Garmin has a new GPS navigation device, and while smartphones may have taken over in-car directions, the Garmin Overlander aims to prove that standalone still has its place. Targeting the overlanding community, the eponymous all-in-one navigator includes not only road mapping and directions but topographical mapping, too.
So, whereas Google Maps or your car’s in-built navigation system might give up when you get off the regular roadways and paths, Garmin’s Overlander promises to keep on kicking. It supports off-grid guidance of public land boundaries, 4×4 roads for North and South America, along with points-of-interest specifically catering to overlanding enthusiasts.
That means things like POIs from iOverlander, the non-profit mapping project for overlander accommodation listings and more. There’s also Ultimate Public Campgrounds data, with information on camping locations along with hunting and fishing spots. Since they’re stored locally, the Overlander doesn’t require a data connection in order to serve them up.
It doesn’t mean there isn’t wireless connectivity, however. Garmin allows destinations and trips to be set up from a phone or desktop, and then be synchronized to the Overlander. Routes also take into account factors which road drivers don’t, typically, need to consider. You can program Garmin’s navigator with your overlanding vehicle’s height, length, and weight, for example, so that it will only suggest routes appropriate to its size.
Pitch and roll gauges are integrated, along with a digital compass and a barometric altimeter. There’s support for synchronizing different mapping overlays, too, like satellite imagery and USGS quad sheets. Everything is controlled with a 7-inch 1024 x 600 touchscreen, and there’s 64GB of storage.
If you have a Garmin inReach Mini satellite communicator, meanwhile, you can connect that to the Overlander. That allows for two-way text messaging off the grid, along with SOS distress signals. It’ll work with up to four BC 35 backup cameras, and the Overlander is weatherproof – with MIL-STD-810 drop rating and IP5X dust rating – and comes with a powered magnetic mount and adapter. Battery life is up to three hours.
I tired a Magellan- I diddnt like it. Gaia maps IMO is the way to go. If you want stress off your phone think about using a tablet that takes sd cards. This is because downloading maps for out of range adventures (like most the time you’ll use it!) takes a bit of storage. For $30 a year you get a ton of overlays and this is something you can’t do with thiS. That cost of Gaia and a tablet is far less then this gps. The downside- Gaia won’t tell you it’s recalculating..
so you guys think it is a terrible idea? this is the first i am hearing of it and i like the idea of taking the load off my phone. between taking pictures, videos, apps, and GPS, and pre downloading maps, and switching apps from tracking to navigation. its just too much. i thought it might be nice to have a dedicated GPS that already has everything downloaded and ready to go. thoughts?
I think the days of the stand-alone GPS are numbered. There are apps that can do all of this as well or better for way less money.
You're probably thinking of the Magellan TRX7. This potentially has some better features. It would be nice to see what kind of map availability there is, Garmin has a tendency to lock things down to their maps only. Being able to use CalTopo or other sources would be nice. There's also a question about whether it will connect with the inReach Explorer+. or only the inReach Mini.
Who was it that tried this a few years ago? I've yet to see one in the field...