Anyone bought a Garmin lately?

[geekette]

You could get a cheap 6 inch + smart phone with a pay for minute plan. The GPS would still work even if you ran out of minutes. The screen would be about the same size. It could likely be voice activated . For another $15 you could get a magnetic phone holder for the car. I think this would be a better set up because you could use free wifi to use the internet to plan your route with the phone.

Bill

I don’t think he wants another phone.

 

[geekette]

Sorry, did you say what the intended use is?
My mom mentioned something about a navigation system for her car a few years ago. Naw, at her age, if she doesn't know where she is going, she doesn't need to go.

He wants to be able to travel by car and find best routes, restaurants, hotels. Helene removed many road options so real time directions matter, also I-26 continues to extend. This is not a computer user, can type things in but dyslexia makes that hard, so voice activation helps greatly. He’s been in my car where I could push a button to make requests by voice, wants that for himself. Likes the big display of which lane to be in for interstate exits or two left turn lanes, etc. it’s not in his cars (older, no display console), not with his phone, so gps gadget seems to be best option. He’s not a gadget guy and asked me to help. I know I chose Garmin years ago for reasons I can’t recall, so wanted to stick with that brand. We have plans to visit a Best Buy or similar so he could try it out himself. We’re in the stix, will build that visit in with trip to the city in a week or so.

 

[dioxide45]

He wants to be able to travel by car and find best routes, restaurants, hotels. Helene removed many road options so real time directions matter, also I-26 continues to extend. This is not a computer user, can type things in but dyslexia makes that hard, so voice activation helps greatly. He’s been in my car where I could push a button to make requests by voice, wants that for himself. Likes the big display of which lane to be in for interstate exits or two left turn lanes, etc. it’s not in his cars (older, no display console), not with his phone, so gps gadget seems to be best option. He’s not a gadget guy and asked me to help. I know I chose Garmin years ago for reasons I can’t recall, so wanted to stick with that brand. We have plans to visit a Best Buy or similar so he could try it out himself. We’re in the stix, will build that visit in with trip to the city in a week or so.

A stand alone Garmin GPS sounds like it would be perfect. I would suggest perhaps getting a mount where you can sit it on the dash vs mounting it to the windshield. We have one of the beanbag kinda mounts that works well. Then you can just lift if off the dash if you need to.

 

[Brett]

He wants to be able to travel by car and find best routes, restaurants, hotels. Helene removed many road options so real time directions matter, also I-26 continues to extend. This is not a computer user, can type things in but dyslexia makes that hard, so voice activation helps greatly. He’s been in my car where I could push a button to make requests by voice, wants that for himself. Likes the big display of which lane to be in for interstate exits or two left turn lanes, etc. it’s not in his cars (older, no display console), not with his phone, so gps gadget seems to be best option. He’s not a gadget guy and asked me to help. I know I chose Garmin years ago for reasons I can’t recall, so wanted to stick with that brand. We have plans to visit a Best Buy or similar so he could try it out himself. We’re in the stix, will build that visit in with trip to the city in a week or so.

Yes, get the Garmin. And update the maps on the Garmin website

 

[easyrider]

. Likes the big display of which lane to be in for interstate exits or two left turn lanes, etc. it’s not in his cars (older, no display console), not with his phone, so gps gadget seems to be best option

Yup, I remember using our 7 inch Garmin and having it show the lanes, signs and sometimes landmarks. I think it worked better than the Android Auto connected to our phone that we use in our vehicles. My phone GPS has taken us off course a few times. I'm not sure why it does this when it's happening. It could be traffic, wrecks or other reasons.

Bill

 

[Cornell]

I still pack a five year old Garmin when I fly and rent a car. I like the bigger screen as opposed to my smartphone and the fact that I can easily mount it on the top of the dashboard. The biggest drawback is that it does not keep up with local conditions nearly as well as Google maps, Toyota connect, or anything on my smart phone. (It does keep up a bit with local traffic conditions, but not as well as the others.)

Don’t most rental cars have CarPlay (or the Android equivalent)?

 

[emeryjre]

I still pack a five year old Garmin when I fly and rent a car. I like the bigger screen as opposed to my smartphone and the fact that I can easily mount it on the top of the dashboard. The biggest drawback is that it does not keep up with local conditions nearly as well as Google maps, Toyota connect, or anything on my smart phone. (It does keep up a bit with local traffic conditions, but not as well as the others.)

