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I don't post here much and in particular not a me too poster. This is an exception for me. I have the FMCA Atlas. I had my eyes done three years ago and have very good vision. I must say that the Atlas is just too small to read comfortably. It is useful for a broad reference, but that's about it. My solution is to stop at state welcome centers and collect one of their maps if available. I have also written state tourism bureaus and some offer free maps along with their what to do and see booklets. I use an updated Garmin GPS and that has put me in some situations that make you pucker up, that's why I like the full maps to verify the route the GPS choose.

I have been using the 770 for about six weeks now between Maine and Mississippi (on mostly secondary roads) and it has proven to work ok. I am a little concerned that it will occasionally display a message saying "Recreational vehicle restriction unknown ahead" (or something like that - not exactly sure of the wording) on a route it has recommended. Kind of makes me worry and wonder a little but, like I said, it has not failed me. Prior (non RV) Garmins got me into several problems with low clearance and weight limits that required turning around. Have not had that problem with the 770. Have I had to unhook the toad an turn around - YES but not the fault of the Garmin. Using it with BaseCamp does work but you will not always get the same route on the device that Basecamp did. Garmin tells me that is due to different parameters between the two - you cannot set weight, height and lengths in BaseCamp like you can on the device. Had a problem in northeast Mississippi where the device wanted to route me about ten miles out of the way on a narrow country road versus half a mile to a major road. Garmin turned the problem over to a "higher level" but admitted it should not have done that. Would I recommend the 770 to other motorhome owners? Not having tried other brands specific to RVs I cannot make a good comparison. Would I buy another? probably Lenp

Please post back if you have success with Base Camp. I've always found the software 'extras' that Garmin offers somewhat frustrating, and I'd love to find out if it's just me or if the software just has limitations. Based on my past experience it's likely to be a 'just me' issue.

I just got my Garmin RV770 today, it contains all sorts of information. As soon as it charges up I will see how well it plays with BaseCamp.

I have the previous version of the 760 and after many years of different Navigaion devices the Garmin so far has been the best. I especially like the bigger screen size over the previous models I have had. As Richard said it has all the parameters for an RV. If you move it from MH to car you can just switch to car mode for navigation.

Haven't found an app yet that I liked, but the Garmin 760 seems to be a good unit for us. It is aimed at RV owners, and the user sets a profile with the dimensions and weight of the RV. When the Garmin sets a route it configures it with the vehicle perimeters. When I've driven without using the Garmin to set the route first, it will inevitably start screaming at me about weight restrictions, height restrictions, etc. That's why I try never to go anywhere in the bus without first setting the route - just to easy to make a casual 'shortcut' turn only to find myself on a road with a weight restriction I was unaware of.

Thank you Richard for getting back on the topic. I am fond of the Garmin also. Have had several in the past. As with all GPS units, they have issues to contend with. Herman

I've been using the Garmin 760 with pretty good success. The biggest issue for us has been when I don't have it plot the route and try to wing it on my own. Inevitably I'll end up with the thing screaming at me about a weight limit. Now I try to use the Garmin for everything unless I know the route to be safe. The Garmin does consider vehicle height, length, width, and weight. It won't create a route that would be a problem unless there are no other options, and then it warns you at the outset that there will be issues.

