Gps?
Do I need one? Which do you recommend?
Could I just use an app on my phone or will I not be able to use a gps app in airplane mode?
Thanks!
Don't really need one. But lots of folks carrying smartphones nowadays with various apps that use the phone's GPS, for example the Guthook app (and related map sets, which do cost some $$.)
Is for some reason you want continuous GPS tracking, you want to get a GPS because continuous GPS tracking on a smartphone is a battery hog.
But if you just want to be able to occasionally use a GPS to make sure you're on the right path, then use an app like Guthook.
The Guthook apps are about $10, and I believe it is a different app per trail. But what you get is a map that can be downloaded for offline use and includes the trail location on the map. When you look at the map, the GPS will show you where you are on the map/trail.
The suggestion I've read about using an app like Guthook is to check your position shortly (1/4 mile?) after every trail intersection. That way, if you've taken a wrong turn, the app should you that you're no longer on the correct path.
I haven't used Guthook yet, but I've already purchased it for my up-coming JMT thru hike, and for what it seems to deliver, I think it is well worth the cost.
Guthook's guide is great, but as stated, any continuous GPS app on the phone will drain your battery. Also, if you want to do continuous GPS tracking, then yes, a separate GPS will work best.
The good thing about using Guthook intermittently is that it's probably a little more up to date as far as trail relocations, etc. There will be some instances where it's not, but I doubt the USFS maps & overlays are updated yearly. Plus, Guthook has guides to where the campsites & water, etc. are.
"The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep."
certainly don't need it. But there are a lot of good GPS apps that you can download everything and make some use out of it in offline mode. then you can turn on your GPS signal if you ever need it
there's also this type of portable charger if people use phone etc a lot
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...d_i=B005X1Y7I2
weighs 4oz. I bring stuff like this on hikes where I need navigation (ie: not well marked trails), but I don't bother on clear routes like the AT
It's just a single app, and then you use in-app purchases to buy the sections. Guthook's app breaks the trail into 9-10 sections at $9/each (so one Guthook section is multiple "paper map sections." Guthook also has a thru-hiker special where you get all the maps for $60."Originally Posted by HooKooDooKu
I'm only aware of Guthook's app for the AT.
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I may be the odd one but for so many years not having a GPS, and only taking a general compass reading from where I start in unfamiliar areas it has been hard for me to make the switch to GPS. It seems to me to actually work against me. I do use a little Garmin hand held unit to story waypoints of my favorite places when I am hunting or just wandering around the woods for no particular reason. Mostly so that when I leave for a week at a time in the woods I can leave a list of waypoints with someone incase i need to be found.
With that said you definitely don't need a GPS for the AT.
RUNT ''13''
You don't need one but it's interesting to see how much mileage and climbing you've done at the end of the day. A hard day in the Smokies might have 6-7,000 feet of climb, and it's fun to review that at the end of the day. It's also useful to download waypoints so you know how far it is to the next shelter, spring, road crossing, or town. And yes, you will get lost at some point and a gps might save the day. There are a million questions that a gps can offer answers to, that without one you will never know.
Having said all that, electronic devices tend to fail when you need them most, so I still carry map and compass too.
Apparently we are both right.
If you look in the Google Play Store, there are multiple Guthook Guides:
"Guthook's AT Guide: Complete" - Free - Based on admirald7s comments, I assume the app comes with no maps and you simply purchase the sections you want.
"Guthook's PCT Guide: Complete" - Free - Given that the AT and PCT are similar in length, I assume it works the same as the AT app.
"Guthook's JMT Guide" - $9.99 - All inclusive as the entire JMT is about 1/10th the length of the AT (so no in-app purchase).
and there are more.
I didn't even realize there were others...thanks for the correction!
The AT has the approach trail for free so that you can try it out first.
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Guthooks AT Guide comes with Springer approach preloaded for free. All sections are purchased as you need them. I only needed the Virginia portion so it was minimal cost to me. The thing I like about it, being a new long distance hiker, first time AT hiker, is you can create your own subsection hikes or daily hikes. For instance, I am starting in Damascus and planing a 10 mile first day, I can drop pins along the trail to spots of interest, water and possible camp or shelters. If after a 10 miler I feel I can push on I can see rite away how far the next camp site is. I can download this onto my husbands phone and he will know where I'll be every day, he won't worry. JM2C
You'll love the app on the JMT....I've got ETB atlas if you want it you can have it...truly the app is all you need....I worry about electronic failures so had the atlas also...
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It really depends what kind of hiking you do. If you are going to be off trail for various reasons, GPS are handy tools when you want to ask "where am I". Either a smartphone app or a stand alone GPS device would suffice for that. However, electronics are notorious for failure in outdoor environments, running out of power/batteries or succumbing to water/vapor entry.
Using a map and compass is lighter to carry, puts you in better touch with the trail and terrain you are in, don't require recharging/batteries, and don't fail to start. They are not difficult tools to use, though some people see this as "old school". I get asked a lot how to use the compass with trail maps by those who believe it to be difficult to do or related their experience with device failures leaving them not knowing where they were.
I currently have:
1. Tom Harrison JMT map set
2. Wenk book (full book in electronic form and data book in paper-back),
3. National Geographic JMT map
4. Guthook App
... but I'm always willing to accept more.
The Harrison maps seem like a waste. They don't provide any information other than where trails are located. They might be the best maps to navigate by if all you had were map and compass.
The Wenk maps look to be pretty good for something in a book. But given that it's paper, don't want to rely on that.
The National Geographic map seems to have the most useful info on the map. I'm currently planning on taking that as my physical map. Bought a set of Staedtler pens to write notes directly on the map. I've already filled in some details such as numbering the campsites on the map to match Wenk's numbering system.
I'm expecting the Guthook app will be the most useful for keeping track of where I am.
The maps inside the W
Yea I'd say you have waaaaay more than you need...I used the atlas alittle but honestly I'd leave most of that behind...I was on a tight schedule, if I had more time to do off trail exploring would have been helpful...
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I started with a GPS unit (for geocaching more than anything), and the proper xeroxed pages from the AWOL book. Then I started just making notes on a water resistant paper map with a sharpie, which I liked better than AWOLs pages. AWOL is great at home for hike planning, but I like more of a visual reference on the trail.
This last trip I got the ATHiker app and my paper map pretty much just stayed unused in my packs pocket, except at the shelter. The GPS I use for tracking myself and geocaching. The phone pretty much stays on plane mode and every couple of hours might come out to see where I am on the app, but for the most part it's just walking blaze to blaze. I find the GPS more useful on trails besides the AT - trails that might not be as well marked but where people have uploaded their own tracks to the web. Foothills Trail, Panthertown Valley, and Linville Gorge, to name a few...
Please don't read my blog at theosus1.Wordpress.com
"I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference. Thank God for Search and Rescue" - Robert Frost (first edit).
I agree with Traveler, it depends on where you're hiking. Hiking in wilderness areas is not the same as hiking on the AT. For wilderness areas, I use the Gaia app on my smartphone. I download the maps prior to my hike and they can be used in airplane mode. Physical maps are my primary means of navigation in these areas, the app is a back up.
Map and compass, with a smartphone as a backup.
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