Did your Garmin come with lifetime map updates
Wondering if your maps are updated every year
My last Garmin aged out and I never replaced it

 

[silentg]

I call seari

 

[easyrider]

Don’t most rental cars have CarPlay (or the Android equivalent)?

Almost every rental car we have used recently does.

Bill

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

I saw a Garmin tombstone a few years ago. It was right next to one that said "Blackberry".

 

[easyrider]

Did your Garmin come with lifetime map updates

I have a Garmin Trail that is more for off road than on road. It has lifetime maps and other features. I also have the onX trail app on my phone that actually works better because it can show private land boundaries, wilderness boundaries , BLM and Federal. I last used this app in Moab on our recent Jeep adventure.

For me, it's an app over a regular GPS unit.

Bill

 

[jp10558]

He wants to be able to travel by car and find best routes, restaurants, hotels. Helene removed many road options so real time directions matter, also I-26 continues to extend. This is not a computer user, can type things in but dyslexia makes that hard, so voice activation helps greatly. He’s been in my car where I could push a button to make requests by voice, wants that for himself. Likes the big display of which lane to be in for interstate exits or two left turn lanes, etc. it’s not in his cars (older, no display console), not with his phone, so gps gadget seems to be best option. He’s not a gadget guy and asked me to help. I know I chose Garmin years ago for reasons I can’t recall, so wanted to stick with that brand. We have plans to visit a Best Buy or similar so he could try it out himself. We’re in the stix, will build that visit in with trip to the city in a week or so.

As long as he doesn't need it to get him to the exact plaza at the end of the route, and is OK with following detours by sign and ignoring the GPS when it doesn't know roads are closed till he gets back to the working main road, then the Garmin will work well. But it's likely Garmins won't have temporary road closures in there unless he's hooking it up to a computer to update it regularly. Otherwise it's got a fixed set of maps like a paper map that was printed and fixed. He'll also want to use actual street addresses as time goes on rather than the often out of date or wrong POIs (name searches) in the Garmin.

It's voice controls are also likely to be sub par compared to any phone based system. The stand alone voice control stuff I gave up on long ago because it was an excercise in frustration, but maybe the Garmin's are better. I'd usually just touch type into it. From what I can tell, you need to assume a technology level of circa 2012 in the Garmins - it's like they froze in time there. So if you're comparing to modern smartphone apps you'll be frankly shocked how bad and out of date the Garmin appears.

I still like mine and have reasons for it, but I also expect it to work "like it's 2012".

 

[Cornell]

I saw a Garmin tombstone a few years ago. It was right next to one that said "Blackberry".

“preceded in death by his wife Ms Palm Pilot”

 

[dioxide45]

Garmin does have traffic updates if the device has a T in the name. Like LMT stands for lifetime maps and traffic. In order to use the traffic you need to connect it to a smartphone or buy one of the special power cords that includes the antenna capable of receiving the FM signal. The main issue with traffic updates, which does include road closures, is that it only works in major cities and along major highways.

 

[clifffaith]

Garmin does have traffic updates if the device has a T in the name. Like LMT stands for lifetime maps and traffic. In order to use the traffic you need to connect it to a smartphone or buy one of the special power cords that includes the antenna capable of receiving the FM signal. The main issue with traffic updates, which does include road closures, is that it only works in major cities and along major highways.

We just plug our old Garmin into the car power outlet with the cord it came with and it gives us road closures and traffic conditions. Don’t think anything special is needed??

 

[dioxide45]

We just plug our old Garmin into the car power outlet with the cord it came with and it gives us road closures and traffic conditions. Don’t think anything special is needed??

Does your power cord have a rectangular box somewhere along the wire? If so, your Garmin was sold with the cord that includes the antenna. The Garmin we bought didn't come with that and we had to buy a cord that is made so the GPS can receive traffic updates.

It's also possible that they've integrated the antenna into the GPS now. Our Garmin first came out in 2014.

 

[Brett]

I have a Garmin Trail that is more for off road than on road. It has lifetime maps and other features. I also have the onX trail app on my phone that actually works better because it can show private land boundaries, wilderness boundaries , BLM and Federal. I last used this app in Moab on our recent Jeep adventure.

For me, it's an app over a regular GPS unit.

Bill

me 2
But this guy had a Garmin GPS that saved his life last week at Arches National Park - quicksand !
https://natlpark.com/2025/12/hiker-...ee-deep-in-quicksand-at-arches-national-park/

 

[rickandcindy23]

My dad needs one of these. He got lost on the way to my sister's house last night. She lives in the country, and he and his wife called me to get directions. I gave them good directions. They still got lost, according to my other sister. She said, "Poor dad got lost." He's 90. It happens. He doesn't use his phone at all.

