Traveling with two GPS's

I know, I know. I'm an addict. I admit it.

I have 4 gps's, but have only traveled with two at a time. One dash unit (Nuvi) and one handheld (g-12).

Take a paper map with you for a third backup, so much cheaper and smaller than a third GPS. Even if you don't take one then you could buy one once both GPSs broke.

Are you a GPS geek-- or what! OK, I travel with my 680, my old Eagle Explorer, and my laptop with Microsoft Streets and Trips with a GPS antenna! Can't have to many GPS devices-- gotta be prepared! LOL

I got it! If both my routing GPS's broke, I could cruise into the nearest Walmart and buy a new one.

Yeah, that's what I could do.

But, man, without my Walmart POI, how in the world would I ever find a Walmart.

I'd be lost!

>>take a paper map

Get thee behind me, mmullins.

Do you want to be banished from this website??????

Pure heresy, telling a fellow GPS'er to take a paper map.

We don't need no stinkin' paper map! We got Garmins!

Having 3 GPS units is nice, bought one on black Friday the Nav 740 for $99.00 regular $299.00 as my spare, lord knows you don't want to get off the beaten track or you just might get beaten. Providing I forgot my gun - Not!!!!!! All kidding aside I think were all addicted to this site and our GPS'S no matter how many we own..

I carry a NUVI and my phone has Garmin Mobile XT as a backup, so that's all I need. the chances of both dying at once are slim, and all I have to do is find a Wal-Mart, which is easy if I lose them both.

2 is my Limit, unless I'm Geocaching, and I bring my Garmin 60CSX with me as well.

Fluxuated>>find a Wal-Mart, which is easy.

Ah yeah, if I can look it up in my walmart-us.cvs poi file ...

But if both of my GPS's are broken, I repeat, I'd be forced to stop at a gas station and ask directions.

And you know how much I hate to stop and ask directions. I mean, that's so last century (kinda like asking your significant other to look something up in a map)!

Why not just memorize them all then?

In the early days of space flight they used several engineers making simultaneous calculations as a backup. If everyone has the same independent result, it's fairly certain to be correct. Imagine having to have 2 people look at the map and decide a route.

I have my new Garmin (Nuvi) and I also carry my Magellan Meridian. I'm not at all ashamed to admit my "third engineer" is a road atlas. Sometimes I use the book just for practice. The Nuvi is MUCH easier to use. My wife and 4 year old have no trouble navigating with it. With the Magellan, I'm alone in being able to use it without "phone support". Of course, I'm the phone support.

amidst your 6 belts and 14 pairs of suspenders

If my GPS goes down I will just have to stop, look for moss on the North side of trees and go from there

Ted

On trips I carry my nüvi 760 and also my GPSMAP 76CSx. Both have the 2009 maps and do routing. The 76CSx gives beeps and trills for turn directions (it has multiple sounds to choose from). Often I do geocaching while traveling to break up the drive and get me out of the car once in a while. The 76CSx is used for the final find and the 760 has the caches loaded too using the macro that was written for GSAK for these units. It has the complete cache info on it which is extremely handy.

If one unit should (I don't even want to think about it!) quit on me I always have my trip route in the other one so I can just use it. I made quite a few multi-state trips with the 76CSx before I got the nüvi and it always served me well. I just got the 760 when I changed jobs and ended up with 24 offices to support covering the northern third of California.

While I haven’t really worried about my 200W conking out on me, it is true that I might be SOL since I travel to many unfamiliar places without even a paper (folding map) backup with me. If I do start contemplating such an issue however, I might be in luck just due to sheer luck. I also have a MIO Knight Rider unit. The Garmin with Navteq and MIO with TeleAtlas, as I recall.

Consequently, even considering that the overall reliability of such a parallel system would still be only say 0.99 x 0.99 = 0.9801 (theoretically the same whether 2 Garmins or 2 MIOs or mixed), I feel more comfortable that having a system from different manufacturers at least helps in case a problem is systemic from a single manufacturer alone.

Besides, I can’t imagine KITT ever letting me down, even though it doesn’t have turbo-boost. Only one problem with my solution however: I don’t really travel with both units.

Wow.....no wonder so many people like prison break with the map/tattoos...

I carry 2 with me as a normal practice. Been thinking about going to 3 - but - guess I'll wait and see what's new in the coming months.

(This thread is hilarious... )

So I have to 'confess'..

Hello..my name is DooD..and I'm a GPS addict.

Ok.. I admit, I'll carry both my 350 and 660 along for a big trip.

Yet.. I suppose it was influenced by the fact that on one trip coming home from a car show my 660's audio died. Granted, it was still mapping, but the thought of losing it completely made me always think about bringing a 'backup'.

No..your not alone.

I must confess that I have a map book behind my seat everywhere I go. Google maps on my phone can be useless when not in data territory.

Someone mentioned Garmin Mobile, does that work well? Just curious if I need to buy another toy.

I love my (1) automotive GPSr and think the technology is amazing.

That being said and although some of you guys think it may be sacrilege, I think carrying paper maps is still a good idea. You can easily see paper maps and see other routes you may want to take. On longer trips you can see roads and towns that are off the beaten path you might want to try.

It's kind of a paradox though. On a long trip it may be difficult to find and carry detailed street maps of everything along your route. These maps being expensive and difficult to obtain may be a very good reason for getting a GPSr in the first place!

I may get a cheap one some day for backup.

my July trip to France. Gave me a very warm and toasty feeling knowing I had a back-up Garmin! No, there is nothing weird about what you did/do. If doing that makes you feel more secure, as it does me, have at it, I do!!

Keep a paper map in the Glove box, as you get more experience you will understand that.

I have used two, but one Garmin and one TomTom, to compare their choices of routing. It's interesting to follow one and let the other go nuts with "recalculating"

Ok, here's a question for all of you guys and gals who travel with multiple GPS's. Do you leave the more expensive GPS under the driver's seat or passenger seat??

I realize in a perfect world we always remove our GPS from the car, but in reality there are times we just stash them under our seat. So I'm curious if you give any thought as to which one goes under which seat.

I'm thinking that if your car does get broken into the thief will most likely look under the driver's seat first. And if he finds a GPS he will then bolt. So the second GPS might be spared.

Thoughts?!?

Ohhh, Gadgetguy, I like that idea! A sacrificial GPS to trick the bad guys.
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Hey, you may have stumbled on a marketing idea for broken, non-functioning GPS's (Garmin you listening?)

Yeah, leave a "dummy" broken GPS on the windshield or dash ... and stash your expensive widescreen TTS under the seat ... so when the "smash and grab" bad guys break in, they'd grab the broken GPS off the dash and skedaddle.

And as time when on, the crooks would quit breaking into cars, telling fellow crooks that they've stolen a rash of broken, worthless GPS's.

But, in answer to your question ... I keep my old Garmin I5 stashed in the back of my truck and usually take my 260W with me when I leave the vehicle. Keeping my "back-up" GPS in the truck at all times assures that I'll have the back-up on the road, should I need it.

BobDee>>as you get more experience, you will understand

Well, I've been married for 37 years, driving longer than that, and using GPS's since serial connections ... but I gotta tell you, I refuse to grow up (or lose my sense of humor).

Hey, maybe we can develop a POI file for NeverNeverLand? You won't find that on any paper map!

I use two GPS when traveling in the mh. One laptop with M&S and my 660. It is also fun to watch the two to see which will tell you to turn first and how far the next turn is. I also like to compare the milage and speed with them.