Is there an app for travel with towing camper?

[rabbit59]

Was wondering what everyone recommends for travel with camper in tow? I know Google maps and Waze sometimes sends me down dirt roads,backroads. narrow stuff, etc...Is there a great app, even pay for, for traveling across this great country of ours!!! Thanks all....

[flybouy]

I'd suggest you do a search here on the forum for GPS. You will have lot's of opinions and information.

[rabbit59]

Thank you....

[Pull Toy]

Another plus for a GPS device vs. a Cell phone app is that you don't need cell coverage. GPS is satellite based. Just about the only place it won't work is in a tunnel.

Welcome to the forum, and Good Luck,

[travelin texans]

Might post your RV/tv info in your signature so it's easier for others to help with issues.
If you're towing a TT there will be VERY few places across the country that would be of concern.
If towing a large 5th wheel pick yourself up a Motor Carriers Atlas at your local truck stop, it's filled the low clearances state by state & other issues plus all roads that are useable by trucks are highlighted, if it's safe for any truck you're good to go. No satellite or cell service necessary, but if you're my age glasses will be.
Fulltimed for 10 years towing 40' 5th wheels only using Google maps on our phones & the MCA all across the country with never an issue!

[MerlinB]

Waze is a great app...for traffic conditions, road hazards, police locations, etc. It's navigation capabilities leave a whole lot to be desired. Bottom line? I don't trust it at all.

I use my Garmin stand alone GPS as my primary navigation aid with my Motor Carriers Atlas as a backup. YMMV.

[flybouy]

Maps are only as good as the navigator interpreting them. When we were first married the DW was giving me directions while looking at a map. She wanted to see someplace off our route. She said it was "close by". After making the turn and driving for about an hour I pulled over and asked to see the map she was looking at. It was a map of the eastern states, everything east of the Mississippi. She said it was only "an inch or so away"! After I pointed out the map scale that was like 1" = 100 miles, well now you know the rest of the story.:banghead:

[Retired Copper]

I have the RV life app. and have compared it to my rv gps and it was the same route. You might check it out.

[+Ruff Rider]

I just use the navigation that came in my truck. It hasn't always been perfect but Turn off the Avoid Traffic and you will be fine. I didn't do that and discovered a bridge that was more than a foot to low. Had to back up into a guys driveway with all the world watching. it made me a pro. I always try to plan my route the day before so I have a idea on what roads to be on. I just use Microsoft Streets and Trips on the laptop. I have been across the USA many times and only got in a jam one time.

[LHaven]

Was wondering what everyone recommends for travel with camper in tow? I know Google maps and Waze sometimes sends me down dirt roads,backroads. narrow stuff, etc...Is there a great app, even pay for, for traveling across this great country of ours!!! Thanks all....

I understand that "Sygic Truck" does all that, plus overhead clearances; it's not free.

My big life lesson last trip was learning that when Google Maps tells you, "I've found a more efficient route for you, would you like to take it?" the answer is always "NO!!!"

I preplan my trips with Road Trip Planner, and Google's wide-eyed eagerness sent me down a car-only NT thruway; through NJ, a state in which I did not want to set foot; and caused me to have to backtrack about half the height of PA to get to that night's campground.

[travelin texans]

Waze is a great app...for traffic conditions, road hazards, police locations, etc. It's navigation capabilities leave a whole lot to be desired. Bottom line? I don't trust it at all.

I use my Garmin stand alone GPS as my primary navigation aid with my Motor Carriers Atlas as a backup. YMMV.

Waze is a great app for traffic info, as for navigation it sucks!

[flybouy]

I just don't understand why someone would pay several to many tens of thousands of dollars for a trailer, many tens of thousands of dollars for a truck to pull it, perhaps have several tens of thousands of dollars of 4 wheelers or motorcycles in said trailer, then not want to spend a couple of hundred bucks for a GPS that will keep all of that from becoming a trash pile under a bridge.

What am I missing?

[busterbrown]

As long as any GPS navigation app or tool doesn't take me under the infamous 11foot8 bridge, it's good in my book.

