What to read after Backpacking in the Technological Era?

Maximize the enjoyment, convenience, and safety of your hike with these free technologies.

Technology is all around us. The development of GPS and increasingly advanced software applications motivates you and me to explore and travel to remote places with greater confidence. While you should always bring the trusty and forever reliable ten essentials and follow general outdoor ethics principles (like Leave No Trace!), the value in these applications is undeniable, making them a smart addition to your trip preparation and smartphone. Use of a mobile phone should be limited to conserve battery and minimize distractions, so I only discuss worthwhile applications that add educational and safety utility.

In this forever evolving market for outdoor applications, I summarize and guide you through the most relevant software from my experiences out on trail. For each application recommended, from gear lists to smartphone GPS navigation, I provide an introduction and a fundamental guide to get started with screenshots and examples. I made sure that all the technologies are free, promoting the principle that just like technology, the outdoors should be accessible by all. 

This eBook is broken down into three major parts. The first part presents technologies to facilitate the preparation for a trip, including resources used to organize gear which can also help in terms of mental preparation and streamlining your pack weight. It also contains navigation tools used to devise a route and calculate statistics, such as distance and elevation. The second section includes applications that are used while out on the trail. These include mobile maps with GPS tracking that do not need an internet connection to operate and the highly informative but optional applications used to educate yourself about the outdoors and wildlife. Finally, I cover advanced settings to minimize battery drain since I notice a lot of hikers pack unnecessarily bulky power banks to supply minimal phone use. A dead phone is a safety hazard since you might end up needing to make an emergency call or SMS.