I came across your videos a few days ago. They are absolutely top-class. Your treatment of various subjects is so thorough. I don't know who you are, but I sense a well-qualified ENgineer behind these videos. Thank you, Sir. You are doing the motorcycle community - and the society in general - a big service.

Hi, I'm a french hiker. I've just watched you're not a specialist of hiking but of motorcycling. So motorbikers are so fortunate! Because your videos are so clear and educational. You speak slowly, you show things step by step with a clear voice etc. I 've just bought a handheld hiking GPS advice and I've learned a lot even if I'm not a motorcycler. Thanks a lot

Basecamp is the most archaic software I've ever used.

This video is important! It really explains why my Garmin occasionally makes insanely odd route choices. I know now to be more methodical when checking my data points. That recalculation for the gas station pit stop really blew my mind! It has happened to me several times and it is maddening, but now I know what is happening. Thanks Tim.

Until I watched this video I had not understood that the word `Route`, in `routable maps` such as Basecamp, is not the same as my definition of the word in English as, literally any way you choose to go. I had always called what Basecamp or any satnav does `auto routing`, that is, finding the shortest way from A to B. Now you have clarified that for me it explains a lot of the difficulties I have had with Basecamp in the past. I always understood what a `track` was, so now I can make proper choices when plotting a "route".

Thanks Tim! Your videos have helped many! I believe that BaseCamp does confuse a lot of first time users.

I´m from Brazil, thank you very much for this vídeo! Awesome!

I really struggled with BaseCamp thanks to you Tim i'm getting my head round it and are able to use it to good effect for hiking in the UK.

Holy crap Batman! That explains a lot of the problems I’ve been having with KMLs to gpx. Thanks Tim.

Thanks Tim! Your videos have helped me a bunch ! I have been using mymaps to import into basecamp and have just been using tracks to navigate (mostly unpaved roads ) . I will try some routes again just for fun! Cheers!

Thanks Tim for another appreciated upload. This one started fine, but the going got a little heavy with all the hassle over the waypoints. My own method, admittedly fairly basic, is to import the route by gpx file then create a route from it, and display it in yellow. Then, simply create my 'own route' directly on top in magenta, following the yellow route. Once complete, it's easy to see if there is any variation because the different colours will separate. If OK, save the new magenta route and delete the imported route. This has the advantage that you can identify intermediate waypoints by name, rather than just having the names of the start and end points only, as the imported route displays. Just my idea.. thanks again!

Thanks Tim...Coffee sent.

It is the most usefull video I have seen on this topic. I found answers to all technical questions. Thank you!

Nice job!

Very helpful video! 👍

Thank you so much!👍

Early on your comment about Tracks vs Routes is not entirely true. A track can display where you’ve been but it can also be used for navigation of where you want to go. This is especially true of off-road/adventure bike navigation where you might be traveling on trails or unnamed roads. The track becomes a bread trail of points that you follow, similar to blazed marks on a trail. Since you cannot have turn by turn navigation like “turn right on Main St” as turn “turn right at the big rock” would be too ambiguous, you just need to follow the line (track) to follow your “route” and get to your destination. You can also follow a track for on-road navigation, but prompted navigation with street names is much easier on road. You can display a track on your GPS (at least newer models) and confirm that the GPS is following your original route and not deviating due to an unmatched setting or routing error as the track will be a true “track” of the route from Basecamp. Your video series is very complete and makes using Basecamp more friendly and easier to learn, at least from an experienced users POV that has heard of the difficulties new users face. At some point you may need to update for newest GPS units like the ZUMO XT as they behave slightly different in some aspects and include some new “connected” and online features.

Tim, love the videos. Does it matter if you use KML files or GPX files to import a map from Google maps etc. or any other file that you have downloaded??

Hello sir. Thanks a lot for your videos. They made be be proficient in using basecamp. A question: when importing KML files from google maps, is there anyway for the waypoints or points of interest on the KML map to be automatically interest on the route or track in basecamp? I get just a list of points with no name. If I have a waypoint that’s a gas station, I get a normal track point near to it, but with no name. I have to manually add those waypoints to the route.

Very good video. I’m hoping I can ask a question through this comment section. I’ve used Basecamp for years and had an experience where I had a circular trip with two way points and approximately 25 shaping points. I’ve ventured away from my route to get gas and found the GPS was then taking me on a direct line to a waypoint. I closed that route and went directly to what I thought was my planned route and restarted my planned route. To my surprise I picked an incorrect spot and actually was traveling on a return leg (going home) rather than my original route to the destination. But the shocking thing was the GPS continued to give me directions although my original plan was to go into the opposite direction. So two questions I have are 1) if you go off of a route that has mostly shipping points does the GPS give up and just go directly to the next waypoint, and 2) was I crazy or did the GPS allow me to choose the route and go in the opposite direction I originally had planned. I hope someone can comment.

watched all your videos and for the life of me i can't get basecamp to write maps on the route i want. tried google maps to Garmin and they won't load on the zumo xt

Sir I'm new here I have a Garmin Montana 700i and I tried to follow your advices but I could not upload any Route consistently in to my Garmin with Basecamp...I did a route with 3 parts from Virginia Beach to Niagara and could not upload and make it work on my Garmin.... anyone struggling same as me?

While trying to create a route from a track, the route shows a straight line from the start to the end. It eliminates all points in between. What am I doing wrong?

I use this method to plan routes and it is awesome. In my opinion, nothing can replace the usability of google maps in finding POIs and plan an interesting route. Great, really helpful, tutorial (I have watched all the series, as basecamp is powerful but with steep learning curve. Great job and thank you) . I have a question though, if anybody knows the answer, and if there is one of course. Is it any way to have a clear indication when I arrive to 'Alter on Arrival' waypoints? For example like when you arrive to your destination and Garmin propose parking spaces etc (a side menu appears with various options)? I have made some trials so far and it is very useful that I can see the distance and the arrival time until the next 'Alerted' point but I haven't noticed anything to Alert me upon my arrival.

As a Garmin user, but not a Base Camp user, I’m still not sure if the juice is worth the squeeze to learn all these steps. Is there simpler way for simpler people to import a route to my Garmin GPS?

Imported into Base Camp a Google Map. Whenever I "Create Route from Selected Track", it just draws a straight line from beginning address to ending address.

Google My Maps already is way too complicated. I would never use it for route planning, just the simple plain planning with regular Google Maps. This is, because then I can use it for regular navigation on my mobile and I also can easily share a simple URL link with others. A friend though is struggling with this approach and can not take the link into BaseCamp.

I have to be honest I have watched this video 3 times and can't get past the question "why would I try to import a Google myMaps map into BaseCamp and have to go through all of these gyrations when I can create the route to begin with in Basecamp?" I am assuming that if I create the route in Basecamp it will precisely overlay the intended roadway just like it was drawn? I am an Overlander trying to follow the US National Historic Trails not a motorcyclist, but the goal is similar. We both want a route centric set of directions not a destination centric set of directions. My preference would be not to have to buy a Garmin device, but as I understand the phone won't give me turn by turn directions from a Google MyMaps Route, I see no choice but to buy a Garmin product? So, given that I have to buy a Garmin product to get turn by turn directions, why not just use the Garmin product and the Garmin mapping tool? Am I still missing something?

Your videos are great at reassuring me that Garmin and Base Camp are two of the most ridiculous pieces of crap money can buy. Why wouldn’t Garmin make planning a route as easy as Google my maps is. Point A-B and then grab and slide the route to the roads you want…. Hit GO and away you go. I absolutely hate I bought the Garmin XT. JUNK!