Garmin "Bean Bag" Mount

If you are talking about the Garmin bean bag that is a great deal. see below....I would not go with any knock offs...

http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-010-10908-00-Portable-Friction-...

It's a great item. I don't mess around with the windshield mounts

Count me in as well. The Garmin Bean Bag mount is what you need. It's worked with all my Nuvi's and for 19.99 you can't beat the price.

Everyone has great reviews about it but I doubt if I will shell out another 20 bucks now for the mount itself..

Agree - this is the best mount and I've been extremely happy with it for a number of years. When I upgraded from my 2720 to 855, the connection between the mount and the GPS was different. Called Garmin and they sent me a free plastic piece so I would not have to buy a new bean bag mount.

The bean bags are terrific; only crazy people use the windshield mount since it's just begging for your car to be broken into.

...and begging for the unit to be broken after numerous suction failures send it bouncing off the dashboard onto the floor....with the wires attached! BTDT...no more. I love the beanbag.

bean bag mount is all i ever use. good stuff.

That's a good price -- I love mine, I'd highly recommend.

--They are MORE than worth the 20 bucks... and are usually somewhere around two to three times that cost range!

AND... rigel (above) said:

-great mount-

Agree - this is the best mount and I've been extremely happy with it for a number of years. When I upgraded from my 2720 to 855, the connection between the mount and the GPS was different. Called Garmin and they sent me a free plastic piece so I would not have to buy a new bean bag mount.

I received a free one with my C550 two years ago. I didn't expect it but immediately used it instead of the suction cup. I never looked back. Only within the past year did I switch to a vent mount in my primary vehicle. I keep the beanbag for rentals and other family vehicles.

I got one last year when we planned our trip to Fla. from Arizona it works great and well worth the $20 .. Have had it over a year now and will never go back to the windshield mount.

I got our bean bag from Radio Shack for $14.90, check their web site. I went to the store and got mine

Just got my hands on one a couple of weeks ago. Way better than a windshield mount. I can also put it on my console out of the sun and still see the screen well. Great product!

I am on another trip for work and using my beanbag now. It is wonderful for those that travel a lot and need to move your garmin from one rental car to another.

I used to use a windshield mount for my older handheld GPS units...I don't know how many times they fell off the window...not a safe thing.

Bought my beanbag with the 780 and never looked back...a perfect way to use the Nuvi.

Very nice, thanks for the notice!

As well, http://slickdeals.net/slickfillers/ is pretty neat

I love my beanbag!

Beanbaged since day one...

Hah ha, you should have read the directions on how to use one. because it's just as easy to look to the car and see the bean bag that just doesn't fit under the seat or in the glovebox. keep the name calling to a kids forum.

I started out with the windshield mount then found the bean bag on sale at best buy, I do prefer it over the suction cup. BUT I do have one issue with the bean bag,
In on vehicle it will slide all over the place when going around corners.
anyone have any ideas on how to help with this situation?

My old Streetpilot used a beanbag mount. I liked it and it worked great for awhile. It was usually pretty stable, but after many months it started to slide more. Not sure what happened. It may have worn over time and the material lost some of its grip. Once that started happening I put some sticky backed velcro strips (I think I used the grabby side, not the fuzzy side) on the dash to add more grip. Unfortunately, I think I had lost faith in it and never really trusted it completely again. My last GPS and now my 765 both use the windshield mount. I prefer that if it will hold. Of course, that's the question.

Edit: Sorry, I didn't completely describe my use of the velcro. In regard to using the velcro I put the grabby side on the dash and the fuzzy side on the bottom of the beanbag. That held pretty well, but I'm sure is not recommended if it is functioning as it should. As I said, I didn't use anything until I started having sliding problems.

The BB has a "sticky" rubber bottom that needs to be wiped off every now and then. If the dash is slick from things like Armor-All or other chemicals, it would probably not hold as well either. In 3 years I have only had a couple of problems with it sliding. One was on a dust covered smooth metal dash and a couple on plastic dashes that had just been coated with Armor-All.

I have both the Garmin bean bag mount and this other Garmin friction mount: http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-Portable-Friction-Mount-NEW/dp/...

I started with the bean bag mount and had no problems with it; but, wanted a mount with a smaller footprint.

I switched to the newer friction mount so that I can place the GPS on the center console instead of on top of the dash. This way, most people don't see that I have a GPS if they happen to want to steal one.

Yup, this is the best!

My 3 year suction mount starting falling off on our last trip two weeks ago. I removed the rubber suction cup then I cut some plastic and used my jewelry glue to put it in place of the suction part. Put industrial velcro to it and the plate it goes on. Works great. All I spent was $4.95 for the velcro.

It may make a difference that I don'y use the windshield. I have it mounted on the drink tray inbetween the two front seats of our mini-van.

Thanks,
I will wipe it down and see what happens!

