GPS shopping what do you recommend for JMT yes or no on a GPS?

[Christina Sanchez]

I am training and planning for JMT. I have read many different forums on gear and recently I read that it is essential to have a GPS. My sense of direction is bad as it is so I’m looking at a model that is not going to break my budget however I want it to be reliable. I am looking at the Garmin eTrex 10 Handheld GPS however i have to purchase and download the map from Garmin. I see that they have a PCT map but not JMT.

Any suggestions as to if I should:
1) invest in a GPS
2) What model did you use
3) if you used the Garmin eTrex 10 GPS where you able to purchase and download the JMT map?

Thank you..

My email is [email protected]

[Jeff Hester]

Christina, I carried a Garmin eTrex on my 2010 JMT thru-hike, mainly so I could track the trail, not so much for navigation.

This year I’m doing a series of exploratory hikes on what was once called the Theodore Solomons Trail. Some sections are no longer maintained, so navigation is a big deal.

I use the Tom Harrison maps as my go-to for grabbing distances and getting the lay of the land. And I also carry my iPhone 5s with GaiaGPS. If you subscribe to the pro edition (essential IMO) you can download maps for offline use. I tend to use either the USFS topo maps or the USGS topo maps, depending on where I am. You can overlay multiple maps so you can see even more, and turn on/off or change the transparency of any map layer.

The latest version of iOS will let you put your iPhone into airplane mode and the GPS will still function — so that’s what I do. If you want, you can keep your phone powered off and only power it on when you really need a second opinion (i.e. you’re looking at the Harrison Map and you’re still not certain where you are).

In my case, I’m also using it to record the GPX track of my hikes, so it’s on throughout the hike. The downside to that is that I need to recharge my phone every night. For that, I carry an external battery.

On your JMT trip, you could use something like the Goal Zero Nomad 7. This is the model I have. If conditions are right (sunny day, not too shady on the trail) you can fully charge an external battery during the day, which in turn can fully recharge your phone at night.

On shorter trips (4-5 days) I carry a Jackery external battery — a little bigger and heavier, but I don’t need to bring the solar panel, and it will charge my phone 4-5x easily.

One other app that I would bring on the JMT is the Guthook JMT app. This also can use the GPS on your phone, but has a database of water sources, junctions, etc. that makes it really useful.

Now I realize that I haven’t really answered your original question, but personally, I think you’d be better served with your iPhone rather than a Garmin.

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