Bless the RVer's heart in this video (@ 22 sec mark) for his determination to get through the underpass as to not impede traffic. I think the voice in the background got it right though. ;)

https://youtu.be/yk-MJjYXVLw?t=22

[rabbit59]

Lhaven.....I agree wholeheartedly. We took a trip in Sequoia to sisters house, and google maps did that outside State college pa....literally a single dirt road. If I would have been towing camper, I'd be screwed!!! That's why I posted. Then yesterday, taking TT up for recall, a shortcut we always take has a low rr bridge I'd forgot about!! We took a crossroad to avoid it. Not really sure the clearance, as I'm only good to 11'4" I believe. So I might spring for paid app. Do you own sygic? Do you like it? Thanks

[rabbit59]

Flybuoy.....A gps or an app? Just wondering what you use? Thanks

[Badbart56]

Just spend the extra few bucks on a Commercial Truck GPS. I have a Rand McNally OverDryve 8 and a Garmin DEZL 780 for backup that we use in our truck. Either one can be used in auto mode so you can use it in your car too. Lots of extra features also. But know in advance, like all GPS's they're not infallible.

There is an app called Truck Book that I have on my phone but I only used it once.

[flybouy]

I use an RV specific GPS. It's a Garmin RV 770 NA LMT-S (I think, don't have it in front of me.)
Setup includes inputting the type and size of trailer (length, height,weight, amount of propane, number of axles, etc.), truck info including fuel type. Then routing info ie. do you want to avoid toll roads, or ferries, or dirt roads, secondary roads, etc.
It will route around low bridges, tight turns, etc. Traffic receiver built in. Go to Garmin.com and you can see all the details.

My personal preference is a stand alone GPS. No need to have a cell signal which I found "dead zones" even in some populated places. When I'm driving I don't want to have to scroll thru a phone screen to see if it's the gps app, the tire pressure app, or something else trying to get my attention. Also would much rather look at a 7" screen vs the screen on my phone.

There are better phone apps now days but I still prefer my stand alone GPS. It's a personal preference.

[LHaven]

Lhaven..... I might spring for paid app. Do you own sygic? Do you like it? Thanks

Sygic offers a free trial period. I found it somewhat unpolished with an unintuitive interface, compared to things like Waze or Apple Maps, and had odd problems (like entering "g" instead of an apostrophe every time I typed one). I was never able to get the nav audio to come out my truck speakers (wasn't a pairing issue, as all the other nav apps did it just fine). The app heavily touted a price discount that had expired nine months previously, and offered no facility for getting help or reporting problems (I had to look up their support email address on their website). By the time I got the app to where it was marginally usable, the trial period had expired, and we were so close to the end of our trip that it would have been uneconomical to pay their hefty $125 annual license fee just to cover mostly idle season. (I see on their website they are now offering short-period licenses (https://eshop.sygic.com/en/truck-navigation) at $10/month.)

I use the laptop version of Road Trip Planner (http://roadtripplanner.modesittsoftware.com/Road_Trip_Planner/Intro.html) to plan each day's routing, including "roadside attraction" waypoints and strict avoidance of places where "there be dragons" (like New Jersey or NYC). It has a handy interface where it can feed your detailed route directly to Google Maps, and have it just handle the real-time voice nav and traffic reporting duties (provided you remember never to accept any of its suggested route "improvements"). The $10 flat fee also can't be beat.

However... RTP has no facility for automatically avoiding low bridges, auto-only thruways, and other truck issues, because it uses Apple Maps as its routing engine and Maps doesn't know anything about those (it does know tolls); plus it's only available on macOS/iOS. I understand there is similar software for Windows, offered by others, but I don't know anything else about it.

[+Ruff Rider]

I understand that "Sygic Truck" does all that, plus overhead clearances; it's not free.

My big life lesson last trip was learning that when Google Maps tells you, "I've found a more efficient route for you, would you like to take it?" the answer is always "NO!!!"

I preplan my trips with Road Trip Planner, and Google's wide-eyed eagerness sent me down a car-only NT thruway; through NJ, a state in which I did not want to set foot; and caused me to have to backtrack about half the height of PA to get to that night's campground.
This happened to me in Connecticut. My nav wanted to avoid traffic. I was in a couple residential districts than a turnpike with arched bridges and I had to back up into some guys driveway because a bridge was a couple feet to low.
I did not have to back track 1/2 a state LOL
I turned off avoid traffic

[JRTJH]

For me, trying to do a 'compromise GPS system" (phone app) is much like buying one of those string trimmers with the multiple attachments. You can have a string trimmer, a rotary brush, a snow shovel, an edger or a tiller, just "swap out the attachment"... Same with cell phone apps. They "try" to do everything, and in doing so, usually do nothing "well" but everything "sort of"...