I get lots of questions and requests for suggestions and recommendations about the tech gear I use to capture and blog the reports I’m doing out on the road. I’m always adding various things, but here’s my latest update on the gear I like to take with me. My main video camera – I use the Canon XA20 Professional Video Camera. I love this camera. I got this in the fall of 2013 and have found it to be the perfect ”run-and-gun” camcorder, suitable for HD ENG work (Electronic News Gathering), event coverage, interviews, scenic shots, how-to-videos and documentary filmmaking. The camera features a 1/2.84″, 1920 x 1080 CMOS sensor that captures video at various frame rates up to 59.94p, including a 24p mode for a more cinematic feel. The integrated Canon 20x HD Optical zoom lens has a 35mm equivalent zoom range of 26.8 to 576mm and features an 8-bladed iris to render highlights in a more natural manner. It uses professional XLR audio inputs for two channel recording. I use an attached shotgun mic and a wireless mic on the two inputs. Back-up Video Cameras (Two) – GoPro Her03 + Black Edition video cameras . Waterproof, dustproof, HD and able to be strapped to anything from a helmet to the side of my Roadtrek, these cameras ges great wide angle perspectives great for action shots. There are lots of mounts. I have a helmet mount for biking and a suction cup mount for slapping on my motorhome or any flat surface. One of tjese cameras is dedicated to my drone, see below. Wireless Microphone System – Good sound is essential. I use the Sennheiser EW 100-ENG G2 Wireless Lavalier Microphone System, with BodyPack Transmitter,Plug-on Transmitter, Camera Receiver. This system is a workhouse for professional videographers and news crews. It provides video recording in the most varied recording situations, from as far as 100 feet. The ME 2 clip-on microphone is virtually invisible. The extremely small SK 100 G2 bodypack transmitter and the SKP 100 G2 plug-on transmitter as well as the EK 100 G2 camera receiver feature nine frequency banks with four directly accessible presets each. My main DSLR Camera – The Canon EOS Rebel T3i 18 MP with an 18-135 mm lens. Awesome photos, great HD video. I bought this to do still and video but now use just for stills. Since this is a bit tricky to focus for video out in the boonies, I now use dedicated video and still cameras. This camera captures images with exceptional clarity and tonal range and offers more than enough resolution for big enlargements or crops. This first-class sensor features many of the same new technologies as used by professional Canon cameras to maximize each pixel’s light-gathering efficiency. Its APS-C size sensor creates an effective 1.6x field of view (compared to 35mm format). My secondary DSLR Camera – Lately, I’ve also added the new Canon PowerShot SX50 HS 12.1 MP Digital Camera with 50x Optical Zoom. I have been stunned at the capabilities of this camera and especially how clear and crisp that 50X zoom is in geting me up close to wildlife and nature shots. This is much lighter than the T3i and is seriously vying as my always-carry camera. Main lens – Because I like photographing wildlife – big, dangerous wildlife like wolves, moose, bison and bear – I need a good telephoto. But I don’t want to have to carry extra lenses. So I got the Tamron AF 18-270mm f/3.5-6.3 Di II VC PZD LD Aspherical IF Macro Zoom Lens for Canon DSLR Cameras. This lens is amazingly compact and it works on everything from wide angles to telephoto. Bag for Cameras – After years of searching, I’ve found the perfect gear bag for my DSLR calera, videocamera, lenses, wireless mics and batteries. It also holds my 15-inch MacBook Pro. It’s the Kata PL Reporter Bag, model Pl-Rpt-30. The flap features quick release buckles for full opening or a quick top-access zipper opening for when quiet is necessary, like when you don’t want to disturb the wildlife you’re trying to photograph. The organizer pockets on the front will hold your small personal items like a wallet, passport etc. Carry comfortably with the padded shoulder strap or, when on the move, tuck the bag under your arm using the detachable handle strap. I also love my Mountainsmith Descent AT Recycled Camera Bag. It’s a backpack, er, make that a frontpack. It is held in place on your chest by a shoulder harness system. Cameras are always within easy reach but I have both hands free for balance and mobility. This can hold both my still and video cameras. Great for wilderness hikes. Computer – The MacBook Pro with Retina display. Quite simply, this is the finest computer I have ever owned. Mine is the 15-inch version, with the 2.7 GHz Intel Core i7 processor. I have 16 GB of RAM and 750 GB of flash storage. Because there are no moving parts, the the solid state flash drive boots up remarkably fast. About 20 seconds does