GPS vs IPhone have a question for you guys

[TexasCub]

I recently moved to Colorado and am in the process of figuring out units to hunt and know that the private land boundaries are critical to be aware of as well as navigating the mountains on backpack hunts. I love my iPhone and I know there are a multitude of maps available for it. But since I moved to CO Springs and have been messing around in the mountains fishing and hiking I’ve come to the conclusion that cell reception is horrible here. I have no service in many places or limited service at best. How in the heck are you guys using your phones to navigate when there is no signal in the phones. The mapping on the phone is fine exactly where you are at when you lose signal but you can’t expand it. Do these mapping apps work when you have no signal? Also what kind of battery life can one expect on a multi day trip in an iPhone? Thanks

 

[AdamW]

You don't need cell service, just a GPS signal which you're always connected to even on airplane mode. With onxmaps you can pre-download your maps and the GPS still gives you all the info you mentioned and more. I'll never go back to a GPS unless something really wows me.

Battery life on airplane mode and with the phone near your body to help keep it warm is usually pretty good depending on the phone and how you're using it. A couple/few days no problem. I used a 10,000 mah battery charger and that kept me in good shape for over a week last year.

Hope that helps.

 

[FreeRange]

Unless you have a really old iphone (iPhone 4 or older I think) you'll still have GPS when in airplane mode. If it is a 4 or older there's an easy workaround but I'm assuming your phone isn't that old.

You have to pre-download or cache your maps in whatever GPS app you're using, most all have this option. Best to do that at home over Wifi. I'll add if you're using it to navigate around private property boundaries OnX is the only app I trust.

Lots of good threads discussing this topic on here already.

 

[vanish]

Using ONX, I download the 100 mile map around where I plan on hunting, and then a 5 mile map or two in the precise area I expect to hunt. This ensures that if I wander outside of where I expect to be, I still have a map. That 100 mile map doesn't have the resolution of the 5 when you really need contour lines, but its plenty good for property boundaries.

By the way, if you don't _need_ cell signal, turn it off. The app can be glitchy with weak signal.

 

[SHTF]

Yep I only use my Cell now for GPS. Only other thing I have with me is my Garmin Inreach Explorer but I rarely use it for maps.

 

[TexasCub]

Thanks for the insight guys. So if the cost of the Garmin touch screen unit + OnXmap chip where no issue would you guys say that your iPhone with the OnXmap ap is as reliable?

 

[svivian]

The cheapest garmin that will take a chip is the etrex 20x which is $199 plus $119 for the chip. The app is $30 a year... so it would take over 10 years to break even and gps units are out of date every three years or so. Eventually I feel that phones will replace gps units the same way a gps replaced paper maps.

 

[svivian]

Thanks for the insight guys. So if the cost of the Garmin touch screen unit + OnXmap chip where no issue would you guys say that your iPhone with the OnXmap ap is as reliable?

The gps is probably more reliable as of right now but the app on your phone is more feature rich.

 

[TexasCub]

The cheapest garmin that will take a chip is the etrex 20x which is $199 plus $119 for the chip. The app is $30 a year... so it would take over 10 years to break even and gps units are out of date every three years or so. Eventually I feel that phones will replace gps units the same way a gps replaced paper maps.

I hear ya, but I’m not looking at an entry level unit, I’m talking about one of the better units. What I’m getting at is if cost is not an issue would you guys go with the Garmin unit loaded with maps or just use your phone. I want the most reliable unit not the cheapest route, if that makes sense.

 

[svivian]

I know what you mean but the gps capabilities are the same in all the models except the rhino. What you are paying for is ease of use like the touch screen or size or mounting capabilities like the Montana. That would be up to you to decide on if it is worth it. The rhino would be the only one I would consider because of the radio built in.

 

[TexasCub]

Ok. I just don’t have a lot of confidence in my iPhone here, never lived somewhere with such bad signal and so many faults in my phone as a result. I had better signal in middle of no where Alaska than I do 20 miles out of town here in the springs. That’s why I’m really leaning towards the Garmin.

 

[svivian]

Well I think you answered your own question. Buy the garmin for peace of mind.

 

[LandYacht]

Biggest deal breaker for me is my gps isn’t afraid of rain. I can have it out and with me the whole day not matter rain or shine. Unless you have your phone in a water proof bag your going to be buying a new phone as you enter coordinates in a rain storm


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[Dameon]

I have both and used both at the same time last year. My IPhone OnX app had better layers on the maps IF I downloaded them ahead of time. I hunted three units in Utah last year and I only downloaded maps for one. I used my Garmin Oregon 600 with OnX chip most of the time and had my only elk opportunity within 100 yards of a private property boundary that I navigated to with my Garmin. I never had to change the batteries in my Garmin over 10 days but the cold sucked the life right out of my phone even on airplane mode. Be sure to bring a battery pack and charge your phone every night if you go that route.

I also had a DeLorme Inreach SE and paired it with my phone with the Earthmate app. I didn’t really test the app that much, but I hear the Earthmate Hunt app is pretty good. I only charged that once and it didn’t really need it at that.

If money were no object, I would recommend the new Garmin InReach Explorer+ and your phone. I plan my hunts with OnX, so I’ll have that regardless on my phone, but combining a back up gps with sat communicator would save me a bit of weight and cut out a redundant device as I technically have three gps units, but two of them are reliant on my phone. Someday I may do that, but the Garmin was a gift from my dad and the InReach was a gift from my wife. So I kind of have sentimental attachments to them.


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