So, what do you think? Is it a good fit for your travel needs? Buy Garmin Overlander Here: bit.ly/2xTTB0O

Very well done mate, good to see honest and real testing

Hey Garmin, hire this man!

Thanks for one of the most honest reviews I have seen of an overland product . To many you tubers these days just say what company’s want to hear so they can receive more free stuff and sponsorship

in Canada we stick with a basic GPS and back roads maps , so we have lots of money for beer...

Great review, thorough and informative. You are becoming our go to trusted source for quality information, story telling and adventure. Keep it up!!

Just a quick thank you for your delivery and honesty! As of right now, I will stay with doing some homework with Gaia and my tablet. Great review.

I left Alaska in the 70's. I think about going back, frequently. Alaska is a state of mind, not just a place. You're videos pull at my soul to return. Thank you for sharing the most magnificent place on earth with those who have never experienced such magnificence. 👍

Man, that was one of the smartest reviews I’ve ever seen. Was thinking about this. Gonna hold off now. I hope Garmin makes the changes you suggested. All the best!

Amazing review!! Thanks for going into all the goods, bads, and uglys!! Love that you’re talking about NM!!

I just wanted to take a quick minute of your time to tell you thank you. I know there is a ton of guys who get opportunities to do full reviews on stuff they have been sent to test. I want to say thank you for your honest opinion and review of this product. I personally know one guy who would have said what a great item it was simply because the thing was sent to him for free, and obviously i do not watch his channel anymore. So thank you for that as well. I actually have the magellan trx5, I use it in my Jeep, I have not done review on it yet since i have only been using it for about 6 months, and not a whole lot of time to use it on trips etc. When I seen the garmin in your suggested video I immediately clicked on it, because Garmin has done so well with the hand held GPS units I have carried hunting and backpacking for many many years, and to be honest, the Magellan is just simply not something I would trust the safety of my family with, it is so inaccurate it is scary. But thats another story. The fact this unit compass is not working with very little use on the unit is sad to me. I do like the voice commands on going to the next town with out having to type in the said city etc. But again, for the cost of the unit and some of the issues you have had, I am thankful you told us. I can save my money for thing much more needed for my outings and stick with the GIA app that has honestly been working flawlessly for us. Thanks again for your honesty and I hope Garmin can fix the issues and lower the price and add a few of your suggestions, biggest being it cost way to much for what it is. With the majority of us having a smart phone, the actual going from town to town can be done via cell phone and when there is no cell service IE the back roads, the unit should be doing more than it does for that price point. Thanks again and have a blessed week. Dale

I just subscribed to your channel. I respect that you are honest and non bashing. I believe that you have all our best interests in mind when reviewing this product. Please keep up the great work. And thank you for your time. Daniel

Thorough, balanced review. Thanks for demonstrating the pros/cons.

Great review. I have been looking at these and do realize there is no one unit (GPS, Tablet or App) that does it all. They are just a tool. As a pilot we learned to track our progress on the map strapped to our leg and constantly compare landforms/details with the map. Long before GPS were installed in aircraft. I still go back to a Garmin 76 GPS along paper maps and compass when I want detail and confidence in where I am and need to go. But I will be monitoring the progress on upgrades - and at some point will to me be worth the $$$. You are teasing us with the Troopy screen saver!

YES! Our old Garmin works great for our needs and has shown most every forest service road. We would love it for the ease of use and low learning curve since we already use an old one. It would need to be under $500 for us to purchase it now. Thanks for the review. Very excited to see if Garmin improves this.

Great review!! I love the suggestions to Garmin at the end. Very thorough thanks!!

You're spot on, they need to give a little more for that price point. Great review, thanks

Great unbiased review. Thanks a bunch Kevin.

I've used Garmin products since th early 90's. They make a great product that always comes up short for what you want it to do. And it always seems to be in their programming dept. The maps are out there and easily available, The ability to do the calculations and storage is old school. Yet they always miss on 5-7 things that most people wish their devices could do. Garmin : Wake up!! Satisfy your customers !!

Hey you guys we are your new subscribers. MY husband really loves watching your videos. :) his definition of "Netflix and chill" is "watch lifestyle overland and chill" lol. We do offroading, but would love to do overlanding too , when my youngest gets a little bit bigger. We have 4 kids and dog, and we fit so well in our 4runner, my husband gets so much inspiration from your videos. Anyway, thanks for sharing this review.

