Best Nav?
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THE BEST is rather subjective.
the newest and tailor made to off-road is this: Garmin Tread - Overland 8 It appears to be everything we all use in one WATER PROOF, RUGGED piece of equipment.
Ride Command is a joke when you want to use it for back tracking or trying to point you to a destination. All its good for is collecting tacking info for Polaris so they can sell that info to map makers or sales info for where to put parts stores or services for us.
Lowrance GPS units are very easy to use and have been used for 20 years in the offroad community.
Tablets come with a host of issues from multiple power cords needed for tablet, cameras and GPS puck that are not sealed for water. Also you will have a horrible glare issue off a otterbox style case, then there is the fact they are not made rugged enough for outside environments we ride in. Then you have to use janky Ram mounts on top of Ram mounts to hold the thing to your sxs.
One thing i highly recommend is buying the largest screen you can afford, The bigger the screen the more area you can see and quickly glance at while running down the trail. I had an older Lowrance 12" fish finder i converted into a land GPS and it was badass to see a large screen and easily look at while hauling the mail down the trail.
the newest and tailor made to off-road is this: Garmin Tread - Overland 8 It appears to be everything we all use in one WATER PROOF, RUGGED piece of equipment.
Ride Command is a joke when you want to use it for back tracking or trying to point you to a destination. All its good for is collecting tacking info for Polaris so they can sell that info to map makers or sales info for where to put parts stores or services for us.
Lowrance GPS units are very easy to use and have been used for 20 years in the offroad community.
Tablets come with a host of issues from multiple power cords needed for tablet, cameras and GPS puck that are not sealed for water. Also you will have a horrible glare issue off a otterbox style case, then there is the fact they are not made rugged enough for outside environments we ride in. Then you have to use janky Ram mounts on top of Ram mounts to hold the thing to your sxs.
One thing i highly recommend is buying the largest screen you can afford, The bigger the screen the more area you can see and quickly glance at while running down the trail. I had an older Lowrance 12" fish finder i converted into a land GPS and it was badass to see a large screen and easily look at while hauling the mail down the trail.
Hi Ken, seems like you have some stand alone Garmin recommendations but our favorite, and that of a lot of users on here is using an android tablet. Specifically we use Samsung's as they have excellent built in GPS. The comments about needing multiple power cords and GPS pucks really just isn't the case with today's android tech (apple ipads are horrendous however with their built in GPS).
A modern Samsung tablet with a 10" screen will run you between $150-800 depending on the model you choose (we use the cheap one). The bonus for us is that we now use it for everything while on our offroad trips.
Want to watch a movie on the drive? - no problem bring it in the truck!
Back at camp or the hotel and want to play music for the group with bluetooth to your wireless speaker? - just load up your music app or streaming service (spotify lets you download your playlists) and away you go!
Need a backup camera on your rig? - install a wireless one and use the tablet for the display!
Want the Polaris ride command app so you can log and share your rides or follow the same path as your friends? - install the app and away you go!
Want to record your buddies getting stuck in the mud or sending it over the dunes? - Grab the tablet and start recording!
Basically anything you can do with your phone and more due to the larger screen is at your fingertips on your tablet. It will take a bit of configuring but it's no different then installing apps on your phone. This setup rocks and hasn't let me down.
In terms of apps for navigation there are tons. I am North up ion Canada so we don't have the plethora of apps mapping out our rocky backyard as you do in the US but I still take it hands down over a standalone GPS/Garmin with dedicated maps. In the US I believe some of the best map/gps apps in no particular order are: Gaia, onx offroad, and alltrails (guaranteed I'm missing some as we can't use them)
Here's a post I made awhile back which was meant to share how I mounted our tablet but also shows some of the neat custom guages and launcher you can have in your rzr to get to your most used apps quickly while on the trail. Mounting solutions are not an issue with a bit of ingenuity. I can personally state I have rolled this machine with the tablet in this rock solid mount and it did not budge. No issues with making other sturdy setups with the mounts and products on the market.
New Tablet Mounting Solution
So I've been searching all over for a tablet mounting solution for my Pro XP Sport. Several posts on this forum got me pointed in the right direction with mounting the tablet in the factory Ride Command location but I wanted a really clean install. This setup is with a 10.4" Samsung Tab A7 but...
www.rzrforums.net
Cordless charging option for magsafe charging:
Amazon.com: [Short Version] Type C Wireless Charging Receiver, Nillkin Magic Tag USB C Qi Wireless Charger Receiver Chip for Google Pixe 6a/5a/2/3a/Nexus 6P A53 A52 and Other USB-C Phones : Cell Phones & Accessories
Amazon.com: [Short Version] Type C Wireless Charging Receiver, Nillkin Magic Tag USB C Qi Wireless Charger Receiver Chip for Google Pixe 6a/5a/2/3a/Nexus 6P A53 A52 and Other USB-C Phones : Cell Phones & Accessories
www.amazon.com
Have fun and happy riding!
I agree with the comments above aboutthe Samsung Tablet in a 10" version. They are fairly inexpensive and have good GPS in them. I use mine for mapping software for one of my jobs out in the back county. It has served me well in 8000 RZR miles, in 5 states in just under 3 years. I do not have mine mounted, I just stop and look at it as needed, or if my wife is with me she is navigating.
The primary program I use is OnX hunt (paid service). It shows the MVUM put out by government agencies. For me the big one is that it shows property ownership. Lots of devices will show roads and off roads, but not who owns them or if there are easements. What I like about this is that it uses a satellite image (google maps) as a base making it easy to see anything the satellite sees.
My secondary program is Avenza (free) as it will run free maps that many agencies or other riding areas put out. These are typically "paper" PDF maps that have been geo-referenced so that you have a dot that shows your location on the map.
