What are you guys using for navigation?

[Black798]

Not necessarily 3rd gen related but whatever. Looking specifically for off road and offline in places google maps cant get you. As Im starting to get more into the idea of "overlanding" I need a better way to navigate offroad with both satellite and topo maps. Id like to keep costs to a minimal and preferably do it on my phone (android). Just looking to see what others are using and how you use it. Thanks for the help guys.

 

[4Runner4TW]

Check out Hema Maps. They recently launched the N. American maps and are currently mapping many trials with other Overlanders such as Expedition Overland. Also users can upload the trails they map out so its always growing. Not bad for $20. You basically just download the area you are going to so when you are off road you have full use of the maps in great detail.

https://www.hemamaps.com/navigate/hema-explorer/north-america

 

[4Runner4TW]

Not necessarily 3rd gen related but whatever. Looking specifically for off road and offline in places google maps cant get you. As Im starting to get more into the idea of "overlanding" I need a better way to navigate offroad with both satellite and topo maps. Id like to keep costs to a minimal and preferably do it on my phone (android). Just looking to see what others are using and how you use it. Thanks for the help guys.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9Uphzo1fDI

 

[Black798]

Check out Hema Maps. They recently launched the N. American maps and are currently mapping many trials with other Overlanders such as Expedition Overland. Also users can upload the trails they map out so its always growing. Not bad for $20. You basically just download the area you are going to so when you are off road you have full use of the maps in great detail.

https://www.hemamaps.com/navigate/hema-explorer/north-america

Ill give hema a closer look and see what I can find for reviews...
From what Ive seen from XO's other videos it seems to work pretty well. Its pretty cool that I live in the same town as them so I see them driving around pretty often. I might have to get in touch with them and get their input sometime.
Another system I was looking at was GAIA Maps, seems to be very similar to Hema.
Does anyone know if either supports importing of kml files from google earth?

 

[AZBub]

I use Gaia which includes offline Topo. None of this stuff is any good unless your device has true GPS. Cell assisted does little good when you're waaaay off the beaten path. You can get a blue tooth gps receiver that works with both iphone and android.
http://gps.dualav.com/explore-by-product/xgps150a/

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Black798]

I believe that my phone has true gps capability. HTC One m9. In the location settings I have the option to use:
High Accuracy (Uses gps,wifi,Bluetooth,and cell networks,)
Battery Saving (Uses Bluetooth,wifi,and cell networks)
Device Only (Uses GPS)
From what Ive seen it can accurately find me when I dont have cell service so I think Im good in that department.

 

[I_bRAD]

Paper map and compass! Accurate, cheap and the batteries never run out.

 

[Black798]

Map and compass is what I have been using and I always carry it as a backup, but Im looking for something that is a little faster.

 

[theesotericone]

I use Backcountry Nav Pro. I live in the Sierra and do a lot of alpine climbing. I got it for that but it translates pretty well into use overlanding. It uses your phones GPS and maps that you download. You select the area from within the app. It has various sources for maps but I'm using the Caltopo 24K series. It's got most roads and trails on it. It records tracks, you can add waypoints, yada yada.

I have most of the Sierra and a lot of the Inyos saved and the space is about 3GB. That's a lot of area for that size. They have a trial version that you should check out.

 

[Black798]

Ive been playing around with the back country navigator trial over the past few days. Its really close to what Im looking for but the interface is a little clunky, may just be my screen size but Im kinda stuck with that. Id like to try Hema or GAIA but have a hard time spending money on it when I dont know what their interface is like.

 

[theesotericone]

BCN takes some getting used to for sure. I still discover things I didn't know it had as features and I've been using it for a few years. I've never used Hema and would be curious to see how it stacks up to BCN. Hema gets pretty shite reviews but only from 15 people. BCN is a 4.5 star app from over 5000 votes. I'd give it 5 stars if I was the voting sort. In airplane mode with only GPS active I can easily get over 16 hours with it on my Nexus 6P. Granted, in a car that really doesn't matter but on foot it's huge. Keep playing around with it and I bet you'll end up really liking it.

 

[jpeaslee]

I've been using Gaia on my galaxy tablet. Works great! Just make sure if you're using a tablet, you get one that has a gps unit in it, not one that uses a cell signal to calculate it. I know with the iPads, you have to get one that's got a phone chip in it to get one that has a gps chip in it, or at least that how they've been in the past.

 

[Black798]

Ill keep playing around with BCN and see how I like it as I get used to. I definitely have a lot to learn just with managing tracks and everything. Ultimately I just need something fast, stable and easy to use. I think the reason why Hema has such bad reviews is just because everything isn't fully developed yet and its still a work in progress.

 

[Black798]

I also think Hema and Gaia are much in the same thing from what Ive seen.

 

[AssBurns]

I've been using MotionX for the past year. I've downloaded all of Southern California in 3 different map types offline. So far it seems pretty user friendly and pretty cheap. I've invested less than $20 into the app. I'll have to look up the sites but I've downloaded waypoints and trails for all the areas I usually go off-roading at. I just use .GPX files and drag them to iTunes. If your based out of so-cal I can send them to you, if you'd like.


Project BeerRunner - http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/206385-assburns-2000-limited-build-thread.html

 

[Black798]

Thanks for the offer but Im based out of Southwest Montana. Sucks because there is only two or three other built toyotas around here. Ill probably make a trip out your way for some wheeling someday down the line but that wont be for a while. I also dont think that MotionX has an android version and after my last experiences with apple I wont be going back anytime soon.