If I were going to invest in a gps device for the trail what should I get?
I’d like one that puts the whole trail in, not just way points. How many points should it be able to store?
Do you have to buy Arizona specific maps as well?
Sorry if it’s already been discussed on this forum. Maybe someone that knows the room well could direct me to where it’s been talked about.
Thanks so much! I’m not really sure where to start!
Emma Leigh
I’m not entirely current on the state-of-the-market for GPS units, so maybe someone else can chime in on that. However, if you happen to have an iPhone and plan to carry it on the trail, I would heartily recommend downloading the Gaia GPS app and using this approach in lieu of a dedicated GPS unit. The app is very intuitive to learn and use, accuracy on the iPhone is excellent, all maps come free “from the cloud,” and unlike most GPS units, you can store very data-rich GPS tracks for long distance trails without running into compatibility and storage issues. Gaia may be available for other smart phones with built-in GPS chips as well. Or for the iPod Touch. Plan to carry a solar charger or external battery pack as well, as GPS apps tend to be very power-hungry. A USB solar charger can become a multiple-use item if you also have other devices that charge via USB.
When you say “one that puts the whole trail in,” you’re referring to GPS tracks, as opposed to a file of waypoints. The problem most GPS units have is a rather limited storage capacity for tracks, which makes it somewhat challenging to put an 800 mile trail on the unit all at once. For example, the ATA’s members-only “Map Data” files contain field-worthy tracks for each passage of the trail, but most GPS units wouldn’t be able to store 43 separate, large track files at once, meaning you’d need to find access to a computer and a way to change out the data in the unit at various points during the journey, which is obviously problematic. The way around the problem is to modify the ATA data so that it all fits, but this also means reducing the “richness” of the data, which means the end result isn’t quite as field-worthy as otherwise. In any case, a program called TopoFusion, produced by our very own Scott Morris over at topofusion.com, will let you accomplish this. Or I could send you a GPS-friendly version of the full-trail map data, assuming you’re an ATA member.
In general, I wouldn’t recommend placing a heavy reliance on the use of GPS on the Arizona Trail. For one, it isn’t really needed, as the trail is increasingly well marked and easy to follow (although snowpacked trail can sometimes pose a challenge). And it can also be a major distraction and source of stress to try to learn “GPS-ese” in the weeks just before your journey, when so much else tends to be on the plate. In every likelihood, you won’t need to use a GPS outside of a recreational capacity on a majority of hiking days, so consider the fact that it could be dead weight in the pack much of the time. If there is a psychological component to at least starting the hike with a GPS unit in tow, then that’s certainly understandable, and you could reevaluate the need to carry one as the hike goes along.
Far more valuable than GPS, in my opinion, is a good set of maps. The ATA now produces Pocket Maps of the trail on CD-ROM, which are great as an overview and come recommended. Another offering that will be available, probably within the next few weeks, is a detailed topographic mapset for the trail which is designed for actual, day-to-day navigation from Mexico to Utah. These maps are high-detail, “quad map”-type scale, 8.5x11 print-ready image files on CD-ROM, which include the current trail trace, alternate routes, data book locations, mileages, elevation profiles, and distances to the nearest resupply locations. Compliments of the digital mapping gurus over at Postholer.com, compiled/edited by blisterfree here. All proceeds to benefit the ATA. Source data graciously provided by the ATA for this purpose. Watch for an update on the home page at www.simblissity.net
The base maps are digitized and based on very recent data, rather than relying on old USGS scans like NatGeo TOPO! uses. This means uniformity of colors, features, labels, contours, etc across the entire mapset, as well as a uniformly high level of clarity and detail.
Here’s an example map:
blisterfree
So these maps are actually going to be usable? How many individual ones are there for the trail? The guide book is a joke. Better then nothing, and no one else stepped up to the plate to make a better one in the last ten years. The ones that came out a couple of years ago with 11 large maps you could zoom in on were worthless too. Who can zoom on anything in the field? How do you print 8.5X11 usable sections with finer topo detail from a larger map? I’m not a complete computer geek It’s amazing that that level of garbage even exists. When are you going to make maps like you did for the GET? Those were great.
Guino
Plus the lines on the map are just drawn lines and don’t really show where the trail is, just where some joker guessed it is. I know they are off thousands of feet in places because I have been there. Those maps are a joke. AZT should get with the program. Blisterfree’s comments are just a plug for these miserable maps. I’d be trying to get somebody’s track files or something that really works. And I would definitely recommend a dedicated gps unless you are carrying a car battery to recharge your Iphone.
PaysonBase
Hey guys - There will be about 130 maps in the set all told. The ATA data that the trail trace is based on is, for the most part, field-recorded, and is as good as it gets. The trail appears where it exists in the field, or at least close enough to navigate by. Take it from someone who has studied the trail layout, and spent time hiking it, for way too many years now.
