Portable GPS Advice
 

I travel a lot and usually rent a car at my destination.

I'd like to be able to carry a GPS unit with me, and the automotive GPS units are small enough to do that. But mounting in rental cars is awkward because the mounts are usually big and awkward and difficult to carry around.

So maybe a strap to hang the unit from the rear view mirror is practical. But the GPS units I've seen don't have places to connect straps.

Anyone have any advice?

Friction mounts for garmin work well, like a beanbag and can be stored in luggage w/out too much space.

amazon.com sells for btn $25-30, free delivery, no tax (that's assuming you have a garmin model)

I have a Gramin Nuvi 350 that I pack when I travel, and the suction mount is not at all "big and awkward and difficult to carry around."

Hanging a GPS from the rear view mirror is not going to be good for the GPS, nor for you (it would swing too much).

Use a good friction mount, or leave it in your lap. Or try the vent mounted clips.

I totally agree. The suction cup mount is not much bigger than the Nuvi itself. I also bought the friction bean bag mount for use in CA. I like it, but would rather not deal with the added weight in my bags.

In short, get the Nuvi or similar. I absolutely love mine.

I have traveled with a number of GPSs and here are my experiences:

1. Garmin eMap
Pro: Compact to travel with. Use 2 easy to find AA battery. Enough battery life to record a Frankfurt to SFO flight
Con: no auto-routing, memory is limited to 128MB.
2. Garmin Streetpilot 2610/2620/2650/2730
Pros: Very capable in a rental car.
Con: No internal battery. A bit heavy with the DC cable, remote and friction mount. Easy to leave something behind.
3. Garmin Quest (also Quest 2)
Pro: Long internal battery life. Auto-routing is good for driving.
Con: Screen is a little small. Expensive friction mount that seems to be no longer available. Need to carry a charger on a trip.
4. Garmin GPS 10 (also Mobile 10/10x)
Pro: Very compact. Works well with a PC. Map size only depends on SD card size.
Con: Using it on a Treo650 is very hard and crash often. Hard to use with a PC while driving.


Also considered the Garmin Nuvi series but battery life is too short for a long flight.

p.s. Also left the Garmin GPS10 stuck to the top of a Hertz rental car. But they found it (still on the roof) and sent it back to me. :D

Added:
Item 2 obviously need a C seat to work in a plane. Item 4 needs a working PC or phone to work in a plane. Item 1 and 3 can work discretely and get the whole flight path.:) I got the rapid climb out of Milan over the Alps and down to Frankfurt recorded on my GPS. Once I was on UA metal, I obeyed the rule and miss the ascend and descend of the flight.

Added more:
The Garmin GPS 10 is compatible with Palm OS and Windows Mobile Smart phones. The Garmin Mobile 10 is compatible with Symbian (Nokia and Sony/Ericsson) , Palm OS and Windows Mobile Smart Phones.

After almost 2 months of use, I am real happy with the Garmin Nuvi 370. Other Garmin models maybe cheaper due to no add-on of European maps. See this link for what others said about it.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=739568