How To Purpose Your Iphone Gps For Hiking Inwards The Wilderness

Would y'all live surprised if I told y'all my favorite slice of backpacking gear is my smartphon How To Use Your iPhone GPS For Hiking In The Wilderness — Using Your Smartphone GPS for Hiking

Travel Tips

Would y'all live surprised if I told y'all my favorite slice of backpacking gear is my smartphone? I honey using my iPhone’s GPS for hiking inward the wilderness. Here’s why.

If you’ve been next me on Facebook & Instagram, you’ll know that I of late returned from an epic trek inward Greenland on the Arctic Circle Trail.

There’s no cell-service on this hike. It was a 10 twenty-four hr menstruation gamble through remote Greenlandic wilderness. However I was however able to usage my iPhone’s built inward GPS capabilities to deal me navigate the long-distance route.

My battery lasted seven days earlier it needed recharging too!

I’ve been using a bully app called Gaia GPS for hiking trips inward places similar Turkey, Norway, Israel, Greenland, Canada, Iceland, too the United States.

If y'all are an adventure-lover similar me, y'all request this application.

Smartphone GPS For Hiking

Did y'all know that jail cellular telephone service is non necessary to usage your smartphone’s Global Positioning System (GPS) chip? However to runway your progress effectively without jail cellular telephone service, y'all must pre-download maps of the surface area you’ll live hiking earlier the journey.

There are a few dissimilar smartphone GPS mapping apps out there, but my favorite (and the most used) is called Gaia GPS.

This amazing app allows hikers to pre-download dissimilar types of maps from to a greater extent than or less the footing for usage amongst your iPhone’s GPS. You tin also tape altitude, speed, larn out waypoints, practise tracks, too arrive at all sorts of other detailed data almost your backcountry trips.

Better Than Dedicated Device?

Why pass hundreds of dollars on a dedicated GPS device for hiking when y'all tin go the same functionality amongst a $20 app for your smartphone?

Using your smartphone every bit a GPS unit of measurement saves y'all money, reduces the amount of weight y'all pack, too is multi-use (taking photos, keeping a journal, etc.).

A GPS app similar this is a wonderful backup along amongst regular newspaper maps, too tin relieve your butt if y'all go on to lose the trail or go caught inward bad weather.

Both accept happened to me a few times over the years, too whipping out your telephone is far easier than pulling out newspaper maps during a air current and/or rainstorm!

Gaia GPS Settings

To go the most out of Gaia GPS, at that spot are few settings y'all request to live aware of. First, at that spot are many dissimilar map layers y'all tin usage inside the app. The ii I usage most oft are the Open Hiking Map too Google’s satellite thought called Imagery + Roads.

These are in all likelihood the best maps for hiking. The Open Hiking Map includes basic topographical features along amongst known hiking trails, piece Satellite Imagery gives y'all a ameliorate painting exhibit of the landscape.

If hiking somewhere without jail cellular telephone service, brand certain to pre-download sections of the map that embrace the surface area where you’ll be.

Pre-downloading maps is explained inward the YouTube tutorial below.

Gaia GPS also allows y'all to tape tracks every bit y'all hike, but don’t practise this unless y'all accept a specific need, because it drains battery life too requires the telephone to live powered on the whole time.

I exclusively usage the app to confirm my GPS location or navigate inward bad weather.

Close the Gaia app afterwards each usage (double tap the abode clit too swipe the app upward to close). This prevents Gaia from continually updating your location. Turn the telephone off to farther cut down battery drain.

Protecting Your Phone

As y'all mightiness already know, I’m a huge fan of the H2O & shock-proof smartphone cases from LifeProof, too they’re 1 of my sponsors too.

Using the LifeProof FRĒ POWER gives me double the battery ability for long-distance treks similar the Arctic Circle Trail.

So when my phone’s battery eventually dies, I only press a clit on the dorsum of the LifeProof illustration to recharge it completely.

Battery Conservation Settings

While hiking through Greenland for 10 days, my iPhone vi battery lasted for seven days using the settings below. I turned off the telephone when non inward use, too exclusively powered it upward to compare my GPS location amongst the newspaper maps I carried.

Enable Airplane Mode (turns off WiFi/Bluetooth)

Close all apps except Gaia

General > Usage > Battery Percentage = ON

Privacy > Location Services = OFF (except Gaia)

Privacy > Advertising > Limit Ad Tracking = ON

Privacy > Motion & Fitness = OFF

General > Siri = OFF

General > Accessibility > Reduce Motion = ON

General > Date & Time > Set Automatically = OFF

General > VPN = OFF

One to a greater extent than of import tip is to proceed your telephone warm when it’s mutual depression temperature out, similar inward a pants pocket. This includes when sleeping too. Nothing drains the battery faster than mutual depression temperature weather! ★

Watch Video: Gaia GPS Tutorial

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(Click to picket Gaia GPS Tutorial on YouTube)

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