besides using the jeep in front of you when transversing the back country, what navigation system do you guys use? i saw some on ebay for too much money but figure there has to be something less expensive out there. i would like to have something that shows the trails, possibly elevation, along with the other normal stuff that comes on a GPS.

 

I still prefer a compass, topography and trail map, and satellite picture for navigating unfamiliar wilderness. That is from years of doing it on mountain bikes.

 

I use a Garmin 450t GPS with a set of extra Midwest topo maps of all National Parks, Forests ect. that shows it all. Down to fire trails, logging roads and even foot paths this GPS can even be hand held or ran on 12V with a mount for my Jeep.


I have found many old roads in my area using mine that I never know were there.

 

I'm 17 and I use the same method. I like the old style navigation methods. It's part of the fun for me. If I'm at a national park I just pick up the surrounding area trail map (hiking trails can a lot of the time be ohv trails I've noticed) from the ranger station and plan a route that my jeep can handle that way.

 

something I just thought of...any aps out there that cover off road trails that are good?

 

There are. I've seen a few threads on the forum that list the pros and cons of them.

 

Trimble has a phone app that is decent enough for some of the work I do in prairies and lakes. You can save maps ahead of time if you're going somewhere with no cell service, and you can do some neat stuff with path mapping and more via gps. There's a free one you can try.

 

I use an iPad Pro in a life case with multiple topi maps down loaded.

I still carry a handheld gos as backup and paper maps / topo and I'm in the deserts of the west.

Plus a SPOT

 

I use an app called BackCountry Navigator Pro. Cost like $5 and you can download sections of map to use offline/no signal. Plot your routes using way points, track your progress real time and save where you have been.