Handheld Trail GPS ?

Billy,

Since you have brought the idea to my attention, I am now playing with the idea of purchasing an android phone strictly for the purpose of using it as a GPS navigation tool (especially since Garrett has mentioned that he also finds the maps more detailed/useful)… My one concern was if I would have to pay for service to the phone to use its GPS feature? Is that not the case? Could I not pay for service to it, yet still download the necessary apps and use the necessary GPS functions to use it as a navigation tool?

You do not have to pay for service to use it as a GPS.
You will not get phone calls or text, and you will not have a phone/data connection, but you can still use wifi to access the internet and download maps (which is how I would do it even if it had phone service as wifi does not eat up your data allowance).
Once you download the app and the maps then you are set to use it off-line in the backcountry where there is not phone/data service anyway.

Actually, the way I do it is I downloaded the BCN app to my Samsung/android tablet and my Samsung/android phone. I use the tablet with it’s larger screen to download maps to the tablet and put them on the microSD card in the tablet. (the process of ‘selecting’ areas of maps would be harder on a phone with the smaller screen). After the maps are downloaded to the microSD card I just move the card from my tablet to my phone! When trip planning I often pan though the maps on my tablet and set waypoints and then move the microSD card to the phone for the actual backpacking.

Billy

billy

For some people, another smartphone-only app they can use is RunGo:  http://www.rungoapp.com

The RunGo webpage says it does for runners what in-car GPS does for drivers, and that’s exactly what it does: voice-directed navigation without having to look at the app display at all.  I was quite startled when I was running a 50 mile ultra last year, 5,000+ feet up on a trail just outside Mount Rainier Nat’l Park, and I heard a pleasant siri-like electronic voice say, “bear left at the intersection in 50 yards”.  It turned out a guy just behind me was using the RunGo app, and it did indeed appear to perform as advertised.

This sort of app can of course work only if you have a predefined route that you’re following.  You can design a GPS track yourself on a PC and transfer it to use on your smartphone, or download a GPS route that someone else has created or that is a track of an actual route they took.  RunGo also has some predefined routes on its website, I think, that may have more features.

I’m just throwing RunGo out there as another possible advantage of a smartphone.  I can understand that some people would not want to use an app like RunGo, the electronic voice sounds out of place in the wilderness and it dumbifies navigation even more than just using a basic GPS device.  But there are undeniable advantages.  First, since it’s voice based you don’t need to divert attention to a device display, don’t need to worry about sunlight making display unreadable.  Second, you don’t have to have your smartphone in your hand to use the app at all, the fellow I saw using it had it on his back in a pocket in his backpack.

As Herbert mentioned, a huge advantage/or disadvantage to using a smartphone is the ability to use it for other tasks as well.  You alluded to this in your OP, Dan.  How you already use your iPhone as. A camera etc..

Other GPS enabled apps I use include:Strava, peak finder, and onxhunt (which shows property boundaries so I know private vs public and what type of public land).                                                                                                  I use a Motorola Droid turbo for GPS with no sim card in it.  It was a Verizon phone but I just leave it on airplane mode and the large battery and durability are nice.  You can often find them on Craigslist for 200$ or less.  32gb internal memory, 3gb ram, big battery and nice screen.  Or you can get a brand new Moto g with 16gb internal space, 2gb ram with an SD card slot and it’s IPX7 rated waterproof.

“But there are undeniable advantages. First, since it’s voice based you don’t need to divert attention to a device display,…”

Er… I’ve had voice directions while driving direct me to the wrong roads… not such a big deal if I drive 10 miles out of my way… or even 20… but if I’m backpacking that could be a HUGE problem…
so I don’t think I’d follow this advice that you’don’t need to divert your attention to the device display… I’d say do it and do it often… unless you don’t mind ending up some place you don’t want to be

billy

A dedicated GPS unit is probably better in many ways vs a smart phone. But so is dedicated P&S camera with true optical zoom vs a smart phone.

Much like a camera, however, the smart phones are replacing consumer grade GPSs for most people.

Convenient and “good enough” in both cases.

People like convenience and versatility vs “the best” overall . Online streaming’s picture quality is not as good as Blu-Ray in most cases. I’d rather stream than have the high quality, but taking up room, Blu-Ray collection.  AV aficionados wil feel differently. Most people are not AV aficionados.

Billy Ray said:

Er… I’ve had voice directions while driving direct me to the wrong roads… not such a big deal if I drive 10 miles out of my way… or even 20… but if I’m backpacking that could be a HUGE problem…

The reason that can happen with car gps is you have the gps unit actually finding the route. That is, you put in only the end destination and then rely on the gps unit to find the best route among the complicated network of streets. They can easily make mistakes.

It’s much different with the RunGo app, where you yourself will have pre-defined the route — you don’t just pick an endpoint destination — there is no choice involved as to which track the gps unit is supposed to follow. Of course, you would still want to pay attention to make sure something’s not going haywire with RunGo, but it’s fundamentally different and simpler task it’s doing than what car GPS units do.

