This tutorial applies to Mac version 4.4.6-4.8.11 and Windows version 4.7.3. It will be similar for other versions.

How to send a GPS track to your GPS with Garmin Basecamp

Plug your GPS into your computer with the USB cord. It will show up in Basecamp on the left in the “My Garmin Devices” or “Devices” section.

Find the GPS track that you want to put on your GPS in the “My Collection” folder on the side of the screen. Drag the track from “My Collection” to the GPS. On Mac just drop the track (or tracks) on the GPS name. On Windows drop them into the Internal Storage folder.

The track will still be on your computer but will now be on your GPS as well. Eject your GPS from Basecamp (Right click on your GPS in the menu > Eject) and then turn it on to make sure the GPS track is in your track list on the unit.

One warning. Sometimes it take a couple tries to get it to show up on the GPS. If you don’t see it in the list on your unit, plug it back into he computer and run through the process again. For some reason it might take a couple runs through to stick.

Always double check the track is there before going out!

The post Garmin Basecamp: Send a track to your GPS first appeared on Pack & Trail.

In this article:

What is a GPS?

GPS and Cell Reception

GPS units vs phone apps

GPS articles

What is a GPS?

GPS stands for Global Positioning System. It’s a series of satellites floating around the earth that talks to an antennae in your GPS unit or phone. Using the signal from multiple satellites and some very complicated math, the GPS can figure out where you are on a map.

When you have a clear view of the sky, the GPS can clearly see more satellites and it’s location will be more accurate. If you are in dense tree cover, amongst many buildings or in a canyon, there aren’t as many satellites to see and accuracy will be lower.

GPS and cell reception

GPS connection and cell reception on your phone are different things. You can have a GPS connection to the satellites but be too far from any cell tower to get voice or date for your phone. This is important for map data.

GPS apps on your phone usually need two things: GPS reception to figure out where you are and data connection to download maps. If there’s no data to download maps then your phone will know where you are but can’t download the street or terrain maps to show it. But most apps can go offline to solve this.

When you download maps offline, you’re eliminating the need for data when you’re off the grid. When the maps are downloaded to your phone, you won’t need a data connection, just GPS. If you move into a new area where you don’t have maps downloaded, then you won’t be able to see anything. Some apps automatically download these maps for you, but for most, you have to find the download option and pick which ones you want.

GPS units vs phone apps

Right now there are 2 main groups of GPS: dedicated GPS units and phones.

Dedicated GPS are like a Garmin 64 series GPS that are just a GPS. That is it’s only function. They will show you a map, track where you’ve been and let you navigate to waypoints and routes.

Phones obviously do a lot more. With an app on your phone you can see your location on a map, track where you’ve been, navigate to waypoints and routes and take photos. After you’re done, you can use everything else on your phone or upload the tracks and images to websites online.

Check out a few of our GPS phone app reviews:

• Gaia GPS
• OnX Backcountry
• Outdooractive

Dedicated GPS usually have larger GPS antennae than phones do and so can connect to more satellites for a more accurate signals. They also can have much better battery life. Dedicated GPS usually have battery life measured in days where as phone battery life is measured in hours when using the GPS.

GPS Articles

GPS is an in-depth topic. Dig in to these other articles.

• 
  OnX Backcountry GPS App Review
  GPS is a critical but tricky item to take into the backcountry. It’s a set of maps and tracks in… Read More »OnX Backcountry GPS App Review
• 
  Garmin Montana 700i GPS Review
  With a massive 5” screen and inReach satellite communicator built-in, the Montana 700i can go in the car and on the trail for any adventure.
• 
  Garmin Basecamp: Send a track to your GPS

  After you have created a GPS track on your computer, this is how to get it onto your Garmin GPS.

• 
  Gaia GPS App Review
  With the switch to phones for everything these days, it’s no wonder everyone is using them for GPS as well. … Read More »Gaia GPS App Review
• Satellite Communication: Can a GPS unit help you get rescued? (Part 2)
  There are 4 parts to this series: Intro: Satellite Communication GPS: Can they get you rescued? (this article) Spot vs… Read More »Satellite Communication: Can a GPS unit help you get rescued? (Part 2)
• 
  15 Ways to Extend your GPS Battery Life
  GPS can be a blessing when you’re out adventuring but they have an achilles heel that can get you into… Read More »15 Ways to Extend your GPS Battery Life
• 
  Garmin Basecamp Series: Everything you need to know about Garmin’s GPS Software
  GPS are becoming so popular these days with avid outdoors people and folks cruising around cities. If you own a… Read More »Garmin Basecamp Series: Everything you need to know about Garmin’s GPS Software
• Garmin Montana 600 GPS Review
  This first part is a bit of a story about the demise of my Garmin Colorado 300. Skip to the… Read More »Garmin Montana 600 GPS Review

Other Backpacking Gear

You’ll need more than just a GPS to head out backpacking. Here are guides to all the other gear you need for backpacking.

