GPS handheld with public footpaths etc

[motacyclist]

Ahh, having re-checked on Google Play, it's clearly ViewRanger I need - the reviews for the OS app are still mostly dreadful!

Also VR works with an Apple Watch, if you have one; so you can leave your phone in your pocket.

Someone mentioned you don't get contours with OSM, but you do with the Open Cycle Maps, see below. Both come with VR.

 

[Bramco]

Someone mentioned you don't get contours with OSM, but you do with the Open Cycle Maps

Thanks - will check it out.

 

[sbmcd]

We use a Garmin Etrex, came pre loaded with a TOPO UK and Ireland Light, I find good enough for most hiking we do in the UK. It also takes additional mapping on a micro SD card, we use this mainly for the Alps.

If you walk in Scotland there is a great free site called Walkhighlands, you will find this very useful, walks by area, length, degree of difficulty, even has free pdf map and a GPX digital route which you can download put on your GPS.

https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk

 

[Wesel]

Wherever I go for trekking, I go with my Garmin Etrex 20.
I download the maps OSM (Open Street Map) of the country where I go before going on a trip.
These cards are free of rights and regularly supplemented by the community of users.
This month of June I was in Iceland and these cards were just perfect.

Of course nothing is better than a 1 / 25,000 paper map with a compass, but travelling all over Europe, without always knowing where you will stop, ... it is not possible to have all paper cards.
The GPS also has the advantage of being able to record the track followed and analyse it later, on a laptop or on a tablet. I also use it to georeference my photos (knowing exactly where we took the photos)

On my Samsung tablet, I use OSMAnd, much easier to view but not practical for hiking. In Iceland we used these cards on the tablet in the car as well.

To ride a car (or motorcycle) I usually use my GPS Garmin Zumo. I update the maps several times a year. But in areas like Iceland, their road maps are not terrible.

 

[warny15]

+ another one for Viewranger ( been using it a couple of years now, better than my old etrex)

 

[briwy]

Saw a quote on a Mountain Rescue Land rover a few years ago.
"Get Lost, Support your local Mountain Rescue"
Relying on any sort of phone in mountains is asking is asking for problems IMO.
Phones aren't waterproof, battery life isn't good, they break easily, can't usually operate them with gloves on.
Fine if you're low level in fine weather but for high level you need something like the Garmin already mentioned 60 series. Buttons instead of touch screen, batteries will last a day, built like battleship.
Whatever you use learn how to use a map and compass as technology has a habit of failing when you need it most.
I use Memory Map in conjunction with a sat Nav. Plot routes on a pc, transfer to the satnav and print out the area you need as an OS map.

 

[bvddobb]

And then there is still this app, we think the best for using a smartphone or tablet as GPS: Topo GPS. With official topographic maps available from OS services in a whole lot of countries.

 

[BayCatOne]

We were hiking in the Lake District last week, using the digital OS Maps and app downloaded on our iPhone. Worked like a charm!

View attachment 35894

I too can vouch for the OS maps app and map service. It's not too expensive and can be bought on a month to month basis. Used it when I crossed Scotland during the TGO Challenge this May.

Viewranger is good too and I've used that more extensively through out the years hiking remote parts of Iceland (NW) where there's not a soul around you and no service.

The only downside with OS maps app is that you can't have both 25- and 50K maps on it at the same time in an Offline mode. At least that was the case in May... If you go hiking, especially in remote areas, map and compass is a must, GPS/Phone is your backup as it's battery powered and is more prone to failure if dropped etc.

 

[MattBW]

Saw a quote on a Mountain Rescue Land rover a few years ago.
"Get Lost, Support your local Mountain Rescue"
Relying on any sort of phone in mountains is asking is asking for problems IMO.
Phones aren't waterproof, battery life isn't good, they break easily, can't usually operate them with gloves on.
Fine if you're low level in fine weather but for high level you need something like the Garmin already mentioned 60 series. Buttons instead of touch screen, batteries will last a day, built like battleship.
Whatever you use learn how to use a map and compass as technology has a habit of failing when you need it most.

Colleague at work in lake district met an old gent and his son, lost in the mist because their gps device was flat and they were only a km or two from the carpark but had got lost in the mist and fog. Without their device they were stuck and had no compass. The old chap had got quite ill, and they had given up finding a way out. Fortunately he showed them how to get out.

 

[T6 CFO]

We just use Maps.me on one of our phones or tablets.

Maps sit on the device, so there's no usage of your data allowance. As per a previous conversation, you don't get the contours but you do get an accurate position on the map and can see the paths. So for serious hikers who love a big map hanging round their necks, probably not cool enough but for the average hiker good enough - and free.

We've used maps.me all over the world. It's a great aid to make sure you are on the right road/path and even for planning hikes when you don't necessarily have a local map.

Just getting used to it as used by one of my lads. Great for sharing favourite locations which is why I got it. He’s used it all over the world as well and it’s free.