Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Smartphone vs. dedicated GPS unit?

I am wondering if you guys think that it would be better to run the woods with a smartphone and downloaded maps or is a dedicated GPS handheld unit a better option?

Thinking for OnX maps and general hiking/hunting in unfamiliar terrain.

Because of the mapping layers & tools available on smartphones through OnXMaps but not on GPSsive gone that route, bringing back up power supplies.

Keep in mind that one can use them on airplane mode so not as much back up power as you might think.

I do both.
Have Birdseye on my Garmin too.

I like my Garmin.


Its a Montana 680T. The phone apps I have seen have been mere toys.

Dakota, there’s some opinions on the ask the gun writers threads.

We have a Garmin Montana with a Huntx chip. We ride ATV trails a lot and the maps are great.
I can also put the chip in my Garmin Nuvi car gps. It'll do everything a normal car gps can do but with far greater detail on the maps. I sometimes put it on the dash of our UTV when we're trail riding. It can't track like the handheld but the maps are great.

Your cell phone used as a GPS will kill the batteries in about 4 hours of use. Then you don't have a working GPS or phone. The batteries on a GPS used constantly will last 8-16 hours and 2 more AA batteries in the pocket will double that. If you use it conservatively you could make it last a week with 1 spare set of batteries. And still have a working phone to call for help if needed. If you're in an area not far from roads and only need to find your way back to a road occasionally they can work. But if you need a GPS, you need a real GPS.

I volunteer with a SAR team and we use GPS units hard. Couldn't think about using a phone for what we do. It's not just finding our way around in the woods, but to document where we've searched. At the end of each day the search leader downloads every ones tracks onto a computer program and uses that info to plan the next stage of the search. Learn how to use one, and what it will do and you'll forget about a phone.

If you watch the sales a Garmin 64S or Oregon 600 can be had for about $250. They are all but useless until you down load more detailed maps onto mini SD cards and insert them. They are about $100 from Garmin and 1 download will generally cover multiple states. There are some free downloads available, for limited parts of the country. You can get everything TX to NC and south to the coast free all on one SD card. If I ever go outside the SE I'll need to purchase another set of maps. Planning a trip to CO this fall and will do that before going.

And I still do use my phone with Google Earth. At times it is important to get detailed info about an area not possible on a GPS. But it isn't practical for long term use.

JMR is Spot ON.

I work with a Mounted S A R as well. A genuine GPS is not only better but lasts LONGER too.

What JMR40 said. I've used phone based systems and they will run through my phone's charge before noon. I got a Garmin 64SC with the OnX chip and it not only lasts more than a day, it is easier to use. And when you drop the Garmin on a pile of rocks when you're hunting, it doesn't do much to the unit. With a phone, you probably have a cracked screen, if not a wasted unit.

do cell phones work from the sats? or triangulate from towers? JMR40 in particular be aware that there are huge areas in Colorado that do not get any cell phone coverage so plan accordingly. Sometimes there is a spot, maybe only 10 or 20 feet or way on top of a mountain where you have a line of sight to a tower and can get a call through, but you have to watch the bars to find it. I recommend also knowing how to use a compass, and a good old map, look back to recognize your trail, all the old tricks, and carry enough whatever to survive overnight.

You can buy an auxiliary battery that will plug in The charging port for either unit. I have one for my phone and it works well with a spyder attachment that allows you to recharge the auxiliary battery and phone simultaneously. Some of you probably use the external battery already.

As you walk; look behind you every 100 yards or so. You won't get lost that way.

GPS over smartphone, would be my vote! That's what I use along with a compass! Compass before GPS, would be the first choice! Garmin with a map chip, works wonders for navigation in the outdoors.

You could always just walk backwards.

So a phone that rats u out at every turn is ...smart...will I'll b...

This wouldn't really be for getting lost etc. but almost exclusively for land ownership knowledge. Who owns what, where, and when?

Does the GPS still beat a phone for that process?

I've hunted the west my whole life without a GPS. I have had one for years, but only turned it on a couple times to play with it and never used it in the field.

I did however just buy a new Garmin Oregon and some OnXMap chips, but really only plan to use it when the fog gets really thick, for finding my way to a new glassing point I found on Google Earth in the dark or hunting that damn checkerboard and close to other property lines. I'm stepping on up in the world. I can barely figure out how to make a call let alone anything else with my phone.

This is one place where I think old technology is "better". Simply paying attention to where you are and where you're heading is the best way to get around in the mountains, but property lines along lat/long sections may prove these new toys worth their salt.

Having a gps and planning to only use it when you're lost or in thick fog is not the best plan. Take the gps out on walks around town, in parks, woods etc. and learn how to use it. It takes time to learn how to use one, and trying to figure that out when lost, cold, wet, etc., isn't the time or place.

Once you learn how to use a GPS, you'll wonder why you were so against the technology.

Dual shoulder sheath Ka-Bars....like Mannlicker.

Blaze a bark trail every 10 yrds in the Ocala Natl Forest. 😄💩👦🏾

I have Onx on my phone and use it while in the SxS. I like the large screen for viewing. I carry my smartphone with me while hunting but only to use occasionally to check for texts or to check location.