• 
  EXPED MegaMat LXW Sleeping Pad Review
  Camping is so much better when you get a good night sleep. With backpacking, hiking all day almost guarantees a good night sleep. But with camping you may not be… Read More »EXPED MegaMat LXW Sleeping Pad Review
• 
  Backpacking Gear for Beginners Course
  Welcome to the Backpacking Gear for Beginners Course. This course will walk you through every piece of hiking gear you might need for a short backpacking trip. We’ll cover what… Read More »Backpacking Gear for Beginners Course
• 
  Backpacking Gear for Beginners: Dishes
  This post is part of the Backpacking Gear for Beginners course. Why do you need dishes?  You probably want to eat while you’re backpacking, right? That usually requires something to eat on… Read More »Backpacking Gear for Beginners: Dishes
• Backpacking Gear for Beginners: Gaiters
  This post is part of the Backpacking Gear for Beginners course. Why do you need gaiters? Gaiters are like jackets for your hiking boots. They wrap around the top of… Read More »Backpacking Gear for Beginners: Gaiters
• Backpacking Gear for Beginners: Stove Fuel
  This post is part of the Backpacking Gear for Beginners course. Why do you need fuel? Stoves need fuel to burn. What kind of fuel you need depends on your stove.  Canister… Read More »Backpacking Gear for Beginners: Stove Fuel
• Backpacking Gear for Beginners: Book
  This post is part of the Backpacking Gear for Beginners course. Why do you need a book?  I always have a book when I’m backpacking. This is absolutely optional but there’s something… Read More »Backpacking Gear for Beginners: Book
• Backpacking Gear for Beginners: Map
  This post is part of the Backpacking Gear for Beginners course. Why do you need a map?  Navigation is one of the 10 Essentials. You always need a way to… Read More »Backpacking Gear for Beginners: Map
• Backpacking Gear for Beginners: Notebook and Pen
  This post is part of the Backpacking Gear for Beginners course. Why do you need a notebook and pen? I love taking notes of what happened on my trips. I journal a… Read More »Backpacking Gear for Beginners: Notebook and Pen
• Backpacking Gear for Beginners: Compass
  This post is part of the Backpacking Gear for Beginners course. Why do you need a compass? Some maps show trails, lake names and mountain names on them and may… Read More »Backpacking Gear for Beginners: Compass
• Backpacking Gear for Beginners: Coffee Maker
  This post is part of the Backpacking Gear for Beginners course. Why do you need a coffee maker? I don’t go far without my Aeropress coffee maker but it’s big to bring… Read More »Backpacking Gear for Beginners: Coffee Maker
• Backpacking Gear for Beginners: Camera
  Why do you need a camera? Another optional piece of gear. I don’t go on many trips without a camera though. It’s an excellent tool for documenting trips. Phone cameras… Read More »Backpacking Gear for Beginners: Camera
• Backpacking Gear for Beginners: Trekking Poles
  This post is part of the Backpacking Gear for Beginners course. Why do you need trekking poles?  Trekking poles are walking sticks with soft handles, like ski poles. Sometimes they… Read More »Backpacking Gear for Beginners: Trekking Poles
• Backpacking Gear for Beginners: Water filter, drops and tablets
  This post is part of the Backpacking Gear for Beginners course. Why do you need a water filter?  No matter where you are, there’s a chance the water source can have protozoa… Read More »Backpacking Gear for Beginners: Water filter, drops and tablets
• Backpacking Gear for Beginners: Rope
  This post is part of the Backpacking Gear for Beginners course. Why do you need rope? Rope can be a very useful thing to have on the trail. It has many uses… Read More »Backpacking Gear for Beginners: Rope
• Backpacking Gear for Beginners: Headlamp
  This post is part of the Backpacking Gear for Beginners course. Why do you need a headlamp?  Around camp and possibly on the trail, you’ll need light to see. A… Read More »Backpacking Gear for Beginners: Headlamp
• Backpacking Gear for Beginners: Food
  This post is part of the Backpacking Gear for Beginners course. Why do you need food?  Well, we need food to survive so I guess we’re taking it. The trick for backpacking… Read More »Backpacking Gear for Beginners: Food
• Backpacking Gear for Beginners: Music
  This post is part of the Backpacking Gear for Beginners course. Why do you need a music player?  You don’t. If you like music and it’s going to be a long trip… Read More »Backpacking Gear for Beginners: Music
• Backpacking Gear for Beginners: Watch
  This post is part of the Backpacking Gear for Beginners course. Why do you need a watch? Having a watch on the trail, even a cheap sports watch, is very… Read More »Backpacking Gear for Beginners: Watch
• Backpacking Gear for Beginners: Hiking Clothes
  This post is part of the Backpacking Gear for Beginners course. Clothes for hiking are an important part of staying warm, dry, comfortable, and safe. Pick your clothes well and you’ll be… Read More »Backpacking Gear for Beginners: Hiking Clothes
• Backpacking Gear for Beginners: Satellite Communicators and Emergency Locator Beacons
  This post is part of the Backpacking Gear for Beginners course. Why do you need a satellite communicator?  First off, what is a satellite communicator or messenger? They are small handheld devices… Read More »Backpacking Gear for Beginners: Satellite Communicators and Emergency Locator Beacons

The post GPS for Hiking first appeared on Pack & Trail.

I’ve used some of the best dedicated trail GPS out there and, while there are some pros and cons, phones are just the easiest GPS to use on the trail. They take photos, connect to the internet, upload tracks and images. 

One thing to remember with any phone app is battery life. Using the GPS is very taxing on a battery and you’ll run out of juice much faster than normal. If you are using a phone for your GPS then you better have a battery pack with you to charge or you’ll run into trouble. 

(We’ve also got reviews up here on Outdooractive and OnX GPS apps.

Finding Trails

Finding trails is easy on Gaia GPS. On the website there’s a Hikes page that detects where you are and suggests some hikes. You can just search an area too. 

On your phone in the app, there’s a Discover button bottom centre of the app. It will detect your location or you can put in other locations

Another way to find trails is to use the map. On mobile or desktop, you can just scroll around in the map for any area. Any trail you are interested in, you can click on on the map.

Recording a Trip

Once you’ve found your hike or want to add a new one that’s not on the maps, you can record a track. 

