Best Backcountry Navigation

[Shadyapex]

I know most on this forum will have a modern GPS, maps, etc and know how to use them. Still I thought I'd share this as it has led me to pretty much leave my GPS in the glove box, well, mainly because the suction cup keeps bailing off the windshield. Still, here goes.
Get an iPad, even a 1st gen version, available on eBay for about $30, or an iPhone 3gs or later, available for about the same, so just get the pad for the larger screen.
Next download an app called Topo Maps, it's $4.99. Then download all the USGS quadrangles that you think you might need, they're free. This eliminates the need for a cell connection as the map data is stored on your device. You don't need a cell plan.
Maps turn out to be very compressible so they don't take up much storage space on your pad/phone and the device will show you your position on the map.
I keep my beater iPad in the truck all the time with all the maps I usually use downloaded and it's a great boon to finding a place. You can also drop a pin on a lat/long spot in advance of a trip and the device will connect to your home wifi to download the maps.
It doesn't have back track and some of the other features of a modern GPS that I never use as all I really want is a map and to know where I am. And, of course, you're relying on USGS quadrangles that aren't always as up to date as other apps like google, etc. But it works when google maps doesn't, i.e. without a cell signal,,,,,

 

[Foy]

One of my geology school buddies from the 1970s has used the iPad/$4.99 unlimited USGS topo map downloads for about 3 years now. It's Da Bomb. Still would not have is as my sole navigation method, but it's great to have on board when you want that 1": 2,000' detail. Only gripe is the USGS base maps can be fairly out-of-date in terms of roads/trails, but that's an obvious limitation using the hardcopy versions, too.

Foy

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

Just a note on iPads. If you have a wifi only iPad, you'll need to get an external GPS receiver. I use the Dual Bluetooth model.

Thinking I would only use wifi, I tried to save $100 on the tablet, then ended up spending it on the Dual.

 

[buckland]

I have been looking for a GPS receiver and have been told the Dual is a good one... but there seems to be so many models or at least the price at Amazon is all over the place. Looking for a basic model. Any suggestions?

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

I bought the Dual XGPS 150 A, from a local avionics company. It was $99 a couple years ago, but should be less now. The aviation community seems to like it, and it has worked well for me.

 

[Bigfoot]

I know most on this forum will have a modern GPS, maps, etc and know how to use them. Still I thought I'd share this as it has led me to pretty much leave my GPS in the glove box, well, mainly because the suction cup keeps bailing off the windshield. Still, here goes.
Get an iPad, even a 1st gen version, available on eBay for about $30, or an iPhone 3gs or later, available for about the same, so just get the pad for the larger screen.
Next download an app called Topo Maps, it's $4.99. Then download all the USGS quadrangles that you think you might need, they're free. This eliminates the need for a cell connection as the map data is stored on your device. You don't need a cell plan.
Maps turn out to be very compressible so they don't take up much storage space on your pad/phone and the device will show you your position on the map.
I keep my beater iPad in the truck all the time with all the maps I usually use downloaded and it's a great boon to finding a place. You can also drop a pin on a lat/long spot in advance of a trip and the device will connect to your home wifi to download the maps.
It doesn't have back track and some of the other features of a modern GPS that I never use as all I really want is a map and to know where I am. And, of course, you're relying on USGS quadrangles that aren't always as up to date as other apps like google, etc. But it works when google maps doesn't, i.e. without a cell signal,,,,,

If a windshield mount is the problem there are several good dash or vent mounts that hold devices securely. The choice depends on your vehicle, device and preference. I use one from bayougoatmounts specific to the Ram truck.

Topo maps are a foundation for backcountry travel. I find them most useful for close-in navigation--a few miles at most--and for identifying landmarks, historic places and terrain. For the big view, scalable maps with road categories are best. Current land ownership and travel restrictions (common on public lands) are important, too. Sometimes an old map with historic trails and structures is needed. Even with all that I sometimes have to ask a local source about how to get somewhere, and they want to put their finger on a paper map.

Years ago I tried using a laptop with an external bluetooth GPS receiver but it was just too much trouble to drive while trying to manage the power, connections and apps. I found that a device built for navigation to be more practical, especially the ease of overlaying maps and of creating waypoints and tracks. The iPad has some great apps, though, so I typically have one along for planning, reading and quickly processing photos. Aerial photos available on Google and elsewhere can be very helpful, too.

