who is using a real gps vs a tablet

what are you using and how?
The reason I ask are. I bought a Lenovo a2 tablet with a 10 inch screen, I figured wow this will be greta super detail. etc.
Then I loaded back country explorer on it and when I need it thumps I think I have loaded are not there
so at expo this year 2 things happened I saw the Magellan exploits tr7 and though wow neat but $600? and my son on his android phone is running Topo USA his was the free version so for 12 bucksI bought pro version, (US topo maps is 2017 Atlogis geoinformattics Gmbh & co) problem is that when I down load topo maps it takes for ever. I am not sure nor can I find any way to load the maps to the micro sd card so I can load the west of this country. I Never know where I want to go. and don't want o spend hours or days loading maps.
I was with a micron of buying the exploits or the lowrance which have owned before and loved
my plan was to load different parts of the maps on to different sd cards and have all of them available .
then I get a message saying when the sd card is removed the data is deleted. ******.
so can some one help
or should Just but a dedicated GPS like a lowrance etc.
what is your poison?
 

Rando

Explorer
A tablet with Gaia GPS. I have a dedicated 10" Android tablet in the car, and also run it on my iphone 7 plus when hiking. I also have a Garmin Oregon dedicated GPS, but it doesn't come close to matching the screen quality and usability of the tablet/phone and Gaia combination.
 

kojackJKU

Autism Family Travellers!
I have a montana 650. It's a good device, I do like the larger screen and the extra information you get from a tablet based system. Once you get all your stuff downloaded, it's really good.
 

dlh62c

Explorer
I use a Garmin GPSmap62s. Route and track planning are done in Garmin BaseCamp.

You can't beat a device that can show you where your at, point you with directions to where you want to go and if you have tracking turned on and displayed, where you've been, all at the same time.
 

shane4x4

Supporting Sponsor
I've literally used every GPS manufacture & tablet software program over the last 5 years, and my current favorite setup is an iPad Mini (I also have a couple of android tablets) running primarily Hema Explorer.
GPS Units:
The Garmin units are good, but IMHO they don't have a large enough advantage to justify the cost. I've run Nuvi w/custom SD Cards from Funtreks, Montana, and various other models.
The Magellan TRX is also way overpriced for what amounts to vector maps with a dump of USGS data. The idea of syncing is OK, but tagging trails for others is over-implemented IMHO.
I find BCN & many other Android-only platforms not intuitive for most users. I know people love their favorite app, and that's cool too =)

Gaia was traditionally a leader, but they too over-implement features for most users. I'm also not happy about their subscription-only model. I'd rather buy an app for a 1 time price, with the option of subscribing for premium features.

That's why I worked with Hema on the Hema Explorer NA app (http://hema.li/explorer). We tried to balance just the right amount of features as far as map layers & syncing to make it simple to plan, track, and share adventure. It's also the only platform dedicated to off-road & overland travel. The UI is still a work in progress but in the long haul I think this will be the system of record for the type of exploring many of us do =)
 

andy29847

Adventurer
shane 4x4:

I want a GPS/MAP program for my tablet just for the entertainment factor. When I read a recommendation like yours, I get excited about it and go look at the product. I find the reviews for Hema are bad. I'd try it for free, but not for $20. A major concern is the issues with off-line maps.
 

Rando

Explorer
I think Gaia is the market leader for tablet based mapping. There is a free 7 day trial available if you want to give it a spin. I actually shelled out for the 'pro' subscription because it includes all the NatGeo Trails Illustrated maps, which are my favorite maps.
 

Rando

Explorer
Also here is an interesting article on using your smartphone as a true backcountry (ie hiking) GPS:
http://www.adventurealan.com/iphone-gps-map-backpacking/
I have pretty much given up on using my Garmin handheld, even for backpacking. My iPhone with Gaia has superior battery life, better screen, better maps and a better interface than the Garmin. As a bonus, the new iPhones are also waterproof.
 

shane4x4

Supporting Sponsor
shane 4x4:

I want a GPS/MAP program for my tablet just for the entertainment factor. When I read a recommendation like yours, I get excited about it and go look at the product. I find the reviews for Hema are bad. I'd try it for free, but not for $20. A major concern is the issues with off-line maps.

Most of the reviews are from people who tried the app prior to the December 2016 update, and those that don't really know how to use it.

