Backcountry Navigator TOPP GPS PRO seems very good? Anyone use this?

Ratthew

Ratthew

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Phoenix, AZ, USA
I am browsing this forum to find what others are using, and GAIA seems to be the go to (even more so than dedicated garmens and the like).

But has anyone tried Backcountry Navigator? I find it to be very good sitting at home, but because i do not have much experience with these apps in practice, want some feedback if you are in the know. If now, check it out, seems great!
 
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I use it. I have the demo version on my cell phone and the paid version on a tablet. I like it. I use it foe hiking, mtb, 4 wheeling, and overlanding.

I am sure it is not as good as GAIA, but, it is cheaper. I do not have the version where you can mark a route. I will probably upgrade to the version that allows that.

It was definitely a step up from paper maps. :)
 
Ratthew said:
I am browsing this forum to find what others are using, and GAIA seems to be the go to (even more so than dedicated garmens and the like).

But has anyone tried Backcountry Navigator? I find it to be very good sitting at home, but because i do not have much experience with these apps in practice, want some feedback if you are in the know. If now, check it out, seems great!
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If BCN Pro was available for IOS, I would use it... GAIA is definitely not as good as BCN Pro...
 
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BCNP4runner said:
What does BCN Pro do better than GaiaGPS? Would it be worth buying an Andriod tablet just to run it? (all my other gear is iOS)
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I wouldn’t buy a new tablet just for BCN, BCN just have features that GAIA will never look into. And for most people those features aren’t that important. Personally I am trying out a new app to see if it would be a good replacement for both BCN and GAIA. Personally the biggest downfall with GAIA is the inability to share editable maps with other users for trip planning. BCN, CalTopo, and evening Garmin Base Camp offer this feature. But GAIA does not.
 
I've been using BCN Pro for a year, and BCN free for a couple years before that. I haven't used Gaia, so I can't say what the differences are for sure. There are two things that Gaia does that BCN doesn't do that I know of. The first is create routes that automatically follow roads (like Waze or Maps); instead, you need to create the route by clicking on all the major turns, creating a zigzag route instead of exactly following the road. It isn't a big deal, but the Gaia/ Maps way is easier. The other thing that BCN doesn't do is let you layer maps like Gaia. With Gaia, you can have Thunderforest as a base layer, then overlay the NFS Motor Vehicle Use Map (MVUM) to see what roads are open, and what you should stay off of, or you can layer a private lands map for the same reason. There are hints that this is possible in BCN (Hybrid maps), but I haven't figured it out. BCN can be difficult to figure out, but it is very powerful and does a lot of stuff. I feel like I am just scratching the surface with how I use it. The major difference is noticed by cheap people like me. Gaia costs $17 a year, while BCN Pro costs less than that for a lifetime. There is also BCNavXE; I don't know a lot about it, but it works on IOS and Android, and is what the developers have been working on the last few years (I don't think they are doing much more with BCNPro, although they say there will continue to be updates). Let me know If I can answer anything specific.
 
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M Rose said:
I wouldn’t buy a new tablet just for BCN, BCN just have features that GAIA will never look into. And for most people those features aren’t that important. Personally I am trying out a new app to see if it would be a good replacement for both BCN and GAIA. Personally the biggest downfall with GAIA is the inability to share editable maps with other users for trip planning. BCN, CalTopo, and evening Garmin Base Camp offer this feature. But GAIA does not.
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For everyone's benefit just spell it out.. BCN supports APRS in Android and Gaia does not support APRS. Some folks like that.

Other than that I would not say BCN is better than Gaia GPS. This is your primary complaint but rarely mention it. I can't control the internet but when people say they like or dislike something it sure is helpful to be a little more specific. If I say Gaia Sucks or Gaia is great I would take that with a grain of salt without additional information. Gaia has a larger and stronger development team. For iOS BCN has been trying for years to launch an app. It has been in Beta forever. On Android it is a popular app.

Sharing maps is not important in my opinion. See why below. I think the same can be accomplished with sharing tracks, routes, and waypoints. Something all of the apps do well. Gaia can't force download map layers to another user for a track. Meaning if I have a track that I want to share and I choose to you Gaia Topo, Wildfire map layer, cell coverage map layer, NatGeo map layer, etc when I share the track and "you" import it Gaia is not going to initiate downloading those map layers. The track data is more important than the map layers because everyone has different preferences on what they like to see. If I share a track via email I can also say "Hey download these layers once you import the track" not difficult. Everyone has different storage capacity as well. My 5 gigs of may layers for a give area or track may not work on your device.

For those new to this all of these apps are discussed in previous threads as well. Take the time to search and read in the Navigation forum.
 
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1Louder said:
For everyone's benefit just spell it out.. BCN supports APRS in Android and Gaia does not support APRS. Some folks like that.

Other than that I would not say BCN is better than Gaia GPS. This is your primary complaint but rarely mention it. I can't control the internet but when people say they like or dislike something it sure is helpful to be a little more specific. If I say Gaia Sucks or Gaia is great I would take that with a grain of salt without additional information. Gaia has a larger and stronger development team. For iOS BCN has been trying for years to launch an app. It has been in Beta forever. On Android it is a popular app.

Sharing maps is not important in my opinion. See why below. I think the same can be accomplished with sharing tracks, routes, and waypoints. Something all of the apps do well. Gaia can't force download map layers to another user for a track. Meaning if I have a track that I want to share and I choose to you Gaia Topo, Wildfire map layer, cell coverage map layer, NatGeo map layer, etc when I share the track and "you" import it Gaia is not going to initiate downloading those map layers. The track data is more important than the map layers because everyone has different preferences on what they like to see. If I share a track via email I can also say "Hey download these layers once you import the track" not difficult. Everyone has different storage capacity as well. My 5 gigs of may layers for a give area or track may not work on your device.

For those new to this all of these apps are discussed in previous threads as well. Take the time to search and read in the Navigation forum.
Click to expand...
Actually the APRS is the smallest part of why I don’t like GAIA... I hit on the main reasons in my post above.
 
I have been a BCN Pro user for about 10 years. I love it because the interface is simple and the way the app handles files on the device. You never wonder if the trip data will be available once you go offline. APRS integration is a huge benefit as a ham operator. Importing tracks of various file types is also a breeze. I build routes or tracks in Google Earth Pro or Google MyMaps and import them into BCN without a problem.

BCN Pro does not have a web app for sharing tracks like Gaia does, but BCN XE does. Two years ago I was invited to be a beta tester for BCN XE and it recently went live on Google Play (I don't keep track of the 'i' world). The app that is currently available is far different than the firt beta app I tried. The developer/team really responded to user feedback before releasing it to the public. I ran the NM/CO portion of the Continental Divide Trail using XE last year in beta and had no problems at all. XE is similar to Gaia in the sense it has a shareable web portal but has three benefits: A vector base map is available which means you can infinitely zoom in your map with 100% clarity, you can edit saved/shared/imported tracks and lines, and the way tracks are organized and saved is easy to use.

I am also a Gaia user with a 'Premium' subscription, but have never used the app on a trip since I have found the the trip planning/building feature to be lackluster. The way Gaia organizes trip files has also frustrated me to no end. One awesome thing about Gaia 'premium' is the ability to build a beautiful basemap with various levels of data on it.

Nonetheless, none of the apps on the market allow for layering data (that is not a basemap). I spent years using ESRI ArcGIS and really would like an app to provide that level of layer control.
 
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