>>2114938I do a lot of backcountry hiking and hunting. I carry a paper map, pace beads, protractor and a lensatic compass as a backup for a bigger trip. Bring a tiny lead pencil for notes and plotting bearings. Print the shit on a poster printer and keep the map in a waterproof sleeve. The available maps are not always the best for compass use and the pursuit of accuracy can be extremely tedious and frustrating. Starting on flat land, counting your pace ACCURATELY and having line of sight works just OK. The longer you go, the more you can drift off target. If you are lost and think you aren't, you are worse than just lost. Sometimes, you hit a road or a river and just follow it back. Sometimes you wast an hour backtracking. I carry one because it might save me, not because I want to rely on it. Needless to say, I prefer a dedicated GPS.
>Reflective LCD is more visible in sun vs phone>Unit uses way less juice than a phone>Newer units can use up to 3 satellite constellations for better speed, reliability and accuracy>Newer units have magnetic compasses which are a huge game changer >GPS units require 0 data if you have a decent custom map or preloaded map for your purpose>GPS units can use external antennas>GPS units such as Garmin have robust custom mapping, track and waypoint software tools>Preloaded maps can sometimes be good for /out/. Mine shows water features quite well such as remote small streams. The topo info is also quite good.>Buttons>touch screens when you are climbing a mountain and it is dangling on a lanyard>Custom maps are easy to make can be layered and modified to the absolute extreme>Use USB power, AA batteries or a battery pack charged from your solar panel>GPS units tend to be waterproof and durable>Save the phone for emergencies and pictures>You should prolly have a 2M radio for that but I digress>Hell, even some units have a satellite com link for emergencies etc. 