Thanks - I was on the fence. This was an excellent review.

Thanks for the good honest review. I was thinking of getting one for my ADV motorcycle but my phone actually does a very good job.

Excellent review! Very professionally done. Thx!

Excellent review with awesome suggestions. You have caused me to wait a bit before i take the plunge

Great review and great suggestions to improve on the unit. Thanks!

Thank you Kevin for your thoughts and insight on the Overlander. As I kit out my FJ40 electronic package I find myself gravitating back to a time when all we had to steer us was a Topo, compass, and in some cases a NFS map. Being a boy scout, orienteering was and still is an instinctual behavior for me. I still cannot believe the number of the overlanding community that cannot orientate themselves correctly using a USGS map, but rely solely on their electronic devices. I have both, and have added the Overlander to the FJ40. I agree with your assessment on the maps and the ability to overlay with different levels of transparency (I am spoiled by GAIA). So thank you again for taking the time to be a strong advocate for safe and adventurous overland journeys.

Excellent review! I’ll definitely be waiting for a v2.

Really useful review guys & think you're spot on re the value of what is a £600 unit in the UK.

I think you hit the nail on the head. Garmin still has a ways to go before this is can be the single navigation device that replaces everything else. I’ve seen several reviews of this device, and I’ll still take my iPad with Gaia any day. Thanks for the review!

I concur with your assessment. Having those back roads, Legal, and fire roads is key. Thanks

Ty for transparency

Thank you for an honest review🙏🏼

Excellent review, and completely endorse your wish list for the device.

you are making things better with your sensible comments - no doubt - nice work

Amazing review that is perfectly unbiased

I have this device on my list to buy as a back-up gps with my tablet. With your in depth review and thoughts, I guess I will pass this unit for now. Thanks for sharing and great reviews on this device.

very insightful. I will wait to buy one until the improvements are made

You just saved me $700.00 thanks for the excellent review. I agree 100% with what you say.

Thanks for great review. 👍

Absolutely agree with your recommendations.

This is the video i have been waiting on. I have been contemplating this thing since i saw it on an XO live video. I think I will wait.

Love the honesty

Great honest video. Thank you.

Great objective review. Remember Prior Preparation and Planning Prevent Piss Poor Performance. Its the 7 P's. Take your electronics but be prepared for them to fail.

Thank you for your open and honest review. This may be the best non biased review I’ve ever seen. I’ve always been a fan of Garmin gps ever since owning my firs Garmin 12 years ago when working on boats in the scuba diving industry. Garmin does gps’s well overall. I was looking forward to this device as I’m new to overlanding and don’t get out but a handful of times of year. I think this would be a good device for newbies like myself that don’t have the time to learn some of the more technical apps like Gaia. I’ve heard it’s challenging to use initially. $700 is definitely pricey with the options it currently has but, the improvements you suggested would make this a real winner. As for me it may work for my needs but, tough on the cost. I do travel roads more than off-road so, it has an appeal to me. Overall I am on the fence about it due to it’s cost and overall capabilities. With the features you suggest it would definitely be a winner. Thanks again fo such a great review and I always enjoy your videos.

Great review !

Very nice overview. Hopefully Garmin will take your advice and add the recommended features. Also curious how their overlays compare to the multitude of options available on Gaia.

I think you’re spot-on with the in-reach capabilities. They can do it and they should do it!

Amen and Respect! Way too many KZfaqrs loving everything because they got it for free. At last an honest review! GAIA is so good it's difficult to beat - they only downside is having to download maps and non rugged iPhone or iPad but I can live with that. BTW I'm the beekeeper that gave you guys the honey at ExpoEast 😀

If they implemented your suggestions, and I mean all of your suggestions, it might be worth that price tag. As it is way too much $.

terrific review thanks

Thank you for a Honest revenue , Keep up the Great work !!

Thanks for the great video! Keep the updates with this thing coming! I like the idea of this thing, but I got burned by the Magellan, so I'm going to be cautious before jumping into one of these.

Great review. Your analysis is spot on with features to cost value. I thought the same when I first investigated the device. My conclusion was to stick to Gaia GPS and paper maps though I do like the dedicated device preloaded with maps.

Very nice review.

I like it and a great video explaining the unit .

