Contributors to this thread:
As some of you may know, I lost nearly all of my gear when someone broke into my home. I need to replace my GPS and at first was considering the InReach. Once I found out the platform didn't support the map chips I was back to a GPS. Now, I am wondering if the phone app is a valid option? If you have first hand experience please chime in.
You should consider Gaia Premium. The InReach is a completely different platform, but Gaia is very user-friendly and does everything I need it to.
I tried OnX ... didn't like it. (To be fair, I didn't give it a good chance). But Gaia (Premium) is fantastic. Lots and lots of possible layers, including old burns, tree harvests, as well as hunting units, etc. Highly recommended.
And if you want to buy my Oregon 450t, we might be able to make a good deal. I sure don't use it anymore!
I'm familiar with that unit... That's what I had stolen. Lol
Both onx and Gaia have free trials. Give both a try as they are different in content and user experience. Both work as advertised on my android and iPhone.
One caveat, I believe onx still does not write to an android sd card and androids have minimal internal storage.
Gaia is an app. You can also use it on your computer, which will sync with your phone.
I've used onx on the phone before. Does Gaia show public/private boundaries? Also, do you have to buy specific states on Gaia?
OnX is awesome ! I'm selling my gps. OnX can do way more than it.
Bowfreak's Oregon 450t is stolen. Deertick has one for sale. Coincidence?
;-)
Nice, Midwest. I was at work on that night.
I used OnX on my out of state bowhunt to Iowa this year. It was awesome. A+ in every respect. Showing property lines and owners names was a huge plus that my gps does not do. In NY I primarily use my gps for deep woods Adirondack mountain rifle hunting. I’d be surprised if OnX was as useful there, but I didn’t go because of Iowa so I don’t honestly know. Next year I will buy the NY version of Onx without hesitation for my bowhunting spots. It’s awsome!! IMO
Copey-why not save the GPS and buy a onx chip for it? Never hurts to have a backup. I understand that you may not need it anymore, but I like both options if I have them. Phone battery could run out also
The battery issue it the only thing that bothers me about Gaia. For almost all I do, 1 day (on airplane mode) is all I need before a recharge ... but I'll need to get a battery pack for elk season.
Regarding Gaia, no, you do not need to purchase different states. For private land boundaries you will need the Premium version, which does cost a little more. With Premium you can add hundreds of different layers, such as WMUs and much more.
The Onx App works great if you save the maps ahead of time so you don't have to worry about having cell service. I put mine in airplane mode and just use it like a GPS...
If you buy an onx chip you get the phone app free for 1 year. They're trying to convert their user base to the app I'd suspect. Much easier to control content.
I've used the OnX several times for elk and mule deer hunts. It is a convenient app, but it lacks one basic function and that is navigation. It won't give a heading or distance to a known waypoint. Also, it uses a surprising amount of cell phone battery which wouldn't matter for day hunts but requires extra cell phone charging batteries for a backcountry hunt.
I canned Gaia and am trying OnX now. I like the property boundary and owner names that OnX provides.
The more I use ON X, the more I like it, I don't know if I will ever get rid of my gps, but I do use the ON X more, plus if I stop to scout a new area out of curiosity, I always have my phone, plus you can use it on your computer for a better view of an area when cyber scouting..
elkstabber, you're behind the times man, it does do navigation and waypoints. Also, if you save the maps and use it offline it won't drain your batteries.
I used OnX exclusivley this hunting season and absolutely love it.. Used it for my elk hunt in Colorado and my deer hunt in Kansas.. I don't see a need for a GPS using the app on my cell phone.. As surfbow said above, look at the tutorial and its super easy to use..
This is what works for me: Garmin 62st GPS – Delorme InReach - iPhone – Digital Camera - always in my pack
Garmin 62st GPS. Ive had it for a loooong time and it has all my waypoints in it. I use it intermittently to get to my specific elk spots. 2 AA lithium batteries last me almost all season.
Delorme InReach - paired with the Earthmate app on my iPhone. I can communicate with my hunting partners, or family via Bluetooth, look at aerials, boundaries and use it as a GPS, all on airplane mode. I don’t use this nearly as much as my GPS tho.
iPhone – easy to text, view thru the InReach, take some photos
Digital Camera – takes much better photos, videos than a phone
I carry the above in all my outdoors adventures; from hunting, ice fishing, snowmobiling, even traveling to/from hunting areas where I don’t have cell service for 70 - 100 miles.
Because I never have been good at planning an emergency ??
Surfbow: sometimes I am behind the times, but not with OnX. I've always saved the maps and used it offline, which I have to because I'm typically outside of cell reception. It does waypoints, but doesn't do navigation. OnX lacks a basic function of any GPS unit and that is the "Go To" function.