I actually picked up the bean bag mount for $15 about a year and half ago at my local Best Buy store during an awesome sale soon after I bought my Nuvi. I read such positive reviews about the bean bag mount that I've never even tried the dash mount that came with the GPS. Some people complain that it is bulky, but if I disconnect the arm from the base, both pieces fit nicely into the storage compartment on my car door.

I switched a couple of months ago to the Garmin bean bag mount with a 1490T. Due to the heavier weight of the unit, I thought it would just fly off the dash. Nope, hasn't yet.

I bought the bean bag and I'm pleasantly-surprised that it doesn't slip off of the dash board. Can't beat it for a all-around mount and it's ideal for its convenience and portability.

The bean bag mounts are also neccessary if your traveling or goinjg through california as windsheild mounts are illegal there

Have never used anything other than the Garmin Bean Bag....works great and never slips around. Also works great with the new 1490T.

This mount has been around longer than the new one that conforms to the shape of the surface. From what I've seen, the beanbag mounts have fewer negative reviews than the newer type, but they should work well when they're new.

What's missing from the positive recommendations for the beanbag mount are useful basics such as:

1) How long the mount has been in use
2) Under what conditions (summer heat / winter cold / dirty, dusty, etc.) in storage and in use
3) Amount of care taken to keep the bottom clean and "grabby"
4) How often the mount is used and how long it sits on the dash

So who has been using (abusing?) one of these beanbags the longest, and what do you do to keep it working enough like a new one to continue liking it?

For me the answers are:

1. 3 years

2. Approximately 25000 miles in all seasons and weather conditions and it's never moved from where I place it.

3. None what so ever. It doesn't need any. It really isn't "grabby" anyway as it's the weight that keeps it in place.

4. When it sits on the dash it IS in use. Not a lot of point in having it on the dash without the GPS installed in it. Better to put it out of site if your not going to use it.

I'd put my beanbag up against a new one and I suspect you couldn't tell the difference between the two. I'm not sure what you could do to one of these, other than take the weights out of them, to make it not work like the day it was purchased.

well not completely!

bean bag is the only way to go

I got the Arkon Sun Visor Mount two years ago for my Nuvi 260 and have been very happy with it. Others who have seen it in use have bought it too.

I thought I might have to go to a bean bag when I got my 1490T, but the visor mount works just as well as it did with the smaller, lighter unit.

Ir works great in the three cars we've owned in that time, fits every rental car we've used and takes up NO space when we fly.

Still no need for a bean bag for me.

http://www.arkon.com/sun_visor_mount.php

I am glad you are happy with your sun visor mount. After looking at how you have to mount it I will stick with my bean bag....you would always have to run it on battery as the cord would look stupid hanging down and would interfere with the air bag. Besides that would really be taking your eyes off the road if you wanted to look at it....

No more so than checking you instrument cluster, side mirrors and especially you rear view mirror. It is in fact directly next to the rear view mirror.

You supposed to check all of those continually when you drive, not just stare out the windshield.

I only glance at the GPS when I need to while in motion and listen to the prompts. Being on the dash in my line of sight would probably be more distracting.

For me the Sun Visor mount makes much more sense than any other method.

To each his or her own.

You mean you run the Nuvi on battery or do you really have the power cord hanging down in front of your windshield all the time?

Sorry not for me.

Most of my trips are less than an hour, so the battery can handle it more than well enough.

If it is plugged in for traffic, the cord is well off to the right and is in front of the right side windshield pillar. In effect, does not take up any of my field of view.

As I mentioned, I prefer this mount better than any other I've seen. Use what you like and I'll do the same, but the bean bag is not the best mount for "everyone".

Bean Bag mount is the only mount I use now.. I have never had a problem with them.

I happened to get one of those random, very thorough carry-on bag checks at airport security yesterday (besides the full body scan), and when the inspector, actually a very pleasant fellow, got to my Garmin bean bag mount, he massaged each of the four wings very carefully to make sure there wasn't anything hidden in there. I was thinking "oh no", but it turns out it did the mount good. It is now very supple and conforms to my uneven dash even better than before! Does anyone know what those "beans" are made of? They don't seem to be a problem going through the X-ray station.

My surmise is they are either lead or steel shot like in shotgun shells. Probably steel as the use of lead is frowned upon.

For us that are, uh, "old" enough to require gradient eyeglass lenses, visor mounts don't work very well because the top of the lens is for distance vision, and at least for me the GPSr screen above eye level on a visor winds up looking like a blurry blob. But I do agree, whatever works best for a person is best.

I have never had any problem with my bean bag, over the last few years.

-Works awsome-

Same here!

Works great!

LOL sounds kind of kinky!!!

First off I can't believe anyone would "upgrade" from a 2720 It's a great unit and I still use mine on a daily basis.

Wife and I both have the BB mount for our units. Way too convenient to consider anything else.