Best rental car mount?

Bean bag.

For rental cars I recommend either the friction mount which is the larger plastic "foot" where the ball mount folds down or the traditional Bean Bag. With the Bean Bag the post comes off so you have 4 pieces instead of 3 (mount, GPS & cord).

I happen to use the Bean Bag cause I've had it for longer than the friction mount has been available. (OBTW, the bean bag was the original friction mount.)

x2. I wasn't sold on the beanbag until another family member got one and I tried it for myself. I expected it would slide around the dashboard in spirited cornering, but it does a remarkable job of staying where you put it. It's worth the minor increase in size over the suction cup for the functionality and ease of use you gain.

I do not travel as much as I used to, probably on average about 1 trip a month. I have only had one rental the suction cup mount would not work in due to the curvature of the windshield. It has been a long reach to it in a couple others but I have long arms so that can work for me. I have a little bag with the suction cup mount, cradles for both of my nuvi types (760, 765t (one cradle) and 885 t), a add based traffic cord, and a remote microphone. I add a nuvi and I am good to go. I realize one of the other mounts might work better in some cars but I am not willing to carry the extra bulk/weight. Suction mount is good enough.

I like using the Arkon Visor Mount when renting cars. That usually occurs after a flight cross country, so size and weight are important.

http://tinyurl.com/3kfg5am

I travel occasionally and prefer a vent mount. It is light and the one I have will dis-assemble so it packs well. The vent mount gets the GPSr out of the windshield so placement regulations aren't an issue. The spacing between the "hooks" is adjustable and I haven't found a vent I couldn't attach to. The only drawback I've experienced is that in some cars it will block radio of other controls just below the vent.

http://goo.gl/2eXA9

I purchased the Garmin friction mount because I have to switch from my car to various company cars when I travel for work. Plus, I occasionally have to fly places and get rental cars. I wanted something that was easily transferable from car to car, light weight and low profile (in case I had to throw it in a suit case). The friction mount does the job well. It folds almost flat, its light weight and it doesn't move around the dash. The silicone bottom prevents it from sliding around. The base can be molded to fit the dash board.

Portable Friction Mount
010-11280-02

http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-010-11280-02-Friction-Mount/dp/...
or
https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?pID=69365

I second the recommendation of the Garmin friction mount. It will fit in most any car, stays put, packs flat, and is not too heavy. I have used one in my travels and have been pleased with its performance.

Not had any trouble with the 660's suction mount that came with the unit... I believe the traffic receiver is in there, or maybe the power plug....

Anyway, I've used this in Numerous Rental cars across the country, and it's worked good.

Bought this Mini friction mount just for this vacation because we were going to fly in and then rent a car and do love it. It packed just great inbetween my clothes and is much smaller than the large one. I do love it.

I bought it from Amazon earlier this year.

GAFM: Portable Mini Friction Mount for Garmin Nuvi

as long as it is not a permanent mount, it's good for the rental car.

I don't think Garmin had any particular vehicle in mind when they designed the mounts.

Give a try, pick a good one that fits you. And, that will be the best one.

The portability and the performance make it great for travel.

I have two friction mount, one for the car and the other for the truck. Love both of them.

I use a bean bag on one set and the suction mount on an another. Depends on the unit which mount I use.

RAM suction cup mount

I use the bean bag for my 2460 in my work truck, a Mack tri-axle dump, which is a very bumpy ride with lots of vibration and unless I hit a large bump it stays where I put it. I also prefer the bean bag approach because the unit sits low and doesn't take any of my field of view out of the windshield away.

I've used my bean bag mount for precisely this purpose several times. I pack the mount into my suitcase last, seeking a crevice to poke the protrusion into (i.e. flat side up).

This trip's rental is the first for which I've had a touch of sliding trouble (Honda Civic). The dash seems both more sloped and more slick-surfaced than usual. I think I may add a very small roll of gaffer's tape to my travel supplies to cover this contingency. I'd expect to stick the tape on the bit of dashboard where I want the GPS, and that would add enough friction that the beanbag would stay put. Gaffer's tape looks very like duct tape, but the adhesive is far more likely to give a clean release after short use. Usually I don't need this, however.

