RE: GPS for Day Hikes

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THUDGE
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RE: GPS for Day Hikes

Post by THUDGE »

Hi! Climbing some 14ers in the San Juans. What would be your recommendation for a GPS or can I just use my cell phone with All Trails Pro?
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CaptainSuburbia
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Re: RE: GPS for Day Hikes

Post by CaptainSuburbia »

Cell phone with Gaia app.
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Harrison1991
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Re: RE: GPS for Day Hikes

Post by Harrison1991 »

Gaia app is superior to AllTrails
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LetsGoMets
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Re: RE: GPS for Day Hikes

Post by LetsGoMets »

Gaia or Backcountry Navigator.
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rpdawes
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Re: RE: GPS for Day Hikes

Post by rpdawes »

I recommend Gaia Pro very highly!
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Re: RE: GPS for Day Hikes

Post by seano »

A phone in airplane mode, a small power brick, plus one of the many offline topo map programs like Gaia, Backcountry Nav, CalTopo, Peakbagger, etc.
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ECF55
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Re: RE: GPS for Day Hikes

Post by ECF55 »

+1 for Gaia GPS. It makes really great tracks, has a beautiful map interface that shows all prior hikes, helps with driving/navigation in remote locations, and does not crash half-way through long hikes like some other apps (e.g., MapMyRun). The 5-year membership is a greater value than the single year option.
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12ersRule
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Re: RE: GPS for Day Hikes

Post by 12ersRule »

We just had a thread on this a few months ago. Lots of good tips in there. The suggestion I went with was use CalTopo, create a GPX, then import into
Peakbagger. Gaia definitely has upsides too, great looking maps.

Replacing old devices with a Smart Phone
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espressoself
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Re: RE: GPS for Day Hikes

Post by espressoself »

Another +1 for Gaia. Worth every penny, and if you join the CMC you get 3 free months of pro!
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Altitude High
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Re: RE: GPS for Day Hikes

Post by Altitude High »

What's the learning curve for using Gia Pro effectively, for the technology challenged?

Think it would help on Crestone Needle?
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Re: RE: GPS for Day Hikes

Post by daway8 »

Altitude High wrote: Fri Jul 09, 2021 7:30 pm What's the learning curve for using Gia Pro effectively, for the technology challenged?

Think it would help on Crestone Needle?
The basic functionality is super simple, though things like turning on different layers (slope angle, private property, etc) and downloading the maps for offline access might be slightly tricky if you're especially challenged in the arena of technology (very easy for tech savvy folks and the layers you can just turn on and leave on if you want so it would just be a one time thing to figure out).

As for the Needle - the resolution wouldn't be quite adequate enough to guarantee a correct crossover just by itself but if you've downloaded tracks to your phone (easy for the tech savvy - a little more difficult for the technology challenged) then it will get you close enough to know when to start looking around. Going down, if you've turned on your own tracks (super easy even for the technology challenged) then it will make finding that cross over between the gullies a lot easier (it did for me) but you'll still want to download the route photos on the 14ers app (that's also super easy even if you're not good with technology) and make sure you know what to look for.
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Re: RE: GPS for Day Hikes

Post by SchralpTheGnar »

You can always just leave your phone at the crossover mark too, then pick it up on the descent
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