Posted: 12/15/2015 10:34:04 PM EDT
Well, my work finally dragged my 5 year old Blackberry out of my hands and handed me a brand new iPhone  5s 
The Ap Store has a myriad of hiking GPS trail map applications. Many of which are free. Since this is a work phone, any aps I download must be free. So my question is, does anyone have a recommendation for a smart phone GPS hiking ap. Looking for maps, trials, way point capability. Being able to tell at a trial junction if I should turn right or left. But must be free though.
Thank you for your suggestions and help |
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Well, my work finally dragged my 5 year old Blackberry out of my hands and handed me a brand new iPhone 5s
The Ap Store has a myriad of hiking GPS trail map applications. Many of which are free. Since this is a work phone, any aps I download must be free. So my question is, does anyone have a recommendation for a smart phone GPS hiking ap. Looking for maps, trials, way point capability. Being able to tell at a trial junction if I should turn right or left. But must be free though.
Thank you for your suggestions and help Always turn right! |
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Always turn right! Quoted:
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Well, my work finally dragged my 5 year old Blackberry out of my hands and handed me a brand new iPhone 5s
The Ap Store has a myriad of hiking GPS trail map applications. Many of which are free. Since this is a work phone, any aps I download must be free. So my question is, does anyone have a recommendation for a smart phone GPS hiking ap. Looking for maps, trials, way point capability. Being able to tell at a trial junction if I should turn right or left. But must be free though.
Thank you for your suggestions and help Always turn right! But you meet the nicest County search and rescue guys if you turn left 
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But you meet the nicest County search and rescue guys if you turn left
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Well, my work finally dragged my 5 year old Blackberry out of my hands and handed me a brand new iPhone 5s
The Ap Store has a myriad of hiking GPS trail map applications. Many of which are free. Since this is a work phone, any aps I download must be free. So my question is, does anyone have a recommendation for a smart phone GPS hiking ap. Looking for maps, trials, way point capability. Being able to tell at a trial junction if I should turn right or left. But must be free though.
Thank you for your suggestions and help Always turn right! But you meet the nicest County search and rescue guys if you turn left
In that case, might I suggest the Gaia GPS app? |
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+1 for the post above. The answer is maybe no and that effectively eliminates phones based GPS (or ANY GPS) as a survival tool
Plus, consider the following: - GPS Satelites will be degraded or even shut down to the public in certain types of a catastrophic events. - Paper maps don't have screens that break and they don't make that cute sizzle sound when dropped in the creek, they also never need batteries and can be marked up as needed. - Phone based nav is notoriously incorrect. How many of you have used your phone to walk 200 feet only to have it tell you to turn the opposite way? For casual use, yes. Survival use, ah, definitely no. |
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In that case, might I suggest the Gaia GPS app? Quoted:
In that case, might I suggest the Gaia GPS app? I used Gaia on my Android before switching to Backcountry Navigator. Now that I'm on an iPhone I'll be going back to Gaia. Quoted:
Are you sure you're gonna get cellphone reception where you go hiking? You don't need cell service assuming you're using offline maps. |
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Are you sure you're gonna get cellphone reception where you go hiking? If your phone has a real integrated GPS (stand alone), then you dont need cellphone reception to use GPS. Mine asks if I want to use the cell signal for better accuracy but it can work on GPS sat alone. Wonderful, powerful tools. FerFAL |
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Check out GPS Kit (for smart phones) or GPS Kit HD for tablets. They both support IOS and Android. While connected to the internet you can download google earth images of the area you plan to hike or visit. The image is stored on your device. As you hike your route is plotted on the sat. image. It is by far the best I have come across.
Not free, but only $10 and well worth it in my humble opinion. |
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Check out GPS Kit (for smart phones) or GPS Kit HD for tablets. They both support IOS and Android. While connected to the internet you can download google earth images of the area you plan to hike or visit. The image is stored on your device. As you hike your route is plotted on the sat. image. It is by far the best I have come across. Not free, but only $10 and well worth it in my humble opinion. This is what I use. And yes, with the iPhone you get GPS off the cell network. Download maps and then roll out. The other great product I would suggest is Avenza PDF maps. You can get all the USGS 7.5' quads for free and it knows where you are at on those maps so it plots you on the screen even though its using the PDF and not a free flowing map. Its pretty awesome. |