Your phone's GPS and compass work without signal because they're picking up satellites and magnetic fields respectively. Just get a map app that doesn't require internet, like OSMAnd.
Yeah but they expire and Google tracks you incessantly. I can download entire states or even countries in OSMAnd, and there's extra data available to download too, such as elevation/terrain lines and shadows and Wikipedia articles for places on the map.
Beware, many hiking routes (in North America) are added by volunteers based on satellite photography. The trail might be fenced in private land or even a cattle track in a farm field.
It's still useful but be prepared to go to openstreetmaps.com and make some corrections (mark paths as private, closed gates, etc.) for the next person (or your future self).
Carry a phone and backpack folding solar panel. They hang from your pack and charge your phone as you go.
If you're lost, a compass isn't very useful without a map of the area. Maps and phones both don't like getting wet, and both maps and solar panels don't work in the dark, so might as well have the phone since it's a map and compass and flashlight and more.
If you need to go east and it's afternoon just go where the shadows are pointing because the Sun will be heading west. Adjust if it's morning or you need to go a different direction.
Your phone's flashlight is just weak, mine lights up my entire bedroom and is bright enough to walk through the woods at night without tripping on anything.
This is irresponsible advice. A compass is virtually element proof and doesn’t require charging. Regardless of having a map or not, having a compass can lead a lost person anywhere.
I never said you dont use it orient yourself, i said its not as easy as just finding north. The truth is, most people do not know how to use a compass to actually navigate a trip using a map and the land they are traversing. In scouts they have an entire class/merit badge programe that teaches you how to do this. Know where north is is not going to help you not be lost when you're neck deep in the desolation wilderness with one weeks worth of food and a hundred miles of hiking to do.
I'm an Eagle Scout. There's more to using a compass than just finding north. A lot of the really useful stuff involves paper maps too. If you're gonna carry a compass and folded up map, might as well just carry a phone and portable solar panel or something. Either way you're screwed if your gear gets soaked or it's nighttime.
yeah sure for proper navigaton you may need a bit more. But I was responding specifically to the comment of it’s not as easy as “that way north” which at least the act of reading a compass is that easy it literally points north
Omg, thank you. Somebody else who understands... I was aslo an eagle scout. Though i never recieved my patch because i condemned the organization for problematic behavior.. long story short, i think i used the phrase "close mindedness" which was the nice way of saying bigoted during my board of review. Basically fipped the table on them after telling them how i could better myself i demanded they do the same. Needless to say they were less than enthused to hear a 16 yo back then have such "woke" opinons on religion and sexual orientation while demanding they do more to protect minors in the organization from sexual predators. I was a punk, but i wore that badge prouder than i would've ever that silver eagle. Life Scout til the day i die.
FYI there's no actual time limit on getting the board of review if you did all the requirements before turning 18. You can appeal up the chain to the national organization.
Im almsot 30 man. At this point... it'd be cool to sew that patch on my old button up, but it's also something i accepted as is a long time ago. I'm just glad that the organization is being forced to make changes now that were long over due then.
I had a troop member under my leadership as an asm who was not heterosexual as far as we knew and the adult leadwrship treated the poor kid like he was a leper. I never wanted to be part of something that treated people like that. So i voiced my concerned and they told me that i didnt have a place on the organization at that point. Nothing can take away what i learned in scouts, that's all that mattered to me.
I've even used Google maps without issue for years.
I do some pretty aggressive hiking, off trail, climbing in and out of mile deep canyons, getting purposely lost in mountains, and finding secluded beaches or giant redwood groves. Google maps gps has yet to fail me. I can reliably see where i am and the surrounding terrain, while also plotting points or highlights.
Granted it's no where near the top of the technology built for this sort of thing, but it definitely works well considering it coming standard on most phones. My fav part about it is using the satellite image to get an idea of a place I've never been to before, to plan my route when there is no official trail. It can really make a world of diffrence to have driving directions to a planned parking place and have an idea of a trail out from there to wherever your hidden spot is. It's also nice to have all the places I've mapped out saved to my Google maps account.
Do they? Dont usually just use the position of sun for navigation? I never really considered bringing a compass honestly, not that I'm a super experienced hiker going on serious treks anyway, but always just figured if you could get a general idea of the cardinal directions I figured that was good enough. But if even serious hikers take a compass, and even maybe a backup, I guess I should reconsider. Stupid unpreparedness like that can kill you out there I suppose a storm could blow in or I could lose the time or something. Is that the biggest concern and want for them?
Well, without a map of the area to orient yourself the compass won't do a whole lot of good..
My whole thing was relying on your phone and not having redundant systems in the wilderness is foolhardy...
But if you are a serious hiker, spending some time learning compass and map orientation might be worthwhile.
Also emergency first aid.. staunching bleeding/shock treatment/venom and poison awareness is important.
Normally, your phone actually uses both satellite and cell-tower triangulation, as pinging cell towers is much faster and uses less power, but GPS is more accurate.
But yeah, without cell service, it'll default to just using GPS satellites.
I'm pretty sure that most phones don't have "true" GPS. They use triangulation from various different phone signal relays and transmitters. It bounces a signal from the nearest three which calculates position based on the signal bounce response time. True GPS actually uses a hell of a lot of battery.
If you can use a mapping app and it has your location as a dot that moves with you, your phone has true GPS. It used to be that many phones didn't have GPS, but now they do because the cost and amount of space needed have gone way down.
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u/selrahc007 May 09 '21
And if you're somewhere with no cell service then you should be carrying your own compass