Welcome to BPL.

I’ve owned a few GPS over the years and used them some in the military.  For me, I exclusively use my iphone these days with the Gaia GPS app.  Make sure you check out Link’s link.

If you need to track your route with the GPS, then I would indeed go with a stand alone unit.  I’ve yet to buy an eTrex but own a couple of its predecessors, both were purchased here at BPL.  The Garmin Geko has been discontinued but you can still find them used on ebay or you can post a WTB here in the Gear Swap forums to see if anyone has one to sell.  This has been my favorite GPS thus far but sadly it gave up the ghost last year.  I’d buy another one in a heart beat.

I currently own a Garmin Vista which works great but is twice the size of my Geko.

The laziest of searches shows that there are refurbished eTrex 20s selling for $130.  That seems more than reasonable.

I think you’ll find that if you just turn on your GPS just long enough to confirm your location, and then shut it right off, a set of batteries can last you a summer.  I haven’t tried using GPS only mode on my iPhone yet and just toggle Airplane Mode on and off when I need to use Gaia.  I can get 3-5 days from a single charge depending on how much video I shoot along the way.

In addition to the Adventure Alan link, you’d be wise to search for Amy Lauterbach’s contributions to this topic.  You’ll have to do your own sleuthing to find her articles here at BPL or shoot her a PM.

The Garmin basemaps that come on all devices are very very basic.

My usage of Garmin handheld GPS devices is primarily for Geocaching, which also can involve hiking (did a very rugged section of the Rideau Trail last year).

There are many free options available such as those from OSM (Open Street Maps).

The Garmin eTrex 20 was my first handheld GPS; it has been replaced with the slightly updated eTrex 20x.

Although I upgraded to a GPSMAP 62s (since been sold) and now primarily use an Oregon 600 for Geocaching, I still have my eTrex 20 and use it now for hiking and sometimes kayaking.
The eTrex 20 is a great lightweight unit with great battery life.

Ian, Here is what Amy says about the article I posted( Amy and Alan’s article)

Here’s our article about using iPhone as Backpacking GPS/Mapping device  with some critical information about maintaining battery life and info about how to select an app. Alan’s comment about 4-5 hours of battery life is true ONLY if you don’t tune anything – by tuning the settings and usage, you should be able to use the iPhone GPS for backpacking for 3-5 days without carrying a recharging solution.

I am maintaining an annotated list of iphone gps apps with info about all the apps I’ve found. If you know of apps that I’ve missed, or know of important updates that make my comments inaccurate, please PM me with the info

Many thanks.

It’s been a while since I’ve read the article so my memory is a little fuzzy, but Amy co-authored the Adventure Alan article?  All this is starting to sound familiar.

I applaud your ability to reference so many topics and sources at a moment’s notice.  If you’re not working in research, or at the very least, as a librarian, you may have very well missed your true calling in life.

I did a hike with a friend the other day.

Set-up was Galaxy S5 with BCN, tracking interval 10 sec, phone set to airplane mode. Starting battery level 94% and finish level 69% after ~4.5 hrs.

I got the 64 Gig micro SD so it’ll be very nice to have the maps (Caltopo) in there and use it for position checks, which is overwhelmingly what I would use a dedicated GPS for anyway. But if obtaining a track is the priority I will use the eTrex 30 for that.

To the OP, I’d suggest you really think about what you will use the GPS for when deciding between a phone or a handheld GPS.

In my case, as mentioned by others above, I like to capture a bread-crumb trail of my track.  That means the device will be on all the time and with my phone, that would be a big issue for battery life.  A couple of lithium AA cells for the handheld GPS last so long and are so light that carrying a couple extra is a non-issue.  If I have to carry a battery backup for my phone it will be much heavier and takes time to charge (AA’s can be popped in and away you go)

Leaving my GPS on all the time (capturing my tracks) also allows me to have a quick look any time I want.  I don’t have to fire up my phone to take a look (assuming it’s off because I’m conserving batteries).

The other thing to consider is, will you be doing route planning?  The maps on the phone apps are great but route planning on a phone sucks!  You can route plan on a tablet and transfer to your phone but compared to my 24 inch computer screen, my tablet sucks for route planning.  I mention this because I use Garmin compatible maps with Garmin’s Basecamp app on my computer and also use Delorme maps (via inReach account) and they both allow me to use the “big screen” on my PC for planning routes.  After I plan my route I like to print a copy of the map with my route on it and it’s nice that the printed map matches my GPS screen.

Now that I have the inReach Explorer it has simplified things for me (I leave my Etrex 20 at home).  I turn on the GPS tracking on the Explorer to captures a bread-crumb trail (1 sec interval), I can upload routes from my PC (big screen route planning) and use my phone (if I bring it) to look at my position on a map.  The nice thing about the Explorer is that I have options… no phone required and I’ll still have a fully functional GPS with a crude map screen with uploaded routes (and the added bonus of satellite communication).