Everyone seems to have a ‘must have’ piece of camping gear.
Whilst many hard-core outdoor enthusiasts would list their Swiss Army Knife or duct tape or shovel as their most important thing - for me, one of my ‘must have’ pieces of camping gear is my beloved iPhone.
The iPhone is one piece of equipment that goes everywhere with us, and that means camping too.
It may not be the iPhone 5 (yet), but it really is a non-traditional piece of our camping gear.
Sceptical?
Then read on and find out the top 10 reasons why you may want to ensure your smartphone goes camping with you.
1. Lighting
You can never have enough light sources when you camp. Just when you think you might have enough, think again! These smartphones have powerful LED lights, and these in turn, results in good torches.
App we use: We use iTorch4 . Another good one is Flashlight
2. Navigation
So many apps for navigation, and the one we often use is the Motion X-GPS (its like, 99 cents!) which tracks your hikes, has downloadable maps, set waypoints, stopwatch, post your location on social media!. Sucks the life out of the phone battery but if you plan on traipsing all over the countryside, this app is one we like.
Also TomTom Car Navigation gets us to where we need to go (without having to have a separate GPS system for the car).
3. Compass
Everyone should have a compass, and if you don’t have one of the handheld ones, then the iPhone comes with its own compass. No purchase necessary. A click on the app, pinpoints exactly where you are on Google Maps too!
4. Weather
The weather app that comes with the iPhone is adequate, but you may want to invest in an app that better suits your own area.
These apps have saved us frequently from being caught in poor weather, or assisting us in knowing we need to pack that tent up – NOW!
App we use: We like Weatherzone or Pocket Weather, which take their feeds from the Bureau of Meteorology.
5. Entertainment
Enough said.
These phones are game centres, music players, timewasters, and e-readers. Hours of amusement for everyone. Just choose an app that appeals, and never be bored in a tent again.
6. Camera
With the phone built in camera, no excuse for not recording the moments of your trip.
With additional apps like Instagram or Aviary, boring photos are made more interesting, and sharing with everyone, is just a click away.
Will it replace my SLR? No, but it’s a lot lighter on a hike.
7. Star Walk
Learn about the night sky above and sound incredibly knowledgeable as you point out the constellations to others. The Star Walk app is definitely one for camping. You do appreciate the stars a little more if you know more about them.
8. First Aid
The phone can’t apply First Aid nor is a replacement for a mandatory First Aid kit, but
having an app that can help you out should you need guidance and advice, is worthwhile.App we use: St Johns Ambulance app, and thankfully, we haven’t had to refer to it for anything major, but its nice to know its there.
9. Camping Checklist
We have previou
sly discussed why our website doesn’t have a camping checklist. Read about our reasons here.
But should you think you need one, there are a lot of apps for this need.
App we have used: Camping List by Engineered Stuff, though our use of it has diminished over time as we became more adept at packing for our trips. Though, I must say, that in recent trips we have forgotten a couple of things, so maybe its time to use it once more?
10. App for Everything
Not everyone is going to want some of the camping apps that others say are “must have”.
I don’t want or need an app for tying knots. I am sure if you want to know about knots, its a great app to have. But I don’t.
There are apps to help you find your campsite, fend off bugs, SAS Survival Guides (including Bear Grylls Essentials), 4WD Hema Maps, campfire cookbooks, National Park guides….the list appears to be endless.
The point is, that depending on what you want from your camping trip, there is probably an app that you might want to get!
But ultimately, there is no app for this…………
Photo Source http://llbeanpr.tumblr.com/image/30447245875
You might want to check these out whilst here:
What’s a good app for Australian Road Trips? – read our review here
Gadget of the Week, shows how to charge an iPhone – read about this gadget
What is the app you think is important to go camping with?
Leave us a note below.