On the map in the mobile app, hit the Record button. That’s it. The app will track where you go on the map and display it there. It can help you get back to your car or just create a GPS track to look at later. 

While you’re recording, you can take a photo in the app which adds it to the track as well. This helps you tell the story of your hike or others see what the hike was like. 

When you are done hiking hit the record button again and choose finish. Here you can enter a new name for the track. You can also add any other photos taken during your hike to the track if they weren’t taken in Gaia.

Organizing Tracks

The best part of Gaia GPS is that it’s so good at organizing tracks. Within the app you can make folders with tracks and photos in it. You can take these folders and put them in other folders. 

For example, I’ve got this folder called Waterfalls. Within the Waterfalls folder is a bunch of other folders for specific water falls. Each waterfall folder has a hiking track in it and sometimes a driving track and photos.

My favourite part of Gaia is being able to see all the items within a folder. If I view my Waterfalls folder then I’ll see every track in all the sub-folders. If I just want to see one waterfall then I can click on that folder. 

Sharing Tracks

Sharing tracks and folders is easy from Gaia. In the mobile app there’s a little Sharing icon you can click. there you can set the privacy on the track and get the sharing link. You can keep tracks private if you don’t want to share them or you want to wait to share them. 

If you want to share from the desktop go to a folder or track page and click the share buttons in the top right. 

Free vs Membership vs Premium

Gaia GPS has a very good free app and there’s options to go to a Membership or Premium levels too. 

The biggest difference between Free and Membership is the offline mode. When you’re going out of cell reception, you can download the maps and still see them on your trip. Make sure you do this before you go!

You can also print maps from the Membership type of account as well. Membership subscriptions are currently $17 USD (usually $20) per year or $60 for 5 years. If you buy your membership through the website and you get a discount.

Premium subscriptions are a step up from Membership for $36 (usually $40) per year or $160 for 5 years.

Premium gets you the full catalog of maps including NatGeo Trails Illustrated. Backroad Mapbooks Canada, US hunting maps and more. This subscription works great if need one of the specific maps. I love the Backroad Mapbooks Canada map and use it a lot for finding trails. For hunters, the land use and hunting maps make planning trips much easier.

How to offline maps

If you have a Membership or Premium subscription you can take maps offline. 

To do this on your phone tap the plus button at the top of the map, click Download Maps, then drag the red area over the maps you want to save. Use the slider in the top left to change how much you’d like to zoom in when offline. The more you can zoom the more space the maps take up.

To see what you already have saved offline, click Saved, click Filter in the top left, select Maps. Here it will show you the area you have saved. I try to name my map downloads so you can remember what area it’s for. 

Alternatives

There are some alternatives to Gaia in the GPS app space as well. AllTrails and ViewRanger come recommended as well. I haven’t used these apps in a while so I will update this section as I use them more. 

Verdict: Highly Recommended

If you’re looking for a great iPhone or Android app to track hikes and organize tracks and folders after, definitely look at GaiaGPS. The track embedding and sharing is a huge bonus as well.

The post Gaia GPS App Review first appeared on Pack & Trail.

1. Intro: Satellite Communication
2. GPS: Can they get you rescued? (this article)
3. Spot vs Garmin inReach (coming soon)
4. PLBs and Sat Phones (coming soon)

In the intro to this series on Satellite Communication, I did a brief overview of what’s out there now to communicate through satellite.There are GPS which help you navigate but not communicate, there are 1-way and 2-way satellite messengers that let you send small messages, and there are satellite phones for voice calls and text over satellite.We’ll be looking at GPS in this article, what they do and what they don’t do.To start, we need to look at what a GPS is. After that we can compare it to the other devices.

What is a GPS?

A GPS is an electronic device that shows your location on a map. You probably have a GPS in your phone. You might have one in your car. You might take one hiking with you. It shows your location on a map and where you’re going. Some of them show where you’ve been with a breadcrumb trail.

GPS talk to the satellites to figure out where you are on the planet. They do a bunch of math and show your location on the map. You can use them to navigate to a destination like a mountain or lake. Most GPS can show topo or other maps at the same time. They put your position on the map then you can see how far you are from the mountain or trail.

You can also put other things on your GPS like points of interest or old GPS tracks from you or other people. A point of interest might be a really nice viewpoint or a good place to have lunch. Download that file from the internet or copy it from a friends computer and then put it on you GPS. Now you can follow the GPS to get to exactly the same place again.

Most GPS also take a breadcrumb or GPS track of where you’ve been. You can put this track on your computer after the hike and see exactly where you’ve been. This can be really useful if you’re keeping track of the trails you’ve been on, you want to give the track to someone else after, or you want to see the track on a computer after. Drag the GPS track into Google Earth and see exactly where’ve gone and how close you came to where you wanted to go!In terms of hardware, GPS have a screen to see the map, some buttons to control what you are seeing and an antennae to talk to the satellites. Screens can be small and black and white or large, colour touchscreens.

GPS need large antennae to talk to the satellites. More expensive GPS have better antennae and get better reception. Trees and canyon walls will limit how many satellites the GPS sees and reduces the accuracy of your signal. Low connectivity is like having only 1 bar of reception on your phone. The more satellites the GPS can see the better it knows where you are. More satellites means the GPS can pinpoint your location down to within 3 metres. If the GPS can’t see many satellites then it might only be within 50 or 100 metres.

So a GPS shows your location on a map. That’s basically all it does. It’s simple but can be very helpful when you don’t know where you’re going or the weather makes it hard to see. Now we get into what the difference is between a GPS and a satellite communication device.

