Which Dash Cam for long US road trip in a rental?

[Spinball]

Hi folks,
we're taking a long road trip of California in the summer in an Avis rental Dodge Grand Caravan or similar and I want to put a dash cam in there as a precaution in case we get into an accident. An 'always on' dash cam is my preference. And one which records the rear view would be a bonus.
I'm looking for recommendations on whether to buy the unit locally in California or in the UK and take it with me. I'd prefer the latter as it's less hassle to take on the flight and I have a feeling it might be cheaper.
Obviously I need to be able to put the unit in the car on a non-permanent basis as it would have to come out without leaving any marks etc.
I'd want to use the unit in tandem with my iPhone being used as a sat nav, so I'd have to organise some kind of lighter socket splitter to power both units.
Your recommendations and advice are appreciated.
Thanks

 

[Tech68]

I just recently purchased one of the `Mobius packs` from www.joovuu.com right here in the UK...I drive a van 10-11 hrs most days.
I will say it is my very first proper dash cam ( i have other action cams etc ) and I think it is a fantastic little camera, image quality is amaizing, it is very small and comes with all you could need for your road trip..
Install a 32Gb card and your done..You can set it up via a PC to your desired config and the press of one button it will `save` the current file and not auto over write it !
Joovuu were a delight to deal with and I must say I was so impressed with the speed of delivery and also in replying to my emails.
Perfect for my application, I guess it may also be for yours ?
Have fun in choosing
Martin

 

[Spinball]

Thanks, Martin. Watched the Techmoan video, and I'm pretty much convinced that this is the dash cam for me.

 

[niko]

Have you thought to go with battery or capacitors on Mobius?

 

[Xybone]

I think RoadCam aka JazJon operates in San Francisco. Other than that, I don't think there are places here that sell dashcams.

 

[kamkar]

You will need to format the SD Card with SDformatter 4.0, atleast thats my experience if you need the camera to overwrite the old files when the SD Card if full.

PS. i think the car rental should offer cheap or free rent of a good dashcam, that way the tourist have proof in case of accident and ther trip thru the states saved on a memory Card.
That is, if you would want to save xxx hours of driving. But i case of a fender bender it would be a good idea, and then use a regular camcorder for the memorable Places witch i bet rarely are within 20" of the front bumper anyway.

If i can ever afford to revisit the states and go see all the Places i would, i will bring a camcorder and a crapload of GB storagespace, and a dashcam just in case.

BUT i will need to use a Whole summer for such a visit as i do not want to do a rush job, and i have "friends" i would like to meet and hang out with.

 

[Dimas]

Another option if you have a smart phone is an Apps that turns your phone into a dash cam.
I have "Witness" apps for iPhone; you'll need a DC charger and a holder (consider piggy backing on your GPS).
I am sure similar Apps is available for Android.

 

[Hillbilly]

I am going to the USA and Canada on Friday till the end of June.

I am taking my Blackvue DR500GW which I use here in Australia. I use 3M Dual Lock tape to hold it on the windscreen and will be taking some with me for the rental cars. Its fairly easy to remove but only good for a one time use.

You don't really need one in the rear as if someone runs up your rear its their fault 100% of the time.

You can buy multisocket ciggy lighter plugs I have a 3 socket with two USB as well.

Used it last year in the USA and worked well as could run the dash camera the GPS and charge camcorder batteries all at once .

Using a class 10 32Gb Sd card it will record about 9 hours of driving. We rarely did more than 7 hours in a day Even when doing 500+ km between cities.

I used to remove the camera and copy the recorded files onto an external HDD each night for future reference.
Didn't really look at them much as nothing as boring as 3500 Miles of tarseal LOL

Also did that with the camcorder files and the digital camera photos as well.

You don't need an "always on" Just an ignition on while you are moving. Believe me.

Just remember to change the time zone when you get there or the time will be well out and useless for verification in an accident.

I found that out first day there. LOL

 

[Spinball]

Thanks for all your replies. I've bought a Mobius and it's working fine in the car.
I'm thinking I might want to actually capture large portions of the trip through the best scenery (Sierra Navada Mountains, Death Valley etc.) and was wondering what happens when the card gets full and you *don't* have the overwrite switched on. Does it just not record any more?

 

[Hillbilly]

Well what would you think. Just as a glass is full when its full so is an SD card. You cant put any more in the glass
or the Sd card
Fairly logical I would have thought.