So far, no one has voted to take away the car. He doesn't have dementia. It's my stepdad with dementia. This is the father with a very common name (like John Smith common) that I just found September of 2024 because of a 23 and Me DNA test that matched to a niece that also had the test.

 

[clifffaith]

Does your power cord have a rectangular box somewhere along the wire? If so, your Garmin was sold with the cord that includes the antenna. The Garmin we bought didn't come with that and we had to buy a cord that is made so the GPS can receive traffic updates.

It's also possible that they've integrated the antenna into the GPS now. Our Garmin first came out in 2014.

No box on the wire.

 

[clifffaith]

My dad needs one of these. He got lost on the way to my sister's house last night. She lives in the country, and he and his wife called me to get directions. I gave them good directions. They still got lost, according to my other sister. She said, "Poor dad got lost." He's 90. It happens. He doesn't use his phone at all.

So far, no one has voted to take away the car. He doesn't have dementia. It's my stepdad with dementia. This is the father with a very common name (like John Smith common) that I just found September of 2024 because of a 23 and Me DNA test that matched to a niece that also had the test.

Cliff thinks that because he can still drive well (surface streets only), he doesn’t have a dementia/memory issue. TV was on most of yesterday and we had discussions about world and closer to home events. Today he was hearing all that for the first time.

 

[dioxide45]

No box on the wire.

What Garmin model do you have?

 

[Snazzylass]

me 2
But this guy had a Garmin GPS that saved his life last week at Arches National Park - quicksand !
https://natlpark.com/2025/12/hiker-...ee-deep-in-quicksand-at-arches-national-park/

I don't think the article specified but I'm guessing he was using a Garmin Inreach Mini 2. There are other brands with similar features. I have one and have used it for over 3 years. I love it! It looks like a tiny walkie-talkie which clips onto your pack. The antenna wants a clear shot to the sky. It connects to a satellite.
Lots of hikers use their phones but there are so many places without cell coverage.
This has an app for your phone, the Explorer and brings up the trails, etc. There are larger models with a screen large enough for the map but this one suits my needs and has saved many a hiker. Great product!
There is a subscription service for the SOS and maybe to message your family for through-hikers. It has tons more features than the simple map which I use. I didn't use All Trails at all this year because I was familiar with the hikes where I went that I just pulled up the map on the Explorer app.

By the way, crazy about the quicksand, eh? As a child who watched many a cartoon, this was one of my biggest fears in life. I've yet to come across any.

 

[Brett]

I don't think the article specified but I'm guessing he was using a Garmin Inreach Mini 2. There are other brands with similar features. I have one and have used it for over 3 years. I love it! It looks like a tiny walkie-talkie which clips onto your pack. The antenna wants a clear shot to the sky. It connects to a satellite.
Lots of hikers use their phones but there are so many places without cell coverage.
This has an app for your phone, the Explorer and brings up the trails, etc. There are larger models with a screen large enough for the map but this one suits my needs and has saved many a hiker. Great product!
There is a subscription service for the SOS and maybe to message your family for through-hikers. It has tons more features than the simple map which I use. I didn't use All Trails at all this year because I was familiar with the hikes where I went that I just pulled up the map on the Explorer app.

By the way, crazy about the quicksand, eh? As a child who watched many a cartoon, this was one of my biggest fears in life. I've yet to come across any.

Yes, a Garmin Inreach Mini, very useful in remote locations without cell phone coverage. My quicksand fear is based on an old movie - 1962 "Lawrence of Arabia".
I've never encountered quicksand but I have seen warning signs for it on hiking trails in New Mexico

 

[easyrider]

me 2
But this guy had a Garmin GPS that saved his life last week at Arches National Park - quicksand !
https://natlpark.com/2025/12/hiker-...ee-deep-in-quicksand-at-arches-national-park/

I have an older Garmin hiking GPS. I used it for snowmobiling and mountain climbing. It was useful in a snowstorm with a sled down. We were able to ride double on one sled to a remote snow cabin and wait for friends to help. Another time was the decent off Mt Hood where it came in handy to stay on the trail when clouds came in and there was no visibility. Well forth the money, imo.

Do you use one with your bike ?

Bill

 

[clifffaith]

What Garmin model do you have?

Garmin Nuvi