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joker
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joker
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PostSat Jun 18, 2016 12:57 pm 
I'm really liking having Gaia on my phone. I talked with a few ski guides who also swear by it (and another app - forgetting the name, which they use for GPS/maps for the Alps). And yes, airplane mode and otherwise watch things that drain battery like tracks (I don't have much use for tracks - would be nice perhaps for tracking distance/elevation covered but I'm not that concerned with such stats...).

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Canon Shooter
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PostSat Jun 18, 2016 3:40 pm 
I have used the GAIA app several times. I don't use tracking, but I have set a few way points as "just in case" I need to get back to point such as when the trail is covered with snow. It is also really handy to use with a regular map to compare. I have the GAIA, hard copy maps, a compass, and my InReach device. Maybe a little over-kill but for me it really increases the fun factor of backpacking.

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solstice girl
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PostThu Jun 23, 2016 11:07 am 
I have the GAIA app on my Samsung Galaxy and am having an issue with it- it will stop recording my track on its own volition. Last year, I figured out this happens when I open the camera when my screen is locked (bypassing the PIN), but last weekend it stopped recording twice without me doing this. It still might be connected with camera usage (accessing the camera after unlocking my phone), I'm not sure. Anyone else with this problem?

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Navy salad
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PostThu Jun 23, 2016 1:45 pm 
I haven't had that problem, but you might try posting it to one of the Gaia gps forums mentioned here: https://www.gaiagps.com/company/forums/

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Mickey Jay
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PostMon Jul 04, 2016 1:38 pm 
I've been using Topo Maps+ On an iPhone 5 and been very happy with it. Their latest update fixed a number of problems (like track recording stopping randomly). Works great now; $15 for yearly access. The only downside i've seen is it appears you are unable to download maps in the background. Also unknow if you can import old track data.

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Tom
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PostWed Sep 18, 2019 12:38 pm 
I recently started looking at topo apps for my phone. Getting lazy these days about printing maps for short trips and it's nice to just have them on the phone since I'm using it for taking pictures and always in my pocket. I found some of the recommended apps a bit unintuitive when it came to downloading maps and I didn't want to pay for anything fancy or to track (prefer my brain do that). I just want to see offline map layers on my phone with bonus points if it can show me current location. What I found is the caltopo app works very well for this as long as I browse the area and layers I want to see before leaving home. The layers stay cached in memory so no need to pay to download maps. I haven't really explored how much gets cached in memory but good enough for me for shorter trips.

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Downhill
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PostWed Sep 18, 2019 1:02 pm 
I have been using both the Gaia GPS app and the CalTopo beta phone app this season. I was hoping to make a comparison of the two but I still need more time with CalTopo to know which I prefer and why to make an informed review. I will say that Gaia still remains my "go-to" app. Yes, the key is to download the map/layers before leaving home. I run my phone on airplane mode in the mountains to preserve battery life. That said, running 2 GPS apps, and occasionally Google Earth mobile while traveling off-trail really burns through your phone battery in a hurry. I've learned the hard way to carry a back-up battery/charger.

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Brian Curtis
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PostWed Sep 18, 2019 1:07 pm 
Tom wrote:
What I found is the caltopo app works very well for this as long as I browse the area and layers I want to see before leaving home. The layers stay cached in memory so no need to pay to download maps. I haven't really explored how much gets cached in memory but good enough for me for shorter trips.
I downloaded the CalTopo scanned topos for all the mountain areas of the state into Gaia so I always have them and never have to worry about downloading the maps before going on a trip. I've been known to forget to print out my paper copies and I would sure hate to both forget to print my paper copies and to forget to load the maps into my phone!

that elitist from silverdale wanted to tell me that all carnes are bad--Studebaker Hoch
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Tom
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PostWed Sep 18, 2019 1:34 pm 
I haven't noticed any battery drain with the caltopo app but I'm not using it for tracking. When I click the location icon there is a short message about accessing the GPS location but otherwise I don't think it's draining the battery much. That's another reason why I'm liking it as I really just want a simple free solution that isn't going to be doing any more than I ask of it.

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Tom
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PostWed Sep 18, 2019 2:34 pm 
Anyone using an app that can display offline maps without an annual subscription? I don't mind paying a nominal fee up front but balk at paying $20 a year for a subscription simply to use maps that are in the public domain. These seem to be able to do that: http://www.alpinequest.net/ http://backcountrynavigator.com/

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mike
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PostWed Sep 18, 2019 7:09 pm 
OsmAnd+ The free version may suffice for most people. I donated a few bucks for some added features like hillshade and contour lines and unlimited offline maps. Used it extensively in Scotland. The trails don't show up very well but are there. Google offline is better for routing.

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Navy salad
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PostWed Sep 18, 2019 10:40 pm 
Tom wrote:
Anyone using an app that can display offline maps without an annual subscription?
Option #1: I like Maps.me. It costs $5/year (pretty "nominal" by today's standards) for the no-ads version or free for the version with not-all-that-much advertising. The maps used are from the Open Street Map project. It actually is better than I expected at showing trails (it even shows both "Old trails" to Mason Lake). No topo lines though, so that could be a show stopper. Option #2: Generate geo-spatial pdf maps on CalTopo, download them, then use the Avenza Maps app on your phone to navigate the maps, in which case you do have topo lines. This option is completely free.

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Bosterson
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PostThu Sep 19, 2019 10:57 am 
Navy salad wrote:
Option #2: Generate geo-spatial pdf maps on CalTop, download them, then use the Avenza Maps app on your phone to navigate the maps, in which case you do have topo lines. This option is completely free.
up.gif I've been doing this for years, and I have an old version of Avenza ("PDF Maps") that I don't allow to update that's from before they put in the subscription requirement, so it allows me to have unlimited saved PDF maps in the app. Takes a bit of work to generate your PDF maps in advance but otherwise it works great, and easier to view/use than my actual Garmin unit. (I take both out with me for redundancy.) Caltopo is great, and worth supporting. I believe for $20/year you get access to more saved maps as well as the ability to "print" PDF maps at a bit higher resolution. Earlier this year I finally ponied up after freeloading for years. cool.gif

Go! Take a gun! And a dog! Without a leash! Chop down a tree! Start a fire! Piss wherever you want! Build a cairn! A HUGE ONE! BE A REBEL! YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE! (-bootpathguy)
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Navy salad
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Navy salad
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PostThu Sep 19, 2019 12:26 pm 
Bosterson wrote:
I've been doing this for years, and I have an old version of Avenza ("PDF Maps") that I don't allow to update that's from before they put in the subscription requirement
I didn't discover Avenza until after they put in the subscription requirement, so I'm limited to 5 "active" maps. However, I keep a lot of other maps stored on my phone, so when I need one, I just remove one of my 5 freebies from the app, and add my new one.
Bosterson wrote:
Caltopo is great, and worth supporting. I believe for $20/year you get access to more saved maps as well as the ability to "print" PDF maps at a bit higher resolution. Earlier this year I finally ponied up after freeloading for years.
I agree and will probably pony up the $20 myself.

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ejain
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PostFri Sep 20, 2019 12:42 pm 
mike wrote:
OsmAnd+
+1 I don't want to have to remember to download maps for every trip. OsmAnd lets me keep a copy of the entire state on the phone using <1GB (300MB, plus 500MB for elevation data). One drawback is that OpenStreetMap is sometimes missing trails found on the (outdated) USGS or (also increasingly outdated) NW Topos maps. But unlike most other apps with OpenStreetMap-based maps, the maps are updated every month.

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