GPS with NO data connection

[LeeRevell]

VZ Navigator is the free app, already bundled in. Haven't seen a need for anything more yet. I also have a couple small handheld GPS units, which are basically useless. They are optimized for geo-caching which I don't have any use for.
Hoped they would replace my worn out old B/W handheld that I used for motorcycle travel for years. Their color screens are too small and cluttered, impossible to read while riding. Now fancy paper-weights.
The Roadmate is good, but I recently broke the extended windshield mount, and could not find the same model at Best Buy. Need to fabricate a mount for both vans.

 

[highdesertranger]

here's what I have observed about smart phone stand alone gps. it works, kind of. off the grid it is very slow and sometimes not very accurate. we had three smart phones with us this year and while they do a lot of cool things they don't do them as well as a dedicated device. my mil-spec phone could get a signal where theirs couldn't. this just wasn't one time this was many, many times. as far as the gps they were slow and eat up batteries. my old garmin could get a fix and mark it in less time then they could even get their smart phones off the starting line. then when they got the fix many times it would be off. I could check all this back in camp with my mapping software. once one of them even marked us across the valley approximately 10 miles away. I had to check that out 3 times. I couldn't believe it. this is like the swiss army knife it does a lot of things but none very well. highdesertranger

 

[gadgetMe]

DeLorme topo with GPS
Stand alone, always works, except when going through a tunnel.
No Monthly payments, totally editable. No limits on waypoints,

They usually put them On Sale at the end of the year (usually 50% off)

topo maps

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

I tested it out today on a non cellular tablet, it worked really well. It is a little different than a garmin, as it gives closing distances as yards rather than a decimal of a mile (maybe there is a setting..), but not too shabby. Cant beat the price either.

 

[highdesertranger]

my garmin gives the accuracy readings in feet or meters, users choice. in the bush it's usually less than 10 feet. highdesertranger