Differences between GPS and other satellite communication devices

So we looked at GPS in the previous section. They can’t send anything like a text message or email to other people. They only show your location on a map so you know where you are and the the mountains, lakes and trails around you.

Satellite messengers, personal locator beacons and satellite phones, on the other hand, can send messages out to other people. Some can text or email, some phone. Personal locator beacons send a message straight out to emergency authorities to come rescue you.

The line is getting blurry between what is a GPS and what is a satellite messenger.

Delorme put a GPS together with a satellite messengers in their inReach Explorer+ and SE+. Since then Garmin bought them and added better GPS.GPS are designed for navigating and following trails. They are good for following a GPS track or making a breadcrumb which you can look at after your hike on a computer or share with friends. Unless they have a satellite messenger built in, they don’t communicate with the outside world like the messengers do so they won’t help you get rescued.

The things that can help you get rescued are the ones that can connect with the outside world: satellite messengers, satellite phones, and personal locator beacons.In the next article (coming out soon) we’ll talk about a couple of good satellite messengers: the SPOT and InReach.

The post Satellite Communication: Can a GPS unit help you get rescued? (Part 2) first appeared on Pack & Trail.

After almost giving up and leaving the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where he was helping at the time, he came to a realization:“If not us, who? If not now, when?”

One of the issues was power. Getting reliable power opens a lot of doors for people in developing countries and helps those in need after emergencies like natural disasters.

Since the start with a focus on helping in developing countries and emergency situations GoalZero has really pushed into the outdoor market with charging, storage and lighting solutions for base camping and backpacking. Recent innovations have included partnering with tent makers for lighting and power storage built right into the tent.

The Flip 30 is another well-made power storage solution from GoalZero aimed at anyone needing extra power on the go. If you own a smart phone or tablet these days, that’s you.

See our other battery pack and power station reviews.

What is the Flip 30?

The GoalZero Flip 30 is a USB battery pack for charging your USB devices. Charge it up with a laptop, wall outlet or solar panel and then take it on your adventures to power up other USB devices. It’s perfect for charging your phone, tablet, cameras or GPS.

How to Use the Flip 30

Using the Flip 30 is easy. Plug it in anywhere with the attached USB plug. The 4 blue lights on the side flash until it’s full. Each of the lights show 25% so 2 lights mean it’s 50% full.When you need a charge plug in your USB device and press the charge button by pressing the USB plug into the side of the Flip 30.If you need to know how much charge is left on the battery, click the USB plug button once and the lights will come on show a light for each 25%.

Features

The GoalZero Flip 30 is a pretty simple device. Charge it up from a laptop, wall, or solar charger. Take it with you on adventures and use it to charge any USB device like phone, GPS or camera.

Here’s the specs for the Flip 30:

• flip-out USB plug
• one 5V 2.1A USB output
• 5V 1.5A input to charge from laptop, wall or solar charger
• charge status lights
• 7800 mAh (3 phones charges or 1 tablet charge)

What’s a mAh?

All battery packs will have a size rating in mAh, or milliamps. It’s the rating for the size of the battery in them, how big their gas tank is. These numbers are important when you’re taking a battery pack on a trip to charge something. You’ll need to find out how much each of your devices takes to charge.

If I wanted to charge an iPhone 7, it’s battery requires 1960 mAh to charge so if I have 7800 mAh total in the Flip 30 then I’ll get 3 to 4 charges for the phone.4 charges * 1960 mAh = 7840 mAhThat’s cutting it close and requires the Flip 30 to be brand new, working perfectly and fully charged. Most batteries capacity drop a bit over time.If you wanted to charge an iPad mini that requires 6470 mAh, then you’ll get 1 charge and have a bit left over.7800 – 6470 = 1330 mAh.

The Flip 30 is a small to medium sized battery pack these days. You can get 10,000 to 20,000 mAh charges in relatively small sizes. The bigger batteries will be heavier. Add up the number of charges for each device you’ll need on your trip for the total number of battery packs you’ll need.

Built-in USB plug

The best feature about the Flip 30 is it’s built in USB plug. You don’t need to carry around a USB cable to charge it, just flip out the plug and plug it in. I’ve forgotten the charger cable for other batteries I’ve had and been stuck carrying around a dead battery. Not as useful.This flip out plug is a mixed blessing. Trying to plug the Flip 30 into something other than a laptop isn’t great, it hangs off the flip out plug. So far nothing has broken and everything is charging properly. I feel like hanging off a desktop computer or wall charger too much puts a lot of stress on the flip out plug and might lead to issues.

Solid construction

Some electronics feel cheap and like they’ll fall apart after a few uses. Definitely not the case with the GoalZero Flip 30. The case on the battery feels solid like it would survive drops from a good distance. I haven’t tried to drop mine to see how it would survive but it’s fallen to the ground a few times on the dirt or carpet with no issue.The flip out USB plug is the only thing I worry about. Rotating out, the wires have to move. Only long term use is going to show how long the plug lasts. So far it’s worked great.

Long USB cord issue

The only issue I’ve had with the Flip 30 is an intermittent one. One of my 10’ long USB cords causes the Flip 30 to stop charging after a random amount of time. All my shorter cords have worked perfectly.Usually I get 5 to 10 minutes of charging with the long cable and then it stops like it’s not connected to anything and I have to press the charge button again.Chatting with a GoalZero rep, they are aware if the issue and are working on a fix. Normal length USB cords still work perfectly.

