GPS or Smartphone?

[Mike Wilson1970]

Hi Everyone
very interrested in this subject
i personaly use my phone with os app and download the gps files from here

its been a few years since this subject was brought up so just wondering what are most of you using phone or dedicated GPS unit
what units are best for the money?
is a modern phone good enough ?

Regards Mike

[WalkWithWallace]

I've never seen the point of buying a standalone GPS unit when my phone does exactly the same job but with a clearer and brighter screen. I've used ViewRanger since I had a Samsung Galaxy S3.

A dedicated navigation app and having the phone on flight mode is a must. That's where the newbies go wrong, well that and they can't read a map!

[AyrshireAlps]

I've never seen the point of buying a standalone GPS unit when my phone does exactly the same job but with a clearer and brighter screen. I've used ViewRanger since I had a Samsung Galaxy S3

This.

The only caveat I'd make is iPhones, I stopped using them at the 7, as that and all the models I had before shut down in cold temperatures. They may have sorted that now, but I'll not be going back to find out!.

[davekeiller]

Personally, I always navigate with map and compass. However, I carry both a smartphone and standalone GPS in case I get into difficulty. The OS app is good enough to tell you where you are, which is generally enough to get out of trouble.

I carry both because it gives redundancy and because touchscreens are a bit rubbish when wet.

[Ewen1966]

I carry a paper map and compass and a garmin etrex 20.
I got it secondhand and it is tougher than a phone, longer battery life and you can use it with winter gloves on and rain drops don't effect the screen. It isn't touch screen. It has a joystick and buttons.
2 AA buttons will last a 5 day hike easily. I use eneloop or, if stuck, energizer lithium.
I do have my phone and various apps but I only use it for taking photos on flight mode. I know if I drop my phone it will be knacked. My etrex just bounces and I can leave it clipped on my rucksack in all weather.
I know it isn't really that relevant for day to day but a dedicated GPS is also more accurate and you can get grid references off it if you set it up right. I also make use of the free maps from talky toaster. The main downside is that garmin base amp is pants.
Now all this is just my personal preference. I switched to using a GPS after a major error with view ranger tracking. I lost confidence in it. It could have been the phones GPS or the cold but the etrex inspires more confidence for me. I know others prefer phones. Use whatever works for you but I think you need to be able to use a paper map and compass as a back up.

[AyrshireAlps]

Smartwatch is another option, if like me you carry a map and just need a current location. Far more usable every day than a dedicated GPS too.

[mproudfoot]

I've never seen the point of buying a standalone GPS unit when my phone does exactly the same job but with a clearer and brighter screen. I've used ViewRanger since I had a Samsung Galaxy S3

This.

The only caveat I'd make is iPhones, I stopped using them at the 7, as that and all the models I had before shut down in cold temperatures. They may have sorted that now, but I'll not be going back to find out!.

I remember that problem only too well - the iPhone 6 and 7 were terrible for shutting down in the cold. I've not had that issue in a while though, at least since the iPhone X and now the 13 Pro - neither have shut down or exhibited any battery issues during winter days.

That said, I like to keep my phone as a backup and emergency device - I usually put it into power saving mode and use an old Garmin GPSMap 64s for on the move spot position checks and logging my route. The phone (and an OS Maps subscription) mostly used as a convenient fallback for checking a defined route, as well as a backup camera (summit selfies and video), and for communications when I get a signal (usually on summits). I won't use it for any of the above if the battery goes below 50% though so I can keep it ready in case of emergency.

[scott_wanstall]

Personally I use a mixture of OS Maps, OS Locate, standalone Garmin eTrex GPS and OS/Harveys maps. Got a GPS watch a wee while back as well which I've been using in place of the GPS.

My uses are as follows;

Phone - Quick reference if I want an overview of the landscape relative to the map, especially in more challenging weather. I can instantly place myself in conjunction with double checking the physical map and the landscape features around me. OS Locate is a failsafe for quick GR's which I will check off against the GPS/Watch. Flight mode for the hills until I'm either set up in camp or back off.

GPS/Watch - Standalone units with dedicated batteries, provides me with all the route information I need including leaving breadcrumbs, marking waypoints of features or spots I'd like to revisit (photographer), potential campsites along the way, water sources not on the map on the day etc. I also love the altimeter feature (a bit iffy on the watch) as it also helps in placing myself / I can use it to give me a kick up the backside on a tough ascent / I can use it for off the cuff navigation. Easy to operate in heavy duty weather conditions as well when you'd rather keep your phone safe. I also use the watch or GPS to record my route, as I'd rather not eat into phone battery where possible.

Maps; Bread and butter navigation, the mainstay of all my navigational kit. Even when using my phone, I'll take bearings with the physical map and compass. They also give you a large field of reference and you can check / mark alternative routes, escape routes or the general lay of the land should plans collapse or change. I also make a point of getting the map out as it's something I love to do, it's immersive, allows you to understand the landscape around you (plus the tangible feeling of being able to read a map proficiently is very satisfying) and once home you can read it like a book. All of my maps are marked with main routes, alt routes, escape routes and points of interest - 1:25k and 1:50k. I'm a bit obsessed tbh, but it's part of the fun for me

[maremalin]

. All of my maps are marked with main routes, alt routes, escape routes and points of interest - 1:25k and 1:50k. I'm a bit obsessed tbh, but it's part of the fun for me

Please share with us some examples.
I'd love to be organized like that but somehow it's not working out.

[bar72]

Galaxy S3 has the best GPS chip on any phone I've ever tried offline and in the hills. just enable airplane mode and that'll force any app to use the gps chip and ignore wifi / mobile data. Galaxy S3s are cheap as chips at the minute as the 3g data network getting turned off soon (2023?) and the S3 doesn't support 4g / 5g so people are ditching them, however, the gps chips are superb in them, as I said.

If you want offline and free, try OsmAnd (https://osmand.net/) which uses Openstreetmap but you can download contours, etc. You can track log, route add gpx / kml, etc, etc.

If you download it from play store then you get a trial version where you can only download 7 maps but if you use an app called F-Droid (Free Open Source Software) (https://f-droid.org/en/) which is a good play store alternative then you get the Plus version (https://f-droid.org/en/packages/net.osmand.plus/) for free with unlimited map downloads

I had a play about with it down in Galloway forest with the Galaxy S3 and no sim card in it and it stayed accurate all the way around the walk I was on.

However, only use phone / gps handheld as a backup, always map / compass first and foremost.

[scott_wanstall]

. All of my maps are marked with main routes, alt routes, escape routes and points of interest - 1:25k and 1:50k. I'm a bit obsessed tbh, but it's part of the fun for me

Please share with us some examples.
I'd love to be organized like that but somehow it's not working out.

Here's two of the same 1:25k map areas, one OS and one Harveys. The OS ones are generally more detailed as there is more detail on the sheet itself. Red lines are established/main routes. Green are outward/escape routes and Blue are alternative routes that I've walked. I also like to add the wee 'viewpoint' style symbols for photo ops/compositions that I've shot or want to revisit.

[jolly47roger]

At the opposite end of the spectrum, I am quite happy with digital maps - either on my phone or to read at home.

[scott_wanstall]

At the opposite end of the spectrum, I am quite happy with digital maps - either on my phone or to read at home.

Fair play, I like to mess about with the desktop OS app as well

I really wish there was a Harveys version, including their summit maps (which I've yet to actually see!). I believe they do offer digital maps to one of the apps, but I'm tied in to the OS system.