Tablet or Garmin, what's your poison?

[Kerensky97]

Are you talking outside the rig or while driving? I have a separate handheld GPS for hiking, but my phone and tablet are always plugged in 100% of the time while driving. Leaves me free to run full brightness for daylight viewing, capture GPS logs whether I need them or not, etc.

Outside the rig but I don't trust inside either. Especially when you park for the night and forget to unplug or swap over to a battery pack. 24 hours later you find the tablet stayed awake for some reason and it's now dead.

I just don't trust all digital systems when life and property can be on the line. Because of Murphys law they have a tendency to let you down when you you need them most. Stand alone GPS is a good backup but even in the pre-smartphone days I didn't trust them. Anybody who regularly goes to the backcountry should be knowledgeable and prepared to use old fashioned map and compass to get around. Non digital navigation is becoming a lost art.

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[JBThompson]

Android tablet and Backcountry Navigator for me.

There's a small learning curve to understanding BCNs system for storing maps and databases, but once you learn it and have it setup, it's really powerful and flexible. I love being able to overload multiple maps for the same area and then switch between trail maps, topo, and Satellite imagery - something that you can't really do with a dedicated Garmin. I have a 64GB micro-SD in it, and just keep downloading maps left and right.

As others have mentioned, there's also the plus of using the tablet for "other things". I use mine for on-road navigation as well (Navmii for offline on-road navigation), not to mention a host of other "tablet" things.

One thing from your 1st post: You don't need an external GPS for Android devices (or many iPads for that matter). This is a persistent misunderstanding created by early Apply cost savings. Any Android tablets built in the last 7+ years all include GPS chip and antenna. All wireless(cell)-data-equipped iPads include a GPS chip as well. (Contrary to beliefs, they don't rely solely on cell data for location, just to speed up acquisition). Only the WiFi-only iPads do not include GPS. Otherwise, you only need external GPS puck if you have reception problems or plan to mount the tablet in a very shadowed location. I mount my older Galaxy Tab 3 very low on the doghouse in my van (below dash, far from windows, etc.) and it locks onto GPS just fine. At $120 for a brand-new Tab A 7.0, you can't really go wrong.

Our iPad is wifi only, no data plan. Our G Pad should run BCN ok but I'm wondering if I'll need to add an SD card to up the memory a bit. It's only 8GB internal. I haven't really tried using it for a GPS so you might be right, I may not need the external receiver. I'll test it out and sed how it does.

Anybody who regularly goes to the backcountry should be knowledgeable and prepared to use old fashioned map and compass to get around. Non digital navigation is becoming a lost art.

I do know how to use the good ole map and compass, and we picked up an atlas, one of the nice ones with the laminated pages. I still like being able to set a route and drive, though.

 

[RobRed]

iPad for the last 6 years. Cellular models so the GPS hardware is built-in.

Motion X GPS HD for the main app (though I usually run 2 at once). Motion X has the best interface for mobile... button sizes and graphics. Some what a pain in the *** to download maps but small price to pay. I do have every other app available (all of them) as well but I always com back to motion X.

 

[JBThompson]

Ok so I'm testing out our G Pad to see how it does running GPS duty and so far so good. I downloaded Maps.Me, which seems to work really well for street use. No problems there. The files for all 50 states ended up taking about 5GB of memory so I definitely need to pick up an SD card. No biggie. In the meantime I came across some local trail maps - not really trails per se, just backroad routes on gravel and level Bs. That's as close to overland as we get in Iowa haha. Anyway, they're in GPX format so I'm wondering, do I need to convert these to a different format? I tried opening them in the trial version of BCN, no luck. Tried downloading GPX Viewer and that doesn't seem to be working either.

 

[Retired Tanker]

Just picked up an Android 7" tablet at Best Buy for about $35. Will use Orux for trails and Waze for commuting.

Backup is my Garmin hand held and lensatic compass / Delorme hard copies in the seat pocket behind the passenger.

 

[flashkiwi]

Ok so I'm testing out our G Pad to see how it does running GPS duty and so far so good. I downloaded Maps.Me, which seems to work really well for street use. No problems there. The files for all 50 states ended up taking about 5GB of memory so I definitely need to pick up an SD card. No biggie. In the meantime I came across some local trail maps - not really trails per se, just backroad routes on gravel and level Bs. That's as close to overland as we get in Iowa haha. Anyway, they're in GPX format so I'm wondering, do I need to convert these to a different format? I tried opening them in the trial version of BCN, no luck. Tried downloading GPX Viewer and that doesn't seem to be working either.

Maps.me only supports KML for importing tracks. You can download GPS babel (free) and convert GPX to KML. Then you can import the KML file. or you can send me a link to the files and I can convert for you.

 

[kojackJKU]

I am running a lepan mini android tablet, and a couple of different mapping options. The tablet is on sale now for 69 dollars at bestbuy canada. I bought a 20 dollar GPS receiver that I mount on my dash. It works great together. I use co-pilot for on road duties, and a combination of BRMB and Canada Topo off road. BRMB has EVERY trail in newfoundland on it, and Canada Topo has great topo maps. All together my setup works great for me and the nice 8" screen is awesome.

 

[Comanche Scott]

The biggest that can be unobtrusively mounted gets my vote.

I've got a Galaxy Note 5 as a smart phone on Verizon. Running BCN for the past year. Just recently uploaded Offroad Atlas for the MVUM support.

The Note 5 has about a 5.5" screen (slightly larger than a standard smartphone). Great for pre-planned use. But I would like a 10"-12" tablet for when making deviations to plans, or traveling without a plan and mapping on the go.

The smaller screens don't provide enough detail when zoomed out. The last few trips, traveling with others who have i-pads and Android tablets really pushed this point home for me.
Going to find as big a tablet as unobtrusively possible and use a quick release mount.

 

[Trophycummins]

iPad mini 4 running leadnav.

I hope to supplement this with a lowrance hds unit soon.


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[Comanche Scott]

iPad mini 4 running leadnav.

I hope to supplement this with a lowrance hds unit soon.


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Nice truck! :victory:

I like the size of the i-pad you are running. A buddy of mine runs the same one, and really likes it. Thinking of something similar in Android, with a "flip up" mount so it can sit in front of the radio.

 

[oneshot1001]

iPad mini with cellular (Verizon)

Lots of apps...


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[travhale]

I am running a lepan mini android tablet, and a couple of different mapping options. The tablet is on sale now for 69 dollars at bestbuy canada. I bought a 20 dollar GPS receiver that I mount on my dash. It works great together. I use co-pilot for on road duties, and a combination of BRMB and Canada Topo off road. BRMB has EVERY trail in newfoundland on it, and Canada Topo has great topo maps. All together my setup works great for me and the nice 8" screen is awesome.

What receiver did you buy, and do you know if it will work with iPad? I'm looking for one for my wifi only iPad, but don't see the need to spend $100 on one if there are $20-30 alternatives.

 

[Trophycummins]

What receiver did you buy, and do you know if it will work with iPad? I'm looking for one for my wifi only iPad, but don't see the need to spend $100 on one if there are $20-30 alternatives.

Buy the xgps160 and don't look back. I have a gps equipped iPad and still run the external antenna. At the speeds I run offroad, the internal antenna can't refresh fast enough.


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[RobRed]

Buy the xgps160 and don't look back. I have a gps equipped iPad and still run the external antenna. At the speeds I run offroad, the internal antenna can't refresh fast enough.


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How fast are you going? you must be racing... I mean the built-in hardware is 1hz refresh.

 

[Trophycummins]

It starts lagging behind once you hit around 50mph, with the location I have the iPad mounted.


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