Alternative: GoalZero Venture 30

One alternative to the Flip 30 is the Venture 30. Another one by GoalZero the Venture 30 is pretty similar to the Flip 30 with a couple of differences.The similarities are that it’s got a 7800 mAh charge, the same capacity as the Flip 30. Outside of that it’s got a few notable differences.The Venture 30 is waterproof. IPX6 water resistant which means splash resistant getting a bit wet from rain or snow isn’t going to phase this battery. It’s not dunk resistant though. Don’t chuck it in the lake.There are three connections on the Venture 30 compared to the Flip 30’s one. Two of the connections are just female usb ports and one male micro-USB port.The downside to the additional features is that the Venture 30 is more expensive at $99 US and 2 oz heavier. If you need the waterproofness or additional connections though the extra cost is worth it.

Summary

Pros

• Solid construction
• No cord required with the flip-out plug
• Charge status lights
• Compatible with any solar charger with USB out

Cons

• Thicker than other batteries (but short)
• Doesn’t work with some long USB cords (will be fixed soon)
• Only one port

If you need power on the goal, GoalZero has a solution for you. If it’s waterproof then the Venture 30 is the one for you. Otherwise, the Flip 30 is less expensive and still has enough power for a few phone charges. It’s thicker than some other battery packs but much more compact. Depends on where you’re going to put it for what form factor you need.Whether we like it or not, we’re dependent on the little gadgets in our pockets. You might have the willpower to leave your phone at home for all your hikes. I don’t. And then the battery dies. But not any more.

More Photos

The post Tiny Power: The GoalZero Flip 30 Review first appeared on Pack & Trail.

GPS use batteries.

Electricity makes our modern life amazing but it can be a serious liability in the backcountry. Batteries don’t last forever. If you are using your GPS a lot and have all the features enabled, it may only last a few hours. That’s just about the amount of time it takes to get deep into the woods and have your gps batteries die.

If you are using a GPS, always have a backup like a map and compass or be able to get home without any of that. GPS are nice to have though and there are ways to increase that battery life so they last your whole hike.

Do a battery range test

One thing you can do to see what kind of battery life you are working with is a range test. When you are enabling and disabling certain features it can be hard to know what’s good and bad for battery life. By doing a range test you’ll be able to see how much something affects your battery life. You can also use it to test how long different batteries list.

To do a range test, enable everything you can on your gps and use it as much as possible. Keep it on and in use until it dies. Take down the time you started and the time the batteries died. This is the heavy use test, it should be the short end of your battery life. Most of the time it will last longer than this.

To get the greatest battery life, disable every feature you can (maybe by looking below to see what to disable) and then leave your GPS on until the batteries die. Don’t do anything with it. It will die eventually. This is the top end of your battery life.

Now you have your bottom end and your top end of your battery life. Now you can test usage with each of the tips below and see how it affects your battery life and find where it falls on the range from short battery life to long battery life.

Now here’s 10 ways to increase your GPS battery life. I’ve grouped them together to things related to your batteries, disabling features, the map, and the screen itself. I added photos from the screens on my Garmin Montana 600 to see what the menu’s look like.

Battery related tips

These tips relate to the batteries themselves.

Lithium Ion batteries with the highest mAh

Lithium batteries tend to last the longest, especially in cold weather. Also check the mAh measurement on your battery. The higher the mAh the longer the battery will last. 2500 mAh is pretty good. 3000 mAh can last as long as 56 hours on the Garmin Montana.

Use new batteries

Old batteries can have all sorts of problems or just not work well with your new GPS. Make sure you are using new batteries.

Make sure the battery type is set to the right setting

If the GPS allows you to use either Lithium Ion or NiMH batteries, then it might have a setting that tells the GPS what kind of battery it’s using. If it’s on the wrong battery type, your battery life won’t be what it should be. Make sure it’s set to the type of battery you are using.

Disabling features

Whenever you have a feature enabled on your GPS, it uses up battery life. If you are looking to extend that battery life, maybe you can disable a few things.

Here’s what you can disable on some devices

• electronic compass
• track record
• GLONASS
• WAAS

Turn off the electronic compass

Old GPS only know which direction you are going when you are moving. If the latest point on your GPS was north of the point before that, then your GPS assumes you’re pointing north. If you’re not moving then it doesn’t know which direction you are going.

The electronic compass in most new GPS knows exactly which way you are pointing at all times. This is handy when you come to a fork in the trail and you need to know which direction to go. It also uses more battery. If you don’t need this feature you can disable it.

Turn off the track record

The track record is the breadcrumb of where you went with the GPS. You can put this on your computer after or send it to friends. You can extend battery by disabling it.

Disable GLONASS

GLONASS is an alternative to GPS run by the Russian Aerospace Defence Forces. You can use it to get a faster location fix and battery accuracy in mountainous terrain because it’s using more satellites. It will drain your batteries faster.

Disable WAAS

WAAS stands for Wide Area Augmentation System. It’s a series of ground stations and satellites that help increase the accuracy of your GPS. It can help you get a more accurate location but it uses more battery. Disable if you want to save a bit.

Disable ANT+ Sensor

A few of the Garmin GPS have an ANT+ sensor on them. This lets them communicate with other devices like pedometers or heart rate monitors or other GPS.

Map screen related

The map is one of the most important screens on a GPS. What point is a GPS if we can’t see the map? Updating the map takes battery power. Less updates = more power saved.

Use the compass or the trip computer to navigate, not the map

If you can stay off the map screen as much as possible, you’ll save battery power. Drawing the map takes power to do and if you are always on the map screen then it’s always pulling power. If you can use the trip computer or compass to navigate then the GPS won’t be redrawing the map all the time. I often just use the GPS to take a track log and double check navigation decisions so it’s in my pack most of the time. While it’s in your bag or pocket, it’s displaying the main menu and not chewing batteries redrawing over and over.

