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Garmin Overlander GPS navigator review
With the Garmin Overlander GPS as your dedicated navigation device, you are ready to hit the tracks and start exploring. With the release of the Overlander, Garmin has jumped into the niche of overland travel. A smart move. According to them, the Overlander is the perfect device for off-grid travel and includes a huge range of datasets you might need when adventuring. Besides offering you navigational maps (turn-by-turn directions), it also includes a topographic map feature and integrations with Tracks4Africa, iOverlander, ACSI campsites, and TripAdvisor to mention a few.
Over the past 12+ years of travel, we have used everything to navigate, from paper maps to a range of dedicated navigation devices (mostly TomTom and the occasional Garmin) and of course our phones with multiple apps. All in all, we have experienced the benefits of having a dedicated device, but we have also frustrated ourselves with their always slow interfaces. Just before we set off on our trip to Africa, we came across the Garmin Overlander and fell in love with its seemingly useful features. We decided to buy it and have been daily users of the device ever since. So let’s see what it is, and whether it has benefited our travels.
What is the Garmin Overlander?
The Overlander is Garmin’s answer to the traveler’s need to have a rugged device that has all the information necessary for a successful trip. With this device, they are offering a product that contains all the features and datasets we are normally looking for in separate apps. For us, this was one of the main reasons to buy this GPS navigator.
Besides all the nifty features, the Overlander offers you two navigation modes: Drive and Explore. The first one is familiar to many, offering you a birds-eye view of the road ahead, whilst providing you with turn-by-turn directions to navigate successfully. The latter, the Explore mode, is a 2D top view highlighting the roads, but also side-tracks and contour lines (elevation). The Explore mode is a topographic map that will display the route you’ve set in Drive mode but won’t show you any directions. The difference between the two is certainly the scenario in which they are used: on-road for navigation, or off-road whilst keeping an eye on the area’s tracks.
We primarily bought the device for these two navigation modes and their integration with different data providers. We surely haven’t used, or know about all features of the device. But for the data geeks in our community, the device also enables you to track your average speed, distance, and more. For tricky situations, or when parking to camp, the ‘Pitch and Roll’ function comes in handy. So whilst the device offers some fresh new features, in our opinion it is the huge range of preloaded Points of Interest that make it stand out above the crowd.
Preloaded POIs
As mentioned, the Overlander integrates a huge variety of datasets in one device. With this data, they’ll make sure you have access to hundreds of thousands of points of interest (POI) to navigate.
The list of integrations includes the following:
- iOverlander
- ACSI
- TripAdvisor
- Campercontact
- Tracks4Africa
- Foursquare
- Trailer’s PARK
Specifications
- Rugged design
- All-terrain navigation
- Drive: on-road turn-by-turn directions
- Explore: topographic maps for off-grid guidance
- 7’’ touchscreen
- 64GB of internal storage, with the possibility to add a micro SD
- Preloaded with thousands of POIs
- Know your vehicle: upload your vehicle’s data to adjust routes accordingly
- RAM mount: magnetic mount with suction cup, or RAM-compatible adapter
- InReach compatible
- BC 35 compatible: pairs with BC35 backup cameras
- Multi GNSS support: GPS, GLONASS, and Galileo support perfect positioning
- Built to IPX 5 standards (dust proof) and MIL-STD-810 (USA Department of Defence test standard). Made for the outdoors.
Pros
- The sturdy design is overlander-friendly and made for the tracks. Thanks to its rubber coating it is protected against damage.
- In general, having a dedicated navigation device is a game-changer. It saves your phone’s battery and keeps your phone free to use to take photos on the road. Our phones actually like to overheat when used for navigation in the blazing hot regions of Africa, therefore making them useless for navigation.
- The magnetic holder is amazing and a huge improvement compared to other holders where the device locks into place. The device easily hooks onto it thanks to very strong magnets. There is no need to worry about it dropping from its place. It works as a charm!
- The magnetic holder doubles up as its charging port.
- It has a very clear screen, making it friendly to use, even in the brightest of conditions. It is shiny though.
- The fact that it has two driving modes (Drive and Explore) is great depending on the route you’re taking and the adventure you’re on.
- The device has Tracks4Africa and iOverlander integrated. Preventing unnecessary time loss when navigating to these spots.
- The iOverlander data is being displayed in Drive mode as you pass through an area. This can be nice as you will see ‘Wild camps’ and ‘Warnings’ right as you approach them.
- You’ll be able to connect your InReach device to the Overlander for easy communication over satellite.
- It includes track recording which is a nice feature for travelers who like to collect route data.
Cons
- The rubber exterior gets dirty/greasy really easily.
- The screen is quite reflective at an angle, making it hard for a co-pilot to help you navigate.
- It comes without a screen protector or storage casing. When we bought the device this wasn’t separately available either. This is a shame as we already cracked the screen in the first month when storing it in our cubby box.
- When talking about the software, it is slow and unreliable. Often it won’t start without a hard reset and in general, it can be very slow when looking up data. This can be very frustrating when you like to drive away and have to wait for a few minutes each time.
- The level of detail in ‘Drive’ mode is disappointing. Even when changing certain settings almost nothing changes. The ‘Explore’ mode is way better. But overall it can’t beat the level of detail of certain phone apps like OsmAnd or Tracks4Africa.
