GPS vs Phone

[Brachii]

Everyone and their mother is saying having a GPS like a Garmin is a must have in Wyoming-- but from what I understand, with onXmaps on your phone, you can download specific game unit maps before heading out, turn your phone to airplane mode once you lose reception, and just use the built in GPS on your phone with the predownloaded map. Anyone have experience with this?

 

[Schaaf]

My own experience... OnX works great when it's working. I have had the app crash many times on me which is why I still bring my GPS with the chip.

 

[Walkathon]

No experience with the App- I bought a Garmin and it's been great. It has one function, and it works.

 

[Matt R]

My experience echoes Schaaf's as well; a traditional GPS with chip has never failed me. Perhaps this was user error but it has been my experience that the saved maps on my phone don't feature specific landowner names like you'll see when in a cell service area; I could only see background colors correspodnig to BLM, state land, private land etc..

 

[Khunter]

it is brutally slow, as in HOURS, to download OnX maps onto a phone, even on a fast network. then you get out in the stix and the maps wont display.

Get the garmin GPS and Onx chip, and for $30 try try app in addition.

 

[teej89]

I use both cuz the maps on the phone will freeze sometimes. I learned if you open it up while you still have service and go into airplane and offline map mode then it'll work fine but.... i've forgotten to do this before and woulda been up a creek if it weren't for my GPS.

 

[Brachii]

My experience echoes Schaaf's as well; a traditional GPS with chip has never failed me. Perhaps this was user error but it has been my experience that the saved maps on my phone don't feature specific landowner names like you'll see when in a cell service area; I could only see background colors correspodnig to BLM, state land, private land etc..

Isn't this all one needs? I just need to know I'm in public land, right?

 

[5Speedjim]

My phone checked out last year and if I didn't have my GPS with me I would have been S.O.L. I will not bother with the phone anymore.

 

[Lonesome_God_outdoors]

What I have found is to download the maps you want on Wi-Fi, either way home or Starbucks/McDonald's then switch to offline maps while you are there and then go to airplane mode on your phone.

 

[rideold]

My gps is far more durable than my phone.

 

[Gunner46]

A cheap GPS beats the Hell out of an expensive phone. Experience, for free...............

 

[Flatland Crusoe]

My experience is that in the past the phone has burned me while the GPS has not. That said, the apps are getting better as are the phones for GPS usage. So far I've had much better luck with the apps on the IPhone 7 than the 5s and 4's in previous years. The apps have bigger upside with more layers and data sync'd up with the ONX maps desktop site. I've always created my own GPS files in addition to buying the chips from google earth files and this works well, but is time consuming and requires a fair amount of technical skill.

I think its only a matter of time before the phones surpass the GPS devices.

 

[3855WIN]

Land based cell towers were a bad idea. Satellites would've worked great.

 

[50bowhunter]

I downloaded my maps a few days ago on wifi and it only took a few minutes to load four maps.

 

[jtm307]

I use my phone because I can't afford a GPS. The phone app works about 95% of the time for me. If you can afford a GPS and the card, get one. It is more reliable, but the phone app is still very useful.

 

[cking13]

I was wondering this myself. I have the app on my phone and it works great (when I have service), I'd hate to get all the way to Wyoming and have no service in my hunt area. I'm thinking of just getting the gps for backup, especially since I'll be mule deer and elk hunt eventually. What GPS do you guys recommend? Not looking for a $600 gps, but a decent one with color and a large screen. I know I can read reviews on cabelas all day, but I want boots on the ground of Wyoming reviews.

 

[dannyb278]

If you have a phone, but no GPS, go with the compatible phone. I have used Onx for the last 3 years. the first, it didn't work great because I didn't take the time to download the basemaps for my unit prior to hitting the field. Once I figured that out, downloaded the maps, switched the phone on "airplane mode," it works great. It has NOTHING to do with cell towers, it functions off of satellites, just like any other GPS unit.

 

[Wjesswheel]

How do I test the functionality in Wyoming while here in Indiana now

 

[cking13]

If you save the map of your hunt area and then turn on air plane mode, it should show up. Make sure you have the app in the offline map mode though. Also, out your phone in airplane mode and open the app, then hit the "my location" button and see if you show up. Just to make sure your phones gps is working properly.

 

[Corax]

I have been using an android tablet and my phone for maps, in addition to my GPS. I use Onxmaps on the GPS for land ownership, and Avenza and Backcountry Navigator Pro on the phone and tablet to actually navigate. There is obviously a big difference in the screen between my GPSMap 62 and the phone / tablet.

For both Avenza and BC Nav, you need to download the files first (hopefully over wifi). The Forest Service and other gov't agencies load their stuff onto Avenza, so with them you get individual topo quads plus MVUMs, etc. With BC Nav, you download "tiles" similar to Onxmaps. Both of these apps have their quirks and have a learning curve, but I have had very few reliability issues. I have found that BC Nav has more selection as to base maps. For example they have Caltopo maps which have slope shading - very useful for predicting avalanche risk in backcountry skiing.

Keeping this stuff charged can be an issue - I keep a lead acid jump start battery in camp as backup, and use a charger in the truck while driving to /from the trailhead.