BFG's OnTrail app

[Greg]

Anyone else using the OnTrail app from BFGoodrich? I just downloaded it and it's quite impressive, with all kinds of different trails listed. You can also choose different layers, use satellite imagery and add the Cartotracks trail tracks & descriptions, which are very valuable to have. The trail descriptions give you ratings, lengths & time to run the trail.

It also has tabs that tell you the current weather conditions in the area you're looking at, you can record and share your own tracks, get GPS directions to the trailhead, download offline maps for use when you're out of service, etc, etc. It seems to be a very comprehensive app, offering so much valuable info! Its free, but you can upgrade to get more options.... namely the ability to download more than 5 trails for offline access.

Looks super useful and will only get better as people use it and add info to share!

Home - BFGoodrich OnTrail

Unlock beyond – Be a part of a community of off-roaders committed to unlocking the world around them! The BFGoodrich OnTrail App is an innovative mobile app for off-road enthusiasts, combining essential trail companion tools with community sharing functions, allowing adventure seekers to...

www.bfgoodrichtires.com

 

[AaronPaige]

Just downloaded it I’ll check it out

 

[Spork]

I downloaded it yesterday, played around with it for a bit, I guess I was expecting something else. With me living where I am I was expecting something about little moab, 5 mile, something about the road on lake mountain dropping down and out soldier pass. Creating a route doesn't look as intuitive as I hoped, on the map I can see dirt roads, trails but trying to say here's a route I want to create isn't straight forward.

 

[RockChucker]

I played with it last time I was at Sand Hollow. It was ok. I like the ability to record trails. But I don’t like (or haven’t been able to find) that you can’t export a gpx type track to share. I also couldn’t see how to import a gpx file or plan a route to follow.

I’ve been using my phone for trail navigation for several years, and I’ve decided to move away from that. I find I don’t take as many pictures or video as I used to because of the slight 1st world inconvenience. I just ordered a dedicated gps device that should fix that for me.

 

[Greg]

I played with it last time I was at Sand Hollow. It was ok. I like the ability to record trails. But I don’t like (or haven’t been able to find) that you can’t export a gpx type track to share. I also couldn’t see how to import a gpx file or plan a route to follow.

I’ve been using my phone for trail navigation for several years, and I’ve decided to move away from that. I find I don’t take as many pictures or video as I used to because of the slight 1st world inconvenience. I just ordered a dedicated gps device that should fix that for me.

That's been my debate for the TJ, I'd like to have the ability to use a tablet or something similar for running unfamiliar trails and using an app to guide the way.

 

[RockChucker]

That's been my debate for the TJ, I'd like to have the ability to use a tablet or something similar for running unfamiliar trails and using an app to guide the way.

Yep. That’s the deal. Hopefully a dedicated device will be nice.

 

[Greg]

Yep. That’s the deal. Hopefully a dedicated device will be nice.

I wonder how something like this would work...

Galaxy Tab Active 2 - $300


MILITARY-GRADE DURABILITY — MIL-STD-810G Certified and tested for drops, shocks, vibration, rain, dirt, mud, sand, water, altitude, freeze & thaw, temperature range, temperature shock, and humidity

LONG-LASTING BATTERY — Lasts up to 11 hours on a single charge with an easy-to-replace battery and quickly charges through the built-in POGO pin

WATER-RESISTANT TOUCHSCREEN — Wet touch mode is fully functional regardless of water and rain, White glove mode is perfect for cold weather or clinical environments. Can withstand being submerged in water for up to 30 minutes at a depth of 5 feet of water

 

[Hickey]

I wonder how something like this would work...

Galaxy Tab Active 2 - $300

I've had that one and now an IPad Mini for a few years. I find that the iPad runs Gaia much better than my Galaxy tablet did.

 

[Greg]

I've had that one and now an IPad Mini for a few years. I find that the iPad runs Gaia much better than my Galaxy tablet did.

I just can't embrace Apple products, Android or nothing.

 

[Hickey]

I just can't embrace Apple products, Android or nothing.

I still have my old one of you'd like it.

 

[Greg]

I still have my old one of you'd like it.

I've got an old Galaxy tablet too, but for a open top Jeep I think that Tab Active 2 would stand up to the elements and exposure much better.

 

[DAA]

I've been using a Tripltek 8 Pro lately. Spendy. And the screen resolution isn't awesome for such a spendy tablet. The brightness is awesome though - 1200 nits - which matters a lot sometimes. And it's beef, huge battery, shockproof, weatherproof etc. I like that it works with a 1T micro SD, so I have all my maps and media on a single card.

It's worth looking at if you are considering a tablet for this kind of use. I really wish the resolution was higher though.

I never had much luck running Gaia on Android either. So abandoned it years ago. I use BCN. Which is okay.

I really feel like purpose built GPS units have gone backwards in the last ten years in useability for vehicle off road nav. The only ones I'd consider are just too expensive for the limited functionality compared to a tablet. Not that I think tablets are ideal. But considering how much more you can do with them, I just can't see buying any currently available GPS unit for my purposes.

- DAA

 

[Kevin B.]

I was liking Gaia much better than BCN for a while, but then they got bought by Outside so I'm back to BCN. I'd like to find a dedicated GPS with some bang for the buck too.

 

[RockChucker]

I took a bit of a gamble and ordered the new Garmin Tread that was just released. I get a killer discount on Garmin through work, so it made more sense to me than a cheap Android tablet or iPad. Im already in the Garmin ecosystem with my watch and familiar with how their stuff works. It looks like it has some good functionality. See how it works.

 

[TRD270]

Magellan TRX7 CS Dual Mount Trail and Street GPS Navigator

Turn-by-Turn Trail and Street Navigation Built-in 5MP rear-facing trail camera with LED Flash Pre-loaded with over 160,000 OHV Trails Hi-res (10M) 2D Topo and 3D Basemap of the USA and Canada with Lifetime Free Updates Track Recording and Community Publishing, Crowdsourced Track Database, and...

www.magellangps.com

One these came with my sxs, full waterproof not a huge fan of the maps and it’s also android based. For sale 😂 I’ll keep my iPad in a life proof case. Those androids are silly

 

[Cody]

Apple hasn't needed to keep pace with Android technology or durability I'm assuming because grandmothers and hipster millenials aren't that hard on equipment.

I've always used paper maps backed up with bcn. Bcn was cool when I would pre draw routes via gpx, and is still good for location cross reference to paper, but I don't care to spend the time predrawing a route. I like the idea that Gaia can display to my in dash screen via Android auto, but again, maybe not that useful. If'n I ever pre draw something I may try Gaia just for screen size and convenience.

The camera isn't that much of an issue to me since I hardly take pictures because the conspicuous display of activities on social media has totally sapped the value out of simply sharing experiences with friends and family.