- Often, the device isn’t familiar with one-way streets in cities. Especially in Africa, this can be challenging as street signs aren’t always visible, making you susceptible to police fines or bribes.
- The InReach integration is nice but lacks the feature to send out Check-In messages (formerly known as Presets). Sending out Presets is what we do most. You can however activate the SOS function and send custom messages with ease.
- Planning a route isn’t as straightforward as in some other devices. You can do it through the Explore app, but it can be difficult to achieve the desired result. It might be easier to create a route on Garmin’s computer programs, which are often not as friendly to use. It is much easier to use phone apps for this, unfortunately.
- The battery will only last you about 10-15 minutes, after which a charger is needed. In reality, you’ll only use the device once the car has started.
- It does not contain satellite imagery for Africa yet. As far as we are aware this feature is only available in the USA. We would have loved this feature as the internet is often lacking in the areas we travel.
- It is based on Android, which is nice. But they have blocked out large parts of the interface. Getting back to the main screen, by using the Android up/down slide functions, is inefficient and unresponsive sometimes. The menu indicates it might be possible to watch movies on the device, but the device won’t let you open the files.
Would we buy it again?
With this massive list of pros and cons, it is time to conclude. In all honesty, this is going to be a difficult one. Over the years we have used dedicated navigation devices and our phones for navigation. We have gained quite some experience and have changed our minds more than once. At first, we did not see the benefit of having an extra device in our car. Now, as full-time travelers, we have to say that a dedicated device is a game-changer to free up your phones. So yes, we have grown to love the dedicated device for navigation. With that change of mindset, we would definitely recommend buying a separate GPS navigator. But should it be this one?
Integration talk
Talking about the Overlander we have mixed feelings about our advice. It all depends on your needs and level of comfort. The fact that it has iOverlander and other POI data included on the device is a game-changer, as it makes navigating to these spots super-fast. Unfortunately, it does not display any (recent) reviews for iOverlander, but in real life, we notice that we use the iOverlander app on the phone to do research, and only use the iOverlander function of the Overlander to easily navigate to our spot.
When talking about the Tracks4Africa integration, an app we started to use when we entered Namibia, we came to the same conclusion. Having the POIs integrated into the device is really helpful when selecting your destination. This actually saves you quite some frustration and time and works perfectly. But the Tracks4Africa app contains much more information and displays the data way better. Unfortunately, the Tracks4Africa app will cost you some money when fully functional, so using both this app and the Overlander won’t be for everyone.
Details make the difference
The Explore mode contains much more detail than the Drive mode, which makes this mode much more interesting when adventuring. Unfortunately, it isn’t as detailed as certain navigational apps on the phone. Therefore it is nice to have the Overlander on Explore while discovering remote regions, but you’ll often find yourself using the phone as well. Missing a certain track can make the difference of you getting to your destination on time, or running out of water somewhere in the desert. Having the most information possible is key to worry-free navigation. Therefore, you’ll most likely end up using a combination of Drive-mode (insufficient detail, but navigational), Explore-mode (for an overview of the tracks), and sometimes add a phone in the mix when you’re unsure about the tracks up ahead.
Conclusion
With all of the above in mind, it is time for a conclusion. Let’s start with the fact that we mostly use this GPS device for turn-by-turn navigation and off-road situational awareness. Having a dedicated device has made all the difference for a worry-free trip. It saved us from a lot of hassle with our phones in warmer climates and with everything that’s happening on the road. Switching from our phones to a dedicated navigator has been outstanding.
The Overlander is very well-built, has a great magnetic holder, and comes with all the POI data a traveler might want. The integration of the external POIs is where the Overlander really stands out above the crowd, as it makes setting your destination a thousand times easier. The screen size is amazing and the Explore mode is pretty cool to use. But with these positive features in mind, it is good to know that this navigator is a bit more expensive than other sat-nav devices and has some drawbacks as well. The level of detail on the maps isn’t up to standard, the POI integrations are easy to use but lack some detailed information, and the device can be very stubborn when starting.
Overall, looking at the Garmin product range, we would never leave the Garmin InReach Mini behind, but this device certainly needs some extra development before would fully recommend it to other travelers. This time, it is up to you to decide what features are important to you and if it’s worth the price difference when comparing it to other GPS devices.
Feel free to contact us if you have any questions, about certain features and would like our opinion on it.
Our approach for gear reviews
As long-term overlanders we fully understand the need for high-quality and reliable gear. We know that if gear isn’t up to standard it can hinder your adventures, resulting in discomfort or a dangerous situation.
We write our reviews after extensive testing and with you – an adventurous overlander – in mind. We hope you appreciate our information, and feel free to reach out if you have any questions.
Pro Tips
- After 17 months of travel through Africa, we checked if there are any aftermarket accessories available for the Garmin Overlander. We are happy to see that there are now storage casings and screen protectors (film, no glass) available for the device. We definitely recommend checking these out (Amazon, AliExpress, etc.) to protect your device on the road.
- The GPX import function (relatively easy once you get the hang of it) is quite easy to use. It’s great when importing known tracks, which can come in handy for sight-seeing and safety reasons (in the desert for example).
Check out these product shots
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