cell phone use as GPS device for hiking

[Vacanegro]

I have used my phone plenty of time when hiking, kayaking, and even flying. It is highly useful but ofc only as informative as the underlying mapping program I have loaded and am using. Usually it's google, sometimes with offline maps if I can remember to DL them in advance but sometimes with AllTrails maps and sometimes even Pokemon Maps. I have a long battery life on my phone and when I am traveling I often bring a spare batter pack.


I don't go treking in true wilderness areas (like Alaska) but am in the wood daily and have never felt the need for any additional device.

[Peregrine]

Originally Posted by rabbit33

What happens when you slip off that log and take a dip in the river? I guess you keep it in a zip lock bag?

This is the cheapest one.

WATERPROOF IPX7

[1200RT]

FWIW, many topos are printed on waterproof paper or you can use laminating sheets. This gives the added benefit of being able to mark it. Doesn’t change the fact that sat nav is superior.

[Peregrine]

What I haven't said here is that we always have a paper map, too. Fold it up showing the part of the trip you are doing, put it in a baggie. These are usually provided by our outfitter.
Make good souvenirs, too.

[Flavius Lugo]

Originally Posted by rabbit33

What happens when you slip off that log and take a dip in the river? I guess you keep it in a zip lock bag?

I was at the lake this summer. An acquaintance was on the dock and couldn't find his iPhone. After about ten minutes, he located it - under the dock, in a few feet of water. He fished it out. It worked just fine.

Can an electronic device be lost and/or rendered non-functional? Sure. So can a paper map. You can lose it. It can blow away. It can fall into the same river and be swept downstream. You're fixating on potential problems with the phone-based technology. Some people are always disproportionately suspicious of a more-recent innovation and blind to the limitations of long-established technologies.

And, yes, when I have my phone with me while doing sketchy river crossings, it's in a Ziploc.