iPad Apps Reviews

Next Time You “Take a Hike” . . . Don’t Forget Your iPad or iPhone

Well, if you are into hiking, there are quite a few apps for your iPad (Note: many of the following apps for hikers are best used on your iPhone, due to the size/weight issues). Whether you are hiking in one of national parks or a National Forest, you will find that carrying an electronic device can be a life saver. Regardless of where ever your personal trail leads you, here are some hiking apps worth considering.

• Trails – this is a great GPS app, it’ll cost you a couple of bucks but hey, it’s well worth it. You’ll be able to record your hike, import, export biking and hiking maps, it’ll even map whilst you’re listening to music, although other hikers along the trail might not appreciate Barry Manilow quite so much as you do . . . so be considerate for other hikers and take your earphones . . . . pleeeeease!

• Bug Repellent – saves you trying to squish the little buggars with your iPad, this app is great for hikers (we all know that bugs love hiking too) . . . . it has five different frequencies, all high pitched and effective at keeping those mozzies and other bugs out of your way . . . it keeps on going after your device has been locked too. Well worth the buck I’d say.
• Mosquito Device – is another handy iPad app which can help to keep your hike bug  and mosquito free. Whichever you choose, take one of ‘em! Leave it on all night long to protect your from the pesky mozzies whilst you’re sleeping and they ain’t.

Hmmm, first of all, the mosquito might not have “buzzed off” quickly, but did it bite him . . . huh, did it? I don’t think so, and second of all I’m not actually convinced that it was a mosquito at all, and if it was how do we know that it was alive! Sorry dude, found some flaws in your experiment there! For a buck these mosquito repellent apps are certainly worth the chance for hikers.

• Flashlight – considering that this one is absolutely free it really is a no brainer. Okay, so this flashlight app might not light up the hiking  trail quite as effectively as a hiking headlamp or traditional flashlight, but it’s free so what a great back-up.

• iTrailMap 3D – this one is really aimed at the winter sports enthusiasts . . . snowboarders and skiers . . . so what does that mean to us hikers? It means that it has 3D tracking for hiking trails and mountains – brilliant. Your trails can be recorded and uploaded to the web, and if you can’t manage the 5 bucks (or thereabouts) there is a free version but it’s not 3D. The choice . . . dear hiker . . . is yours!
• iBird Pro – this one will set you back almost 30 bucks, but if you like to twitch whilst you’re hiking, (it’s not a twitch it’s an involuntary spasm) . . . I didn’t even mean that type of twitching, I meant bird watching . . . well, if you like to spot and identify the bird life on your hike there are 924 species of them on iBird Pro for you to go at. It’s also updated on a regular basis so that you’ll have all the latest info on which birds you might see on which hike.

Hey, I know that guy . . . he works at our local hardware store . . . it might be his brother but there’s definitely a family resemblance!

• MyNature – once you’ve had enough bird spotting on your hike, you might want to actually look where you’re hiking and identify some of the tracks left on the hiking trail. This great app has a database of more than 40 animals with everything from the weasel to a grizzly bear, and it’s always a good idea to keep your eyes peeled for those, just to be on the safe side.

It’s a Moose . . . brilliant, let’s look for some more tracks on the trail!

• Critter Trax – similar to MyNature, but at less than a dollar it’s a cheaper option. This iPad and iPhone app has images of both scat and tracks as well as photos of lots of different critters you might see whilst you’re out hiking.
• Knot Time – next time someone tells you to “get knotted” you’ll be able to ask them how . . . . with a rolling hitch, double surgeon’s knot, alpine butterfly? Well, you will if you have this great app anyway, cos it shows you how to knot 33 different knots. Okay, pull the rabbit through the hole and round the tree . . . .

• The Snow Report from The North Face – don’t hike in the mountains without it! It’s packed with vital information, especially for skiers and winter hikers who like to go off the beaten track with snow conditions up to 72 hours in advance, avalanche advisories, trail maps and tons more.
• Compass Go – if you’re the type of person who can’t find their car in the parking lot, never mind their way back to the car park after an hour back country hiking, then this is definitely the app for you. Simply set your starting location into the memory and it’ll guide you back there whenever you’re ready . . . brilliant, and it’s less than a dollar.

• Army Survival – this app is really brilliant, and great fun whether you’re hiking or not (and could also seriously save your bacon in an emergency situation).  It’s a comprehensive guide straight from the horses mouth so to speak, well, the US Army Field Manual – with shelter tips, survival medicine and the psychology of survival. Yep, it has some great stuff alright.

• Boy Scout Handbook – along the same lines as the Army Survival app this great app can both inspire and inform. It’ll cost you almost 10 bucks, but hey, “Dib dib dib . . . dab dab dab” (do they still say that?)

• Topo 3D – is a map app, and once you’ve downloaded a map from the app then you can work on it with or without internet connection. The maps on this app are high-resolution and have GPS tracking with their 3D displays (that’s why it’s called Topo 3D).
• iMapMyFitness – this iPhone app is great for mapping your fitness in many different ways, but one particularly interesting bit of it as far as hikers are concerned, is that you can access some of your favorite social networking sites to upload and write all about your hike, then you can read all about other users hiking experiences. Hiking is made for sharing . . . . or was that chocolate?

• AccuWeather – when you’re at home the weather is often no more important to you than a couple of minutes show after the main news . . . but weather does play a major part when you’re hiking, which is why it’s a great idea to have this fantastic app on your iPhone. You’ll not only know what type of weather to expect on your hike, but it’ll also keep you up to date with weather alarms and National Weather Service alerts.

• Big Air Software Park Maps – is an absolute must for all hiking enthusiasts, with GPS maps for more than 250 different national parks, forests, monuments and other hiking spots. You’ll get details of the hiking trails, rest rooms and other interesting points along the trail.
• Starmap – if you like nothing better than to sleep under the stars while you’re hiking, you might as well know all about the stars that you’re sleeping under!