Affordable handheld GPS for hiking?

[Russ Smith]

Curious do people still buy these or do they just get a smartphone with a GPS? We're going hiking this weekend at Pinnacles National Monument, never been before always wanted to. I pulled out my old GPS a Magellan 315 which it appears we got in 02 or 03, totally dead, new batteries and I had to initialize it again but seems to be working. IIRC it was a little tricky to figure out things like backtrack which is of course critical when hiking so you can just mark your start as a waypoint and then backtrack with the GPS to get there again.

Pinnacles from what I understand is really easy if you stay on marked trails so I'm not really concerned about that I just figure it might be a good time to look at a new handheld. I looked on Amazon and was surprised how expensive they all are, seems like color display is the reason for that.

I'm due in a few months for a new cellphone, either staying with Sprint or switching to Verizon so I can get a GPS enabled phone then just wondering are those more intended for car navigation and I should just get a hiking GPS, or are the new smartphones good enough to use as a GPS?

 

[Mathew81]

I use my Android phone for GPS when I hike. There are a few apps that are specifically designed for it. Besides tracking the basic how long and far you've hiked, they'll estimate how many calories you've burned based on your weight and you can keep a record of your hikes on the web. There are other features as well depending on which app you use.

 

[Russ Smith]

I use my Android phone for GPS when I hike. There are a few apps that are specifically designed for it. Besides tracking the basic how long and far you've hiked, they'll estimate how many calories you've burned based on your weight and you can keep a record of your hikes on the web. There are other features as well depending on which app you use.

Thanks, I guess my main concern is most handheld GPS have a more legit looking antenna, my concern would be if I can't get a satellite signal with the smartphone, the GPS would be worthless.

We'll see, i looked at Amazon reviews on the unit I have and the 2 biggest compaints were battery life and ease of use of things like backtrack. that's really the key feature for me, the ability for it to get me back to my car.

 

[Mathew81]

I've never had a problem getting the satellite signal on my phone. The battery issue is a problem with smartphones in general. Most don't last a full day. But if you make sure it's charged up before you go you'll be fine. I also carry an extra battery with me just in case. I'm not sure about backtrack. I've only used established trails so it wasn't really an issue to just turn around and follow it back. But I just checked my hiking history and it still shows the exact path I hiked 3 months ago so I don't think it would be an issue. I also have an app for finding your car using GPS. You basically open the app where you park and mark your car on the map. It's mostly used by people to find their car in a big parking lot but it should function for this scenario as well.

Also, my buddy just bought a solar powered charger for his phone for about $15 on Amazon. I tried it out the other day and it worked great.

 

[Russ Smith]

Just to be safe I ordered a Garmin etrex venture, should get it tomorrow. It's a color unit but about 140 bucks on Amazon. The reviews are good except the screen is somewhat hard to see in certain light conditions but at that price I can live with that.

By finding my car I didn't mean literally I just meant if you somehow get off a trail all I'm really interested in is a unit that can show me how to get back to where I started. if you mark the start as a waypoint, and the GPS has the ability to get you back to that waypoint then that's enough for me.

I'll bring both units the first time just to compare. I'm expecting the Garmin to lock on satellites a lot faster than the old Magellan does.

The thing with the smartphone is that if you are using one device for both purposes the chances of the battery being low when you really need it increase. But you're right if you bring an extra battery that should resolve that concern.

 

[Mathew81]

For those with an Android phone, the Amazon App Store has the Gaia GPS app for free today. It's a GPS tracker specifically designed for hiking/off-roading. It's normally $10.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004S3M1JS?ie=UTF8&ref=mas_faad

 

[TheHopToad]

For those with an Android phone, the Amazon App Store has the Gaia GPS app for free today. It's a GPS tracker specifically designed for hiking/off-roading. It's normally $10.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004S3M1JS?ie=UTF8&ref=mas_faad

I just discovered the Amazon free app of the day about a week ago and I am loving it. They have had some really great apps too, not just the silly 99 cent games. Got Cardio Trainer Pro for free yesterday (normally $9.99).

http://www.amazon.com/mobile-apps/b/ref=topnav_storetab_mas?ie=UTF8&node=2350149011

 

[Mathew81]

I got that one too. The free app of the day is awesome. I work overnights so I always check what the new one is right after midnight. I've gotten some really useful apps out of it.