it. Video editing software – I use Final Cut Pro X. Fast, powerful, full featured and able to handle 1080p HD video without breaking a sweat. Portable hard drive – HD video files are huge. So I carry the Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex 1TB external hard drive. I make files for each shoot, organize them on the FreeAgent and never worry about using up my MacBook Pro storage. Backup Power – There are so many things that depend on battery power. Cameras, smartphones, tablets, laptops. I bring the Mophie Powerstation XL with me on all trips. It charges anything that I have that has a USB connector. Laptop bag – The SwissGear SA1923 ScanSmart Backpack carries my computer, cables, wires, adapters, chargers, notebooks, pens, thumbdrives and more stuff than anyone would ever need. I’ve literally tried every bag out there. After years of searching, this is the best for me. Padded protection for my laptop, lots of extra compartments, quality zippers and seams, I will never use another. Smartphone – I use the iPhone 5S with 65 GB. I’ve had every iPhone since they came out and just keep coming back to them. Nothing is better. I’ve used many of the Android phones, of which I most like the Galaxy S 4 and the Note 3. Tablet – The iPad. The 4g Version 3 model. Great for apps on the road. Check my PC Mike NBC-TV reports for my favorite apps. My Network – Verizon Wireless. Verizon, I’ve found, offers the best and reliable nationwide coverage. I’ve had AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile. None came close to Verizon in terms of coverage while on-the-road, offering 3 and 4g coverage and reliability. If no WiFi is available, I use the Verizon MiFi wireless modem to set up a 4g hotspot on the Verizon network. That lets me use my MacBook Pro for web updates, uploading photos and videos. Ham radio – I’m a long-time licensed amateur radio operator (K8ZRH) and I always have a rig with me. I travel with the ICOM IC-V85 two meter FM hand held transceiver and, permanently mounted, the Kenwood 144/440 MHz TM-V71A transceiver. I use amateur radio for emergency communications, weather monitoring and just plain chit-chatting with locals on their repeaters. I did a blog post on installing ham radio in an RV. I’m hoping to add an HF model some day soon. GPS gear – For my Roadtrek, I use the Rand McNally TripMaker RVND 7710. This has a seven inch screen and can be synced to a central site to reflect the latest in construction issues and detours. Made specifically for RVs with lots of RV-specifica data and Points of Interest (POI), it is the most accruate and easy-to-follow vehicle navigation system I’ve yet to use. For my long bicycle rides and off road exploring, I use the Garmin Edge 705. Though made specifically for cycling, it slips off the handlebars mount easily and can be carried in my pocket for hiking. My Drone – Lately, I’ve also been having a lot of fun with my own personal drone. It’s really not a drone in the sense of the military drones we keep hearing about but is a radio controlled quadricopter, the Phantom 2 with a Zenmuse H3-2D Gimbal that acts as a steadycam for the GoPro Hero 3 camera it carries. I use this for aerial shots to show scenic views and overhead perspectives of the places I blog about. I have an FPV (First Person Video) monitor attached to the flight controller that transmits back the image the camera is recording. The camera has a built in compass and GPS navigation control. Google Glass – I am one of the Google Glass Explorers, those Google invited in to experiment with its new wearable computer and am indeed experimenting with it in my Roadtreking reporting. The device is expected to go on sale in late spring 2014. Right now I use it primarily to record video and shoot still pictures. I did a review on Google Glass for my PC Mike blog and already have done a couple of videos with it for the blog and will do many more as the 2014 travel season gets underway. It has lots of apps that work with it, projecting information on a little screen right in front of your right eye. It’s connected to the Internet and uses your voice to open and close apps, share messages on social media, record messages and to answer questions you verbally ask it just as you would type them with a keyboard on the Google search engine. Clothing – I wear coats, shorts, jackets, vests, pants and shirts made by ScottEVest, an American maker of tech-enabled very high quality casual clothing that is known for having an abundance of pockets for all the tech gear one would want to carry around. The company started with a great photographer’s vest and for well over a decade, I proudly wore mine all over the world. Now, Scott Jordan, the guy behind the company, makes a whole line of mens and womens clothing. They are stylish and comfortable and perfect for all my gadgets and gizmos.

