Best offroad GPS? Lowrance Elite 5M or HDS 7 or other?

[AZEngineer]

That's true, but an Ipad with apple's nav is a great on-road substitute if you don't have factory navigation in your truck to back up the lowrance once you get back on the street.

Lowrance should offer another approach. On a 5 series that sells for 1round $500 retail, they get maybe $300-350. I bet they net less than $100 per unit. Sell a fantastic app for the ipad that utilizes their mapping SW. Dual and others have great external GPS modules for less than $100. They could even sell one of those. I bet at $100 a copy for an app on iPad Lowrance would sell 10X of those compared to the dedicated unit.

 

[MagicMtnDan]

These are the takeaways so far, as I see them:

* Lowrance - very spendy
* Lowrance - one dimensional (off road only)
* Lowrance - great for racing & night use


* Tablet - not nearly as spendy
* Tablet - all purpose (and you can get your emails and check FRF too )
* Tablet - great for off roading during day and night time
* Tablet - great for onroading

Did I miss anything so far?

 

[Icecobra]

Lowrance great for streets , just order the maps....

 

[Rookie]

How do the tablets work with location tracking without any data transfer? I understand with MotionX you can download the different maps you want to use but after you're in your truck and driving with no internet how does it track your current location on the map? Or are these being utilized with a mobile hotspot or cellular connectivity?

 

[Huck]

I pre download maps for the areas if I have pre planned routes.

Otherwise mobile hotspot / cell data works well.

My iPad works as good as the Lawrence but with more useable maps.


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[tbone]

I'm running the elite 5m and it's served me great

 

[Rookie]

I pre download maps for the areas if I have pre planned routes.

Otherwise mobile hotspot / cell data works well.

My iPad works as good as the Lawrence but with more useable maps.


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How do you track your current location then?

 

[jackrook]

Good info here

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[Huck]

How do you track your current location then?

iPad cellar version with gps, gps is independent of cellular data. So it tracks me no matter where i go. Cellular doesn't have to be on for gps. Another popular one is the google tablets with "back country" maps. Back country maps shows a lot.

The lowrance maps only show elevation, so you don't get trails or dirt roads, forest service roads etc


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[mouldman1]

looking to get the 5M the 7 is waaaay cool but super spendy...just curious if anyone knows if they are going to come out with a new unit anytime soon