As at home, I value the ease of moving the GPS almost completely out of the way by just grabbing GPS plus bean bag and moving them to the passenger foot well. At most parking locations that seems secure enough. You can't reduce the visibility of a suction cup mount installation nearly so much so quickly.

Now here's a guy that REALLY knows how to mount things in a vehicle. YIKES !

http://tinyurl.com/3zb8k8n

Overboard if you ask me. I can imagine the noise in there if you were trying to drive and listen to them all.

The friction mount has worked well for me in our vehicles as well as rentals when traveling. It's not huge, but it will require some thought as to the best way of packing if you are tight. Overall, it has been work the effort.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000LRMS66/ on amazon. The price today is about half of what I paid ~2 years ago.

My biggest worry with any mount is rushing off and leaving the unit in the rental vehicle when on the return leg of the trip - has not happened yet, but you hear about people leaving a wide variety of items at airport security - computers, watches, etc. I just try to stick to a routine scan procedure when returning the vehicle and so far that has worked.

I guess that makes puts me in the minority here.

This a good thread. Thanks for posting.

Where are the power cords?

Interesting. This would be the least amount of stuff to carry, but I'm wondering how well it works not mounted? Can you see enough of it to know where you are going? I typically travel alone, so I really depend on the GPS for my directions.

Thanks!

I have traveled with it and it is not heavy. Easy to pack and no issues regarding state laws in places like CA. Very cheap now on amazon. I have seen the knock-off mounts and IMO not as good as the one designed for nuvi.

I will be taking mine to a trip to Yellowstone this weekend.

Squee!

I always find great mounts on Ebay for unbeatable prices. Just my $.02.

I travel quite a bit and use the factory windshield mount that came with the Nuvi unit. I mount it on the left side and run the cord over the steering wheel so it is easier to reach. The only trouble I have had is when it sits in the sun for awhile with the car locked and unoccupied. I take it down and remove the GPS at night in a hotel. I lost one and they broke my window

As long as you know the make and model of car you will be renting, suction mount can be the best and lightest weight option.

But if you can't reserve an exact car without expensive fees, the bean bag mount seems to be the most flexible. The vent mount may be solid option, but some vehicles have weird vents that I wouldn't expect to play nice.

It is not the best but pretty decent.

I've been able to install my air vents mount in many different cars BUT over time the tongs (pincers) got a bit loose, made with just plastic. Adding a very strong rubber band at the base of each tong took care of the problem (but doesn't look too nice - black rubber bands help.)

Beanbag is the way to go.

over E-Bay for $11.99! Going on a tour to New England in October.

"Bean Bag"

On an other note it was rental car gps's that got me hoooked on gps use... I think it was a Hertz never lost That sucker was bolted to the dash with some big old steel bracket..this goes back about
6 - 7 years

Garmin also sells the Garmin Friction Mount and Carrying Case Kit for nüvi with 3.5-Inch and 4.3-Inch displays. Not that it would be needed for a rental but for anyone else interested.

http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-Friction-Carrying-3-5-Inch-4-3-...

I've used a bean bag mount for travel for several years on trips with my 660 and now my 3760. Have never had a problem.

This is the one I use and I love it. It also works great on the commuter train if you can get a seat with a table.

-jgracey

My preferred Mount is the Bean Bag mount, but it's kinda large to carry around when traveling.

So as Box Car said, I use that Plastic Foot he mentions since it folds down more compactly and can be packed away easier.

Bean bag if it's local, if not, I bring my window suction.

I purchased the bean bag mount so that I could use my GPS in different vehicles. I have a permanent mount in "my" vehicle. I use the bean bag mount when using it in other vehicles. Just took it with me out of state to use in a rental. Works great.

Leaving a Nuvi in a hot car is bad for the internal battery's life.