Hand held GPS vs OnX Hunt

[Blackdirt Cowboy]

Talk to me about this. What are the pros and cons of each? If I already have onX on my phone do I really need a GPS Unit? If it’s a necessity, I’m all about buying one, but to my rookie eyes, it seems a bit redundant and a place that I could cut weight as well as save money. Not sure if it matters, but my plan is to hike into the backcountry and camp for a week or so.

 

[Trial153]

I no longer have a stand alone GPS. I use my phone with Gaia or OnX. My inreach is my redundancy in case of a failure.

 

[N2TRKYS]

I have both and much rather use my gps with an OnX chip in it than my phone.

 

[Brendan]

Opposite for me. GPS stays in the truck as a backup. I do wear a garmin watch though if I need something to fall back on in the field.

 

[UtahJimmy]

I carry my phone (take your pick on which app) as my camera either way. So it doubling as a GPS is a no brainier. Never wished I had a standalone GPS unit. IMO they are bulky and heavy, eat batteries, and don't have as much detail. I have an inReach mini for emergencies.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

[Beendare]

The redundancy factor is the only reason I can think of. Its a lot of weight for that though vs a compass which in my opinion is better as a backup anyway. There is always a chance you might lose satellite signal, happened to us on 9-11, but you won't lose the earths magnetic field.

Well if that^ happens then we can all kiss it goodby anyway.

I've used GAIA in remote spots in Canada, the lower 48 and Alaska....works just like a gps...plus its an all in one unit- phone, camera, gps, notes. Just be sure to have something like the Anker backup battery.

 

[robby denning]

We selected a member, doverpack, to review the onX along with me and a few other members who already owned it and just chimed in. That way you're getting the most unbiased review. Thread is below and I think if you dig for doverpack's posts, it will give you the feedback you're looking for.

As for me, I prefer the onX on phone and leave the gps home. No backup, other than SPOT for safety. I pretty much only hunt country I've scouted, so that lessens the need for the gps FOR ME.

Thread is here https://www.rokslide.com/forums/thr...w-question-thread-by-rokstaff-members.101028/

 

[davsco]

on my first elk hunt this past october, l loaded gaia on my phone and also tried a few different gps units. gaia was WAY better (bigger screen on my phone, s/w more intuitive) and was super easy to just get going.

 

[Mt Al]

I have the small, discontinued Garmin Dakota 20 with a chip. Love the size, weight and battery life. I carry both when land ownership lines are critical only because I don't have the OnX app on my phone. If I know the place well, the GPS stays home. Someday I'll get the app and put the Garmin in a museum or something, wouldn't have a need for it.

 

[generalist]

Consider the temps you're hunting in.

I use onX on my Google Pixel 2, a pretty standard smartphone. Equivalent to any Samsung or iPhone. This is from the manual:
"The phone is designed to work best in ambient temperatures between 32° to 95° F (0° and 35° C)"

I also have a Garmin 64ST I used before I started using the onX app. According to the manual its operating temp is:
"From -20° to 45°C (from -4° to 113°F)"

EDIT: During New Year's in Park City, Utah my phone went from 80% to 20% to dead while I was trying to use Google Maps to walk to a cabin. Temps in the low teens. I've also had issues running GoPros for various cold weather activities.

 

[Staroutdoorsport]

Is a phone as accurate as a stand alone unit? I would guess they are the same but has anyone noticed a difference?

 

[generalist]

I've not noticed any difference between the two. The most accurate setup I've used is my phone paired with a bluetooth GPS unit (qstarz 818xt). That was for some motor sports stuff where I needed more detailed telemetry. Both my phone by itself and my Garmin have been accurate to within a few yards.

 

[Chucklehead]

I've not noticed any difference between the two. The most accurate setup I've used is my phone paired with a bluetooth GPS unit (qstarz 818xt). That was for some motor sports stuff where I needed more detailed telemetry. Both my phone by itself and my Garmin have been accurate to within a few yards.

Nice. I was wondering if somebody out there was using an external GPS antenna. If you are beating around in heavy timber (say grid searching) I've found a my phone GPS to be severely lacking accuracy. Maybe its just user error, but the cursor is all over the place and can never get a solid lock.

 

[NCSU_Lewis]

I used my phone by itself this year and had to charge it every night. Not sure about other brands, but I have since realized apple now gives you a battery life readout, and my phone is under 75% and is suggesting servicing. This is something I wish I had looked into and done before the hunt. Otherwise, the app itself worked great if you can avoid it getting cold like mentioned above. that will kill it in a hurry.

 

[ChrisS]

1) Gaia/Onx on my phone
2) Garmin Instinct
3) bubble compass and topo map
4) standard compass
5) stars and sun and water flows downhill to somewhere.

 

[fwafwow]

Great thread - I was just thinking about posting the same. How much battery backup/portable charging are folks bringing in for their cell phones? I found that the Garmin 64st only runs for 16 hours, and while I can swap out AA batteries, I'm not sure how many I want to carry in - but also how many recharges can I expect for my cell phone. Maybe that opens up solar panels to recharge the portable batteries? I do like the idea of the inReach Mini as a backup.

 

[Gatorgrizz27]

Great thread - I was just thinking about posting the same. How much battery backup/portable charging are folks bringing in for their cell phones? I found that the Garmin 64st only runs for 16 hours, and while I can swap out AA batteries, I'm not sure how many I want to carry in - but also how many recharges can I expect for my cell phone. Maybe that opens up solar panels to recharge the portable batteries? I do like the idea of the inReach Mini as a backup.

The Anker 10,000 mah should be plenty for 7-10 days. I used my phone with OnX maps quite a bit and only needed to recharge it every 2-3 days. One day we had service on the ridge top and were calling around trying to find packers. An hour of calling used more battery than a day of the GPS.

I bought the 13,000 as it is only an ounce heavier and has a second port for charging an Inreach, headlamp, etc. It still had 2/3-3/4 charge at the end of a 7 day trip.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B072155XVX/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I used OnX maps on my phone with no backup. I did print out the OnX satellite with topo image at FedEx on a waterproof paper map and carried a compass as well. I think I did end up using it at one point when my phone was jumping around. I also have an ACR PLB in the event that something bad happens (including being hopelessly lost), but it has no navigation features.

 

[Bughalli]

I have carried both my GPS and phone for two years. Decided to now only use my phone. The phone is so much better. I bought the Garmin Mini to pair with the phone so I can text with my wife during solo backcountry hunts. Loved the setup. I used OnX and Garmins earth mate for mapping. I believe that's what germins program is called. Both worked great.

 

[Bulldawg]

I have not liked the onX on my phone as a gps because I haven’t felt like it was as user friendly as my gps as far as marking waypoints and utilizing marked waypoints. But last year I was using my gps in the rain and the water messed up the settings and display and I can’t figure out how to get it back to what it was as it sucks now. So I don’t know what I’m going to do.

 

[Fatcamp]

I use both. Turn them off when not needed to save battery life. In general I can remember where I go so tracking isn't a big deal to me. Lay tracks through rough stuff obviously.

My phone is tough and I much prefer it over the 64. Way easier to manipulate the screen and bigger screen as well. I have an Inreach now, so phone and that for me.

I will say, if durability were a concern I would take the Garmin every time.