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Backpacker Magazine – Gear Guide 2011

Gear Guide 2011: Essential Apps

Load up your smartphone or iPad with these backpacker-friendly apps.

by: Kelly Bastone

Smartphone    
App Features Best For
Google My Tracks
(Android only)		 This freebie records routes and waypoints on-trail, and overlays them on satellite or Google maps (bummer: no topos). Posthike: Send your route—.gpx and .kml files*—to your email, or upload directly to Google’s My Maps. free; mytracks.appspot.com Casual hikers who don’t own a GPS unit but want a basic mapping tool
Audubon Wildflowers
(iPhone and Android) 		Want to ID a vibrant bloom along the trail? Search by shape, color, or flowering month from a catalog of more than 1,800 species. Mark its location on a map, add observation notes, and save pics in the photo albums. $10; App Store, Android Market Nature lovers who want an all-in-one app to identify and record wildflower sightings
BACKPACKER GPS Trails (iPhone and Android) It’s the ultimate trail-finding and trip-creating tool. Access our database of 5,000+ GPS-enabled trips, save and upload your own, then share photos and tracks via social media. $10; backpacker.com/gpstrails Hikers who want to turn their smartphones into GPS units with trip-sharing tools
iPAD    
Knots HD Show. Don’t tell. That’s the beauty of this step-by-step guide to 97 knots. Organized by category (bends, binding knots, etc.) and alphabetically, this is the most comprehensive, well-executed knot-tying app on the market. $3; App Store Anyone who wants to be competent without Fastex buckles
The Weather Channel Will the sun hold for your Rainier weekend? Punch in any town or national park and get forecasts from hourly to 10 days out. Scan interactive radar, cloud, UV index, temperature, rain, and snow maps. Then, animate nine hours of radar and read tweets from forecasters. free; App Store Trip planners who need to tailor their gear lists and itinerary to current conditions
BACKPACKER Survival School—Lesson 1: Hazards Bone up on backcountry perils (Avalanche! Bear attack! Lost!) by reading real-life survival tales, learning life-saving skills, viewing how-to videos and slideshows, and more. Bonus: Put your knowledge to the test and win gear we’ve tested. Download a free preview. The full lesson: $3; backpacker.com/survivalschool Solo hikers, go-deep outdoorsmen, survivalists–anyone who wants to be prepared for natural disasters


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READERS COMMENTS

I agree. I have used Orux Maps with my Droidx on 6 high peak trips and it has outshined my much older garmin legend for keeping track.
Posted: May 11, 2011 Lewis Otto

Orux Maps is thousands of miles ahead of MyTracks, it's free, it can use on- or off-line maps.

http://www.oruxmaps.com/
Posted: May 08, 2011 Ivan Fernandez

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