Whatever works for you.

 

[ski3pin]

As an alternative - we use a google nexus 10 android pad with the $9.99 Backcountry Navigator app. The pad has built in gps antenna that works better than the antenna in our garmin handheld. It acquires satellites while on the Lady's lap in the truck seat with the camper cabover above. There are many types of maps available for download and you can move through various map scales to broaden your view. Of course we use the USGS 7.5 as our smallest scale (1:24000). There are things I love about the app and other things I find frustrating.

Gaia GPS is another app getting some press. I have not checked it out, yet.

 

[Shadyapex]

It's fun to hear what other folks use for navigation, there are so many options out there and I'm not surprised to hear that others know and use the Topo Maps app. My standard involves 4 staples; memory, if I'm going somewhere I remember as I'd rather look out the window than at a screen; paper, I still love a paper map as no zoom feature is anywhere near as good as the brain's ability to interpret both detail and overall composition at the same time; Topo Maps on the pad as it both confirms memory and shows me what I've forgotten or don't know,not to mention where I actually am; GPS, mainly used when solo navigating a new city so I don't have to look at a device other than the one on the dash that's also barking out turn by turn directions. Now I wish that some one would invent the Adobe Lightroom of trip planning software for the computer so you could easily plot a trip and easily upload it to ANY device. I've been using Garmin Basecamp recently but I find it kind of clunky and don't actually upload routes very often, but if it were a really great program I probably would do it more, especially for backpacking. Any suggestions on that score?

 

[ntsqd]

I don't know about easy, but a friend uses google Earth to plot the route, outputs a kmz (kml?) file which he then converts to a Garmin format.

Part of the joy for me is the route finding, so while I've messed around with trying to plot the route I'd rather do it real time and at 1:1. We carry Benchmark atlas' for the states that we frequent. We also have a small courier bag filled with reference books for the region of each trip.

We use an XP netbook running the Delorme software. It has Overland Navigator loaded as well, but I am not impressed with the software, the mapping, or the support. Haven't used it in years, which is sad as it wasn't inexpensive. The netbook sits in a RAM mount with an external GPS antenna hidden under the dash cover and has a dedicated power supply. When the dust intrusion thru the keyboard finally kills the netbook we'll move to something keyboard-less like an ipad.

Something that I've wondered about, here in KA there is now a law not allowing any movie display screen to be within view of the driver. I don't recall the exact wording, but the jist that I got of it was that technically any display capable of showing a movie would fall under this law. I think that the problem here is obvious. While our netbook could display a movie, it can't hold it - would need an external dvd drive. Which I have never taken into the field anyway. Hopefully that is enough to keep us out of the clutches of the Nanny State.

 

[Ace!]

ski, I use the same set up but with a Samsung tablet. It works well.

 

[Old Crow]

I began using Delorme's Earthmate For Mobile app on my iPad2 because the subscription to it comes with the Inreach Explorer I bought last summer. It was a snap to start using and I like how easily it downloads detailed North American maps and how it interacts with the Explorer.

I was also happily surprised to see the Earthmate app works well with the iPad's built-in GPS receiver*. If you have the Explorer up, it uses the GPS signal from the Explorer. If not, it reads the iPad's GPS signal. That's very handy, particularly if you like to keep the Explorer in your pack and use the iPad in the truck. It's very nice to have a zoomable offline map of anything from the interstate highway system to backcountry two-track (and showing your position on it) in easy reach.

I don't try to use it as my only navigation aid. I use a Garmin Montana in Automotive mode for its routable street maps to get to the area and in Recreational mode (with 24K topo map cards) on the trail. (It also has a Marine mode for Bluecharts but I've not used it yet.)

Despite all the electronic aids, I also have paper maps of some sort when my wife is traveling with me. She LOVES to mark up the map or map-book page with our route as we go. And I've got to admit I like finding those long after the trip. Looking at them instantly brings back memories of the area, if not of the day we were there.

-OC

PS- Here's a Youtube clip with basic info about using the app:

* Note: wifi-only iPads don't have a GPS chip built in.