Set map orientation to “North Up” instead of “Track Up”

Setting your map to North Up will always draw the map with North at the top of the screen. It never has to spin to orient itself to the direction you are pointing. This will save battery life but makes navigation a little more difficult. You have to point the GPS north yourself or make the adjustments in your head.

Set map speed to normal

Some GPS will let you set how often you want the map to redraw. The “Fast” option will update the map more often so it’s more accurate but every time the screen redraws the map it’s using power. The “Normal” option will redraw slower but use less power.

Screen related

The screen is one of the biggest power draws on GPS these days. Big, bright screens are easy to see but also draw a lot of power. We definitely need the screen to see what’s going on but we can adjust some options to make it use less power.

Turn down the backlight

The backlight is a power hog. Turn it down as low as you can use it.

Decrease the timeout time

After you’ve turned down the backlight, adjust the timeout time as low as you can set it. Just like your smart phone, the screen will turn off eventually. This is the timeout time. Set this as low as you can tolerate to save battery life.

Exit Camera app when not taking photos

Some new GPS have cameras on them. The photo app might continue running after you’ve finished using it. But it’s still draining power. Fully quit the app when you aren’t using it.

Set touch sensitivity to normal

Setting touch sensitivity on the screen might make it easier to use with your gloves and hands, but it’s going to draw more power. Keep the sensitivity setting on Normal to use the least amount of battery.

Enable Battery save mode

Battery save mode on some GPS will turn the display completely off when it times out. It also might disable WAAS so if you need that you won’t be able to enable this mode. This will gets save a bit more battery power.

To Summarize

Here’s the quick list of how to save battery life on your GPS.

• Use Lithium batteries
• Use new batteries
• Set the right battery type
• Disable electronic compass
• Disable track record
• Disable GLONASS
• Disable WAAS
• Use compass instead of the map
• Set map orientation North up
• Set map speed normal
• Turn down the backlight
• Turn down the backlight timeout
• Exit the camera app
• Set Touch sensitive to normal
• Enable Battery save mode

What do you think? 

What do you think of these tips? Do they work with your GPS? Do you have any other go to tips for increasing your battery life?

The post 15 Ways to Extend your GPS Battery Life first appeared on Pack & Trail.

This is the first post in a series on the features of Garmin Basecamp and how to use them. Follow these and you’ll spend less time fiddling around with Basecamp on the computer and more time outside hiking.

What’s Garmin Basecamp?

Garmin’s GPS software is called Basecamp. If you’ve had a Garmin for a while you might remember MapSource, a clunky program for loading maps and tracks onto Garmin GPS.

MapSource is still around but you probably don’t want to download it since a much nicer program has replaced it. Garmin Basecamp is far easier to use, nicer on the eyes and has better features.

Anything you want to do with your GPS software you can probably do with Basecamp. There are some limitations and things you’ll need to pay for but if you use your GPS regularly it’s worth it. 

What’s in the rest of this series?

The rest of the series will include (eventually) everything you can do with Basecamp. They will come out with new versions and (hopefully)  more features to make our lives easier. I’ll link to all the posts below when they come out.

Here’s what we’re going to start with:

How to export GPS tracks from Basecamp to Google Earth

How to view a track from your GPS

How to create a track in Basecamp and send it to your GPS

How to view photos in Basecamp

How to create waypoints in Basecamp and send to your GPS

How to edit and clean a track from your GPS 

The post Garmin Basecamp Series: Everything you need to know about Garmin’s GPS Software first appeared on Pack & Trail.

If you’re like me, up to year and a bit ago I never timed anything. I’d run a distance I thought was close to when I should run and call it a day. I didn’t really measure much. I guess that’s why my results were less than stellar when I’d finish a race. They were respectable but certainly nothing amazing. I’ve heard the saying “What gets measures, gets improved” but never really paid it much attention. I had running to do and I wasn’t going to waste some of that time, fiddling around with numbers and times.

That changed a bit after I started reading article after article about training and how to do it properly. How do you know when you’ve reached a goal or that you are on track for a certain time. You don’t if you don’t measure anything. The only way to find out is to measure things like speed, pace and distance for running. Maybe heart rate if you’re aiming for a workout at the same time. Part of the reason I didn’t do that was I didn’t know an easy way to do it. I didn’t want to spend hours crunching numbers just to find out how I was doing.Then I found the Garmin sports watches.

Turn it on. Run. Turn it off. Put it by your computer. Done.

That’s all you need to do to get accurate numbers and gps tracks uploaded straight to Garmin’s Connect website for you to peruse at your leisure. I can do that.

The price wasn’t exactly what I wanted to pay for what, in my mind, was just a watch. I’d never paid over 30 bucks for sports watches in the past so shelling out over $200 on one was a bit hard to take. I waited until I could get one on sale and then leapt. I was excited because it was new tech gear but I had no idea what to do with it.

What I like

Small and light. Much smaller than the older Garmin watches (but smaller screen)

Wireless track upload

Easy to use after learning (not intuitive but fairly easy interface)

Garmin Connect website displays all information well

Heart rate monitor is comfortable

What I don’t like

Bezel is very easy to touch so you have to lock it if you don’t want it to beep, even water sets it off

Battery life is short when the GPS is on ~8 hours

Ultimate Training Partner

Over the last year, I haven’t been training for much in particular. I’ve run a couple races but they’ve been more for fun than anything. I didn’t pull out a training program for them and pore over stats and my progress.

