OnX this morning

[Poser]

Went out scouting this morning and got a bit turned around in thick creek bank growth while trying to find my creek crossing in the dark. Pulled out my phone and none of my OnX data (waypoints, tracks, etc) would load. I could see my location on the topo map and that was it. After a flustering creek crossing and getting to my glassing spot where there is service, I was promoted with a user agreement for a OnX price increase in order to use the app.
Seeing how I was offline, it was rather shitty to lock me out from my data.

 

[hiker270]

I prefer a handheld GPS over OnX on a phone. I use both but have had many glitches with OnX. I still carry a compass and topo map I know I can rely on.

 

[Bluumoon]

Went out scouting this morning and got a bit turned around in thick creek bank growth while trying to find my creek crossing in the dark. Pulled out my phone and none of my OnX data (waypoints, tracks, etc) would load. I could see my location on the topo map and that was it. After a flustering creek crossing and getting to my glassing spot where there is service, I was promoted with a user agreement for a OnX price increase in order to use the app.
Seeing how I was offline, it was rather shitty to lock me out from my data.

Last year they did a major software update right before 1st elk season, totally locked me out, no where close to cell service. Luckily I had gohunt as well

 

[Blind Squirrel]

I prefer a handheld GPS over OnX on a phone. I use both but have had many glitches with OnX. I still carry a compass and topo map I know I can rely on.

I’ve got cheap compasses on my pack frame and in jacket pockets. Won’t get me to exact waypoints, but it can get me out if electronics go bad, like happened to OP.

 

[180ls1]

This is one of the reasons I have BaseMap as well.

 

[wapitibob]

Doesn’t help but mine has been flawless year after year. Working great this weekend.

 

[taskswap]

You might want to add a free (or lifetime) app as a backup. I use Caltopo and Locus Pro now and this year just canceled my OnX.

 

[180ls1]

You might want to add a free (or lifetime) app as a backup. I use Caltopo and Locus Pro now and this year just canceled my OnX.

Interesting. I’ve Never heard of those. Care to elaborate on them a bit?

 

[505Wapiti]

I think like anything else OnX is another piece of gear to check before you leave. I never know what service will be like so I’m always downloading offline maps. I’ve never had a problem yet, but doesn’t mean it can’t happen. Maybe my subscription/renewal dates aren’t anywhere close to my hunt dates so I’ve been lucky. Will definitely keep this in mind and check for future outings.

 

[Jethro]

I’d like to know more about the price increase, since it hasn’t changed for anybody else.

 

[taskswap]

Interesting. I’ve Never heard of those. Care to elaborate on them a bit?

Caltopo was originally Web-only (desktop) for a few years but got a big following especially amongst emergency responders like wildfire crews because it had special layers just for that. But like other apps it also had the usual private-property and so on. What I liked about it was it was really easy to plan routes and see their elevation profiles. I've saved myself quite a few nasty gully-climbs just knowing if I shifted my route 200yds I could avoid it, which is not always obvious on topos in the field. In the past year or two they came out with a mobile app and I've started using it as well.

Locus Pro excels at data tracking - not just the route you took, but POI's and other details. It'll show things other apps don't like very detailed stats on your hike, down to time spent moving vs resting, avg pace, etc. I'm a data geek so when I first started using tools like this, it was appealing to me. It also transitions well between different nav modes, making it easy to spot something a few miles across a valley, hike out to my truck, then plan a drive out to another FS road to try to get access to the other side of it.

Neither app is specifically designed for hunting, but then again, if you think about the features you use in OnX, most aren't really HUNT specific either. Yes, they have hunt-specific icons for POIs you might mark but other apps do, too. It has public/private layers, but so do other apps (including the two above). You can share data points - but they only make it easy if the other person also has OnX (with Locus and Caltopo I can just text the coordinates and my buddy can use whatever app they want to open it.)

I'm not at all saying OnX is bad - far from it. But if you want something cheaper than the $35-$50/yr (and increasing) they're asking, Caltopo has a free edition and mobile+offline is $20/yr. Locus Pro was $4.99 the last I checked but you had to pay an extra $0.50 or so per state you wanted offline. YMMV but I find the two together to be more functional and feature-rich, although OnX usually has the most up to date satellite layers if you care about that.