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Do many of you use software for trip planning? If you do, what do you use? Or maybe more importantly, which ones really don't work well.
Just researching them a bit and wondering what the community thinks/recommends.
2018 Dodge 3500 6.7 Cummins w Aisin and 9 cup holders
2021 Reflection 303RLS, Haloview RD7, Strong-arms, Micro-Air364
There's no such thing as public opinion...There is only published opinion. WC
We use RV trip Wizard for our trip planning. It has some good features and the learning curve is not to steep. I find the trip routing can be wonkey sometimes but it's pretty good when identifying low bridges or tunnels. I don't recall the specific cost but it's not to expensive.
Just started using RV Trip Wizard again, tried it a year ago and wasn't impressed. New version has been pretty nice, I especially like the RV safe trip route, we've had problems with the other route planners. Cost is about $75/yr (there may be special deals at this time of year) and there is a 7-day free trial period free trial period.
To get specifics on campgrounds for planning, my default has been Good Sam search engine because their summary usually answers my concerns about big rig availability and space length and width. GS also provides data on none-GS parks, so that's a plus. We have several club memberships beside GS and I also use those search engines to make sure I'm not missing any discounts.
John
2018 Momentum 395M
2018 Ram 3500 Dually
Every day is a Saturday, but with no lawn to mow.
We used RV Trip Wizard for our cross-continent trip last year. It was "ok". It has some nice features - like estimating fuel stops and calculating fuel costs - but I found it to be a bit buggy.
For example when adding stops in the middle of the trip I found it didn't recalculate fuel stops correctly. Also - for us Canucks - it doesn't do metric very well (at least it didn't work well for me). Can't comment on the effectiveness of the "RV Safe" routing - didn't really use that feature.
We cancelled our subscription... my view, too expensive for what you get. Now I just use google maps and MS excel.
I use InRoute, I pay for the ability to add the dimensions of my 5th wheel to avoid low bridges, tunnels etc. so far it has been good. It is a little odd in how it works but after playing with it for a bit it is fine. I have also used the free version of Trucker Path, I figure if a semi can make it through so can I.
Most of my work is done in Garmin Basecamp. The program has a steep learning curve and can also be quite wonky when transferring route to a Garmin GPS. What I mean is that each application (or device) has it's own algorithm that decides the "best route". A perfect route in Basecamp can be wildly different when calculated by the Garmin RV770. The only workaround I've found is by using a lot of waypoints and markers to force the program (and GPS) to follow the route I choose.
The easiest method I've found to creating waypoints or marking specific locations in Basecamp is to find the location on Google Maps. Then copy the location's GPS location to the clipboard, which is then pasted into the "FIND" utility in Basecamp. Voila'--goes to the exact spot which I then mark with a flag and include in the route. Again, Basecamp is far from the easiest program to use (I still don't fully understand the organization!) but I've been using it so long it's the enemy I know.
There are any number of RV campground applications and websites--I use almost all of them to compare the campgrounds in the targeted area and, of course, read reviews.
A given state's "511" road condition website is handy, too. I found Indiana's indispensable since I routed around or threaded between all the major cities, skipping the interstates after leaving the National Rally. It came in very useful this year because there's a lot of bridges under reconstruction so major state highways were closed with long detours. Knowing these closures ahead of time allowed me to choose an alternate route.
Forum moderators are not GD employees--we are volunteers and owners presumably just like yourself. Unless specifically mentioned otherwise, we have nothing to gain should you choose to purchase a product or engage a service we discuss on this forum.
As in other forums, RV Trip Wizard seems the most popular.
I never thought of using basecamp for RV trips Howard. I have it and use it for hiking in the bush, locating lakes creeks etc, and for making sure I don't get lost in the bush. I'l have to play with it a bit. And I'll take a peek at InRoute
We used to just 'wing it' all the time and made out fine. We even did Black Hills, Rushmore, Yellowstone in August with no reservations and we had no problems. But...Over the covid period with seemingly everyone buying RV's I'm a little more worried about finding a CG with space
2018 Dodge 3500 6.7 Cummins w Aisin and 9 cup holders
2021 Reflection 303RLS, Haloview RD7, Strong-arms, Micro-Air364
There's no such thing as public opinion...There is only published opinion. WC
When I drove to Texas from Ohio I used a free app, RVParky. It doesn’t route around low bridges, but shows any bridges less than 14’. I also use the Flying J/Pilot app to plan fuel stops. You can set filters for their locations that have RV Fuel lanes. I input the fuel stops into the RVParky app and that worked well. I had one stop at a Pilot near Texarkana, TX that didn’t have RV fuel lanes, I used google earth to make sure that I had enough room to turn around after fueling. My rig is bumper pull, but is 32’ long.
