Free motorbike GPS options!︱Cross Training Adventure

http://crosstrainingenduro.com Free GPS for adventure riding? Yes please! I was horrified at the cost of a Garmin Zumo GPS and started hunting for other options. Keen on adventure riding in Australia? Check out our vids and our Gaia GPS review, great for adventure riding GPS! I had an old mobile phone collecting dust and researched the free GPS apps available. There are lots of phone apps that adventure riders are using. Waze, Google Maps, Maps.Me, TripIt, Scout, iOverlander to name a few. But Gaia GPS is becoming very popular for dual sport GPS riding. And it's completely free if you use the basic version. If you like dual sport riding in Australia then you might like our adventure riding vids. But first... what are some advantages of using your smartphone as a GPS? If you already have a dedicated GPS unit, then your phone is a good backup. It's free. Check out our reviews of various adventure bikes and dual sport bikes. Or almost free. You may want to buy a mount like this. I like the Garmin RAM as these rubber straps provide extra security. Welcome to Cross Training Adventure, we are into all things dual sport and adventure on the east coast of Australia. Screen size. You can save a record of your trip along with geotagged photos, waypoints and trip notes. You can back up all your trip data with a free GAIA Cloud account. It's pretty amazing how much you get with the free account. But as its popularity grows, I wouldn't be surprised if they start reducing the features available in the free version. In conclusion? These free apps are a great way to see if you enjoy plotting your trips and getting into the world of GPS. If you do buy a dedicated GPS unit, remember you don't need to spend a fortune on a Garmin Zumo. Most smartphones have bigger screens than GPS units which makes navigation on-the-fly easier. Security. Stopping for lunch? It's easy to pop the phone out of the mount and take it with you. The negatives? Some phone screens are too dim in bright sunlight and you'll need to stop if you want to see the screen clearly. With the screen on permanent full brightness, you may find the battery only lasts a few hours. You may need to rig up a power cord to last the full day. But in most cases your battery should last a full day. Waterproofing? A few of the premium phone models are waterproof. But most phones only have a limited degree of water resistance. Once the rain starts, you'll need to put a plastic bag over it. Also, when you use a GPS app your phone usually stops all other notifications so you won't receive phone calls and text messages while the app is running. This is where an old second phone comes in handy. What about tablets? If you have an old tablet lying around, it can be useful if you want a really large screen. These tend to work best if you have enough room behind your windscreen to mount them. Some riders with rally fairings buy 'rugged tablets' which are waterproof and have extra bright screens. This comes standard on AJP's PR7. We have occasional detours to places like Vietnam, Cambodia, Romania and Canada. This is one of our three channels, there's also a Cross Training Trials channel, and a Cross Training Enduro channel. All three are equally dodgy. Or don't subscribe to our Cross Training Adventure riding channel. The main thing is get out and ride while you can with dual sport riding or Adventure riding in Australia, Canada, Vietnam, Romania and beyond! So check out Cross Training Adventure Okay. For years I was just using Garmin's automotive models that allow you upload GPS tracks and follow them. You can buy these for about $50 now. Look for the Garmin Nuvi 1350, 1390, 1450 and 1490 models. So what are you guys using? Good fashioned maps? An expensive dedicated GPS unit? Or just your phone? I'm keen to hear what works best for you. And what didn't! Keep an eye on the pinned first comment as I'll post further details there as I use this Gaia app more. So back to the free Gaia GPS app. The good news? You can use it offline, so you don't actually need a SIM card in your phone once you have downloaded the relevant maps. It works on IOS and Android phones and tablets. You can use Gaia's website to plan your trips on your computer then transfer these to your phone.
Our enduro channel:    / crosstrainingenduroskills  
Our trials channel:    / mototrialstrainingtechniques  
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