pct app from hikerbot

[jefals]

Are any of you guys familiar with this app? Similar to guthook, but with added feature which lets you order supplies and have them shipped ahead. Has all the addresses already built in. Very convenient feature. HOWEVER...
THis app is taking 3 gigs of internal storage on my phone, and won't let me move it to the sd card. Anyone else know anything about this? (Meanwhile, I'm waiting to hear from hikerbot on this....

[AllDownhillFromHere]

I have used in on sections A-C on the southern PCT. I liked it, but I also had Halfmile. Hikerbot seemed sort of excessive and unnecessary, but I feel that about Guthook too. ( I am a paper map carrier ) I didn't use any of the order-ahead stuff.

I recall some options about downloading all the maps ahead of time, or just along the trail, or some combo of both. See if some default is on where you're downloading full topos.

[jefals]

Thanks, downhill....We'll see what hiker both says. Can't understand why you couldn't put it on the sd card. Or why it uses so much storage. Guthook doesn't use anywhere near that much. I can't believe the shopping option is all the difference, but maybe.
I'll be taking paper maps, too, but for backup. I'm nowhere near good enough with paper maps.

[ldsailor]

I have both Hikerbot and Guthook. I'm not on the PCT (yet), but I have used Hikerbot on the AT. It works fine as far as I can tell. The nice thing about the application is IT'S FREE - totally! Guthook is free, but then you have to pay for the maps. Eventually, I suspect Hikerbot will come with a user cost, but it currently does not. The map download has an option to pay for a faster download, but if you don't care how long it takes, the download is free (and slow). I've got the app and all the AT maps on my phone SD card, so storage isn't an issue. Don't know why the OP can't load the map and programs on his SD card. It's possible he just hasn't found where the feature is located. The SD card selection for the maps is under the menu selections Settings > Storage.

Hikerbot is somewhat unique, because it is a "crowd sourced," which means a lot of hiker input to the app is encouraged. This tends to provide copious amounts of data on the trail, towns, shelters, etc. Guthook has a hiker comment feature, but Hikerbot seems to go much further. Hikerbot also has a few interesting features, which Guthook does not. For instance there is a resupply menu item, which the OP mentioned (I never used it) and a compass. There are probably other features, which I have not explored.

I think Hikerbot could really give Guthook a run for their money if more hikers start using it. Right now, the vast majority of hikers on the AT use Guthook including myself. I pull hikerbot out frequently just to see how it differs from Guthook, and there isn't too much difference. Of course there is no difference in the trail. The difference I am referring to is features.

[jefals]

idsailer: inside the app, there is an option that says it's on the sd card. But it really isn't. The hikerbot folks said that the app would install either on the card or internal - whichever had the most space. That didn't happen - it loaded internal, tho I have way more free on the card.
(phone is android, btw. Galaxy S5).
in my application manager, some apps do not give me the option of moving them to the SD card. This is one of those. Not sure why.
I really like the resupply feature, tho.

[AllDownhillFromHere]

If you're on the PCT, and like Hikerbot, you probably also like the PCT Water Report. You can text them updates as you come to sources. Text early, text often. The data are only as good as the realtime feedback.

[jefals]

not out there yet. Maybe around early Feb in the south (starting at Campo), depending on what the snow/ice conditions up in the hills looks like then. I know about the water report. Thanks ADH.

[ldsailor]

idsailer: inside the app, there is an option that says it's on the sd card. But it really isn't. The hikerbot folks said that the app would install either on the card or internal - whichever had the most space. That didn't happen - it loaded internal, tho I have way more free on the card.

(phone is android, btw. Galaxy S5).

in my application manager, some apps do not give me the option of moving them to the SD card. This is one of those. Not sure why.

That's interesting. My phone is a Galaxy S5, too. The app definitely loaded onto my SD card - I checked. I found the map files under /SD_card/Android/data/com.hikerbot.app/files/maps. My SD card is 32 gigabytes. It's true that some apps do not let you load onto a SD card and even some apps that do load onto the SD card still leave files on internal storage. Hikerbot is about 54 megabytes, so it's not that big. The real storage needs are the maps. I downloaded all topographical and satellite maps for the AT north of Harper's Ferry. That took somewhere around 10 gigabytes of space on the SD card.

I'd get on Hikerbot about the problem if your maps, at the least, are not loading on the SD card. I know they are trying to break into the market and compete with Guthook. I would think they would give some serious attention to this problem.

BTW Hikerbot is still in beta; although it seems to be functioning in all other respects.

[jefals]

ok, I think I can probably load the maps on the sd, tho the app software does stay internal. When I installed the app, it was around 45 megs on my device internal. a couple minutes of playing with it -- but without downloading any maps -- and it's up to 357 on the internal.
~~~
Well -- tired of foolin with it, and I already have guthook and halfmile, so just gonna let it go for now..

[AllDownhillFromHere]

I'm using 2.6GB on my phone, I think I downloaded the whole PCT map.

[jefals]

mine was a little over 3g with the maps, so I guess you probably did have the maps loaded. no idea what causes the variation.