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Cyclopath
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Cyclopath
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PostFri Sep 20, 2019 2:07 pm 
mike wrote:
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.
This one is popular in the cycling community for navigation, among people who don't want to shell out $$$ for a Garmin.

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Cyclopath
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Cyclopath
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PostFri Sep 20, 2019 2:09 pm 
Tom wrote:
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.
If you don't already have one, consider buying a cheap battery pack. You can get one that will charge your phone once from empty to full for about $15-20 and 6 oz. Screen, camera, and GPS all hit the battery hard, and it's cheap insurance.

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Tom
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PostFri Sep 20, 2019 2:27 pm 
I picked up a 3 pack from Costco for $30. The claim is 5200 mAh per pack but from my limited testing it seems it only has enough juice to charge my 3K mAh phone once from dead. https://costcocouple.com/tylt-portable-power-bank-2/ I got it for multi-day trips. I haven't had a problem running out of battery yet on long day hikes. I only use my phone for taking pictures and to view map occasionally and confirm location. I don't have it tracking constantly with may kill battery more.

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Navy salad
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PostFri Sep 20, 2019 4:03 pm 
I have a couple of the RavPower RP-PB33 chargers, which sell for $10 each for a 3350 mAh capacity and weigh 2.6 ozs. I haven't used it to charge my phone (a Galaxy S8) when it's completely drained, but it has plenty of power to charge it when it's down to 15% or so. I like the power/weight ratio for this unit.

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hbb
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PostMon Sep 23, 2019 4:57 pm 
Navy salad wrote:
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.
I use Avenza all the time, and it was free for a number of years, but I had to start paying $29.99 annually for the Plus version. I can't recall off the top of my head why I had to buy the Plus version, but I vaguely recall that you either couldn't upload PDFs from web links anymore in the non-Plus version, or there was some limit to the number of user-created PDF's that you could upload.

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DigitalJanitor
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PostTue Sep 24, 2019 8:52 am 
FWIW I highly recommend the Anker battery packs. We've used them for recharging phone, cameras, etc while out for a few days.

~Mom jeans on wheels
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Malachai Constant
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PostTue Sep 24, 2019 9:31 am 
I have been using Gaia since it first came out for Android so I have a legacy membership and gave some help at the beta level. I took a battery pack on a long section of the PCT a couple years ago but cannot justify the weight as I only turned the phone on a couple times. I seldom use the tracking feature unless exploring an unmapped trail. Works fine for my uses.

"You do not laugh when you look at the mountains, or when you look at the sea." Lafcadio Hearn
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SultanHiker
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PostThu Sep 26, 2019 10:38 pm 
Tom wrote:
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/
I love Alpine Quest for Android (last i checked, it didn't go for iOS). Way too many functions and features. You have to be a gear-head to appreciate it fully. But Google maps aren't available for download (on any app). Here's the trick to get around it. just before you leave, browse the area you plan to be in while zoomed in. The maps will store in the cache. There are plenty of free maps available for download. But Alpine Quest is all i use. But I like to tinker and find ways to use apps to the fullest. This one is so full of features, that I find new things every year when I dive deep and find new things the developer added. I still have problems getting waypoints to group together with my track. But probably because it is not super intuitive. Others have mentioned battery packs. I fully agree. And Anker brand was mentioned. I can't sing their praises enough. They're mAh rating has been reliable. And their customer service was great the one time i had to use it.

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Riverside Laker
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PostFri Sep 27, 2019 7:39 am 
Actually you can download Google maps. It works for driving, but not cycling or transit. Pretty handy.

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Malachai Constant
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PostFri Sep 27, 2019 7:44 am 
I downloaded google maps for Cusco Peru when there and it worked great they stay for 30 days then self delete.

"You do not laugh when you look at the mountains, or when you look at the sea." Lafcadio Hearn
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JPH
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PostFri Sep 27, 2019 10:17 am 
Tom wrote:
http://backcountrynavigator.com/
I've been using Backcountry Navigator for a few years. I like it. Easy to download maps for whatever areas you are going to and import routes or tracks. I downloaded all the areas that I frequent, so they're always there for offline use. If I'm going somewhere different, I'll just remember to download those maps before going out of data range.

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