QUESTION for HIKERS: I-PAD or I-PHONE

Aug 30, 2015

[Yosemitest]

I want to know what is best to use for a long hike, the I-Phone or the I-pad.
I have NOT owned or used either.
I want to be able to make and receive phone calls, access the internet, shoot video, edit video, and load video.
I'd prefer the larger screen in the I-Pad Mini over the I-Phone, but I also need to be able to make and receive calls, and I'm not sure if the I-Pad Mini can receive calls.
If you have experience with both, please let me know the advantages and disadvantages of each.
I also want to use it to be a GPS navigation with topo maps, and use it as an altimeter.


iPhone 6/iPhone 6 Plus vs iPad mini 3 comparison

[Yosemitest]

Be sure to read Comment #33 and watch the video linked.
Also check out this search of Spyglass App.
Thanks.

[Yosemitest]

Thanks.

[mpreston]

Excellent and enjoy. Here in Colorado we see too many who head off to hike and are returned by Search and Rescue.

Thanks

[Daffynition]

SAT phone w/ a huge battery.

[mpreston]

Oh, and ignore the cell phone carrier coverage maps. They are for marketing purposes. That is from personal experience.

[Yosemitest]

Thanks.
Check out Comment #61 and the K&R Alpin Compass.

Thanks for the emergency GPS suggestions.

[Yosemitest]

Moat of the reports from videos of people hiking the A.T. say that Verizon and AT&T coverage along the trail is pretty good for most areas.
But there are some areas of no coverage.

[Daffynition]

We were at Delorme in Yarmouth last week. I like their new 2-way GPS ....store price was almost $500. I’m sure there’s a better price on line someplace.

[Swordmaker]

First of all Yosemitest, depending on where you are hiking, I would not count on having any reliable phone or internet connection for any cellular phone at all. . . unless you spring for a satellite phone which are quite expensive for the initial phone purchase and for service.

Secondly, recharging your iPhone or iPad could be problematic if you don't have access to power. They do have a long stand-by times, but if you use them for an video or downloading or uploading (if by chance you do find a signal), you will find usage of the battery down to ten to twelve hours before requiring a recharge. There are cases that will double that, and also there are portable recharge units that will hold several charges worth of power, that you can carry with you, but these are not optimal solutions.

The iPhone 6 and especially the 6Plus, with its in camera image stabilization, have excellent cameras. The new iPhone 6s and 6S plus when they are announced next week will probably be even better.

Contrary to some comments on this thread, there are excellent editing and post-production apps available for both the iPhone and iPad available for making high-quality video. In fact a full length feature film was just released that is in the theaters right now that was shot entirely on an iPhone. . . and much of the editing was done on the iPhone before it was exported to Final Cut Pro on a Mac for final assembly work. However, sound had to be done with an external recorder and dubbed in because a camera mounted microphone just cannot do the job properly.

Given the downsides of these issues, the advice to use a dedicated digital camera with video capabilities is the better choice. . . and do not expect to get any phone coverage on your hike. No one has built cellular towers in the wilderness.

If you decide to use an iPhone or iPad, invest in the Apple Camera Card adaptor so you can download your video and photos to an SD card for safekeeping.

I am certain that most of those on FR will concur with my advice. — PING!

Apple iPhone or iPad as a Camera for Hiking Advice
Ping!

If you want on or off the Mac Ping List, Freepmail me.

[Swordmaker]

That's WHY I started looking at the I-Pad versus the I-Phone.

by-the-way, Yosemitest. If you are doing any research, the names of the two products are not "I-Pad" or "I-Phone" and searches using those spellings as names may not get you anything but negative reviews from other people who know nothing, including how to spell "iPad" and "iPhone". If you use the correct spelling, you are more likely to get more accurate information.

[Swordmaker]

App management on IOS is not well done. When the phone or iPad start getting wonky, I kill all the apps, purge stored cache on Safari, and restart. I’ll often find fifteen apps are running.

It is actually very well done . . . as Apps that have been started do not run in the background if they are not needed to run. They do not even take up RAM space. . . or cache space. It really doesn't matter how many are "running" because they are not "running" at all. They are terminated but ready to rapidly reload and run. Yes, some apps are running, because they are designed to do so, but the vast majority are not. My iPhone lasts for two days with multiple apps "running" in the background. I may go through and quit apps I haven't used in sometime, once a month or so. . . but it really isn't necessary. The ones I do regularly quit are Maps (which can continue to navigate while in the background), iTunes, and anything else that is designed to play in the background. Everything else is pretty much innocuous.

[Swordmaker]

I'm pretty sure this won't be my only hike, and it won't be just weeks. It'll be months.

If you stay on roads for your hikes, you should be OK with cellular coverage for most of the time. . . but I'd go with Verizon. I have AT&T and did go cross-country with it but the coverage with them is still only the main roads. Verizon has better coverage in the boonies.

Do not expect coverage on hiking trails away from highways. . . or even smaller secondary roads.

[Swordmaker]

Video editing is another reason I'm leaning towards the I-Pad

If you can do it on an iPad, you can generally do it on an iPhone as well. I'd look at the iPhone 6 plus for the better cameras and better image stabilization.

[Yosemitest]

Thanks for the detailed answer.

