Road Trip (Part 1 - Gadgets)

"liquid1036" (liquid1036) 07/14/2015 at 13:53 • Filed to: Road Trip, Gadgets, Electronics

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I have been toying with the idea of taking 3-4 weeks off and going on a cross country road trip with my 2010 Audi A4. I am still in the early planning phase but wanted to reach out to the oppo community for some advice and pointers. The map above is my potential route but we’ll get into that in another post.
With that said, I wanted to know from you guys what would you consider good road trip gadgets to have.

-Give me a pic/link and reason. This could be anything ranging from a standard GPS unit to a really good smartphone dock for the car.

-I also want to know at what point will I need to start worrying about load on my car with all these electronics connected.

Lets just keep on gadgets for now I plan to ask for other things like pre/post-maintenance, best roads/attractions to a particular destination in a followup post.

Thanks for all the advice!

HammerheadFistpunch > liquid1036 07/14/2015 at 13:57

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If I were you I would head strait down the rocky mountains from glacier to the grand canyon and...if you had too...skip the Oregon coast. Just my 2 cents.

CB > liquid1036 07/14/2015 at 13:58

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I’d go with a separate GPS unit, in case your phone is out of range. Personally, I’d recommend a Tomtom or a Garmin unit.

A 12v to USB adapter would be a good idea for helping keep your phone charged, and a battery pack/solar charger wouldn’t be a bad idea either.

If you’re really worried about the battery dying on you, buy a booster pack and charge it up before you leave.

Other than those gadgets? Snacks, first aid kit, tire patch kit, et cetera.

rb1971 ARGQF+CayenneTurbo+E9+328GTS+R90S > liquid1036 07/14/2015 at 14:04

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Funny, I just posted about the Route 66 trip I plan to do in my Lincoln and was sort of wondering the same thing.

I’m not taking a GPS. My wife and I both have smartphones which can be charged in the car, come with maps and GPS, and play through the speakers. I don’t need to be looking at a map all the time.

I’m not taking a radar detector. But the car I’m taking is 50 years old. Even still I probably wouldn’t take one, as I have been relatively successful in getting warnings over the years when I wasn’t being that ridiculous and I feel like cops don’t give warnings to people with radar detectors.

I am taking a back-up burner phone which will be left in the glove box for emergencies.

I am also taking full safety equipment. Does a 2010 A4 have a spare? If not make sure to have a few cans of fix-a-flat. I’d get flares and a fire extinguisher. I also have a combo seat-belt cutter/window smasher in every car. Get any parts that are somewhat unique and difficult to find (although with a 2010 model it’s probably pretty easy to source parts). I’m bringing some oil, power steering fluid, brake fluid, and coolant. You probably only need a few of those things if any.

I am also taking my AAA card. Not a gadget, but useful nonetheless.

liquid1036 > rb1971 ARGQF+CayenneTurbo+E9+328GTS+R90S 07/14/2015 at 14:10

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Great tips! Yeah I am not going to toy with radar detectors since speeding is not something I really want to do on a long trek. Thanks for listing some of the safety items, I will be looking into those things. And as far as the spare goes, I need to get one since the car came with a donut (lame)

Patrick Nichols > liquid1036 07/14/2015 at 14:11

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wow that root through ND looks absurdly long and straight

daender > liquid1036 07/14/2015 at 14:11

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A new or used Garmin with lifetime map updates. They’re great to have; my parents and I have used it numerous times to get across the country especially twice going from Nevada to South Carolina using the quickest routes possible.

Any sort of 12v adapter that can let you run USB and any other device at the same time . Charge your phone and run your GPS without worries.

A standard US road map, get one at any gas station or wherever, they’re great to have as a backup in case your GPS or phone can’t provide reliable information. I like using colored highlighters to trace out my intended routes for super-long trips.

AUX plug-in for your MP3 to car radio, because repeat radio hunting can suck in certain parts of the countries with little to no signal or station variety. In the Miata, it’s also slightly more fuel-efficient since it keeps the retractable antenna from deploying.

Sam > liquid1036 07/14/2015 at 14:11

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A paper map is the biggest recommendation if you’re going to be out in the absolute middle of nowhere.

Dusty Ventures > HammerheadFistpunch 07/14/2015 at 14:17

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BLASPHEMY!

daender > CB 07/14/2015 at 14:19

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Bump this up because I completely forgot about items in that last sentence and those are some key things to have on a trip of such proportions.

EL_ULY > liquid1036 07/14/2015 at 14:24

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taking 3 hours off from work is an impossiburuu feat for me. You are one lucky duuude :]

Moves-Like-Senna > liquid1036 07/14/2015 at 14:33

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https://www.cobra.com/products/detec…

Always have a radar and laser system in place. You think you won’t speed (unless you know you will and then you probably own these and even add them to rental cars) but you will and these will save you a lot of money.