Have to agree with what others have mentioned when it comes to the price of the unit vs what features it has. For what it is if it was priced somewhere in the low to mid $300 range it would be more appealing. For the $700 pricing you would think the unit would be more off-road map friendly since it seems Garmin is trying to appeal this gps unit towards the off-roading/overlanding community. I’d be interested in seeing a comparison, in-use video, of the Garmin versus an iPad with the Gaia app. But this unit definitely has some potential!

Good review!

🤙 love the honesty

Fantastic work 👌.

At the end, Yep! I'd still pay. You gave avery thorough and honest evaluation. Very informative.

Excellent and very full review. You have done Garmin a great favor. A very fair review and PERFECT suggestions. I am a backroads camper and adventure motorcyclist in search of exactly what you have suggested for the functions of this device. I travel on-road and off-road many days a year and would love to see if this is a significant upgrade to the Garmin ZUMO 396 for the motorcycles I ride. It will definitely need to be rugged to go on the bars/dash of the bike and have the waterproofing you suggested. I wonder if they have had it tested on 2 wheels? The $700 price tag would not be a daunting were it not for the features (that would be "expected" i.e. Inreach included, water proofing, etc. ) Hoping to make a decision on a new device like this before I do the Continental Divide Route on Memorial Day weekend this year. Thanks for posting. Appears you are a NM guy. I'm in LBB TX and head that direction as often as I can break loose.

Very good review. I think Garmin will listen to some your ideas. A paper map is your back up with a old school compass. 🇨🇦

Very informative and well done. Answers a lot of questions and makes some very good points. In my opinion, way too much money for what you get. Thanks

Great review. We agree with many that it's too pricy when we have so many other cheaper options.

Great information, thx!

Great looking Troopy!

Great review, I hope Garmin reads the suggestions. I would hope that with a unit of this size Garmin would think about placing a GMRS radio receiver in it that would act as a base station for the Garmin Rino units. Of course I would like to see the aforementioned trail map suggestions. This would be a great hunting and camping device mountable on your UTV or ATV, just needs to be more versatile at that price. Garmin put enough memory capacity in the unit so you have room for hunt, satellite, trail, and property maps. You are marketing this to the outdoorsman, nobody has time to fool around searching for and purchasing maps from 3rd party sources.

AMEN TO THAT ! AGREE 100 % ! THANK YOU KEVIN !

Bingo! Review is spot on.

love the honest opinion very through not for me but this video was

Hey Garnin, LISTEN to this man!!

Those are some very good points about what it can and cannot do, hopefully Garmin does listen and makes adjustments. The fact that it costs $700 is what most everyone talks about the most and they forget to factor in just how much they paid for their cell phone and/or personal tablet that they are currently using to do the same thing. My iPad and iPhone cost quite a bit, neither are waterproof or come with a rugged cover like the one on the Garmin, I downloaded Gaia and paid for the premium subscription which is an annual fee, neither of them offer a backup camera feature for free either.

I started my GPS education on several Garmin units...back then their mapping software was in my opinion awesome and did a lot of things...but the replacement package is lacking....I just went thru the process of finding a off road GPS for my new Raptor...when all the dust settled (no pun intended) I went with the Ipad Mini and LeadNav as my GPS....The one thing Garmin has over others is the preloaded maps, while others have to download maps tiles as needed... Thanks for this video...

Thank you!!

I really like your evaluation of this product, and that you talk about the goods and the bads. GPS interface and features is so far behind personal computing technology its shameful, but the garmin is a real step forward. I'd like to see you revisit this subject in 2022 and re-review the garmin and compare it to other apps or devices. I've been thinking about getting and off road GPS for 4 years now and am still not convinced that there isnt much you can't do with a little old hand held combined with a phone app. Its time consuming and frustrating, but totally doable.

Thank you for this review. Timing was perfect. I decided to go with an iPad Mini. Much more versatile...

Great review.

Couldn't agree more, atv, utv, overland, and off road. I use a garmin gps with the birds eye veiw( which sucks on batteries, always have 24 pack under my seat) and paper maps now. Needs a lot of improving for me to buy.

Brilliant no frills review, thank you. It seems the "Overlander" is geared towards travel in the US, we travel around Europe and push into Northern Africa...It has amazing potential but I won't be buying one just yet. I too believe that any trip/mission should not have a single point of failure. I run a Garmin 64s,(back up) iPad Air 2 with view ranger app paired with a Garmin glo, an iPad mini with the same data as the iPad air and for road use a Garmin Nuvi and a bag full of paper maps and a compass....oh and a SPOT gen3! lots of gear and a cluttered dash ( I love RAM mounts!) but it all works and the iPad's get used for other stuff when not traveling (like watching youtube). Love your channel!

