I am looking for a topo app for my android phone (Galaxy S8). There are a lot in the Play Store. Want to get a good one. Any recommendations? I don't mind paying for one, especially if it keeps ads off. Need to be able to download the maps onto my phone for when there is no cel service (frequently).
Appreciate the help. Thanks!
Topo Apps
I use the Gaia GPS app which costs $19.99 - pretty pricey for an app, but it was one of my better purchases. I've since given out app store gift cards to both my son and my brother so that they could buy it also. I don't want them getting lost!
By paying more up front you get to download all kinds of different maps for free (USGS topo, USFS topo, Open Hiking Map, Open Cycle Map, etc. etc.) I pre-download the maps at home on wifi. The app itself works great and uses very little power when running in the background. If you tell it to record a track it uses a bit more power - My Galaxy S5 went from full charge to 30% when recording a long 13-hour day of hiking, which wasn't too bad. On the other hand, if I don't record a track and only consult it every so often while hiking I've had it use only 10% of my battery in an entire day (with the phone on Airplane Mode).
https://www.gaiagps.com/apps/android/
By paying more up front you get to download all kinds of different maps for free (USGS topo, USFS topo, Open Hiking Map, Open Cycle Map, etc. etc.) I pre-download the maps at home on wifi. The app itself works great and uses very little power when running in the background. If you tell it to record a track it uses a bit more power - My Galaxy S5 went from full charge to 30% when recording a long 13-hour day of hiking, which wasn't too bad. On the other hand, if I don't record a track and only consult it every so often while hiking I've had it use only 10% of my battery in an entire day (with the phone on Airplane Mode).
https://www.gaiagps.com/apps/android/
My hiking trip reports: https://hikingtales.com/
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Tom Kenney
- Posts: 385
- Joined: Sat Sep 29, 2007 7:51 pm
I'm using Alpine Quest. About $6.00. It's nice enough that I've 're-bought' it a few times (new phones).
I also use BackCountry Navigator. I think it was $9.99 for the full version. I only use it as a backup or for short hikes where I don't want to take my Garmin. The interface is a little busy, but I was able to figure out how to load tracks into it, record, and export tracks for use on my computer. I haven't tried any other ones so I can't compare.