I agree it's foolish to do a dangerous trip with just one navigation method. But that doesn't mean your phone isn't a good tool, or that we'd have less emergencies if they didn't exist.
I develop an app called Gaia GPS, which a vast array of backpackers, wildland firefighters, and SAR use as a tool to navigate in the woods. They use battery packs and rugged/insulating cases with their iPhone and Android devices to make them durable and long-lasting.
Even if you are a master orienteer who knows how to use a compass and a map with great skill, there are situations where you will be safer to have a GPS along too (either a smartphone or standalone unit). Situations like I have been in, where there is so much snow coming down, that you can't see the trail you're following or cutting, much less peaks or other landmarks.
In some situations, map skills and reckoning may get you home, but seeing yourself clearly marked on a map will make you safer too. People shouldn't fear GPS devices or phones as tools for survival and navigation.
p.s. This comment is FUD and based on anecdotes from two articles about Scotland.
It is hardly FUD. If you want more horror stories involving wilderness and technical failure, I can set you up with as many as you like. There have been hundreds of cases people suffering in various colorful ways due to reliance on cell phones, GPS, etc. which were not reliable in their chosen environment.
From my perspective, it is about redundancy and flexibility within my environmental constraints. I usually just have my cell phone with me, even when I'm doing some potentially sketchy things. That's because if I break/lose battery/lose my phone, there are always tons more around me.
When that isn't true, I'll usually have at least a handheld ham with spare batteries, a list of repeaters around where I'll be, and GPS andd/or paper maps (along with other things of use when one is remote).
Oh, my phone, too, 'cause it is fun and handy. I just don't trust my life to consumer-grade tools built for the home and office that can't even get wet or survive a small drop.
If you are not familiar with outdoors adventuring (and even if you are), one important exercise is to think through your gear, asking yourself how you get by without each piece. What do you do if your tent poles break? Two flat tires or a blown engine? Something gets your food? Your phone (meaning comms and maps, for the purposes we're discussing) breaks or your spare battery shorts?
I think calling that comment "FUD" is a bit harsh - there is no doubt that casual users relying exclusively on smartphones for navigation without the ability to fall back on a traditional map and compass is a real problem. I've seen plenty of reports of this in the UK and seen warnings about it in the Alps.
"The root cause of getting lost is usually a lack of adequate navigation skills, no matter what technology is being used. In many cases, walkers do not have the skills to read a map or navigate effectively. Some mistakenly think that carrying a Smartphone or gps means that they do not need these skills, which is a recipe for disaster, for all the reasons given above."
I heart Gaia GPS, thanks. I find the interface a bit confusing, but that's a tough problem to solve given a large feature set and a small touch-only UI.
Thanks, that's a fair criticism and a kind allowance.
I think you'll see the UI improved greatly this year... as of last Monday, we have 7 full-timers working on Gaia GPS, and we're looking for a designer to help with the UX right now. Things really blossomed in 2015, and 2016 will see more engineering work on Gaia GPS than any other year.
I think my main problem is that I've never used GPS hardware or software, so I have a distinct lack of familiarity with the standard concepts, making the learning curve that much steeper.
Fortunately, I really don't need much. Primarily recording (off)road trips in the Jeep, and downloading maps in advance of excursions where I suspect cellular data will be flaky.
A bit off topic but the first thing I thought of when reading parent's comment was "What about Gaia GPS?". Thank you for that app/service! I really dig it. I've used it in Berkeley and all over the South Island of New Zealand and its been invaluable.
Thank you for the Gaia GPS! I used it on iPhone last year in my solo Carpathians tour and it worked great.
The initial maps download at home took a really long time, but I just put a phone on charger and allowed it to take time.
I love how it allows me to quickly create waypoints, so I marked my track manually every hour instead of using automated tracking. This helped a lot to conserve the battery life.
I develop an app called Gaia GPS, which a vast array of backpackers, wildland firefighters, and SAR use as a tool to navigate in the woods. They use battery packs and rugged/insulating cases with their iPhone and Android devices to make them durable and long-lasting.
Even if you are a master orienteer who knows how to use a compass and a map with great skill, there are situations where you will be safer to have a GPS along too (either a smartphone or standalone unit). Situations like I have been in, where there is so much snow coming down, that you can't see the trail you're following or cutting, much less peaks or other landmarks.
In some situations, map skills and reckoning may get you home, but seeing yourself clearly marked on a map will make you safer too. People shouldn't fear GPS devices or phones as tools for survival and navigation.
p.s. This comment is FUD and based on anecdotes from two articles about Scotland.