How weatherproof is a Garmin Nuvi 2xxW

[grossman]

Hey There,

I'm thinking of grabbing a Ram Mount and using my 255W on the sled. Question is, how bad of an idea is this? I picture the device getting ruined the second snow hits it.

 

[marq]

I don't see anything in the spec sheets about the 255w being water resistant but a lot of people use Nuvi's on their sleds without any problems. You for sure will need to use a car charger or or hard wire to the battery as the GPS internal battery will die quickly in the cold.

I use a Lowrance XOG mounted on my riser. It was marketed as a unit that is water resistant, but from my experience snow and sleet never accumulated on it while riding. If you don't want to take a chance on ruining the unit, there are solutions available such water proof bags that have have a ball from ram mounts. Here is an example:

http://www.amazon.com/Buybits-Universal ... B003CG2KAM

 

[gutterboy2ca]

Yupp, your good to go with a garmin.My sled sleeps in the shed, but sledding all winter last year with Vector, and Trakmaps NB installed,loved it.Just go to a local pawnshop, i bought 4 Garmin 255W for like $25 each,was gonna rig couple up for my buddies who tend to get lost,hahah.
Check this thread
http://www.ty4stroke.com/viewtopic.php? ... highlight=

BTW no need for a Ram mount, use your suction cup mount, you will see in the thread, i just shaved a bit off the sides with grinder so it set flush between the Bar riser, couple self tappers, your good to go for free.

 

[biffdotorg]

Yup, it's amazing the conditions those Garmins will run in. I have a 1300 series Garmin that was meant to be used on the dash. I ran it all last season on a handlebar RAM Mount and it worked great!!

I did keep in plugged in for juice as the battery life wasn't as great when cold. But we ran it in some very cold and very snowy weather. These things can be picked up so cheap these days, why not!

Good luck!

 

[mooseflyer]

I used my Nuvi 750 for quite awhile with no problems. I loaded topo maps onto it that I found for free on the internet somewhere. Like Biff said, it's gotta be powered while on the sled as the battery won't last in the cold.

I've since moved to a 7" Android tablet and use the Oruxmaps program available in the Google Play store. It's mounted via a RAM mount and enclosed in an Otterbox case. Very cool if you've got the space under your windscreen. It's huge, but very versatile (you can even see it in my avatar, lol).

 

[Bluebullet]

Just picked up Garmine Nuvi 225 on ebay for 30 bucks. Going to give it a try! Thanks