Most helpful Apps for Navigation / Travelling / Worldtrip

[Surfy]

After travelling over 100`000 Kilometers in the last years (Transafrica, Southamerica, US, Europe) , with just an iPad / iPhone as Navigation Unit - I found some Apps very helpful.

Here are my favorite Apps - and the reason why they are important for me:

Die besten Reise-Apps im 2020 für Android / iOS

Apps for offline Navigation with Turn-by-Turn, Apps for finding a decent wildcamping spot, to Apps for 4x4 offroad-tracks to other tools who are helpful abroad. With a detailed description why they did help me.

There is a Language switch to the right, if you like to read in detail.

Hope you find something for you - and maybe you have too some additional tips here!

Surfy

 

[cruiserpilot]

Thanks for the link! European travellers have such a different insight to North American.
Im looking at an app GAIA. Have you heard or used it?
I generally use old paper maps, follow the sun. road - okay we can go that way.
No road - shouldn’t go that way, kind of thing.
Only if I’m lost do I go digital just to reset and go again.

Have you used Garmin GPS or are they relevant there? Is you primary device iphone or
Android? Which do you find easier? The dream of course, is to drive through Europe, but
I’m generally not that fond of pay campgrounds.
BTW, where do you call home or base from?

 

[Surfy]

My homecountry is switzerland. Too in europe it is possible to avoid campgrounds and doing wildcamping. But it is on a legal view more a "grey" zone to do that.

I`m joust doing that, not for saving bucks, I just love the nature, a campfire and being remote. So say it that way - it is possible My Travel-Setup you can see above, did use that car for Transafrica, Europe, Southamerica

Papermaps use extended space, if your travelplans concider a worldtrip (and need a good resolution) - and costs some bucks. My Car has Satellite-Navigation but just covers europe, so it was not helpful in africa or southamerica or even western europe.

So we just had our iPad and iPhone as "only" navigation unit. Android or Apple - you had too take both in your hand to decide. Apple is in my eyes a lot easier to handle, but costs some bucks more. The "Size" is up to you. Bigger Screen can be helpful, but if you dont have any other use to the device I would use a Smartphone instead.

Remember to buy too a way to mount it in the vehicle, and a 12v charger for the car cigarette lighter socket.

For Roadnavigation you can optain too a Garmin Navigation unit also in europe - but that is not better for navigation than smartphone or tablet... With Here you get offline 95 Countrys with covering road names "turn left in lincoln road in 50 m" (Turn by Turn) for free and the same quality than Toyota/Mercedes use in their builtin Navigation units.. For Free...

And like mentioned in the entry article there are Apps for helping you with Wildcamping, finding offroad tracks, translate, finding accomodation and so on, who brings her own values. Many of them work offline, to get alway internet in foreign countrys and use google maps would costs many bucks...

Gaia is a good solution, you can search for in youtube too see it in action. For what purpose do you consider it? You find for any App too my usecase in the article. If I would use Gaia, than more for track and offroad orientation/navigation.

I did use instead maps.me (openstreetmaps) wikiloc and motionx (satellit view) for that purpose. For a Transafrica I would consider Gaia or Mapout again, but not for the actual "not so remote" travel targets.

Hope that helps a bit

 

[cruiserpilot]

It does. Thanks very much. I have no real experience with in-car digital navigation. I know that Garmin does have proper
navigation for Europe. I see with HERE you say offline navigation. Does that mean you have to download your planned route
and store on the app prior to departure? I envy Europeans the ability to drive to all these other countries. N America is
essentially an island, and expensive to get off of requiring much preplanning. I've driven coast to coast to coast to coast
in N America now.
I will get the subscription to GAIA I think, and look up HERE as well. It seems quite interesting. Glad to hear there is a possibility
to wild camp in areas over there. Very cool!
Here is a pic of my 60. Highly modified, but simple for long range travel in Canada's north. I wish I could order a new Maggiolina
tent from Italy. Our distributor in Canada closed down. This tent is old, need to replace.
Have you thought of roof tent or do you sleep inside for security? I'm curious about that especially in Africa

 

[Surfy]

Nice car and camping setup @cruiserpilot!

