Sat Nav with mapping for vehicle size, advice please ?

[RAW]

Hey up

Anyone got any recommendations for a Sat Nav that can take the vehicle size and map an appropriate route avoiding hazards like weight limits and very narrow B roads etc ?

A friend bought one of those off-brand Chinese (cheap) ones on ebay and reckons it is OK
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/155749173965

After some not so happy experiences with cheap off brand Chinese Head Units I am a bit wary.

I have seen that both Garmin and TomTom do Campervan Speciific SatNavs but they are maybe 5X the price of the above off brand one.

Does anyone have a SatNav that is good for mapping according to the size of the vehicle ?

Thanks in Advance, Robert

 

[Iandsm]

I have. aTomtom Go Camper Max, I purchased this as I found the Garmin I had previously could be unreliable. The TT seems better at routing and as it's the latest version the interface is very quick. You do have to pay for services such as speed cameras etc. Overall happy with it.

https://www.currys.co.uk/products/tomtom-go-camper-max-7-sat-nav-worldwide-maps-10244089.html?istCompanyId=bec25c7e-cbcd-460d-81d5-a25372d2e3d7&istFeedId=4d7eb93e-055f-499d-8ee5-1cdcc50d67d1&istItemId=rprlamrqx&istBid=t&srcid=198&cmpid=ppc~gg~~~Exact~~&mctag=gg_goog_7904&kwid=&device=c&ds_kids=&tgtid=&&msclkid=dbf6714152701b374ddd1409bc961aed&gclid=dbf6714152701b374ddd1409bc961aed&gclsrc=3p.ds

 

[TJBi]

An alternative option is an Android head unit and a satnav app, some of which permit entry of weight/size criteria.
Bear in mind, however, that satnav data seldom includes road width unless there are specific restrictions in place, so narrow B roads are nearly always a routeing option.

 

[nabsim]

I just dropped my Aguri one time too many and it has died. Just ordered a new Aguri with built in dash cam but this time gone for the 5” rather than the 7” screen.

Yes, I am the only person who actually likes the Aguri satnav

 

[Paricle]

As an alternative to a dedicated satnav we run two apps on a 10" android tablet. Haven't decided which one to go with yet. We run Copilot and Sygic. Both can be set up for an individual vehicle. Both have comprehensive information on POIs etc. Copilot is good but won't give you a speed warning til your at least 5mph over the limit. Sygic have dedicated versions for trucks/caravans/campers. It offers better speed warnings, and you can also add a HUD option. It's less distracting at night. However, Sygic seems to be less reliable at updating speed limits. Some of our local roads still come up as 60 when they are now 50s. I had a moan and two map updates later things have improved. In fact, it now warns us of the 20mph limit outside the local Primary School even though that hasn't been pushed through yet! Hope this helps.

 

[nabsim]

As an alternative to a dedicated satnav we run two apps on a 10" android tablet. Haven't decided which one to go with yet. We run Copilot and Sygic. Both can be set up for an individual vehicle. Both have comprehensive information on POIs etc. Copilot is good but won't give you a speed warning til your at least 5mph over the limit. Sygic have dedicated versions for trucks/caravans/campers. It offers better speed warnings, and you can also add a HUD option. It's less distracting at night. However, Sygic seems to be less reliable at updating speed limits. Some of our local roads still come up as 60 when they are now 50s. I had a moan and two map updates later things have improved. In fact, it now warns us of the 20mph limit outside the local Primary School even though that hasn't been pushed through yet! Hope this helps.

I have been trying copilot on my phone since I bust my satnav, was going to see about just using phone but I just don’t like it. Can’t complain much at the price but just didn’t do it for me. It’s probably me not used to how it works but no gps speed clinched it. Not tried Sygic

 

[rambrose]

I have a Garmin camper sat nav. Driving around the narrow lanes of Devon and Cornwall there is often a ? Icon saying Garmin doesn't know if I'll fit. One of the above posts mentioned width restrictions. These roads should have a posted sign indicating so.
The Garmin would route around them if I'm too big UNLESS thats the only road to my destination.
Sat nav routing should always have a human pair of eyes to confirm the route is suitable.
Google's Street View helps if it's available

 

[Marshman]

I have an old Garmin Nuvi 55 which works fine but the installed Europe maps do not include Slovenia Croatia Bosnia etc. (They have not been updated for a few years now as I think it is no longer supprted?) So when we were there this September/October we used the Free Mapfactor Navigator app from Google play. Once you get used to it it really is very good. The benefit that I see with it is that the maps are updated real-time unlike the Garmin which needs an overnight update from a PC. Navigator has taken us all over Europe with few problems. Not bad for a freebie?! We use it on an old Samsung S3 phone no SIM needed.
Jeremy

 

[Clunegapyears]

Copilot on refurbished large android tablet so we can see it! Can set up for parameters for different vehicles. And what info to show on the screen like speed, distance eta.
But none are foolproof .. copilot just tried to take us on a motorway in Central Greece that isn't open yet! Always have another going at the same time, usually maps.me, but they've started charging to download more than a few maps.

