Today's technology has provided tools that weren't available when I was a scout. Nevertheless, with a little planning, understanding of how the phone works with its built in sensors, and good power management, you can rely on this handy device if ever found required when backpacking or in survival situations.
For the purposes of this blog, I will discuss how I use a Samsung Galaxy phone, but all these tools are available on any platform - iPhone, Windows, even BlackBerry; all do the same functions and have the same sensors, you just might need to do some searching and exploring to tailor to your fit.
Google Maps and Offline Maps
Chances are the cell service in the wilderness will not work as signal is a ground based radio tower system. However, this does not make the phone useless as other sensors are still active - you just need to be sure that you've done some prep work.
In comes Google Maps Offline Maps - And it is exactly what it sounds like; Maps of all types, including topographic, are downloaded locally to the phone. In addition, the GPS sensors continue to work as they are satellite based from low orbit space. The map location services will continue to function and you can safely find your way to your destination.
After clicking on a location in Google Maps, click the triple dots near the selected location and select "Save Offline Map"