I also you CO-Pilot and I also have a Garmin 760RV GPS and both allow input of weight and size of your RV and finds routes that are suitable. CO-Pilot and Garmin agree most of the time. I also have a built in Rand McNally that also takes the specs from your RV but seems to route down a lot of two lane roads that are questionable RV routes. There is several versions of CO-Pilot and I have the one made for RVs.

I did not know there is a truckers atlas...where does one get that? As far as the OP is concerned, he specifically asked about a NEW GPS, Garmin or Rand Mc Nally! I guess he want's to spend the bucks!

I had to double check, but I think this was the original ops question. I have had the Rand RV GPS for about 5 or 6 years. My buddy bought his first one about the same time since we were both traveling in large fivers. He went through three of them and I am still on my first one. I don't let mine sit on the dash while parked for extended periods in the Florida sun, he does. When we are traveling the Rand is positioned so I can see it and a regular Garmin is positioned so my DW can see it from her side. But I don't really go by what either of them tell me. I use them more for ETA and digital speed readouts, etc. I keep an up to date Trucker's Atlas and consult my route on it the night before if it is an area I haven't been through before. My RV's have all been any where from 11'3" to well over 12' tall and I'm not about to use some non-truckers based mapping program. I use Google maps or Waze but only when I'm traveling in my Mini or Harley.

Bill Adams -- I fully concur with your "common sense" statement about using WAZE. I rely on WAZE for highway navigation only as I would not take my motorhome on any side streets in cities/towns I do not know to save a few minutes of travel time. Google Maps and AT&T Navigator are also good alternatives to WAZE. My opinion is WAZE has more real-time traffic/accident/incident/road closure/etc. updates than Google Maps and AT&T Navigator. I haven't seen a response yet that justifies the cost and benefits of a Garmin or other GPS device over the free WAZE / Google Maps/etc. services.

I concur with Bill Adams. WAZE has served me well on my motorhome journeys (albeit they have been less than 300 miles one-way each) and is my "go to" navigator for my daily drives to/from work in Houston area traffic (especially today as many parts of west Houston remain flooded). WAZE is "free", uses very little data and has better real time information than Google Maps. I'd like to know what advantages Garmin or other paid navigator systems have over WAZE. How is the cost for Garmin or other systems justified versus a free navigator like WAZE?

We use the Garmin Dezl 760LMT in our Newmar 4369, and prefer to stay off major highways as we full time across the country. In the four years we have been using this unit it has only misdirected us twice. Once, it told us to take a dirt road to a campground, and once it told us the campground was 1/4 mile further down the road when I was turning into the campground entry. Neither of those directives proved disastrous. When in doubt about the course the Garmin has told us to follow, we rely upon Google maps on our phones to provide us a second opinion, or, if in an area where cell service is unavailable, I use my Garmin handheld. So far, seven years on the road has been a blast, with no issues having been caused by our navigation methods

We have a Garmin and a Rand McNally GPSs (plus whatever company's software is behind our tow vehicle GPS). The 7" Rand McNally has worked better for us, but the newer Garmin RV GPS appears to be closing the gap. A couple of RM features are especially helpful. Number one is that it lists all names that apply to an upcoming turn road (e.g. US 98, SR 106, Shelby Rd.) Garmin still picks one name, which may or may not be on the road signs. Having all the names helps to visually verify that we have the correct secondary road. The other feature is that RM lists the current interstate mile marker on the display. This helps when using Next Exit, or coordinating with the atlas map (which we also use). Some folks like to use their smart phones or pads, but we prefer the GPS because it does not use up our limited monthly data allowance, and is not dependent of cell towers (the satellite is always there away from urban areas).

