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Garmin vs Phone

Which one sucks less?

  • Total voters
    76
Put me in the phone category.

I purchased a rugged Oukitel (WP8) for $180 and it has been working great.

Locus app cost like $7 or $8, and I have been using it for several years now.

Ran the Continental Divide ride through New Mexico last August and it was hot, but no overheating issues.

Able to load maps for the entire continental US, along with hundreds of tracks and way points.
 
I just want a map. About 1950 I got a compass for Christmas. Some time later Bought a second hand klr that came with tom tom. Wouldn’t even scroll a you are here map. A garmin 6?? On a hire bike got me from goat trails thru Malaga to airport. Re-think. Bought several garmins. Planning with lady garmin consistently led me up and down mountain pueblo stairways just about wide enough to pass the mirrors. Re- think. Now using pillion riders old iphone6 running Scenic 2.0. It does all the gps tricks you expect. But also Solid black lines on solid white ground. Scenic is capable of editing all the bs and showing me a high contrast road map. Walkin in the boonies in NA a I use a Delorme.
 
D4A2E677-458E-4876-9F97-A8353DEE21A3.jpeg

Iphone sunshade. Scrap AL flashing. Stout scissors. Raddle can flat black. Also fits Nuvi refurbs…
 
As mentioned, you should never put your main phone on your bars. A cheap used phone, a few apps and you're in business. I switched 10 years ago, and will never go back. Locus all day long. Check the old site for tons of info on the app. It's hard to imagine something exists that does as much as locus does.

Costs don't even compare. It's dirt cheap to get going with a phone, and no you don't need a cell signal. It's true that Locus has gone to subscription. I'm going to say its worth it. The online web app is ok, but it's a great place for everything to live, like Garmins basecamp. Big difference is it syncs across all of your devices flawlessly. Regardless, there are lots of apps to choose from.

In 2015, I was riding in Newfoundland. My phone died. I found the closest big boxstore, purchased a cheap android phone, spent 30min at a Tim Hortons wifi and was back in business $105CDN later.

Charging is the elephant in the room with phones, imho. I switched to a phone with a massive battery over the summer. The first new phone I've ever used on the bike. It easily gets me a day of full brightness nav without plugging in. Wireless chargers are a good idea. Some are better than others.
 
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JustAnotherSquid said:
So which phone that can be purchased new or leftover or whatever would be good for this, without having to activate it?
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I've run a Samsung S7 Active for 6 or 8 years. I still have the second one as back up. I hear alot about Kyocera. I'm currently running a Ulefone Armor 8 (I think, maybe, 9). I recommend a "rugged" phone and a screen protector so you can avoid a case.
 
Garmin 680c myself.
Reasons:
Profiles (this is huge and why the new XT is nosale for me)
Best mounts
The best hardening (water, dust, impacts, etc)
Never overheats
Vultures...

I just can’t into this phone thing. When I’m alone exploring. I’m banking on a device that’s purpose built.
Not getting eaten by vultures because some damn phone os flakes.

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I've only used my phone (and in 10+ years have never had one slip out of the X-Grip thingy), but what I don't like about phones is, despite GPS continuing to work, downloading maps when there's no cell or wifi connection isn't possible. I suppose you other phone users have pre-downloaded the maps? They come with the app you're using?
 
Chickenstrip said:
I've only used my phone (and in 10+ years have never had one slip out of the X-Grip thingy), but what I don't like about phones is, despite GPS continuing to work, downloading maps when there's no cell or wifi connection isn't possible. I suppose you other phone users have pre-downloaded the maps? They come with the app you're using?
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You download them when you have cell or wifi, same as a GPS. In that respect they're no different. That's one thing I prefer about a phone - I can download new maps without bringing a laptop along to run some proprietary Garmin software.
 
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I use Locus Pro and a rugged Oukitel WP8 smart phone.

I was able to download the entire continental United States maps using WiFi. Never have to worry about not having maps out on the trail.

Used the phone for navigation on my 3.5 week Continental Divide ride last summer, and never had an issue. We experienced sun, dust, heat, rain, and mud. Phone worked flawlessly through it all.

Screen is way bigger, brighter, and easier to read than my old Garmin.

Locus is way more powerful than Garmin, and makes handling multiple tracks, much easier. It has a ton more functionality than Garmin. A bit of a learning curve initially, but worth the effort.
 
Another plus for Locus, is you purchase it once, and load it on multiple devices.

I have a copy on my rugged phone that I use as a GPS on my bikes and in my boat.

I have a copy on my every day carry phone.

I also have a copy on my 10" tablet that I use in my vehicles as a GPS.
 
I also like Locus for hiking because I can display the map on my Android watch. It's nice leaving my phone in my backpack and just taking a quick look at my watch for navigation instead of pulling out the phone.
 
Yooper_Bob said:
Another plus for Locus, is you purchase it once, and load it on multiple devices.

I have a copy on my rugged phone that I use as a GPS on my bikes and in my boat.

I have a copy on my every day carry phone.

I also have a copy on my 10" tablet that I use in my vehicles as a GPS.
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Would you know which versions of android are supported by locus pro?

On a whim i just picked up a new in box Kyocera duraforce pro (the old one) for next to nothing. I’ve got garmin zumo 396 that’s, well, ok. Used smartphones prior to that and liked that less.

……but i do enjoy using both at the same time. Ill set both to different strategic destinations then ride where i want and let them keep reconfiguring. Gps dueling. I’ve found it helps me thread needles between cites. Im not a very good planner so most of my trips are pretty spontaneous.

Other thing i like is while following tracks, is having one unit zoomed in, and one zoomed out.

Big fear with getting an old unit was what would continue to work on old versions of android, but i laid out such little money, figure itll be a good experiment and considering it’s android, I’m assuming at least something will work on it into the reasonable future.
 
Just go to the play store and try to download. It'll tell you if it's compatible with your android version.

I was running it on a pretty old phone. But I had downloaded it a few years ago.

Just upgraded to a new phone and android version...
 
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