 

[Riverrunner]

I use "you need a map" on my iPad. Free, no downloading of maps needed, and no need for phone service. I have built in GPS and it work really well.

 

[Shadyapex]

Well, now I'm really glad I bothered to post my little ode to Topo Maps as I now have a couple of new options to explore. The Earthmate and the You Need a Map both look super interesting, thanks for posting guys. I've done some superficial looking on itunes and their respective websites but will do more research soon. There are so many options these days,,,,,,
But as much as I like the digital world I still love paper maps. Aside from their tactile directness I haven't found an app that can compete with the brain's ability to interpret both detail and the broader perspective at the same time. You can zoom in on a device and see all the detail you want or you can zoom out and see the big picture, without the detail. But with a paper map I think you can see both with much more precision than with any digital device, any that I've used, anyway. So cool to have both available,,,,,,

 

[Foy]

I find the digital resources to be wonderful, fascinating, and fun to use. I'd never dream of relying solely on any hardware, software, atmospheric, topographic, or vegetation conditions allowing for navigation in the field, however.

There is simply no complete substitute for conventional paper maps, a compass, and the ability to use them.

One would think that digital mapping software would include setting options allowing for zooming out without losing detail. As mentioned above, that is my principal pet peeve about digital.

Foy

 

[Advmoto18]

+1 Foy!

I guess I will always be old school...

Give me a map and I will orienteer. Compass is my backup.

US Topo updated CONUS coverage in 2012 and will be updated on a 3 year cycle. The PDF file of the map is free for download from various sites.

Before departing, I download and print the maps I need (and think I may need) and compare them to the latest imagery from Google Earth (which is typically about a year old). I will make pen/ink changes to the topo as necessary.

While not suitable for navigation, if available, I find a MVUM is a great quick reference as well.

However, I still carry a Garmin Foretrex 201 and an inReach SE for backup and emergencies. And, I now use a Garmin Montana for navigating the BDRs by motorcycle. It simply saves time when blasting down trails and reaching a junction. But, i will always subscribe to Yogi Bera's advice, "when you come to a fork in the road, take it"! After all, one is never lost, just momentarily disoriented!

 

[PaulT]

One would think that digital mapping software would include setting options allowing for zooming out without losing detail. As mentioned above, that is my principal pet peeve about digital.

Foy

Paper maps are always zoomed in to the max. Digital displays have a limited number of pixels. To see a wider area, details must be thrown on the floor as you zoom out to cover more area with those pixels. Advantage: paper.

Digital displays can have more up-to-date information. Advantage: digital display

Solution: have both. You carry both GPS and compass to determine your position. Right?

Paul

 

[ski3pin]

<snip>. You carry both GPS and compass to determine your position. Right?

GPS unit is in the truck but rarely goes with us afoot. The traditional hierarchy of land navigation tools for mountaineers - in order of importance - is map, compass, altimeter, GPS unit. I do not trust my life to something that runs on batteries.

 

[PaulT]

GPS unit is in the truck but rarely goes with us afoot. The traditional hierarchy of land navigation tools for mountaineers - in order of importance - is map, compass, altimeter, GPS unit. I do not trust my life to something that runs on batteries.

What non powered altimeter do you carry?

My father-in-law has one velcro-ed to his dashboard that came out of his Cessna but it is somewhat heavy & large to hand carry plus requires listening to aircraft band for current ground level barometric pressure.

Paul

 

[Foy]

Solution: have both. You carry both GPS and compass to determine your position. Right?

Paul

Both? Technically yes, but only to a very limited degree.

If we spent the kind of time afoot which Ski and The Lady do, we'd probably acquire a modern handheld GPS unit, as the one I got in 1996 is just a bit outdated now. And it would serve only as a backup, as constantly maintaining position on a USGS 7.5' sheet is mandatory (to me) when hiking/backpacking/fishing miles away from the truck and/or in totally unfamiliar territory. Accordingly, the only digital aids we have aboard the truck is whatever GPS capabilities our smartphones and tablets have built in. And we practically never use that--used it exactly twice on the 5,000 mile NC to MT round trip in July--and those times were to aid in street navigation in Kansas City, MO and Casper, WY.

Foy

 

[ski3pin]

What non powered altimeter do you carry?

Thommen Altimeter