Read my thread above for how to save the footage.

If you don't have those facilities buy a stack of SD cards.

Just a heads up about the rental Lots of the roads in Death Valley are prohibited to rental car as are the gravel roads in Monument valley.


Didn't stop a heap of idiots driving down there though.

Even saw a Merc dragging its arse in a big pothole.

 

[Spinball]

As a coder myself, it's quite possible that a camera can be set up to stop recording when the card is full as easily (in fact more easily) than having to examine the directory on the card and delete the oldest file to make room for the new one each time a new file needs saving.
Thanks for the Death Valley advice. I got some routes from Trip Advisor and I have no intention of chancing going off road with the family in the car.

 

[Hillbilly]

As a coder myself, it's quite possible that a camera can be set up to stop recording when the card is full as easily (in fact more easily) than having to examine the directory on the card and delete the oldest file to make room for the new one each time a new file needs saving.
Thanks for the Death Valley advice. I got some routes from Trip Advisor and I have no intention of chancing going off road with the family in the car.

Not offroad OFF THE TARSEAL

 

[Spinball]

Just Googled Tarseal. Not a word I have come across before. Thanks, I'll streetview the route to see what it's like.

 

[Hillbilly]

Just Googled Tarseal. Not a word I have come across before. Thanks, I'll streetview the route to see what it's like.

Ok dont drive on gravel roads then. Alamo , National and Enterprise contracts forbid you to do so and and it will negate any damage claims or insurance.

Read the fine print You will find lots of nasty things in there.

Those 3 dont worry about paint damage smaller than a silver $ or plastic damage smaller than a $5 bill.

Unfortunately someone scraped mine when they parked behind it in New York and put a scrape as big as a dinner plate on a new car.

Luckily my contract has Zero excess. Have fun we have driven from Vancouver to Calgary then Toronto right down to Orlando Now in Macon on way to Nashville and across the lower states back to Vegas and LA by the 29th June.

7000 miles all up

 

[Spinball]

Well hopefully the two Mobius cams I'll be installing in it will help if things go pear shaped. In my Audi, the power to the lighter cuts out when the ignition is off. I hope there is a setting in the Dodge Grand Caravan where I can leave it on. And hope it doesn't drain the battery.

 

[russ331]

Well hopefully the two Mobius cams I'll be installing in it will help if things go pear shaped. In my Audi, the power to the lighter cuts out when the ignition is off. I hope there is a setting in the Dodge Grand Caravan where I can leave it on. And hope it doesn't drain the battery.

In the interest of the long term health of your Mobius cams, here's an extract from the Owner Manual...

'The two heat sinks can become very hot during operation. This is normal, but all the same you should never leave the camera turned on where the surrounding temperature exceeds ~47°C (118°F) - for example in a car parked in the baking sun. If you wish to use the camera in very hot conditions you should ensure the heat sinks are adequately cooled, for example by directing cool air onto the metal plates or using a ventilator to dissipate the heat away from the metal plates. High temperatures will also damage the internal LiPo battery. If you use your camera in very hot conditions with external power, for example as a dashcam, you should consider replacing the battery with a Super Capacitor pair. These can be purchased from most suppliers who sell the Mobius'.

 

[Spinball]

oo, it seems like I'll have to buy at least a couple of these, then, since we will be driving all day in the Californian sun. Presumably installing them is something plenty of people here have done without any problems?
https://joovuu.com/gb/accessories-for-the-mobius/95-mobius-super-capacitor-.html

 

[russ331]

oo, it seems like I'll have to buy at least a couple of these, then, since we will be driving all day in the Californian sun. Presumably installing them is something plenty of people here have done without any problems?

I've installed capacitor kits in both of my Mobius cams. 5 minute job. See...

If you can wait a couple of weeks, you can get the capacitor kit for £4.73 delivered from...

http://www.banggood.com/Super-Capacitor-For-The-Mobius-Action-Sport-Camera-p-918122.html

 

[Spinball]

Very useful, thanks. In two minds whether to get the lens extension so I can tape the cameras (one in the front, one in the back) out of the sun. I'm guessing some people might recommend this.

Maybe I could hide the front camera in the little overhead compartment. Not sure whether that would be better or worse for keeping it cool. Or rather not red hot.

 

[jokiin]

Overkill I think