What type of Sat. Nav. ?

Having just changed from a VW California, a very much go anywhere camper van, to a fantastic Nuevo ES, I am a little nervous about the width vs. narrow roads etc. Do any of you guys recommend a 'motor home friendly' sat. nav. or do you think that with a bit more confidence I should stick with my original Tom Tom ? ( Thinking of place like Cornwall, Lakes etc. )

If its weights,height and width then you could do worse than the Snooper Venturas'

I guess this is a personal thing, but I have travelled all over the south west in a Neuvo having been used to small van conversion in the past, and never found the need for a Sat Nav. The most important thing is to be aware of the height and width of the vehicle at all times. The other thing you will notice is that the sides of the Neovo are vertical, unlike your california whose sides curve away from the danger areas (e.g bushes, trees).

See how you go

John

Wife

Ernie

I use Tomtoms in all my vehicles including my Nuevo EK. I did install a truck map in the Tomtom where you can put in your vehicle dimensions and then it should in theory not send you down any unsuitable roads but in practice it still did. I have since reverted to the standard non truck navcore and use a bit of common sense by using a map as well and my eyes so if it looks narrow do not go down!
I changed from a Ford Transit van conversion to my Nuevo and did worry about the width but I soon got used to it and the only thing you have to be careful with are the mirrors which do stick out a fair way but give you excellent vision.
The roads in Cornwall can be quite narrow and not suitable for the Nuevo but all the main roads are fine.

When you say sat nav do you mean a sn where you put your dimensions in so that it re routes you round narrow roads etc?

We had the same concerns in the Lake District. Spent a week driving around on a and b roads no problem. Went up and down narrow roads met cars etc and again no problems. A litle bit of reversing and all was ok.

skyrakes wrote:When you say sat nav do you mean a sn where you put your dimensions in so that it re routes you round narrow roads etc?

We had the same concerns in the Lake District. Spent a week driving around on a and b roads no problem. Went up and down narrow roads met cars etc and again no problems. A litle bit of reversing and all was ok.

Hi sky rakes-yes that is correct. It is the Tomtom truck map but it needs a different navcore to operate the truck capabilities so that you can put your dimensions in but quite honestly I would not bother as it is not 100% reliable and can still send you down unsuitable roads.

Hi JHT,

Have a peek at this ..... https://www.autosleeper-ownersforum.com/t4034-garmin-nuvi-2595-lmt#30971

Might help .....

I never found my previous 'Lorry version’ very accurate !!

Brian

I use a pretty ordinary Garmin Nuvi and would not recommend using it on Cornwall/Devon roads, use a map and stick to 'A' roads. Two years ago we travelled from North Devon to South Devon using the sat nav and it took us down the narrowest of roads with mirrors touching the hedges for seven miles, thank God we never met another vehicle. The OH was having kittens and vowed never to trust the sat nav again. So she sits there with a map on her lap and checks routes out first. Whether a model that takes length, wide etc into account works I couldn't say but I can't justify the expense.

Hi there,

I agree on the Garmin Nuvi and narrow roads. On mine, the problem seems to be at the end of long "Fastest Route" journeys when it takes me to within about 10 or 15 miles of a place via motorways and "A" roads; but then switches to "Shortest Route" and uses virtually any paved track!

Since a horrendous fifteen miles crawling around forestry roads in Clackmannanshire earlier this year I have taken to zooming in on the map to check out the last few miles. If it looks like I am being directed on to "B" roads too early, or unnecessarily, I work out which way I would prefer to go, hit the screen at a suitable location, add it as a "Via" point and re-check the route.

As the man who was falling past the fifteenth storey of a thirty storey building was heard to say "So far so good!"

Best regards,

Ian

Unless you are driving a truck with a 44ft trailer the dedicated sat navs are a waste of money ....IMO. If you are using CL's or wild camping the last mile or 2 is probably going to be down a narrow road and into a field through a small gateway. Bearing in mind that in the countryside you will encounter buses, milk tankers, oil tankers, bulk feed lorries, tractors, royal mail van etc all of which are bigger than you... be prepared to back up sometimes and always remember the last turning place you saw when you drive down a lane - and if your mirrors go through the van will follow. The roads to avoid are those you are prohibited from by either height - measure your van yourself, width or weight - which you should know anyway, even the most expensive sat navs cannot be guaranteed to be up to date with every road in the country. A standard sat nav set to prioritise 'Main Roads' will do exactly that and only direct you to a minor road at the last moment, looking at a map you may not agree with the route but it arrives at this by using a mathematical calculation. I use a standard Garmin Nuvi and common sense.
The safest route is also the longest.
Rich..

Thanks to you all, common sense seems to be the bottom line or failing that, teach my wife to map read.............. nope, common sense !!

RML wrote:.............. the last mile or 2 is probably going to be down a narrow road and into a field through a small gateway.

Rich,

Hit your Sat Nav with the Post code AB33 8SA. This is where we lived for over ten years so we know all about narrow roads, tractors, sheep, cows and everything else that you find on a narrow country road with or without "Passing Places" and driving a motorhome with or without a trailer.

I'm afraid that it isn't quite as simple as you are making out as, in the case of the Nuvi, the GPS has pulled me off a main road FIFTEEN miles before it needed to have done. As a result, I have decided that the Nuvi's "mathematical calculation" assumes that I will travel at the road's speed limit when calculating "Fastest".

For example, assume that from a motorway turn-off the distance to a destination is 15 miles via a twisty, hilly and narrow "B" road or 19 miles via a straight and smooth "A" road:

o The fifteen miles on the "B" road at the 50mph maximum speed limit will theoretically take 18 minutes.

o The nineteen miles on the "A" road at the 60mph maximum speed limit will theoretically take 19 minutes.

Even though a motorhome will find it impossible to negotiate the "B" road at 50mph it is "mathematically" faster and the GPS will therefore choose it.

However, I do agree with the latest post about "common sense" which is why I now check the last miles of a route. (Actually, in a strange place, I also check the first few miles as well having been sent on similar "B" routes to get to a motorway!!)

Best regards,

Ian

PS Using the Nuvi on a cycle can also be a painful experience!! On quite a few occasions we have followed the "Shortest Route" up a long 15% hill, with the usual "S" bends, only to discover that the perfectly flat road that went around the base of the hill was only a few hundred metres longer!! Ah, the joys of modern technology!

Hi ian.
The way to prioritise Main Roads is in the Preferences settings of the SN where you may be able to set the maximum speed of the given roads. Using your calculation - by setting maximum speed on anything but A roads to a realistic 25mph or lower - route A would take at least 36 minutes, if when planning your route you then select Fastest it would favour route B to get you there quicker.
Rich..

Rich,

Unfortunately, the Garmin Nuvi 1340 doesn't have the features you describe.

If it did, believe me I would have been in there up to my elbows after the first screw-up!!

Best regards,

Ian