You are correct, if it had in reach baked in it would be a definitely buy. As it stands I'm looking at the Magellan TRX CS Pro.

Spot on. I'm looking for something that can come out of my truck and go in my boat. Boat charts too please. And a plug in for transducer.

Thanks to you review.I doubt very much. And I will certainly wait a little longer. Perhaps wait for an update from you. The Garmin 276cx may also be a better solution

When you said it deleted tracks I had flashbacks to the Garmin BaceCamp days, what a nightmare that was. I love GAIA but I did pre-order this device at the Expo because of the campsites and inreach compatibility but I never liked Garmin so I hope they take your suggestions for improvement very seriously. I was also hoping the magnetic holder will hold up and charge on my ATV as well...

MUV Maps downloaded to the unit and superimposed to show where you are is TOP for me.

This is an excellent review. I have been looking at this device but will NEVER pay $700 for it. For that money, I can buy a big tablet and use it for many things. I am glad you dug into the functions and articulated some frustrations. I hope Garmin takes your feedback into account!!

Great Video & Review! It's 2021 and now this costs $800!!! Maybe a follow up review is in order to see if its improved as much as it's gone up up in price.

Great review I was on the fence about this,,, think Il wait and use my old garmin and regular apps. Maybe a year or two things will change but for now il spend my 700 on something else.

Super good criticism on the unit. I was thinking about the exact same points. Wide view bringing up roads/trails is very important when looking over a map area. That’s why I like using a tablet over my cell phone. Garmin needs to take a page out of Gaias book with maps. This is essential! Two other fixes would have me buy the unit even if it costs $1k. Make inreach part of the unit by itself and be fully waterproof so I could mount it on my adventure motorcycle handlebars.

Excellent review. Has Garmin made the improvements you suggested since posting this video?

Couldn’t have said it better myself...👍🏼

Fantastic Review. +1 Subscriber

National forest MVUM and forest roads would be an absolute must have.

Good review of the pre-order version you have, Guessing that is what you have since they still haven’t delivered any to those of us like myself who bought one at Overland West. (Ordered it after we saw you and My mother gave you that bag of Morels, how’d ya’ll like them?) I was sold on the downloaded maps for North America and the camp data as well as the stand alone InReach connectivity, I think having to need only one subscription is better than the unit needing it’s own subscription, as it allows me to carry my little InReach Mini on hikes, boats, etc while still having rapid message or emergency use in the vehicle. I am disappointed about the non-GIS style mapping you saw and the forest road issues and I’m hoping that is part of the reasons that the units hadn’t shipped last month like they were supposed to. I use OnX Hunting Maps on my phone and tablet all the time for land owner status (private, public, etc) as well as other layers for various uses. I would be killer if they partnered with them as OnX currently has MVUM’s GIS mapped into their system so that you can use your phones GPS to ensure your on the right road. Speaking of I think you were alluding it, but you never outright said were the missing roads on the current MVUM for that area? I know that the map software in both my 09 F150 and many other vehicles often show many trails and roads that are long since closed and grown over based on old 1960’s USGS maps. Even if they didn’t partner with OnX, Garmin could easily do their own MVUM map overlay using the GIS files that the USFS post and releases of their MVUM plan. And a GIS system like that provided by OnX would be the perfect overland/forest vehicle map system in my opinion. I think the price is a little steep, but IMO I’m hoping that it is worth it based on other Garmin products I’ve owned and used around the world in the past.

Not really interested in this subject but I love seeing you!

I like the idea of preloaded maps, but the MVUMs are a must IMO. I may have missed it, but can you download new routes via wi-fi when your out on the road?

Great video, almost went and bought one, what tablet and gps map can you suggest. Thx

All the things you mentioned are exactly why I wasn't interested when I first saw it a few months ago. The article I initially read made it sound as if the satellite texting and SOS was a built in feature, which is what grabbed my attention (the article also didn't mention the price). When further research revealed this to not be the case, and also how much the thing cost, I immediately lost interest. Gaia and iOverlander do everything I need at the moment. And honestly, even if they made all the improvements you suggested, $700 is still a big investment for me. I would reconsider, at least. But for that price point, it would truly have to be an all-in-one solution. And it would have to work right, every time, all the time.

Cool vid thx

Great review, did Garmin ever get back to you regarding your wish list?