I've never had an iPhone fail and I've used them pretty much every day of the year since 2012. By comparison I've had 5 Garmin GPS units fail over about 12 yrs of use, say from 2002 until 2015 when I gave up on them due to lack of reliability...three Etrex 10 yellow units, one little green Gecko and the last was an expensive Oregon 450 with BC Backroads chip on it.

GAIA GPS app has worked 100% reliably on the phones since 2015. When you get a new phone the points transfer, and you can have the app on 5 units...we have it on 3 phones and the iPad right now.

I live and hunt in BC, hunt in the Canadian Territories, down in WA, OR and AZ etc. I've travelled as far away as Australia for work. I can download satellite photos, topo maps, road maps, whatever and have them on the phone for where I am going. Works great for me!

On back country hunts, which many of mine are a battery pack alleviates the issue of running out of phone charge. I have a small charge unit good for a couple charges (was free from a work vendor), a $20 unit I got at Walmart, and big battery pack that can jump start my auto and would probably keep the phone charged for many months. Anyway, I've not had charging issues. I also replaced the 4 year old phone battery this summer...was $35 with installation. The iPhone showed the battery health was at 85%....but in my opinion it lies. The new battery lasts nearly 2X as long as the 4 year old battery was.

I always carry the phone in my shirt pocket...button cover, and in a zip lock pint freezer bag if its rainy out...although the phone is supposedly good for a dunking. The pocket keeps the battery warm and the phone usable for a while, although out on the ice out of Resolute Bay when polar bear hunting in February at -40* you could not take it out for very long or it would freeze up. A hand warmer stuck to it would alleviate that issue...I just stuck it back in my shirt pocket.

Also control battery draw by putting the phone in airplane mode when off grid, and even shutting it off at night or during long periods you won't use it. Makes a huge difference in battery life. Blue tooth should be off, cell, WIFI, etc.

Last edited by Kurt52; 12/30/20.