I had severall reasons for sleeping inside:

- be able to sleep stealth inside of cityes (sometime you also want to enjoy the nightlife).
- travelling extended too in colder environments (better in insulation )
- travelling extended in wet environment (rooftent will get wet and dont dry)
- dont wanted to add weight in the hight (offroad)
- ability to heat (webasto heating device, or even the engine)
- ability to cool down for sleeping (car aircon)
- about safety (big animals / human)
- less noice than sleeping in a Tent (Rooftop or not)
- allows to use the full space on the roof (ground anchor, roof box) - without covering the roof windows
The roof window is nice for taking pictures in NP`s with the big animals, too for comfort

It has some points against too:
- less headspace or less luckage (it is just for sleeping)
- car isnt a 7 Seater anymore (just 2 Seats (first row))

Very important for sleeping inside are window soxx (mosquito net) to fight the humidity and all kind of bugs and mosquitos. Too you need a roof window to let the air circulate well on hot environments (also with mosquito net). As we did wildcamp inside of NP`s in Africa (not legal) - you will have an issue if some lions hang around (or bears in alaska I guess). If sleeping inside is better for fighting angry humans - i dont think it will help much if they are armed, in other cases you have the option to leave without getting out of the vehicle...

Back to navigation: nothing can beat a builtin navigation, because it too masure the speed of the vehicle when the signal is weak (tunnels, under bridges, high skyline cities. But if you use a external Garmin or a Smartphone - the better mapsource count where the smartphone wins.

I did severall times has to buy directly from the US, paying shipping and tax. Guess you can do the same with Italy and the roof tent. I would too buy a magnolia, if I would plan to sleep in the roof tent - very nice quality.

 

[cruiserpilot]

I guess we both need a Troopy. But for the cost!
A friend in Australia suggested Pocket Earth Pro. It’s got worldwide maps and offline
use. I’m finding an interesting assortment coming out of the corners of the world.

I have webasto for the engine coolant, but not interior heater. I’ve heard it gets VERY
hot inside, almost unpleasant. How do you deal with front window condensation? It’s the
one biggest reason I dislike sleeping inside the truck, especially when it rains. I see a
pad inside your truck against the front window, is that a help with condensation or just a
privacy cover?
By the way, I was at the specialty lumber store today, looking at decking the rear area.
I‘ve sourced a nice Baltic Birch, very rigid and nice to work with. Visualized a plan.

I don’t talk about internal security much, but the sound of a 12 Ga pump racking usually
stops bipedal problems quickly. Bear spray in a stream is probably the very safest
and most effective security. No legal problems generally associated with its use.

I have downloaded Here And Overlander and Gaia. I’ll load Earth Pocket Pro now.
It will give me a chance to see them in action here at work before I head up north.
J

 

[Surfy]

With the Windows-Soxx you can leave the rear windows open (also full open without it is visible from outside). At the first pictures the windows is full open...

With 1/4 open left and right and "open up" roof window you dont have any issues with inner window condensation, too with a bit of rain. I did use wind visors on all 4 doors, so a bit rain dont need to close the window.

If it is heavy raining you have to close the windows more and you will have water condensation (too because you have to put wet clothes somewhere). Because of this you have to have an aircon, because that dry`s everything in 15 min.

The soxx are definitively on my Top 8 list of Gear for overlanding. Without you can`t sleep inside well.

In really hot conditions (rain forest) we usually cool down the car by aircon bevore sleeping, using a fan to get some additional airflow during the night.

The Webasto Heater is rarely used, better is using the right gear for sleeping warm.

Something like an bearspray we also carry, just in case... But never used it till now. "More" is not legal outside of my homecountry (which is one of the safest spot of the world, so too not worth to consider here)...

Wondering which App you will use at the end! Pocketmap delivers Street/Terrainmaps offline (costs an additional in-App buy for terrain).

 

[cruiserpilot]

I certainly have good first impression of pocket map. I’m slow on uptake with Gaia yet.
I need another week to look it over properly. I will be in a isolated area for the next 4 weeks,
my cabin will have wifi but cellular will be limited. So good chance to go for a walk or drive
and see how it all is.
I will definitely look into window soxx. I actually have a link saved on my browser
on amazon right now. Good that Land Cruiser have nice square window frames,
more or less. Easy to fit.
I‘ll check your list see how it varies from whatever I do , but list it is not!