A couple weeks ago I signed up for the Vancouver Marathon. I’ve never done a marathon and 42 kilometres is not something you can just go run after sitting on the couch for a while. So I got out the Garmin Forerunner 405 and started my training.

Tapping one side of the bezel that goes around the face of the watch and you’re into training mode. If you’ve got GPS enabled it will start looking for satellites and usually finds them quickly. If you’re in dense tree cover it might take a bit. I found it finds them faster if you’re not moving much.

After it’s got a signal you’re ready to go. There’s a start button to begin recording your workout and the GPS track. While you’re running, you can see your time, you’re pace and distance travelled. There are many options and screens to go through so however you like to see your workout data as you run, you probably can. I tend to just look at the default screen that shows overall time and pace. Most of my runs right now are a set distance and a set pace so that information is all I need when I’m moving.

Sometimes I’ll run with the heart rate monitor just to see how I’m doing in that department. It’s not a huge worry for me as I’m more focused on the time and distance versus the workout I’m getting but it’s still interesting to see. Another data point to compare when you begin your training to the middle and end.

When you’re done, stop the timer and set it beside your computer. The ANT technology built into the watch wirelessly communicates with a USB attachment plugged into your computer. When it’s within range it sends the tracks to the computer which can be automatically uploaded to Garmin’s Connect website. Then it shows you the GPS track if it’s available, speed, pace, elevation and heart rate information if you had a monitor on.

The Deadly Kusam

When I first got the 405 I was excited to see what it would do. I was already signed up for one of the most intense races I had ever done. It’s called the Kusam Klimb and happens every year a couple hours away from where I live. It’s a half marathon that goes up and over a mountain. As you can see from the GPS track I got from the race, it’s not flat. It goes from near sea level up to over 1400 metres in under 8 kilometres. That means steep! I had the heart rate monitor on as well. You can see that it was quite high over the whole race. I was pushing hard.

7 Hours of Running

A friend and I ran the Juan De Fuca Trail in 2010 which is 47km of far too many peaks and valleys of ocean-side trail near Victoria. We had planned for about 10 hours of running but it ended up only taking 7 hours. I wanted to get the entire run on the watch so I could see the pace and elevation of it all. I missed the first section down to the water from the parking lot because the 405 couldn’t get a signal through the trees. Near the end of the trail, 38 kilometers from where we started, the battery died and it stopped collection any more information. I’m glad it saved what it did. I thought if it died as it was recording, I wouldn’t get any information from the track. Apparently those guys at Garmin are smarter than I thought.

Incessant Beeping

For how much my 405 gets bumped around when I’m running, I’m surprised it still works. It’s still going strong. I have had one issue with it.Last winter I was ski touring and had it on to track our time and GPS track. Near the end of the tour about 3 hours in it started restarting constantly and beeping every time I did it. I couldn’t do anything to stop it. The racket it was making only stopped when the battery died and luckily that wasn’t soon after the beeping started. Every time I started it after that and went into training mode, it would start restarting and beep like crazy. I talked to Garmin and they suggested updating the firmware on it as there was an updated version and then sending it in if that didn’t work. I really liked the watched and used it a lot so I didn’t want to be without one for too long so I tried the firmware update right away. Since then I haven’t had any issues with it. No more beeping!

Recommendations

I definitely recommend the 405 to those that are looking for a powerful training watch for running or riding. You can get all sorts of accessories for it like the heart rate monitor or a food pod to record other information while you exercise. The screen isn’t as large as some of the other Garmin watches so if you need to see more information on the fly, that might be a factor in your decision. I liked the smaller size of the 405 that didn’t look like I had a computer strapped to my arm and the lower weight that goes along with that form factor.

Do you have a training or GPS watch? What do you use it for and how do you like it?

The post Garmin Forerunner 405 Training Watch Review first appeared on Pack & Trail.

I’ve had the chance to use a few different GPS over the last couple years. They were all Garmin but they all had different features that I could test out and see if I liked. There were things that I liked and things that I didn’t like. I used my friends of families when I could so I didn’t have to buy my own. I finally got one of my own and opted for the Garmin Colorado 300 because of the slightly bigger screen and faster navigation method than was the standard at the time.

Little did I know that the Colorado wasn’t going to last very long. Garmin discontinued it soon after I got mine. Fortunately I never had any problems with it and aside from one little thing I never liked about the interface, it served me well adventuring over many kilometers dirtbiking, hiking, skiing and running.

The only big problem with it was that you could only have one saved track showing at once on the map. For the most part this wasn’t a problem. If you wanted to follow a trail you displayed the track and away you went. It was an issue when I would go to areas that I had been before and had saved tracks from. I wasn’t sure where each track lead and where I had been already. I could cycle through the tracks, displaying each one in turn to see where they lead but that was incredibly time consuming. In the end, without any updates from Garmin, I was stuck viewing only one track at a time.

Fast forward to a few weeks ago. I was heading out to check out a climbing area I hadn’t seen yet on my dirtbike. The power lines and dirt roads were rough but fairly clear. My Colorado was firmly attached to it’s handlebar mount and directing me where to go. I was following a track from a friend. On the way back, roads sloped mostly downhill. Not a problem for my knobby tires, I’ll just go slow and lay off the back brake so I don’t skid too much. I was almost back out onto the pavement and one my way home when I noticed something missing from my handlebars.

In the middle of the last little hill I came down, the Colorado and popped loose from hit’s mount and gone sailing down onto the rocks. If you aren’t familiar with the Colorado, it’s got a wheel above the screen for navigating through the menus. That had popped right off. The screen had a good gouge in it. It wasn’t turning on. This wasn’t looking good.I searched for a good 15 minutes for the wheel but came up empty-handed. I tossed the remains into my bag and headed home, wandering what would come up my mangled GPS. On one hand, I wasn’t very happy about having to spend a few hundred dollars to get a new gps unit. On the other hand, a new line of Garmin’s had just come out and promised to be one of the sweetest trail GPS yet. Sad or excited. I wasn’t sure which.

