TrailElder
Trail Wise!
Something will have gone out of us as a people if we ever let the remaining wilderness be destroyed
Posts: 507
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Post by TrailElder on Aug 25, 2021 19:06:23 GMT -8
I use Caltopo for route planning on their site. I print key maps from there, and upload key routes in GPX format to Gaia. I use Gaia on an iPhone 12 for recording tracks. Works well most of the time. A basic subscription of $20/year gives me all the features I need and makes me not feel like a freeloader. I carry an Anker battery that can charge my phone multiple times. A week or more in total battery time.
I also carry a Garmin inReach for safety and communications when I am out of signal, and use it via an app on the iPhone so it's just like texting. That battery lasts a long time, and the Garmin has been very helpful for important communications and my family's peace of mind, particularly when I am solo. I don't track on it, or navigate, but I could if the Gaia gave out, which it sometimes does. (Maps sometimes don't load up.) I have not tested the SOS, but once contacted an injured and delayed hiker's family for her so they wouldn't call SAR! The subscription is easily paused month by month and there are multiple levels that are very functional in adapting to how much use I am giving it.
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TrailElder
Trail Wise!
Something will have gone out of us as a people if we ever let the remaining wilderness be destroyed
Posts: 507
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Post by TrailElder on Aug 26, 2021 4:40:41 GMT -8
I print key maps from there I print for backups, and for a zoom-in of certain areas of my route. Also, sometimes I like to print the "profile" feature of a route that shows slope and terrain. That's a really cool feature of CalTopo's. I have no use for their app.
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rebeccad
Trail Wise!
Writing like a maniac
Posts: 12,667
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Post by rebeccad on Aug 28, 2021 6:16:05 GMT -8
I just got a Gaia subscription before spending the past 3 1/2 weeks in the Sierra. I like having an app that will record tracks with stats, for my workouts (I’m kind of a data geek, I admit). While backpacking, I didn’t use the tracking feature, since that does run down the battery after a long day or two on the trail, but I used the phone for periodic location checks (felt lazy, compared to hauling out the map and figuring it out, though I did that too).
I have long resisted carrying my phone at all, since I use a “real” camera for photos. But I do like to grab some phone photos that I can share with people as soon as I’m back to a signal, and in this case I also used it for the night-time audio books I’m addicted to. I kept it turned off for long periods most days, though I’m not sure how much that saves over sleep mode, battery-wise. After 5 days (4 nights), I had about 20% battery left.
On another note, my companions saved my bacon with their backup battery, as my Kindle developed a glitch of some sort that made it drain the battery in a hurry. Rebooting seemed to fix that, but I’d have run out without a little help, since I didn’t figure out the problem or the solution soon enough. Since we were having a leisurely trip, it would have been disastrous to have been stuck without my books! (And for those who want to point out that a paperback never runs out of battery, I’d have needed at least two of those for this trip. I’m a fast reader).
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panatomicx
Trail Wise!
Less noise and more green
Posts: 496
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Post by panatomicx on Aug 28, 2021 9:58:43 GMT -8
I also never used my phone previously while backpacking. It was either left in the car, or turned off in my pack. I take a “real” camera, a Sony A6000. This time I carried the phone in my front pocket, I turned it on and began to record when we left camp, and kept it on the whole time until we reached our destination. Always in airplane mode. After about 6 hours it was around 60%, and the power pack was good for 5 recharges, with a lot left.
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ErnieW
Trail Wise!
I want to backpack
Posts: 9,889
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Post by ErnieW on Aug 28, 2021 10:20:37 GMT -8
I turned it on and began to record when we left camp I am guessing you mean recording your tracks but this might need clarification. I'd be interested in knowing what app as well. After about 6 hours it was around 60%, and the power pack was good for 5 recharges, with a lot left. For this to be meaningful you would also have to say how big the power pack is and what kind of cell you are charging. I use a 10,000 mAh Anker pack to go with my Samsung A50. The A50 has a very large battery so I only get 2 full charges from it.
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panatomicx
Trail Wise!
Less noise and more green
Posts: 496
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Post by panatomicx on Aug 28, 2021 12:22:29 GMT -8
Recording tracks on Gaia GPS, iPhone SE, iOS 14.7.1, Anker 10,000. 3 LED's left on the power pack at the end of the week.
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ErnieW
Trail Wise!
I want to backpack
Posts: 9,889
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Post by ErnieW on Aug 28, 2021 16:28:45 GMT -8
Recording tracks on Gaia GPS, iPhone SE, iOS 14.7.1, Anker 10,000. 3 LED's left on the power pack at the end of the week. Thanks. The SE is rated as a 1831 mAh battery which makes sense based on the Anker size and 5+ charges. My Samsung A50 is 4000mAh and the new iPhone 12 Pro Max is 3687.
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zeke
Trail Wise!
Peekaboo slot 2023
Posts: 9,879
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Post by zeke on Aug 28, 2021 17:28:51 GMT -8
So, a larger battery in the cell would indicate a longer life before needing a recharge, no? If the 10K Anker only provided 3 charges but at twice the cell battery size, would that not convert to more battery life?
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ErnieW
Trail Wise!
I want to backpack
Posts: 9,889
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Post by ErnieW on Aug 28, 2021 19:08:31 GMT -8
So, a larger battery in the cell would indicate a longer life before needing a recharge, no? If the 10K Anker only provided 3 charges but at twice the cell battery size, would that not convert to more battery life? Unfortunately maybe not. As the screens become larger their need for power goes up. Also the processors in the phones are taking more power with newer models. I do think the newer phones do have longer battery life because that is what the phone addicted consumer wants. But 4000 mAh in a new phone likely does give twice the battery life of an older 200mAh phone.
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