Smartphones

4 Sep

We can pretend that technology doesn’t exist, and spending a month or so in the wilderness is a good way to do it, but these smart phones are pretty darn handy tools to have in the backcountry. You won’t get reception along most of the JMT, but there are several apps that we found really helpful.

The John Muir Trail Mapset and National Geographic National Parks Maps which are both GPS enabled were great assets to have. They are not to be relied upon solely for navigation, but they give you a reasonably accurate reading of your location which can really help. Also, you can load books, magazines, music and games for sleepless nights in the tent. You can even use it as a flashlight in a pinch.

Unless you are a really serious photographer, the video and pictures on these newer Iphones and androids is really, really good. To be honest for the internet and small prints it’s pretty hard to tell whether some of my pics were taken with my iphone or with my $3000 Canon 5D. Obviously, if you’re planning on getting large prints to hang in your living room, it’s not going to be as good. Smart phones also suffer in low-light and high-contrast situations, versus a high-end DSLR. We found all kinds of profession video apps like the digital slate application that helped us sync the audio and video from our interviews. There’s also some really cool shutter release, and timelapse apps out there. So for every level of photographer there’s a good reason to bring a smartphone along.

One use that I’ve only discovered since we’ve been back are all of the cool astronomy apps. The one I used was called “Starwalk,” and it’s nothing short of amazing. You point the phone to the heavens and it will label all of the stars and constellations in the night sky in real time. It’s really impressive! There are several other apps out there that do the same thing so give a couple a try. No more fist fights over whether that shiny red dot in the sky is Mars or just a bright star!

So when you think about saving the weight of a camera, trail guide, book, planetarium and lead civil war chess set it’s not bad at all.

As for power, look up the best setting for long battery life. On the iphone, airplane mode is great; just switch it off if using the GPS enabled applications. Also, turn off the wifi and 4G to extend life when airplane mode is disabled. There are some solar chargers (we used the GoalZero Sherpa 50) and smartphone cases with batteries built-in to extend battery life.

Bottom line is from a weight saving and functionality standpoint there is a good argument for bringing a smartphone with you on your next backpacking trip.