GPS apps

[BabySue]

Just became a smart phone owner. Got an LG for the big screen. I've been with hikers whose iPhones track their route as they walk. Then at the end you know your mileage and have a record of your route. Question: what app do you recommend for that? Thanks.

[Fredt4]

Backcountry Navigator an Android app found on Google Play

[climbingbear]

Im an Android user. I use viewranger. I bought the us topo maps on sale for 10 bucks. There are plenty of free maps too. They have map sales every major holiday. I download the maps before leaving home in case I don't have a signal.

[squeezebox]

What other apps do you have? I'm considering switching to a smart phone but would rather not spend the extra $$$.

[Deacon]

Another good one is Motion-X. Records your route on a google map.

[bigphoto]

OsmAnd+ is fantastic. Offline Open Street Maps that you download to your phone. You can track your progress, set intervals for the app to connect to the GPS sats to grab your location (anywhere from continuous to every 5 minutes) so it really saves your battery. And it can track in the background (called sleep mode). Tons of features. There is a free version that lets you download 10 maps, or a paid version ($5 I think) that has unlimited maps. And there is a $2 addon that supposedly does contours and hill shading (although I don't have this plugin) . I'll try to post some screen grabs later if you're interested.

[Another Kevin]

Another vote for Backcountry Navigator. I make my own maps for it. They work better for me than the US topos, which around here are fifty years out of date.

[rickb]

so it really saves your battery..

I just learned yesterday that the latest version of IOS (8.3 I think) informs what percentage of your battery is used by each app.

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