There is a never-ending stream of gadgets, gizmos, and tools you see advertised for camping, but the most important tool you can have is one you probably already own.
When you think of camping tools, a smartphone probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. However, their versatility makes them an irreplaceable tool, especially when it comes to safety.
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So Many Great Pictures
As silly as it sounds, my primary reason for carrying a phone is pictures.
You never know what sort of interesting things you’re going to see while you’re out and about, and it would be a shame to not be able to capture them. I have more pictures of random animals than I can count.
Additionally, modern cellphones are surprisingly capable astrophotography devices if all you want to do is capture the stars, the Milky Way, and some of the brighter deep-sky objects, like Andromeda. The places you might go camping are usually darker than most skies with a lot of residences, and you’ll likely get good results, especially if you’re patient.
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How to Find Constellations in the Night Sky
Constellations can help you identify more interesting deep sky objects to look at, planets, or help you find your way home.
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Identify Plants, Birds, and Animals
Google Lens is very good at identifying pretty much anything you throw at it, but it doesn’t work without data of some kind, be it 5G or Wi-Fi.
However, there are more apps than I can count that give you offline access to identification guides for all manner of plants and animals in an area. Some can even help you identify which ones are edible, though I’d recommend staying clear of that unless you’re in truly dire circumstances. There are a reasonable number of look-a-likes that can be deadly.
Merlin is definitely my favorite of the lot. It is an app dedicated to identifying birds, and I keep the entire North American database on my phone at all times.
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You Can Use Your Phone to Easily Identify Bird Calls
Tweet tweet. What bird was that?
It has been an unexpectedly great learning tool, since it walks you through how it determines what the bird is by asking questions. After a while, those questions were running through my head all the time, even if I wasn’t using the app.
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You Know Who Owns Land Around You
One of my favorite ways to camp is to canoe along major rivers, and one of the real challenges is finding camping sites. With a mix of national and state forests, game lands, private property held by corporations, and private property held by individuals, figuring out where you’re allowed to pitch a tent can sometimes be daunting.
Luckily, there are apps like OnX that allow you to see exactly who owns the surrounding land. That way you can look up the relevant rules related to camping or hiking, or get in touch with whoever owns the land to ask permission to camp there.
I also use the AllTrails app a lot, as it has a truly astounding number of hiking trails around the planet. If you’re somewhere where different day hikes are an option, I’d highly recommend it. Just remember to read the comments about difficulty.
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You Won’t Get Lost
Many places you go camping will have poor or even non-existent cell service. Under most circumstances, that means you can’t text or download anything. However, if you plan ahead, you can ensure you don’t get lost.
Despite common misconceptions, GPS is a read-only technology. In other words, for your phone’s GPS to work, all you need is a reasonably clear view of the sky—that’s it. You don’t need Wi-Fi or 5G.
That means you can still use applications like Google Maps or Apple Maps to figure out exactly where you are and keep your bearings straight, even if you get completely and totally lost.
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8 Google Maps Tips Every Beginner Should Know
Navigate Google Maps like a pro.
You just need to make sure to download the relevant map data before you lose service. You can download maps for huge areas if you want. I always err on the side of caution and assume I’ll manage to wind up 300 miles off course on foot.
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You Can Get Help
Not every phone supports it yet, but many of the flagship devices from major manufacturers support sending a text to emergency services via satellite.
You don’t need Wi-Fi; you don’t even need a cellular connection.
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How to Send Text Messages Without Wi-Fi or Cell Service on a Google Pixel
SOS!
In a pinch, this could mean the difference between life and death, and its usefulness can’t be overstated. If your phone does have this feature, I’d recommend familiarizing yourself with how it works before you set off into the great outdoors and need to make use of it—an emergency is never a good time to be figuring something out for the first time.
Of course, you can also use it to carry a physical or audio book, music, or even some television shows if that is what you want.