On the trip to the last rally in Madison,WI we were in a small town Illinois. Found a RV park (small but nice). Plugged the address into the Garmin. Took us through a residential neighborhood. It was the only way in we found out. Came to a Stop Sign, Madam Garmin Said to turn RIGHT. As a Good Driver I looked both ways before making the turn. When I looked LEFT there was the park. But hay, I still love you Lady Garmin even if you sometime put your shoes on the wrong feet. Herman

We also have a Garmin 760 and are very happy with it. That being said, we did have a trip where it tried to put us on a road which was not fit for a motorhome. Thankfully a local came by. He said his truck wouldn't even fit on the road the GPS was sending us and gave us directions to get back to a major road. Yes, I did contact Garmin and notified them of the problem. Lessons learned!! Don't trust your GPS as your only source to get you there!! We use the GPS as a guide, then check the maps (old school), Google maps, and follow the directions given on the campgrounds website. __________________ Vera & Ken 1998 Holiday Rambler Imperial

I have a Garmin. When I bought the current coach, it came with a Rand McNally. After a few trips, I swapped out the RM and put in the Garmin and sold the RM. I just prefer the Garmin. That said, the wife still navigates using her phone and Google. The problem with Google is that it doesn't take into account low bridges and poor routes for large coaches and trucks.

I use Garmin products, not because they are perfect but because they are reliable and function better than other systems I have seen or used. I started with a handheld or portable Garmin Aviation GPS III that I used for almost 20 years of flying. Next was a Garmin eTrex Vista, a handheld unit primarily designed for hiking and exploring. I began using this one for navigation with our motor home in 2003. It wasn't designed as a road friendly unit but it gave me a "shortest route" and distance to destination information. In 2012 I purchased an auto GPS, a 3450LM (LM = Lifetime Map Updates). I used it in the motor home and also in our toad. Once we parked the motor home we would move it from the coach to the car. At the time, Louise was using a truckers atlas (she still does) to check road clearances which cover truck routes but not all routes. It has a 5" screen and is still being used in the car. With the map and software updates, it works better than new. In 2014 we took the 3450 with us to New Zealand and Australia. I purchased a map set from Garmin for those two countries. It came as a micro SD chip that plugged into the 3450. If anything the map information for those countries was perhaps better than for the US. There are far fewer roads to update so it is likely easier to get it right. I was amazed to zip through roundabouts with no problem. Almost every road intersection in these two countries (well, lots of them) are roundabouts and when driving on the wrong (left) side of the road, having the GPS was worth its weight in gold. In 2015 I purchased a 2757LMT (Lifetime Map and Traffic) which is just a larger auto GPS. It has a 7" screen which is easier for me to read where it sits on the motor home dash. I have the Route 1 data set for clearance information for the US and Canada. I keep that set as well as all my Garmin maps up to date, checking all for the latest information before leaving on any trip. With the current Garmin management system, Garmin Express will prompt me to get the latest updates. Yes, this does take some data but once done, all the information you need to travel anywhere in the US and Canada is on-board. No further internet data download is needed. I also have a Garmin Approach G6 for golf. It has most every golf course in North and South America, Europe, New Zealand and Australia. It also updates. As with the auto GPS units, Garmin Express keeps me notified of updates that are available. All this said, we do cross check the GPS information with other maps. Louise is the navigator and she is primarily a paper map person but will use my iPad when I prompt her to do so. We will check and vary from routing that the GPS offers. Sometimes when we need to zoom in on roads in an area, the iPad has maps that can help answer questions. The satellite views provide more than simply road maps can and are thus useful. The Garmin map information can be downloaded to your computer as well. Base Camp is the Garmin program for planning and manipulating maps. I have the older MapSource software from Garmin to do my rough trip planning. Sometimes the routing that MapSource suggests is different from the routing that we get from the stand-alone units. I don't try to interface the computer and download routes to the GPS but it can be done. If you keep the computer updated (free with lifetime map updates), you can look at the road information much easier on a large screen. I find it much easier to explore on the computer than on the stand-alone units. Garmin auto and other GPS products are available at WalMart, Amazon and almost any other major general merchandise company. The 3450 cost me about $349 from Amazon in 2012. The larger, more modern 2757 was just under $200 at WalMart.