" I would not count on having any reliable phone or internet connection"

Depending on it? ....No, I'm not, at least out in the boonies.
But I've been watching A.T. videos now for about 2 years, and most say the coverage is usually there in most ofd the high spots and resupply spots.
So I want the ability to use it, when I want to.

"... recharging your iPhone or iPad could be problematic if you don't have access to power."

Power ...

PowerFilm R-13 Rollable Solar Panel Charger

There are several lightweight chargers that will fit a car cigarette socket, that will plug into my solar charger.

Maha Powerex C204GT-DC AA and AAA Battery Charger

Also there's portable AC chargers that can do a great job in Hostels and Hotels.

DigiPower TC-U450 Universal Camera Battery Charger (Black)

And my camera purchase has already been made.
I bought an Olympus TG-3 that says it will load wirelessly to an I-Phone, but I'm not sure about an I-Pad.

Olympus TG-4 16 MP Waterproof Digital Camera with 3-Inch LCD (Red)

But I need to research the iPhone 6Plus.
I'm not planning on buying either the iPhone or the iPad until AFTER the 1st of January, 2016,
and if a new release has been announced by then, I may wait and order it with the maximum memory.
The one advantage (other than less bulk) the iPhone has, is the ability to quickly access it for GPS App, Compass App, and Topo Map App (even without cell tower connection).
But typing and editing my daily journal, that advantage goes to the iPad.

"... invest in the Apple Camera Card adaptor so you can download your video and photos to an SD card for safekeeping. "

The Olympus will allow an extra SD Card, but AFTER editing might be nice to have.
I need to research the Apple Camera Card adaptor.

[CurlyDave]

I use a Suunto M-3DL Compass, which is simply the very best I have ever seen for hiking.

I have a couple of the ones with mirrors, like the K&R you reference. The guys who laid out the right of way for the underground power on my rural property used one of these and it seemed to be sufficient for a legal description of the ROW. OTOH, he laid out about 400 yards of ROW with several dog legs in 3 hours. Any of the mirrored compasses are more of hinderance for fast practical land navigation than a help.

For hiking I want to go a lot faster than 133 yards per hour. The Suunto M-3DL does not have the mirror, but it has the great advantage that it does not have to be perfectly level to be accurate, and it settles in a second or so.

If you can see several landmarks and want to determine your position on a map the mirrored compass will allow you to take accurate bearings and triangulate. But, if you have a topo map and know how to read it, you know where you are from the contours of the land.

But, a far more common use for a hiking compass is to use a map (or even better a GPS) to determine a heading to walk and then keep on that heading as you progress. Especially if you are in woods or brush — any kind of cover which reduces the distance you can see landmarks to less than a mile or so.

* * * * * *

How well defined are the trails you are following? Even a few people a day should make a trail which is easy to follow in almost any terrain.

* * * * * * *

How good are you at determining how far you have walked from your starting point?

A trick I use is to count paces the way the Romans did. Every time your right foot touches the ground that is one pace. Most Americans count each step, but the Romans counted two steps as one pace. A mile is 1000 Roman paces for a man about 5’8”. This can be very useful.

[Yosemitest]

One more * 5 Redundant 'Cs" to add to it.

The 5 Redundancies ( 4:21 )
By wildernessoutfitters
Uploaded on Jul 19, 2011

[Yosemitest]

You can fold the mirror flat out of the way.
But there are many reasons why you'd want an unbreakable mirror on your compass.
Mostly because you can use it for other task.
But looking through the slot at your target ahead, while keeping a reference point behind you, in sight in the mirror is one reason.
Also if you're sighting through the peep hole at the bottom, you can still read the heading on the compass in the mirror.

Using a Compass to take a Visual Bearing ( 9:28 )
wildernessoutfitters
Published on May 26, 2013



Navigation:Distance& Direction made simple ( 12:17 )
Reallybigmonkey1
Uploaded on Feb 17, 2011



Navigation:Distance & Direction made simple Part Two ( 12:58 )
Reallybigmonkey1
Uploaded on Feb 17, 2011

[Daffynition]

I have to go back to catch up on new posts....but one item I would spend time on, is chosing your shoes. Don't know if that was mentioned.

Th AT in New England is very uneven and rugged. Have good great shoes. ;)

[Yosemitest]

Thanks.
Weight of the shoes and how fast they dry matters.
These are my favorite, but they're a little, just a little heavy.

Tan Desert Mil Spec Boot, Style Code: 4156, Height – 9", Sole Pattern – Panama

Too many years in the military, I guess.

[Yosemitest]

Here's a comparison.
The K&R Akpin beats it on several items.
But the one thing I noticed on the Suunto M-3 Global compass is the "peep holes" in the North/South Needle, for sighting lines on a map.

Suunto M3 Compass review ( 10:06 )
NOTuNOTme
Published on Apr 18, 2013


Video Review: Kasper & Richter Alpin Compass ( 3:08 )
oceanmountainsky
Uploaded on Sep 11, 2010


Starting Fire with a Compass K&R Alpine ( 7:50 )
wildernessoutfitters
Published on May 24, 2013

Don't forget about freezing.
You don't want a compass that might freeze the liquid inside it, and crack or break.