Dusty Ventures > liquid1036 07/14/2015 at 14:46

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I just did a similar trip a few months ago, here’s what I had for gadgets:

-Garmin GPS: Standard run of the mill faire here, but it’s good to have maps and navigation when you’re someplace without cell service. Plus no data usage.

- Ram X-Grip mount: Because standard GPS suction cups are terribad. The X-Grip is flexible and versatile. The suction cup is strong enough to hold my laptop with ease, and with the GPS unit in it the cup never weakened for the entire four weeks of the trip. Plus the X-Grip can hold almost anything. GPS, phones, some digital cameras, etc. Unbeatable in the segment IMHO

-Dashcam: I bought this in part in case of an accident and in part in case of a questionable run in with law enforcement (all those civil forefitures were fresh on my mind). The model I got is a Seezeus and it’s been pretty good, but anything with decent picture and a gps unit to track speed is fine (just read the reviews to make sure it isn’t crap). In retrospect I wouldn’t mind having one that also has a second camera looking into the car, and records g-forces.

- Spot GPS: This one is more of a personal choice thing and I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it as strongly unless you plan on doing some hiking/backcountry stuff. Basically it’s a GPS beacon that you can use both to send out routine location/status messages and to call for non-emergency/emergency assistance. Not the cheapest thing in the world, but if you stop in Yellowstone or something and have an accident it could become invaluable.

Dusty Ventures > liquid1036 07/14/2015 at 14:57

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As an added note on route, I suggest South Dakota over North Dakota. Because Badlands/Rushmore/Jewel Cave

And also this road:

lone_liberal > liquid1036 07/14/2015 at 15:08

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If you have the time I would suggest not using I90 to cross Washington. Use the North Cascades Highway because:

I’d take 395 north from Spokane and then get on Highway 20 across Sherman Pass then on through.

Dusty Ventures > rb1971 ARGQF+CayenneTurbo+E9+328GTS+R90S 07/14/2015 at 15:17

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As I said in response to liquid, it’s good to have an actual GPS unit on a trip of that scale, especially if you’re staying on/near Route 66. There’s a lot of pockets along the route with no cell service, so unless all the maps and PoIs are pre-loaded into the phone (which, with most map/nav apps they aren’t due to sheer file size) there could be times when the phone is useless for navigation. Not saying you need it out and on all the time, but in remote areas with little-to-no service it could save you from being lost.

rb1971 ARGQF+CayenneTurbo+E9+328GTS+R90S > Dusty Ventures 07/14/2015 at 15:21

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I’ve heard that argument, but unless you are going to be leaving major roads aren’t the overwhelming majority of the areas without cell service the type of places where the route is obvious (i.e., it’s either the only road, or the only major road)?

Dusty Ventures > rb1971 ARGQF+CayenneTurbo+E9+328GTS+R90S 07/14/2015 at 15:27

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Not always. And especially if you’re doing Route 66. It’s a decommissioned highway now and there are some places where it’s unmarked and others where it just straight up stops existing. Also, it’s not just about the route itself, but if, for example, you’re starting to get low on gas or need food/a restroom/a mechanic. In those cases you need to know more than the road you’re on and the direction you’re going. A GPS unit will have things like that loaded into it so you can see where the nearest gas station/Denny’s/automotive witch doctor is.

liquid1036 > Dusty Ventures 07/14/2015 at 15:37

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-Dashcam** YES THANK YOU FOR THIS! Something that I have been thinking of getting even for daily driving. Appreciate the great list!

Dusty Ventures > liquid1036 07/14/2015 at 15:44

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Yeah. Mine is permanently mounted in the car now and turns on any time the electrics are on. Adds an extra layer of security to daily life.

TheOnelectronic > HammerheadFistpunch 07/14/2015 at 15:47

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The oregon coast is amazing*, how could you say that?

*as long as you are okay with having to pass a coach-sized RV doing 30mph every 2 miles

904 GTS > TheOnelectronic 07/14/2015 at 16:07

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It depends on the time of the year, of course, whether one encounters much RV traffic anywhere along the Pacific coast. In Cali, Hwy 1 between San Luis Obispo and Monterey, especially.

The Oregon coast is quite beautiful but small hamlets along the way make for slower going most of the time.

Since i5 is easily accessed from the coast, one can take the canyon before the Cali / Oregon border just past Crescent City, and go up to Grands Pass, hop on the i5, to make time, then get back to the coast whenever possible.

DrScientist > liquid1036 07/14/2015 at 16:21

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if your smart phones/tablets are ATT, i recommend getting a temporary verizon phone. att gets pretty spotty away from major metro areas.

when i did this with gf a couple of years ago, top connection tablet was way more practical than a phone if i needed to be shown a map. the phone screen is just too small.

also. LED headlamp. get 2. not headlights for your car. those lights you strap to your skull so you can see when speulunking or whatever.

Justin Hughes > Dusty Ventures 07/14/2015 at 16:29

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I can’t recommend the RAM mount enough. The X-Grip can hold my phone securely on my motorcycle, it’s so good. But I use it in the car now.