 

[Jenrai]

I use the Garmin Camper 760, after 5 years still works perfectly. If you dont want to spend £300+ then one of our members uses the Navpal for £80 from Amazon, with lifetime updates. Navpal

 

[cheyenne]

I just dropped my Aguri one time too many and it has died. Just ordered a new Aguri with built in dash cam but this time gone for the 5” rather than the 7” screen.

Yes, I am the only person who actually likes the Aguri satnav

another thumbs up for aguri but they all have quirks built in our spare is a garmin just incase .cheyenne

 

[Rumour]

We have had two of the cheap Chinese sat navs. Both have died, both mid trip! Looking of fakebook, there are lots of pages for sorting problems, the same with the Chinese heaters! Lots of help pages is not a good thing. Anyhoo, we decided to buy the Garmin 770 Camper. Has worked very well for us. I prefer standalone to apps, although some love them. Having said that, I do have google maps running alongside the Garmin, I don't really know why!

 

[Okta]

Anyone got any recommendations for a Sat Nav that can take the vehicle size and map an appropriate route avoiding hazards like weight limits and very narrow B roads etc ?

Sat Navs with vehicle size might be able to pick up official weight, height and width limits but I can‘t see how any of them can pick up narrow B roads because the maps simply don’t include this information. Some versions of Co-Pilot allow you to specify speeds for different road types but this still does not distinguish between narrow B roads and wider B roads. Satellite views and Google Street Scene are far better for checking out how drivable a roads is. I can think of several West Country A roads and many B roads that have no width limits but have to be driven very carefully because they are very narrow. The A, B and unclassified classifications have nothing to do with width, they denote the strategic importance of where the road is going from/to.

 

[TJBi]

Copilot on refurbished large android tablet so we can see it! Can set up for parameters for different vehicles. And what info to show on the screen like speed, distance eta.
But none are foolproof .. copilot just tried to take us on a motorway in Central Greece that isn't open yet! Always have another going at the same time, usually maps.me, but they've started charging to download more than a few maps.

Junk maps.me and use Organic Maps

 

[TJBi]

I have been trying copilot on my phone since I bust my satnav, was going to see about just using phone but I just don’t like it. Can’t complain much at the price but just didn’t do it for me. It’s probably me not used to how it works but no gps speed clinched it. Not tried Sygic

I have Copilot running on an Android head unit and it is possible to display speed, but it is not exactly prominent. I have downloaded another app that superimposes the speed more prominently on the Copilot window.

 

[GeoffL]

Copilot on refurbished large android tablet so we can see it! Can set up for parameters for different vehicles. And what info to show on the screen like speed, distance eta.
But none are foolproof .. copilot just tried to take us on a motorway in Central Greece that isn't open yet! Always have another going at the same time, usually maps.me, but they've started charging to download more than a few maps.

Another vote for Copilot. I use mine on my mobile phone and have set it up for my moho (7.5m x 2.5m x 3.1m x 3.85t) and it seems to take account of restrictions. However, it isn't foolproof and has tried sending me down too narrow roads that don't have posted width limits, down roads with low tree branches, etc. I got mine when you paid a single 'for life' fee that included all of UK and Europe but understand that Copilot is subscription based @ £25.99 / year so maybe now overpriced?!

 

[RAW]

Thanks for all the replies, big windscreen so I think 7 inch will be good for us. Can't fit a head unit in the dash without a hell of a lot of work as not built for head units (old) I use CoPilot at work, although had issues with it thinking footpaths are roads !!

Will do a bit more research. Thanks again.

 

[motormad]

I have been using a TomTom Go Professional (for Truckers) for many years with our m/home, and have not yet been routed down a road I couldn't use, albeit I have opted not to follow the suggested route a couple of times. Running Google maps alongside often results in a difference of opinion, and I would choose the TT route every time.
The Professional has map updates, speed cameras, and traffic for life with built in SIM card (although I now us the VanFi as the traffic updates are more timely)

 

[Okta]

The first things I check when I think a route may include some narrow bits of road are the Satellite View and Google Street Scene. If there is a white line down the middle of the road it generally means there is at least 2.75 metres on both sides of it. Where there is no white line two wider vehicles are unlikely to be able to pass. Not 100% certain because trees and hedges grow but certainly more reliable than thinking the maps know how wide a roads is. It is well worth a few minutes checking out your route before setting off.

 

[GMJ]

Another user of the Garmin 760lmt-d camper version here. Ticks all the boxes OP.