Tom-tom Go Camper Review

Prior to obtaining a tom-tom go camper, I was slightly dubious whether this nifty little piece of equipment could deliver as promised considering it is priced at £380. The TomTom Go Camper is an expensive bit of kit and unless you are an avid traveller, I wasn’t sure the additional functions really justified the extra cost compared to cheaper TomTom’s. 

This TomTom sat nav is specifically aimed for those that drive a camper van or towing a caravan. This means you get all of the route and traffic features of the regular TomTom, with the assurance that the Go Camper won’t take you on a route that will leave you stuck somewhere that isn’t suitable for the weight and size of your vehicle.

As with the majority of TomToms, world maps and traffic updates and safety camera locations are automatically included for the lifetime of the gadget. The Go Camper also has full access to TomTom MyDrive, which enables you to download roadtrips, camping sites and stopover locations which is what originally attracted me to the model in the first place. 

As well as featuring built-in WiFi, the TomTom also acts as a handsfree unit for your smartphone by using Bluetooth. It’ll also connect to your phone’s data, to download new maps and updates. There is a way to bypass losing your mobile data allowance by completing this process with the built-in WiFi each time you connect to compatible network.

The TomTom Go Camper is a clever little piece of technology! The six-inch touchscreen is wide, bright and colourful – which makes it easy to read and follow while on the move. The 6.0-inch, touchscreen nav can be attached to the windscreen or dashboard by using the magnetic mount, which easily attaches the device to the screen.

Simultaneously, the TomTom can be fixed to the dashboard with a sticky plastic disc that connects to the mount and releases in the same way. Just be very careful with the sticky disc and be sure what you want to stick it to as it’s super, super sticky and in all likelihood won’t come off (something we almost found out the hard way). The built-in battery gives one hour of life and can be recharged by plugging the device into the vehicle’s 12V power outlet or USB socket (connections provided in your box).

Once plugged in and attached, you need to enter some important information about your vehicle such as the length, width and weight – the Go Camper can be set to accommodate a light or large camper, as well as a car with a caravan. And if your vehicle has any legal maximum speed restrictions, you will need to enter those too. Once equipped with this info, the router will aim to avoid any roads that are not suitable for your vehicle. It will also compute the best course to fit your vehicle’s speed restrictions to ensure you get to your destination in the easiest, quickest way possible.

Thanks to the light touch sensitivity, using the Go Camper is easy as you don’t have to press particularly hard to use it. The route directions are among the best of any sat nav unit on sale today and something I’m very particular about, it gives you plenty of notice of a turn or junction which is very handy when manoeuvring a heavy vehicle through busy traffic with lane changes. 

While the TomTom is great in town and on the motorway with live traffic updates and reroute options to avoid delays, I was itching to test it in the open countryside. Having read other reviews prior to testing my own sat nat, I was very interested in testing the stability of the signal in rural areas as well as the route guidance down narrow roads. I can very happily now testify that I did not experience either failure during the duration of my trip and I was only guided onto roads that my vehicle could manage. 

The TomTom Go Camper is a very impressive bit of kit with lots of convenient features that take a lot of the stress out of long distance driving. The touchscreen technology in particular is spectacular. In my view, TomTom’s touchscreen technology is as good as the satellite navigation in our other, modern car. The route directions are also spot-on and well-timed, which makes the Go Camper a great companion on a busy motorway or town centre.

Route directions to camp sites and places of interest were faultless and so incredible easy to find and follow, my 11 year old helped me loading destinations. The parking feature is fab at finding camper van friendly places to park up for a couple of hours to explore an area or town. 

In my opinion, if you are an avid traveller, this piece of equipment would make your trips a lot easier and more enjoyable ensuring smooth route guidance.

Rating: 10/10

RRP: £380

You can purchase this item here