As I indicated, and I have had several GPS's, I find the one I have, Garmin 760 LMT to be the better of the bunch. I don't know about the 770 LMT but if it is half as good as the 760 it is a good buy. My iPhone 7 is good also but doesn't have the features for an RV that the Garmin has. DW's iPhone 6 is the same but she uses it and her iPad Pro as the right seat navigator. I don't think any of them are infallible. I rely on my navigator (DW) but one time her iPad mapping system said to take "sage" road and my Garmin wanted me to take a different route. We followed DW's instructions and on the Sage Rd I was almost able to see the license plate on the TOAD going around some of the turns. Hey, it happens, right? I would strongly suggest that if one knows the night before where they are going to use the internet mapping system to scope out the route. It has made me change my GPS's route a few times. Use the satellite view to see what the road really looks like. Happy trails.

Yep, Dr. Internet is always right. Reviews are always right. Searching for one thing and getting tons of things "they" think are related is also another thing. Anyone can create a meta (tag) name "keywords" on a web site and put anything in it they want. An extreme example would be a sugar company not only putting the word sugar in their meta tag but also the word rock. So someone searching for rock gets the sugar company. FMCA does a decent job of meta tag keywords as do many other sites but there are still sites out there the the Google BOTS and other search engine BOTS pick up and display as erroneous information. Yep, I could go back to the Yellow Pages but last time I used them information I was looking for was not there. As to the original post, my money is on the Garmin and whichever model is the newest for RV's. It has many features that I enjoy and I find it better than the Tom Tom I now have sitting on the shelf.

Per the original question, and that of NanMWright, and running the risk of a few telling me why I didn't do what they think I should have, my answer to your question would be that.. yes I had the RMN 7710 for a few years and it gave me so much trouble and the two repairs RMN made didn't last so I got rid of it. I bought the COPilot RV app and didn't like it 4 months ago. I bought the newest Garmin 7760 and it's doing fine.. not perfect but fine... and relatively easy to use.

Garmin seems to have dropped the recommended 760LMT and is now selling a 770LMT-S. Has anyone tried this? Is it an upgrade? I need to get a new GPS for travel full time, and I'd like to stick with Garmin.

Bill, that's a very good question, thanks for asking. We've had our Roadtrek RS Adventurous since the beginning of May this year and have taken three trips and have already been out 15 days... We're going again in early August for another five days and in late September we're going for two months...so, yes, we travel. The whole reason I wanted a smaller more mobile rig was so fuel consumption would NOT be an issue. Ironically, I'm going to be MORE CONCERNED about data consumption and here's why.. on one of our trips, we decided to stream a movie... I was told that the streaming would not take that much data, but, I was surprised to discover that the 2 1/2 movie we watched was four GBs...we could have gone out for dinner and the movie for the price of the HD movie download and the streaming...like $46... yikes. I called and complained about that and they gave me a $20 credit.. It's not that I don't appreciate streaming, Google Play or maps, but, if I'm going to be data dependent on the road, I'd rather have the unlimited plan again.. much the same as a you have? Didn't you say you had unlimited? I'm not against the unlimited plans as long as I'm using them.... kinda hate to pay for something we're not using. I realize that Maps and Waze don't use as much as streaming movies, but, we go through 15 MB.. really fast just doing normal browsing. As far as connection, there's been too many times when we're out in an area and there's NO INTERNET....and we hadn't planned on this. That's when a stand alone Garmin really comes in handy. When we purchased our vehicle, used, it had a really poor radio navigation system.. with a horrible back up camera that made it impossible to see out the rear of the coach...so, I replaced all of this with an upgraded system and navigation... I sort of figured that this was all part of the purchase price... since we acquired the vehicle for a really good price it seemed reasonable to me. I've already figured out that if we need to make the jump to Verizon our phones can do it... SO, if that has to be done, we'll switch... Haven't decided that is necessary yet. The problem with Google Project Fi is that there's no upper limit on data, so, it's $10 per GB.. if we used $15 GBs between two phones, that would be $150 for data plus our $75 per month....don't want that. The more we travel, the closer I'll get to making the leap to Verizon.