps? Alongside the Garmin I've tried other app like Trucker Path and some of the RV routing apps. They're okay, but none seem to include all the features in one neat tidy package that can actually be easily used while on the road. They also don't run on a dedicated device, meaning that when someone decides to check the weather you lose your GPS for a few minutes. Inevitably, it's when you need it for a critical turn. They don't all take into account the weight/height/length of the rig, so you have to be careful to select one that does if you need those features.

He was asking about Apps and not GPS units. I have a Garmin RV 785 and a Rand McNally Overdryve 7 I like both. They each have pro's and con's. Both are for sale because my new rv has the Garmin built in.

I think both Rand McNally and Garmin are great. Rand McNally offers bigger devices, allowing them to install better speakers. These come in handy when you wish to answer more calls on the hands-free mode. The details about points of interest, RV parks, and other locations are available on Garmin devices. Rand McNally, on the other hand, doesn’t offer much in these terms.

+1 on this. I just bought a 2021 Phoenix Cruiser on the E450 chassis with this lovely archaic radio...I have been told the manufacturer is working with Garmin for a solution. I see at least two other brands that sell on this chassis (Coach house and Entegra) that claim to have the real deal. TO your point the connections have to exist into this widely used chassis platform and steering wheel controls. Very frustrating.

I also have the RVND7 GPS, and finally got through to customer support only to find out that map updates for my unit are no longer supported. So eventually I think it will be time for a Garmin. All of these devices eventually become obsolete, though, regardless of brand…. —Tim C.

I agree about the trucker's road atlas. A good one is the Rand McNally Motor Carrier's Atlas, and it has lots of information besides maps such as low height warnings, restricted weight warnings, etc. If you're following a designated truck route you technically should be okay. When I went through training on my first job driving semi, they spent a great deal of time leaning route planning. No one resource will tell you what you need to know, so you'll have to use multiple resources. When I was driving semi, I'd start with the smartphone and find the destination on Google Maps. Using the satellite view I could determine which specific entrance to use, the conditions of the surrounding areas, etc. For some locations the mailing address was not the address for the entrance needed, so I'd use Google Maps to obtain the GPS coordinates of where I actually wanted to go. I've even used the satellite view to help me find the best exit route our of some really large truck stops where I couldn't see the exit from where I was parked. Using Google Street View allowed me to do a virtual drive-by of any parts of the route I had questions about. It even allowed me to scan the road for bridge height signs, 'no trucks' signs, etc. before heading down any unknown stretches of road. Great to be able to see these things before you have to back up out of a problem area. The next step was to program the destination into my Garmin GPS unit. It was a unit designed for heavy vehicles and took height/weight/length into consideration while computing the route. I'd then inspect every leg of the route that the Garmin presented me to be sure that it didn't take me down any problem areas I identified in the first steps. The last step was to double check the Garmin route against the trucker's atlas to make sure that it had me on approved/designated truck routes. For me as a new truck driver it took 10-15 minutes to do my route planning for a destination. I could get it done quicker for routes I'd done before, but even those required some work to ensure that truck routes didn't change or new construction projects started. For an RV, whether you're driving a Class A or pulling a large 5th wheel, you should probably figure spending about the same amount of time planning your day's driving route. There is no easy/quick way to do this properly.

For those who like small, shady rural parks, Point-A-Park on Gantt Lake (Conecuh River) northwest of Anadausia is a gem. Pull-throughs up to 90 feet, some with sewer, some without. Swimming, fishing, boating, good bathhouse, hard-surface pads, concrete tables/benches, screen-covered fire pits. Owned by Covington County run by a most pleasant retired couple living on site. However if your GPS shows a last leg there north to south to the entrance of the park, Murray Road from Rt. 82 south to Point-A Road, DO NO USE IT. That is a 2.4-mile very narrow and rough one-track dirt road with deep ditches on each side. If you meet another vehicle coming the other way neither you nor it can pull over; washouts could occur. You'll arrive with half a 40-acre farm of dust on the back of your coach and anything you pull. Garmin's RV maps will tell you this is the way to come in. It is not, under any circumstances.

Garmin has a couple of RV GPS systems. You set it up for the size of your RV. They also have RV maintenance and CGs programmed into it.

Anyone have feedback on the Garmin Nuvi 465/465T Truck GPS for use in an RV? Thanks, Jack Ricardo

Well you got me second guessing so I called Garmin. They say using the trip planning app will save your route and will not reroute. Only exception is if there is construction or accident etc. that would not allow for the vehicle dimensions you set for your Rv.

garmin RV 890. Use the trip planner app and route your trip. You can shape or customize the route then save the route. Once saved it supposedly will not reroute unless you initiate a reroute.

Which GPS did you end up with? I've got a newer Garmin, but I'm not sure that it has a route lock feature.

Recently found out from Garmin, the GVN 53, GPS, installed in my Monaco coach, has been discontinued and will no longer have map updates available. Was curious if anyone has found a suitable replacement?

Most states do have restrictions on how tall a vehicle can be without an permit. This document lists the max height permitted, but that doesn't mean that all the bridges in the state will be that high - they won't. https://www.rvia.org/system/files/media/file/Maximum Vehicle Height.pdf If you look at a trucker's atlas you can find lots of information about height restrictions around the country. This atlas also shows marked truck routes, which usually means that a vehicle at or under the legal limit can fit. There are exceptions though, and it's important to watch every sign. I was driving semi last summer. On a delivery to a customer the truck route was detoured, and on the detour I encountered a bridge which looked way too low. Luckily I saw it before it was too late to turn off that road and find another route. https://store.randmcnally.com/2021-deluxe-motor-carriers-road-atlas.html Most GPS units aimed at RV drivers or commercial truck drivers will have a way to enter the vehicle height. I use a Garmin unit and it uses my coach's height, width, length, and weight to plan routes which are suitable. I still double check with the trucker's atlas AND I use Google Maps to drive the route virtually using Street View if there are any areas of concern. You can usually see the actual signs along the route on Street View. I've used this many times to double check bridge load limits, underpass heights, or for signs indicating 'no trucks'. The 'no trucks' signs could be for a few reasons, including weight limits, height limits, etc. so it's important to check before driving past one.