I've used Hema Explorer on over 2,500 miles of off-pavement travel with offline maps and no problems. The trick that no one knows (I just greated a tutorial that covers this), is that when you're offline you only should have 1 active map layer. As long as you downloaded the maps for your area for offline use, and only 1 layer is enabled, offline maps work perfectly.
 

Airmapper

Inactive Member
I primarily use a tablet, but stand alone GPS units are usually on standby if needed. If not I'm probably not anywhere I will be that lost without it.

Too much can go wrong with a tablet, the OS can get unstable, the app can crash, you can just be a goof and hit the wrong buttons when saving your data offline and realize it's not there when needed.

With a dedicated device, it may not be as feature rich or easy to navigate, but generally in a clutch when you really need it, it. just. works.
 

Airmapper

Inactive Member
Most of the reviews are from people who tried the app prior to the December 2016 update, and those that don't really know how to use it.

You mean from early supporters that got a broken app (without the warning that it was a Beta or anything less than stable) and had to just deal with it for months and months?

And customers who don't meet your intelligence requirements?

Wow I'm really feeling the love from HEMA.
 

Rando

Explorer
I easily get 3-4 days of battery life out of my phone without really trying, and others are claiming 5-10 days with some battery saving tricks (see the article posted above), so I don't see how using my phone as a GPS precludes me from using it as a phone. My Garmin Oregon really only gets 1 day out of a set of batteries when I leave it on for tracking, so it is a lot of extra batteries to carry.

Each unto their own, but I prefer to carry one device that is both a superior GPS and a phone/internet device. I do also carry paper topos, and take a photo (on my phone) of the relevant pages from guide books or informational signs.

I disagree with using your phone as a navigation device. I'd rather carry a small handheld and keep my phone off in case I need it to be, you know, a phone.

When you figure in carrying a battery pack or/and solar or adding a dynamo hub the cost & weight isn't an advantage over spare batteries. A couple of AA can also be found literally at any store anywhere if you need, too. I don't find the routing as easy while actually riding, but I don't do well trying to work a touch screen (I don't care for the Oregon compared to my eTrex for example) while moving so that's as much personal as anything.

I do keep topos on my phone and have slowly stopped carrying many maps on the bike (to the point I'm almost never carrying them anymore). But I doubt convergence into a single device will ever satisfy my desire not to be beholden to a single point of failure.
 

shane4x4

Supporting Sponsor
You mean from early supporters that got a broken app (without the warning that it was a Beta or anything less than stable) and had to just deal with it for months and months?

And customers who don't meet your intelligence requirements?

Wow I'm really feeling the love from HEMA.

I'm not trying to degrade anyone, so I apologize if it came across that way. The reality is that in my personal experience, people tend to leave poor reviews when they're upset, and don't always explore other options before doing so.

With respect to the 'offline map problem' that has never been identified as a bug, the issues it that when multiple map layers are enabled when offline, the system can get confused over which tiles to display.

No one ever said anything about intelligence. Not knowing best practices does not reflect poorly on anyone.

Thanks for your support =)
 

deserteagle56

Adventurer
The downloading is the problem! The OP states he has the same problem as I do at times....I change my mind or something happens and I find myself in an area a long ways from where I originally wanted to go. And no maps on the smartphone. At least in outback Nevada, good luck in getting a cell signal to download anything.

The other problem is screen visibility. I tried using my Samsung phone and got tired of having to shade the screen with my hat. On a sunny day, no way can I make out what's on the screen. It's hard to see even when in the shade.

I've been using one of the original Garmin Montana 600s for several years and love it. The SD card is loaded with City Navigator, Garmin's 24k topo maps for all states west of the Mississippi, and the gpsfiledepot maps for all states west of the Mississippi. So no matter where I roam on the west coast I've got the maps I need. I'm no computer geek but I found Basecamp pretty easy to use so I can create a route or track in a couple minutes. And the screen is beautifully visible no matter what the outside conditions. In its cradle the Montana is super secure and receiving constant 12 volt power - through a connection that does not vibrate apart, keeping the battery charged for the times I want to hike. Never had a problem with this setup...despite several crashes (dirt bike and ATV) the Montana, like the Energizer bunny, just keeps on ticking.
 

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