Why ought to I take advantage of a SatNav over a cellphone for navigating from my motorbike? It’s an inexpensive query given the actual fact you’re in all probability already carrying round a smartphone, and there’s quite a lot of free and paid apps that exist to direct you.
So is it price spending a bit of money on a devoted SatNav unit? The reply is that it relies on your wants. However when you’re planning critical adventures, need to get off the overwhelmed path, or just take pleasure in dependable navigation, then it’s completely price contemplating a SatNav.
I’ve tried the whole lot from Put up-It notes taped to the bike’s tank, paper maps, and my cellphone on a mount, however I’ve solely simply found how helpful a SatNav may be.
I’ve been utilizing a Garmin Tread to assist me get round lately, and it’s executed lots of issues to win me over. Right here’s my takeaways from spending time with this machine.
It’s much more rugged than your cellphone
The Garmin Tread is an much more off-road centered model of Garmin’s common motorbike SatNav, the zumo XT. It’s rugged, it’s full of map layers and capabilities, and it has specialised navigation software program so you’ll find the right route. And I’m nonetheless discovering new options.
One of many key elements that distinguish it from merely utilizing your cellphone as a navigation machine is simply how rugged the Tread is. Something mounted to your handlebars will probably be topic to vibrations, water, mud, and direct daylight, none of that are pleasant to your cellphone. The Garmin Tread, nonetheless, can deal with something which you can throw at it.
It’s waterproof, and constructed to a U.S army normal for thermal and shock resistance. You may be assured that it’s going to survive getting whacked about on the paths or driving by torrential rain.
It’s a SatNav with a premium end
Regardless of the heavy-duty building of the Tread, it has a premium, glossy design that appears and capabilities nice. The ultrabright 5.5-inch display screen is simple to learn even in harsh daylight, and it’s very attentive to most gloves that I’ve used with it (I’ve discovered my winter gloves require a bit extra pressure and dexterity, however that’s to be anticipated).
It’s simple to enter instructions and discover what you’re in search of by Garmin’s interface, despite the fact that it’s full of capabilities.
The Tread can last as long as six hours utilizing it’s personal battery, otherwise you hook it as much as your bike’s battery and run it off that, which I might counsel doing to make sure the machine doesn’t die when you’re utilizing it.
It’s acquired maps, maps, maps
The Garmin Tread comes able to go together with topographic and road maps of Europe, Africa, the Center East, North and South America, Australia, and New Zealand, which you’ll be able to select to put in or uninstall relying in your area. Being within the UK, mine was preloaded with European maps.
As well as, you’re capable of obtain high-resolution BirdsEye satellite tv for pc imagery direct to the machine so you possibly can totally orient your self and discover native options, for instance while you’re in search of a spot to wild camp.
I discovered the maps to be correct and updated, and having the ability to swap between map layers relying on what I used to be doing was simple and useful.
For steerage, you possibly can take pleasure in flip by flip instructions whether or not you’re cruising the streets or tackling trails. The Tread advantages from Garmin’s ‘Adventurous’ routing function, which modifies the instructions based mostly in your desired driving expertise.
For instance, with the Adventurous slider at stage 1 the Tread will take you alongside the quickest route on paved roads, however when you slide it as much as stage 4 it’ll consider as many curves, unpaved roads, and hills as it might on the best way to your vacation spot.
I discovered that with the Adventurous routing at stage 4 it gave me principally gratifying B-roads and byways whereas nonetheless being a logical route, and though typically it wasn’t nearly as good as my human data and expertise of an space, it was nonetheless nice for locating new methods to go and spicing up in any other case routine journeys.
The Tread is full of options
And that’s simply scratching the floor. It incorporates a Group Experience operate that hyperlinks you as much as others utilizing a suitable machine. It’s wonderful for excursions because it’s preloaded with iOverlander factors of curiosity, together with TripAdvisor scores for accommodations, eating places, and sights. Utilizing the campsite search function, I’ve discovered a great deal of nice locations to camp, each established and wild.
For those who’re actually venturing out into the wild, the Tread may be paired with certainly one of Garmin’s InReach satellite tv for pc communicators (that are offered individually), so you possibly can keep in touch with folks irrespective of how far-off from civilisation you journey. This performance does require a subscription, however the interactive SOS and two-way textual content messaging options makes the Tread a critical selection for adventurers.
It additionally has an altimeter, a barometer, and a compass, in addition to pitch and roll sensors, that are all incredible options to have when you’re tackling robust trails out within the wilds.
It’s even nice within the automobile as a commuting or metropolis navigator. For those who join it to your smartphone by way of Bluetooth and the Tread app, you possibly can entry dwell site visitors and climate updates, view notifications, make calls, and management your music. Plus, you possibly can preserve observe of security cameras and velocity limits, an ever-appreciated function.
Utilizing the Tread app additionally makes planning routes particularly simple, and you’ll sync .gpx recordsdata, waypoints, and saved routes between your cellphone, your laptop, and the machine.
Is the Garmin Tread the proper SatNav for you?
Some say getting misplaced is all a part of the journey, and whereas that’s true in a metaphorical sense, in actuality it may be irritating and inconvenient. Whether or not you’re navigating round a brand new metropolis for the primary time, discovering you means alongside inexperienced lanes and backcountry trails, or on a tour, understanding the place you’re going makes the entire expertise much more gratifying.
It’s secure to say that I’ve been transformed from utilizing my smartphone for navigation to utilizing a SatNav, and the Tread does a wonderful job. There’s a little bit of a studying curve to find how all of the options work and I can’t assist however really feel like I’m not utilising its full potential, for which I’d have to journey to the American backcountry or the African bush to actually respect how good it may be. However being overqualified is actually not an issue in my eyes, and right here within the UK I’ve discovered it does a incredible job at guiding me the place I need to go, whether or not I’m exploring inexperienced lanes on a path bike, off on a weekend journey, and even simply commuting in a automobile.
I’d extremely advocate including a Garmin Tread SatNav to your journey biking arsenal. To seek out out extra about this feature-filled piece of package, head over to the Nevis web site right here.