I found it easier to use than RV Trip Wizard.
Tim & Beth
2022 Transcend Xplor 265BH
2021 Ford F-150 XLT, 3.5L Ecoboost w/ Max Tow Pkg
Hmmm. RVParky...sounds cheesy but I'll take a look. Thanks
2018 Dodge 3500 6.7 Cummins w Aisin and 9 cup holders
2021 Reflection 303RLS, Haloview RD7, Strong-arms, Micro-Air364
There's no such thing as public opinion...There is only published opinion. WC
As in other forums, RV Trip Wizard seems the most popular.
I never thought of using basecamp for RV trips Howard. I have it and use it for hiking in the bush, locating lakes creeks etc, and for making sure I don't get lost in the bush. I'l have to play with it a bit. And I'll take a peek at InRoute
We used to just 'wing it' all the time and made out fine. We even did Black Hills, Rushmore, Yellowstone in August with no reservations and we had no problems. But...Over the covid period with seemingly everyone buying RV's I'm a little more worried about finding a CG with space
InRoute does let you drop as many waypoints into a trip as you would like, you can do it by pressing on the map or typing an address.
I use a Rand McNally RV tablet and GPS unit together with their online TripMaker internet map and routing software. You can plan a route at home on TripMaker and open the route on the Wifi internate enabled tablet. The routing algorithms are very similar. You can add waypoints for additional stops, and the database of RV related sites is quite extensive. The Tripmaker software is free, the tablet cost me about $300.00 and is updated annually. The Rand McNally road database is not as up to date as Google, but I've never gotten lost, and I've never had to turn around for a low bridge (as I've done using Google).
I use RV Trip Wizard. It may be limited but I like it. I used it during a 4 week trip out west and back last summer. I don't use all the functionality but I use the things I want. The Point of Interest toggles are sort of limited, and will toggle off some if you select others, weird. What I really like is the elevation and gradient features I can see along my route while planning. I tried doing multi-day trips with the wiz but it got cumbersome because I plan options for stops about every 30-50 miles. So I use it for each day of my trip to keep things more simple, ex: Day 1, Day 2.... I don't use the fuel or expense options too much. There is a pretty neat distance calculator in it that you can toggle between a bulls eye distance guide and a realistic time/speed view. I have not used other products so these features may be similar to other software, I just don't know. I mainly use it on a laptop, but I can use the app on my phone too. I use my Garmin RV 890 for my ht/wt specific routing that I program in the night before. What I really like is the research and rating function of the campgrounds so you can really see what people have experienced at a campground in recent visits, what spot is good or not good. Ingress issues, etc. I've done many ratings for campgrounds in Virginia and out west and back. Works for me, I take the best of it and the Garmin.
I have finally got time to do a little testing with the new Garmin 890 and there are some pretty neat features. A small ding when approaching curves in the road. You can set to topographical so you can see upcoming terrain. You can set to 3D or just flat. Pick campgrounds and fuel stops. When I can get the truck out more I will do some more playing around but so far I like it.
I used AAA TripTik to plan our trip from Texas through NM, CO, and AZ two years ago and am using it to plan a 4200 mile trip to Grand Teton, Glacier, and Utah this year. It gives me a route and stops based on miles or hours. It requires a some work to locate accessible fuel stops using GasBuddy and to make sure there are no surprises on the route, mainly along the line of reviewing satellite images for driveway access. Using TripTik and phone GPS, I also have to recalculate driving times based on my personal speed limits rather than the posted speed limits.
We use Campendium and Recreation.gov to plan our overnight stops.
But I’m now taking the next step of adding a Garmin RV unit for trip planning and for active guidance for this trip. We’ll soon see how that works out.
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