 

[Surfy]

I did the more expensive way with the soxx, with an import from australia: Car/Automotive Protection Parts - Shevron Auto Accessories Perth because they do it exactly for the Land Cruiser 200 modell too. Nice quality and much smaller than normal mosquito-net (who dont help against thesese small flees you can find in Iceland at sample.

They fit that exactly and use rubber to tightening, that you can let open the window open without worrying about animals. Because it is in- and outsinde you have a double mosquito net.

As long you do stay in your tent, you can save these bucks there I guess.

Here you find many many example howto sleep inside of your car if you think over sleeping inside! Too a collection of links, even also back to ih8mud with many examples how the users have done their sleeping setup inside.

Surfy

 

[cruiserpilot]

I like the Shevron Soxx, my truck is old, but I’m certain the window shapes are close enough for a fit.
Prices are actually very reasonable.
Easy to just phone and ask. SKYPE , communicator of the world.
I‘ve been sleeping in the back of station wagons, Ford Mustangs ( gotta be young for them )
trucks and Land Cruisers my whole life. It’s the pressure points and arthritis of damage
that makes me need better sleep arrangements. The roof tent just takes you above the
bugs to a certain degree, provide a nice view and security. I’ve looked, and found no recorded
incident of big cat issues in Africa with tent extended. So no worries about them wanting to
perch on that portable Kopjes.

 

[Surfy]

Did also never read something with big animals and RTT. But for shure it is saver in the vehicle, if a big cat is hungry or angry...

Easier to leave, when surrounded by animals at sample...

Just some baboons seams to steal stuff out of RTTs: Sleeping in a roof tent, is it dangerous? - Page 2 - if we look in the african based comunities

Seems not make the difference (roof top tent or sleeping inside) if you look at such a scenario:

 

[cruiserpilot]

Are you a member of Community4x4.co.za? They helped me source and review
my NL fridge so I got the one I wanted a few years ago. I get their updates ever couple
of weeks.

 

[Surfy]

Yes, I`m active there too, also in some australia based commuties like lcool.org - to get fresh informations about my cruiser and overland gear.

I bought today mapout (5$) - because i want to test it. Delivers pretty cool 3D terrain maps (offline) . Very nice for trip planning...

MapOut – Handbuch

MapOut iPhone/iPad App für Kartenliebhaber. Finde alle Antworten auf Deine Fragen in unserem Handbuch. Verfügbar online oder als praktischer PDF Download.

mapout.app

Surfy

 

[cruiserpilot]

More instructions than my last airplane nav system! It doesn’t mention any in-app
purchases. I am curious, it looks very comprehensive.

 

[Surfy]

More instructions than my last airplane nav system! It doesn’t mention any in-app
purchases. I am curious, it looks very comprehensive.

Thats right - just the buying price, no additional in-app costs

Also for me not too easy, when I try to use it for trip planning. Did need the instructions there!

But it is worth to do! You got also got autmatically the heightlevel of your planned trip, how much height (up/down) your Plan has - handy in the alps and andes.

Also I love the 3D view on the offline terrain maps - which gives you an idea about your planned destination.

 

[cruiserpilot]

Update:
Ok, Yukon trip is done. The CanadaTopo App was really amazing. Downloaded all areas section maps
before I left. My iPad is satellite capable so turned off wifi and let it go. It really drained the iPad battery
quickly, but that was only while creating a track or when I left position ON - but let me say the position was
immediate and really accurate. It found trailheads to within a few feet, basically stop the truck and look straight out the window. It created tracks, calculating distances and altitudes again, very accurately.
So long as it was plugged in. I’ve got some cool track files now, and while following an ATV trail, it indicated a trap line foot trail within feet.
Best thing - no cost and I’ve downloaded a lot of files. It uses up some memory, but not really bad considering. I’ve got way more maps downloaded than I’ll use at once. And once I’ve created a track, I can easily select and bring it back up whether online or not. So for me, 5 stars. J