If you need it and it doesn't have it, then it's a problem. I went to waypoints all the time using OnX but never thought about a go to function. It shows the direction I'm heading so I just went to it without thinking about it.
I used both my gps and OnX this year for four hunts in three states. Found myself utilizing the OnX offline maps the most, but was glad I had both, and intend to proceed this way at least for now.
Those of you that are using OnX, do you just couple with a GPS for land Nav if needed?
Would the inReach SE+ be a good option for simple land nav? Marking waypoints and then tracking back to a truck, camp or to the spot you plan to hunt? That would be nice if it is sufficient for this as I would like to have one for communication but would prefer to not have so much redundancy in equipment.
Mark
If you’re looking for communication and gps functions, an InReach paired with a smart phone would be the way to go.
Here are a couple screen shots of the Earthmate app that works with InReach’s
With pre-downloaded aerial maps, as you zoom in it changes from topo to color aerial - with labels
Guiding and hunting here in CO, the XMaps is the way to go since the CPW officers use them for property location and doing their work. So what your GPS with XMaps shows, so does theirs.
Bowfreak,
On x maps works like a gps. Even if you don't have cell service it works. Your phone has a built in gps . The only thIng is you have to download maps ahead of time if you know you'll be out of cell service which is no big deal.
I have the onX app and I have two problems with it. It does not show the property boundaries for my county in CT. I also don’t understand how you guys are able to save the maps to your phone. They take up way too much data, 100-300mb?
Copey,
It has been said that it does not have a go to function. So...it is lacking a standard feature of pretty much any gps.
Expedition,
You can download the maps from wi-fi at your home prior to your hunt.
"One caveat, I believe onx still does not write to an android sd card" Is that still the case? That would be deal breaker for me. Maybe the older droids (I'm needing a new one soon) or is it something with the app and not the phone?
The onx app is great....but, you can't save the cached maps to anything other than the phone's base memory (I confirmed this with onx) and you can't access the ownership info except as an on screen label when in off grid mode using a cached map. The first is a deal breaker for me and the second is just frustrating. Oh, it does drain my battery very fast if I set the app to log my track (which my gps does by default). It seems to take a long time to update my position when I take it out of my pocket to check the map.
The app is amazing.....swore I would never say that.
If anyone wants a discount code pm me.
I don't believe Gaia saves to the Droid sd card by default either but allows you to designate it once Gaia is installed. My Gaia is on an iPhone so I haven't looked into it much.
Not being able to save to SD card on Android is a deal breaker for me.
If you have a new Droid you can try formatting the sd as internal storage and see if OnX lets you use it but I believe the developer needs to allow that in their code.
Let's see.....I have my garmin 60 gps, DeLorme, and OnX. At different times I use each one......try to limit phone app use to save battery.
I will definitely be giving Gaia premium a look see next summer as I start scouting.
Think I'll be trying Gaia next season and keep the little yellow etrex as backup.
I use on x maps and Gaia. I like Gaia for nav and on x for boundaries. I always carry my Garmin etrex as a backup. It’s so small not worth leaving it behind
I added Gaia to my android and it asks where to store data.
So maybe I've missed it in this thread, but why wouldn't you get a GPS that would accept the OnX chip to integrate all the functionality of both?
Helgermite, Just off the top of my head....
Most everyone already has a smart phone. Screen size is bigger on the phone.
Neither the Gaia or OnX app have the landowner detail available for some counties. I bought a new house in Litchfield, CT and the information has not been provided by the state.
I was hoping it would show the boundaries of my new property.
You can check in their web site for a list of counties served. They do update them once a year.
Screen size not only bigger but resolution normally MUCH better on the phone. I have noticed it takes longer for the phone to acquire. And trees and topography can cause more interference. If tracking the phones seem to eat more battery.
I carried both on my last trip.... it's hard to beat some of the features of the Rino when you and your hunting partner both have one. IMO the Rino (as I would guess most dedicated GPS units would be) is faster and more accurate. And IMO a good deal tougher. The phone (used another app than the two mentioned here) gave much better resolution and bigger picture on the screen. I wound up using both at different times and for different reasons. Hiking back to camp in the dark the Garmin was a good deal more intuitive and easier, more accurate to use.
Have used GAIA on multiple hunts including Kodiak. Works great. I hate OnX. Waiting for map to load when you scroll around... non-starter.
As per iPhone toughness.....never had one break, carrying them everyday, every year over the past 6 years. As per Garmin GPSs, I have 5 broken ones at home with stranded points. A geckco, 3 yellow etrexs and a Oregon 450. They got carried for hunting and hiking.....quite a bit. I’d say each game me 100 or more days of use before failing in some fashion except the $$$ Oregon which failed quickly. It drove me to GAIA GPS on the phone. Never looked back....and won’t where a $19 app beats the Garmins I’ve owned.
