If you are thinking of investing in a Caravan Satnav, here is my independent review of the Tom Tom GO Camper, which we purchased with our own money and have used in Europe for the last year.
We bought our Tom Tom in Budapest, after our Snooper gave up the ghost half way around Romania. This was its final revenge, after denying the existence of the DN7 trunk road and leading us instead through two cornfields and along a footpath. Electronics were outrageously expensive in Romania, so we waited until Hungary to buy a replacement.
The Tom Tom GO Camper has navigated us successfully on our travels for over a year in the UK, France, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia and Hungary. As such, we can give an honest review of both its functionality and reliability across several European countries. Within its first year, our Snooper had already broken and been replaced by the manufacturer.
Why Buy a Caravan Specific Satnav?
For touring in the UK and Europe, a caravan specific satnav is one of the last things that I would leave behind. They are more expensive than a standard satnav, but in my view, represent a worthwhile investment to provide peace of mind and (for the most part) stress-free towing.
Dedicated caravan / motorhome satnavs allow you to input the dimensions of your vehicle or rig to ensure that your route will avoid low bridges, narrow roads and over-sharp bends, weight restrictions and steep hills. Most are easy to toggle between ‘Caravan’, ‘Motorhome’ or ‘Car’ mode, according to which vehicle you are driving.
Depending on the model, you might also have thousands of campsites pre-programmed in, plus settings to avoid toll roads, give speed camera alerts, avoid traffic jams and get full European map updates for the lifetime of the unit.
Why Did We Choose A Tom Tom GO Camper?
We read reviews and the Tom Tom GO Camper is a Which? Best Buy. (Which? is an independent UK consumer testing house.)
The Which? reviews of the Garmin 770 Camper & Garmin 780 Camper were one or two percentage points higher than the Tom Tom, but extensive research of user reviews persuaded us to go the Tom Tom route.
If you prefer a slightly larger screen, the two Garmin models are, however, well worth considering.
Tom Tom GO Camper Features:
- Routing for Motorhome / Camper, Caravan & Car
- Wi-Fi Map & Software Updates – no computer needed
- Points of Interest – parking, fuel, supermarkets, campsites etc
- Live Traffic via built-in SIM (click to see ‘Lifetime’ T&Cs)
- Speed Camera Information (not in France & Switzerland, as it’s illegal)
- Avoid Toll Roads setting and other route options (fastest, shortest etc)
- Lifetime Map Updates (click to see ‘Lifetime’ T&Cs)
- 1-hour Battery Life
- Voice Control
- Additional Features:
- TomTom MyDrive – plan routes, check live traffic & save favourites to the satnav from your smartphone, tablet or PC
- TomTom Road Trips – personalise the world’s best routes, sit back and be guided
- Hands-free calling via Bluetooth
- Smart Phone Messages – read aloud to you via the satnav
- Compatible with Siri & Google Now™
What Do We Like?
- Easy to use – we find the menus simple & more intuitive than Snooper
- Screen graphics are clear – and easy to follow, particularly at junctions
- Finds your location almost immediately – when you turn it on (the Snooper took ages to locate satellites.)
- Live traffic – a real bonus, it displays estimated delays and the choice to re-route
- Speed Limits – are displayed according to the country and the vehicle that you’re driving. We have found this to be mostly accurate, but do not trust it completely.
- Address Finding – quick and simple. Type in any part of an address or postcode & many matching options are quickly presented from the database.
- Points of Interest – including campsites pop up on the right-hand side of the screen as you enter the name of a town.
- Journey Times – the ETA (Estimated Time of Arrival) is incredibly accurate – to the minute (unlike the Snooper, which was inaccurate to the tune of hours!)
- Additional Features – I don’t know whether it is a pro or a con, but the satnav has a lot of features that we don’t use. Phone texts on the screen? We travel to get away from all that nonsense!
What Don’t We Like?
What don’t we like – er, not much! The satnav has no real down sides and has been reliable and accurate. The TomTom has a 100% record so far on finding destinations and has avoided fields and footpaths. (In fairness to Snooper, several people using various different models of satnav said that Romania posed a sat-navigational challenge, although Snooper did give us a few inaccurate campsite locations in France and Germany too.)
- Screen Size – in my opinion, this is the only possible down side of this satnav, but it is a very minor one. The screen is fine for a vehicle the size of our panel van or a 4×4, but may be a little small for a large, A-Class Motorhome. (The two Garmin caravan satnavs have larger screens if this is an issue*.)
- Voice Activation – is random and comes on when you least expect it. However, our Tom Tom is no longer speaking to us since we told it to shut up! (We can re-activate it but are enjoying the peace.)
- Touch Screen – sometimes needs a few touches, but this is no biggie.
- Displayed Speed Limits – not 100% accurate, so ensure you know the speed limits for the vehicle you are driving and country that you’re in.
- Battery Life – short; about 1h, so limited use for a wander around town (there is a ‘walk’ mode), but fine if it’s plugged in while driving. (Garmin battery life is poorer.)
- Slow Map Updates – some users report that this is slow, but is required infrequently. It is not a problem that we have encountered; the satnav seems to update itself happily via Wi-Fi.
* Garmin 770 Camper & Garmin 780 Camper, screen size 152 x 89mm. Tom Tom GO Camper screen size 132 x 79mm. Both Garmins are also Which? Best Buys.
Do I Recommend the Tom Tom GO Camper?
YES!
At the time of writing, Amazon offered the best price for this item. Click here to go direct.
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As with all of my product reviews, I purchased this item with my own money and this article represents my independent and honest opinion.
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World Wide Walkies 
The hubs installed the Tom Tom, and updates it before we go away. It has been pretty good for us so far, but then we only have the van and are not towing anything. Useful to know there is something out there for bigger vehicles. We are staying in the UK next year as we only have two weeks, and this way we can take the dogs. Off to the Lake District rain or shine. 🙂
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Rain or shine is a good attitude to have for the Lake District – but that is what keeps it so lush and green.
It has a special place in my heart – the beautiful and remote valley of Ennerdale is where I spent all my childhood holidays. I think it is what gave me my deep love of wild places. When we first used to go there, in the early ’70s, we could stay for two weeks and not see another living soul. The cottage had calor gas and oil lights and an open fire.
I used to borrow a pony and would often ride into the next valley over a mountain pass called Scarth Gap, since that was the quickest way to get an ice cream!
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I hope that lake is your destination and not the route! We wouldn’t be without our Satnav for guidance and pure entertainment. Even more entertaining is to turn on Mrs Google Maps and listen to Garmin and Google disagreeing with each other.
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Thankfully the lake is the destination! We’re at the end of the line and the lake is part way up a 4000m peak.
A satnav is definitely a must. It made life very difficult when ours broke half way around Romania!
I tend to rely on the satnav, which is not always advisable… However I am sure that Mrs Google Maps provides hours of entertainment!
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