Stop using your phone GPS for backcountry routes, here is why

I used to rely on my phone GPS for all my backpacking trips through the Sierras, even downloaded offline maps. Then last summer near Bishop Pass I lost signal for 2 hours and the battery died by 3pm in cold weather. Now I carry a dedicated Garmin inReach mini with extra batteries, and I print paper topo maps from CalTopo before every trip. Has anyone else had a phone fail them at a bad spot?

2 comments

2 Comments

ryan_gibson8413h ago

Yeah I learned this the hard way too but in the White Mountains in New Hampshire. Phone was fine for navigation until I hit a foggy, rainy afternoon and the screen kept locking up from moisture in my pocket. Battery went from 60% to dead in under an hour because the cold sapped it. Now I run a Garmin 66i and it's been solid for years even in heavy weather. I also sketch out a quick route on a paper map with a sharpie and carry a compass. It's not fancy but when tech fails you just need to know where the next water source is and which way is down.

lewis.troy12h ago

Are you me up there in the Whites? Same thing happened to me on the Southern Presidentials last October, soaked phone in my chest pocket and a dead battery by 2 PM. Now I carry a Suunto watch with basic navigation and always have a map folded in a Ziploc.