While I'm sure there are some "paid for computer applications" that are just as good as a dedicated GPS, with "download for free" apps, you get what you pay for. Like the string trimmer that won't cut grass, won't dig dirt, won't move snow and won't edge the walk, that "GPS app" won't do what a GPS will do. If you've ever been in northern Michigan with a AT&T cell phone or if you've ever been in Canada with a T Mobil cell phone, you know the signal issues you'll encounter. Trying to navigate with a cell phone without a signal is, well, sort of like trimming the grass without a string in the trimmer that won't dig or move snow either..... Can you spell A N C H O R ???

[Ccrew]

I just use Microsoft Streets and Trips on the laptop. I have been across the USA many times and only got in a jam one time.

The Smithsonian called, they want their outdated software back....

[Tatanka Ob Waci]

When we first started out 4 years ago, we downloaded an app called "AllStays" it is very helpful in showing low bridges and it also has every campground in the US listed so if you don't have a reservation, you can find a place close to you. The app when we got it was $9.99 and it is well worth the money. You can also pick up a Truckers Atlas and it has a myriad of information relating to State laws, etc.

[travelin texans]

Honestly I never only checked/planned our routes with only 1 source.
We started with a Garmin, once we had it updated it was worthless, & paper maps. By then we had phones with Google maps along with the paper maps. Finally the truck had navigation + the phone + maps that I would check all 3 + the website instructions of our destination. All that being said there were times that all had a different route, the Garmin & and the truck nav were usually the ones with the worse, not necessarily wrong, directions.

[Keystoned]

Did anyone mention the Park Advisor App?

[sonofcy]

Was wondering what everyone recommends for travel with camper in tow? I know Google maps and Waze sometimes sends me down dirt roads,backroads. narrow stuff, etc...Is there a great app, even pay for, for traveling across this great country of ours!!! Thanks all....

Garmin makes an RV specific GPS. You enter weight, length, height, width etc and configure for fastest route NOT shortest. Also if you are not sure use google earth to verify.

[flybouy]

Honestly I never only checked/planned our routes with only 1 source.
We started with a Garmin, once we had it updated it was worthless, & paper maps. By then we had phones with Google maps along with the paper maps. Finally the truck had navigation + the phone + maps that I would check all 3 + the website instructions of our destination. All that being said there were times that all had a different route, the Garmin & and the truck nav were usually the ones with the worse, not necessarily wrong, directions.

How long ago was this experience with the Garmin. I've had several Garmins over the last 7-10 years that have been extreemly reliable. I did purchase the Magellan RV GPS when it first came out (my misteak for buying a first) and it was a door stop. That think would "hang"' and become useless and of course allways at the worst time.

[travelin texans]

How long ago was this experience with the Garmin. I've had several Garmins over the last 7-10 years that have been extreemly reliable. I did purchase the Magellan RV GPS when it first came out (my misteak for buying a first) and it was a door stop. That think would "hang"' and become useless and of course allways at the worst time.

Got it as a Christmas gift in '07, paid for the update in '09 or '10 & drop kicked into to trash about 6 months later, there was no telling where we might end up following it's directions.
The final straw was it led us to the end of a boat ramp all the while telling us to "proceed 800' to your destination" which was into the lake, fortunately not towing at the time.

[flybouy]

Back then all the GPS companies used the same software bt Navtech and because Navtech charged for map updates so did the gps manufacturers. Navtech stopped charging and that's why for several years the GPS manuf don't charge for map updates. If the Navtech map was wrong it wouldn't matter which GPS you bought the directions would have been the same.

[flrtrader]

Just tried the search you recommended Fly... Said no results, Must be doing something wrong?

[Duramike]

I have the RV life app. and have compared it to my rv gps and it was the same route. You might check it out.

Retired Copper, I agree. I’ve used this one my last couple trips and found it to be pretty darn good. You can enter your RV specs, towing with propane, etc. You can download offline maps as well for those times when cell service is lacking. Happy with it so far.

Happy Camping,

Mike

[flybouy]

Just tried the search you recommended Fly... Said no results, Must be doing something wrong?

https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/cOnTheRoad-c518-p1.html

[johnlewis]

Look at rvtripwizard.com. We have used this while full timing, and now that we are part timing. $39.00 per year. You can enter information on your rig, and it will warn you about low bridges, etc. to avoid. You can also set it up to avoid toll roads and ferries. I loved using this app, because we could even estimate what our trip would cost.

[Rocketsled]

My experience is limited, but I’ve had good experience with truckmap on the iPhone. It takes into account vehicle layout, envelope, weight, and plans accordingly.

Apple’s built in map and Waze should be avoided like the plague, lest they send you smack dab through the middle of down town, because it’s a minute shorter than the interstate.