With RV's generally used to take their drivers off their beaten tracks, a GPS is pretty much an essential piece of kit on the dash of such vehicles. Aside from dealing with unfamiliar routes, RV drivers also face their own specific route requirements that drivers of smaller vehicles don't have to deal with – as any RV driver who has found themselves at the end of a dead end road and having to carry out a 27 point turn will attest to. While there are a number of GPS units designed for larger vehicles, including trucks, Rand McNally says its new TripMaker RVND 5510 is the first GPS navigation device designed specifically for RVers.
Developed after research and beta testing among the RV community, the TripMaker RVND 5510 not only provides RV-specific routing that takes into account height, weight and legal restrictions (if your RV packs a propane tank for example), but also devises routes taking into consideration left or right-turn preference based on eleven different RV classes and provides speed limit and sharp curve warnings to help keep all wheels on the road. Other RV-specific tools include a set up and takedown checklist, maintenance logs and a "Breadcrumb Trail" feature to get you from your campsite back to the main road.
Perhaps taking into account the generally older age bracket of RVers, the RVND 5510 also provides turn-by-turn spoken directions from a "louder speaker" in English, Canadian French and Spanish, displays text directions on a 480 x 272 resolution 5-inch widescreen display and features oversized buttons.
The device also features more than 14 million points of interest for those touring across North America, with details of more than 13,000 RV parks and campgrounds and the location of more than 6,000 travel center locations with information on RV parking, dump stations, showers, propane availability and electric hookup.
The unit will also provide detailed information on more than 150,000 places just off the interstate if you're looking for an RV friendly place to stretch your legs and grab a bite, while RVers with Fido along for the ride are provided with details on more than 24,000 pet-friendly locations including animal hospitals, hikes, parks ad beaches.
For those with the freedom of going wherever the road may take them, the RVND 5510 also includes a Best of Road program that provides three to four day adventures devised by Rand McNally's editorial staff as well as regional trips, scenic tours, weekend getaways and video guides of some cities.
Rand McNally's TripMaker RVND 5510 is available for pre-order now and will be in stores in June for US$350.
Oh no it ain\'t randy. My Land Rover Range Rover has one already... and it\'s four years old.