Personally I use my smartphone and I have a large backup battery which charges my phone about 5 times before it too needs charging. I've stopped using maps and use the app Backcountry, for the UK and SityTrail for France. I usually stick to National Trails and other well known routes so my phone to me is more than enough.
losing my phone is what i'm concerned about, it's the only variable that i cant de-risk. but then i buy a £500 gps and i will feel that i should use that instead.
Losing my phone is always a possibility but I keep it in a waterproof bag permanently attached to me via a landyard. The one thing that does annoy me about the latest phones is there is no secure point on them as there used to be. So what would I do if I did lose my phone? I'd walk, bus or hitchhike to the nearest shop and buy a new one I suppose, or buy a map.
I find the trouble with my phone is the screen is hard to read in bright light, it isn’t waterproof and has no attachment point. Also I have to unlock it to use it and if I close the case it shuts off to conserve the battery which is irritating.
On the other hand my gps has a bright screen which is always on, is weatherproof, has a clip to attach it to my shoulder strap and a lanyard so it doesn’t hit the floor if I drop it. Moreover, the batteries last for multiple trips and I carry a spare set of AAs in my bag.
Etrex30. Much the same an Etrex 20 but with extra bells and whistles. It was a present.
What GPS do you own?
frustin - if you can't print, Ordnance Survey do a grand range of paper maps. They can be bought a little cheaper here:
https://dash4it.co.uk/ordnance-survey-maps/series/explorer.html (https://dash4it.co.uk/ordnance-survey-maps/series/explorer.html)
Hope this helps :)
I do have my smartphone with me but switched off. I've never been sure of the phones capability to predict my position accurately and how long the battery would last
Since you use the same satellites as say a Garmin, then the accuracy is exactly the same.
... Since you use the same satellites as say a Garmin, then the accuracy is exactly the same. ..
There are compass apps for a phone.
Why not just carry a paper map and compass for back up? Cheap, light weight and very very reliable. O0