The main thing that neither of these will do, that I believe some other programs will do is pre-identify a track and then get turn by turn instructions while moving.
The primary program I use is OnX hunt (paid service). It shows the MVUM put out by government agencies. For me the big one is that it shows property ownership. Lots of devices will show roads and off roads, but not who owns them or if there are easements. What I like about this is that it uses a satellite image (google maps) as a base making it easy to see anything the satellite sees.
My secondary program is Avenza (free) as it will run free maps that many agencies or other riding areas put out. These are typically "paper" PDF maps that have been geo-referenced so that you have a dot that shows your location on the map.
The main thing that neither of these will do, that I believe some other programs will do is pre-identify a track and then get turn by turn instructions while moving.
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287 Posts
This is a timely thread for me, as I am considering changing up our setup. Currently we have a Samsung Tab A 10.1, but we keep it in a case in the glove box while riding, and only pull it out when we need it.
However, sometimes it would be nice to have it already in view and not have to stop to remove it from the glove box. We haven't mounted it yet because it's not waterproof, and nobody makes a waterproof case for our model.
So, we have been considering other options that are already waterproof. I've found a few China tablets that are around $300 that would work, but it's hard to spend the money not knowing if it will hold up.
I'm not impressed with the Garmin devices I've seen this far, and haven't yet found a lowrance device that checks the boxes.
I'll keep looking lol.
However, sometimes it would be nice to have it already in view and not have to stop to remove it from the glove box. We haven't mounted it yet because it's not waterproof, and nobody makes a waterproof case for our model.
So, we have been considering other options that are already waterproof. I've found a few China tablets that are around $300 that would work, but it's hard to spend the money not knowing if it will hold up.
I'm not impressed with the Garmin devices I've seen this far, and haven't yet found a lowrance device that checks the boxes.
I'll keep looking lol.
I have the same model. I just have mine in a simple flip cover, similar to this one, https://www.amazon.com/EKVINOR-Vers...GX7YQH/ref=psdc_3012929011_t4_B07X4GHNHP?th=1
I know it depends on the kind of riding you do, but if we think it is going to get wet it gets put in a gallon ziplock, but that is rare. You can still see the screen and operate it though the bag if needed.
I have never put it in the glovebox. Typically it is either in my wife's lap, or if I am alone it is riding on the passenger seat so I can easily pick it up and look.
Not that I want to destroy it, but if it did get destroyed it is ~$200 or the price of one tank of fuel in my pickup.
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Ya, we tend to hit a fair amount of mud and water, and also ride in the rain. But we have no windshield, just a roof. So the cab of the RZR gets wet and muddy fairly easily.
Fair statement about cost considering I just spent $175 last night on diesel and still didn't fill the tank...ugh.
Maybe I'll just 3d print a visor and modified enclosure for it...hmmm....
That makes sense.
Yeah, that bill is for my little truck. We are getting ready to hit the road in the big truck tomorrow, https://www.rzrforums.net/threads/sw-riding-boondocking-areas.576141/#post-6248944
I have a total of 275 gallons and at our first fuel stop is it currently $4.01 (was $3.87 2 days ago) and 900 miles later (roughly 1/2 tank) we will top off again where it is currently $4.15 as that is the cheapest in the region we are going to.
I have also been researching a GPS for my XP4. I bought a Kemimoto mount that replaces the center dash box. Also bought a Samsung A7 Lite with a 8.7” screen. A small power cord goes right to the 12v power outlet. Haven’t decided on Gaia or OnX yet. Going to test it this weekend in the desert.
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1,614 Posts
FWIW, there is an entire section of the forums devoted to this discussion. Some of it is location or individual specific for what might work best. Personally I run an android tablet with Lifetime trail maps, not sure that would be my recommendation for out west though. Works like a champ here in the east.
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2,351 Posts
Excellent responses.
In AZ, I am fond of Gaia and exclusively use Sat imagery. (With some hidden tweeks) Others use topo maps, specific trail routes or a dedicated GPS appliance.
It's all going to boil down to what you want to see map wise and how you want to use it.
Most of the android apps have a free trial that you can play with on your phone. Cycle through them all and find the one that meets your needs.
Popular:
Gaia GPS
ONXmaps
Lifetime maps
Polaris ride command for mobile
Avenza
Good luck!
In AZ, I am fond of Gaia and exclusively use Sat imagery. (With some hidden tweeks) Others use topo maps, specific trail routes or a dedicated GPS appliance.
It's all going to boil down to what you want to see map wise and how you want to use it.
Most of the android apps have a free trial that you can play with on your phone. Cycle through them all and find the one that meets your needs.
Popular:
Gaia GPS
ONXmaps
Lifetime maps
Polaris ride command for mobile
Avenza
Good luck!
Joined
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1,247 Posts
The best set up for me has been my Samsung S20+ phone and the Polaris app (there might be a better app?). I almost bought a tablet for the bigger screen but I couldn't justify it. My phone's waterproof. The app does everything I need it to. I can zoom in and out as required. And, the only time I ever look at it is when I hit a fork in the trail I'm unsure about or I get lost.
The group ride feature would be kinda nice. But, most in our group either don't own a Polaris or don't have that feature. So, we rely on old fashioned methods. We stop if we lose sight of the rider behind us and we all have radios.
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The group ride feature would be kinda nice. But, most in our group either don't own a Polaris or don't have that feature. So, we rely on old fashioned methods. We stop if we lose sight of the rider behind us and we all have radios.
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I was wondering about this topic as well and was starting to look into what apps everyone was using with the iPad. I see that everyone's choice seems to be a Samsung but is that because of the price vs the iPad or do they preform better? I have a few iPads that have cell service with the GPS chip that I planed on using but now I'm curious.
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