I in touch with Garmin, whom, to my surprise, directed me to their repair shop in Canada. For a decent fee plus shipping I could get a refurbished Colorado. Could I get a credit towards a new one? Nope. Ok, so another dilemma; Do I wait a few weeks and pay to get a refurbished version of a gps I don’t really like sent my way, or do I check out the brand new GPS at my local shop, Valhalla Pure.

I know which one is more fun.

Enter the Garmin Montana 600

So needless to say, I checked out the new gps units. I knew the Garmin 62 series would be nice, and there was the Oregon line that had the touch screens as well. Then there was the primo, top-of-the-line radness that Garmin had just released called the Montana. At first glance, it was entirely impractical for hiking and really anything else that I’d want to do with it.

The 62 had the best antennae you could get out of any of the GPS. But it still had the tiny little buttons that were so clunky on the 60csx and 78 series I had used before. Nice for finding things and tracking but terrible if you wanted to jot down a waypoint name. Ten minutes later you can have a nicely named waypoint.

The Oregon series is about the same size as the 62 but has a touch screen. That’s nice, solves the problem of entering waypoints. You get a nice touch screen to add your comments and waypoint names too. It wouldn’t take forever. I think the screens had been updated since the first versions that were almost impossible to see in the sun. A possible ding against the Oregon’s though.

Then I played with the Montana. Large yes, but not much bigger than a 78 series I had used before. A laundry list of new features definitely piqued my interest.

Paperless Geocaching

My Colorado was actually able to do this but I didn’t use it much. I didn’t have a premium subscription to Geocaching.com and didn’t get the hints downloaded to the unit so I had to write them down anyways. I decided to try the whole deal out. I have a premium membership now and have found 4 geocaches with the Montana. If you you geocache this is definitely the way to go. No paper and a couple clicks to get all the info from Geocaching.com to the unit and back again. My only gripe with it is that you can’t click on the geocache on the map and get the hint for it. You have to go through the list of geocaches and find it through there.

Landscape or Portrait viewing mode

It’s like holding a big iPhone. All you do is flip the unit on its side and you’ve everything turns for you. It’s definitely my preferred way to look at the map and to type in waypoints. I wish the keyboard was set up exactly the same as the iPhone’s because that’s what I’m in the habit of typing. I keep hitting the shift key when I think I’m hitting something else. I went from almost never renaming waypoints to writing full sentences about them. It’s just so nice to do with the landscape touch screen.

Enabling and disabling tracks on the map

My big problem with the Colorado was solved with the Montana. You can show and hide any tracks you want on the map. If you want to do a bunch, it’s going to take a while. You can only do one at a time. It would be a definitely improvement if they could make it easier to do a bunch at once.

Lithium ion battery pack or 3 double A batteries

I almost didn’t buy it because it has a lithium ion battery back for power. Don’t go scoffing that decision by Garmin though. They changed it up and made a really smart decision afterwards to add the compatibility of the battery pack OR 3 double A’s. The battery pack recharges right in the unit so when you have it plugged in at the computer, it’s charging for your next adventure. If you kill the battery out in the woods, pop those 3 spare double A’s in there and away you go. 16 hours for the pack and 22 with the double A’s.

Nuvi-like car controls and talking car mount

This was half the reason I ended up being it. I wanted a Nuvi, one of the in-car GPS that talks and does that great stuff. I didn’t want to buy both though. Throw the Montana into it’s powered car mount with a speaker, load up some road maps and it will talk to you just like a Nuvi. Perfect. A solid trail GPS and a Nuvi in one. I haven’t actually used this feature yet as I’m waiting for the car mount to arrive at Valhalla Pure. I’ll throw up an update when I get a chance to test the vehicular side of things. I’d like to get a handlebar mount for the dirtbike as well but I’m hesitant to have another incident that killed the Colorado.

4 inch touch screen that you can actually see in the sun

The other reason I bought the Montana. The screen is huge. 4 inches to be exact. It’s bigger than an iPhone. When you are trying to see where trails, logging roads and possible routes go on the screen of your GPS, it just can’t be big enough. The old Oregon’s had some coating on the screen that made it very difficult to see in the sun. No problems with the Montana. I was out on the weekend with it in the sun and no problems at all. No squinting, no hiding in a dark room just to see the screen. The touch screen makes all the difference in the world with navigation and typing out waypoints and geocaching notes. What would take at least 5 minutes with buttons or a roller takes less than 30 seconds on the touch screen. I am worried how on long the screen is going to last bouncing around in a backpack or in the elements. I think a hard case for over the screen is going to be on order.

Bundles of waypoints and tracks for each adventure

This might just be a new update for Garmin’s Basecamp software but now you can bundle waypoints and tracks and ship them around on and off your device. They call it an Adventure. A perfect name for a group of things. You can also add images to that if you have pictures on your Montana. I didn’t get the version with the camera but one has a 5 megapixel camera. The photos are geotagged and uploaded to your computer with the tracks and waypoints.

Adventure Time

And that is the story about how I got a Garmin Montana 600 in my pocket. I would say it’s time to head out on an adventure but it’s more likely that it’s time to hit the sac! If anyone’s got a good story about their GPS, feel free to share it in the comments!

The post Garmin Montana 600 GPS Review first appeared on Pack & Trail.