The ATA’s pocket maps CD is excellent, and the complaints are misdirected, sort of like complaining that a screwdriver won’t hammer. The new maps don’t include overview maps, so you’ll need both. It’d be hard to top the work that ATA has already invested in that area, anyway. So pick up a copy of each mapset and support the organization.
By the way, Payson seems to be referring to the passage maps, rather than the pocket map CD ATA is now offering in addition.
Google the Suntactics PC5 solar charger.
blisterfree
Picture vs the proverbial 1000 words…
ATA access map (hand-drawn, overview map scaling, not intended for navigational purposes):
http://www.aztrail.org/passages/trail_access_maps/01_HuachucaMtnsTAM.pdf
ATA pocket map (field-recorded trail trace, overview map scaling, good for daily planning purposes):
New mapset example (field-recorded trail trace, detailed map scaling for moment-by-moment navigation):
blisterfree
I’m told, but cannot verify, that the newest generation Garmin devices have the capacity to load the entire trail at one time. The older generation was limited to 20 tracks of 500 points each, but reportedly this has been increased. Many of the AZT GPX tracks exceed 500 data points so they have to be split using software such as Map Source and loaded in as two tracks.
Good Luck!
Shawn
Design-wise that new example map seems perfect to me. It looks like Halfmile’s awesome PCT maps but with sharper digital images instead of soft-edged scans. If they are ready by next month I’ll definitely order a set.
Alex
I would recommend that whatever you buy, take it out in direct sunlight to see how well you can see the screen. I bought a Garmin a couple of years ago and discovered it was unreadable in direct sunlight so ended up returning it. I can’t remeber which model it was but apparently it got good reviews for everyhting except that one problem.
Jalan
Maybe it’s time to migrate Arizona Trail-related discussion over to another site. The problem with TF here - not just the AZT forum but the whole site - has always been the lack of a community feeling, probably because there’s no membership, no assigned username, no avatar, no history of your posts, no networking, etc., and so no consequences for typing crap and creating disharmony.
How about HikeArizona.com? Perhaps they could host an Arizona Trail-specific forum, and then ATA could promote it via their website. Certainly HikeAZ has a good track record, and seems to be a fun and rewarding place to hang out with likeminded and knowledgeable folks.
bf
Shawn’s advice above is really good. I would suggest that you get a gps that can be re-loaded from SD cards so you are not dependent upon a computer. Some of the units will do that and some won’t.
bearcreek
As you did not ask anyone’s opinion on whether to carry a GPS, I will not offer one.
I would look at the following when deciding on which GPS unit to carry with you on your hike. Cost, how you want to use it, ease of use (including display), weight, battery type, and battery life.
Cost - how much do you want to spend? there are good GPS’s that cost $150 that do some things well and there are GPSs that cost over $600 that do a lot more. The higher the cost, the more bells as whistles (camera, sd card memory, bluetooth, etc). At a minimum, you want to be able to load tracks and waypoints into the unit easily and download poits and tracks you want to keep (and for that I am going with Garmin units these days, although I am testing a few magellan units and may adopt those in the future). Don’t get anything that uses a special (non-usb) cable. (this means many older GPS units).
Ease of use - touch screen vs buttons is the first thing to look at. I suggest going to REI or an outdoor store and check out how easy different units are to use. Wearing gloves makes a difference.
Weight - Bigger is not always better - but you want the screen to be legible (do you wear reading glasses? if so, a larger display may be needed).
Batteries - it had better use AA off the shelf or you don’t want it. Murphy’s law of GPS states that your batteries will run out on the day that you forgot the spare pair. This leaves out smart phone, automotive GPS units, etc because you can not recharge them while hiking (unless you are carrying a solar charger or other such gear)
Battery life - this will depend on usage, but if you plan on keeping the GPS turned on the entire hike, you don’t want to change batteries every 6 hours.
That said, I have several - an old eTrex legend that I use for most waypointing and geocaching. I also have a couple of Oregon’s that I use for collecting data for work and I have used most garmin’s from the garmin 3+ to current models. They work and that is why I stick with them.
I suggest that you decide what you want to pay, what you want it for (24/7 mapping or just checking if you are on track or how far to the next shelter, road, water, or geocaching), and when check out some web sites for reviews.
One other thing to consider is whether the GPS comes with pre-loaded topo maps or if you have to buy them separately. The Oregon comes with 1:100,000 contours and I can load 1:24,000 topo maps. I can also load the 1:100k maps into my eTrex. Some GPS’s also let you load images such as air photos (but that might be a bit much for starting out).
Good luck and have fun on the trail.
Stumps
@Alex
The new mapset will be available in February for sure. We’re just ironing out the retail process now. Will post an update here, and you can probably watch the Arizona Trail Association website as well.
bit.ly/y59GMF
blisterfree