Garmin Overlander, Rugged Multipurpose Navigator for Off-Grid Guidance

The GPS works well but there is a learning curve to figure out the features and it is not intuitive. To get quad maps you have to have cell service (and tether the wifi to your phone) and I can't figure out how to load them ahead of time for the area your planning on being in. The quad maps that are loaded are not the latest but so far most of the roads in the forest have been displayed. Other features are still eluding me .... To make best use of the machine you really need an overall paper map to refer to. The window mount works well for me and the unit seems well sealed for dust and moisture, like the big screen. Bought the screen protector with it but it didn't work out , got air bubbles and folds in it so removed it. I don't know how it compares to competitors but in the past GarmIn has been good about support with my other GPS's when I had a problem so I'm a returning customer and would buy it again.

I purchased this device to prior to departing on a cross country road trip that would include significant off road driving in public lands and long periods without cell service. While there is much discussion in online forums regarding the value of the overlander vs several subscription map apps for mobile devices, for my use I found the overlander had several advantages.1. As I knew I would be without cell service (or wifi for that matter) for extended periods of time, having to download maps in advance posed a problem. Any mistake in pre-loading maps, or loss of data would have left me in a difficult position. With the overlander I knew I had the coverage required in advance with less risk. Having a dedicated device for navigation let me save battery life and use of other devices for other purposes.2. In my experience purpose built gps devices tend to have better receivers than mobile devices, particularly when cellular or wifi augmentation is not available.I had some issues with the speaker on the initial device I received along with some stability problems. I contacted Garmin support late one night by email and noted that I was leaving for a long trip in less than a week and needed the device for that purpose. By early the next morning I received a reply that due to the issue I described an my impending trip Garmin would overnight me a new unit and sent a label to return the first. The same support employee maintained contact with me through the process, ensured an imagery subscription purchased for the first unit was transferred to the replacement. While it was a bit disconcerting that I had issues with the first unit, the responsiveness and thoroughness of the customer service was excellent, truly.Beyond the expected quality of the normal on road nav features, the real selling point of the Overlander is the capability to route and navigate overland using topo maps. After driving several hundred miles through BLM and Forest service lands I confirm these features work well and were helpful planning and changing my itinerary on the go in response to conditions.Overall I find the integration of quality maps, hardware and user interface combine to make the device a useful tool for those who will take advantage of the unique features. If your use case does not include significant off highway travel I would not expect the value to be the same compared to more typical gps or mobile apps.

I could type a novel here on how bad a fail this thing is but I do not have the time. But in order to be helpful I will just say do not buy this, for $600 your money could be spent on a tablet system and a few pro versions of multiple apps that are so much better than this. This is a terrible, expensive, and redundant device to try and do what other systems do much better. As an avid camper, hiker, and owner of a decked out 4Runner hitting the back roads routinely, I was hoping for a "one stop" top grade "overlander" device.1 hour.Within that time and with my experience, I spent it to search out known campgrounds, places, and backroads I would expect a device marketed as an overlanding device to have. It was not only bad at that essential (missing basic stuff), it was bad at everything else - user interface, graphics, brightness, features, and everything else that can be done better and with more sophistication by a tablet or phone with apps,(.e.g. dyrt, backcountry, gaia gps, freeroam, iOverlander, and even USA topo maps and of course, GOOGLE maps. Even the "cool" almost gimmicky feature that shows the angles of your vehicle on the road was useless (and BTW many newer 4x4 vehicles come with anyway.) More redundancy.I highly respect garmin devices and what they have done to the GPS map and athletics community. But Spend your money elsewhere. This turns out to be an ridiculously overpriced hard to use device that Garmin is making a cash grab for to take advantage of the popularity of the overland scene. Fortunately, this market usually knows thier stuff, so I can't possible see how this will last without massive software improvements and features. This is my contribution to those out hitting the trails...look elsewhere friends.

Now that I understand it, this is a GREAT unit.But I had to figure it out by myself. I spent HOURS on the 'phone to resolve issues, to no avail.They couldn't even tell me that the USB converter needed to power the thing was available EVERYWHERE! After spending 40 bucks on a converter that didn't fit (and I mean the male plugs looked like they would have been right at home in Islamabad) I discovered that I had the correct adapter -- several of them -- laying around my house!So go ahead and buy it. It's got a lot of great features, such as the ability to download USGS Quads.But also get a wig, because you'll be tearing out your hair figuring it out!

Once I got all of the maps I wanted downloaded to the GPS it is a great machine. Like the screen size and the fact that it can be snapped off my windshield when not in use