iphone Backcountry Navigation

Disclaimers first: Newbie - but old enough to remember when things were done without electronics. Not advocating doing without compass & maps, redundant equipment for safety can't be ignored.

Having said all that, I'm giving serious consideration to using my iphone 8 plus as a primary nav tool for backcountry use.

Here's why:
*Bleeping things cost $800 or so and I intend to get everything out it I can.
*It already has all that is needed such as: GPS chip, 64gb storage, 5.5" touch screen.
*Ability to use supplemental tools/apps such as: onx, google earth, topos, etc.
*Capabilities are on going to improve as time moves forward.
*Saves me from having another piece of electronics to buy and be concerned about.

If the phone gives out for some reason, one still has that huge brain gifted to you plus the compass/map.

I don't see any negatives here but I'd like to hear from others that have either done this or are likewise considering it please.

I'm with you on this. I had the gps with chip and it worked great at the time but now with onX app the phone is all I bring. Hard to beat the topo and areal view on my app. However I can't trust my battery on my iPhone in the cold so I do need to bring a battery backup charger along for when it craps out.

Yep, that battery has to be compensated for also. Got an inverter in my vehicle I use for charging gear when I'm outdoors, it works pretty good. Forgot to mention use of a battery case adapter as well. The only real issue I'm still pondering is whether it really picks up satellite networks like dedicated GPS units do. I'll find out this fall when in Oregon hunting an area my brother knows well and will run some tests to see how things go when in a known situation before doing anything solo.

Keep the phone in a pocket on your body so it stays warm. That will prolong battery life quite a bit plus the charger