PRIMARY FEATURE

Hike all day on a single charge.

Backpackers Friend's battery-saver mode checks your location just often enough to track an 8-hour day on as little as 5% battery. No more rationing screen-on time, no more dead phone at camp.

Get on the App Store See features Explore Adventures

How much battery does GPS really use?

Measured battery drain over an 8-hour day, by GPS sampling interval.

5 s · always on

95%

10 s

90%

30 s

65%

1 min

45%

5 min

20%

          30 min BATTERY SAVER
        
5%

Two Premium power-saving modes go further than any interval above — pick the trade-off that fits your trip.

~5% battery / day

BALANCED

Battery Saver

Logs your whole route automatically — set it and forget it.

TrackingAutomatic, every few minutes
Off-trail alertsChecked every few minutes
Trade-offSnaps to trail between checks

~1% battery / day

LIGHTEST

Backpacker

No background GPS — checks in only when you open the map.

TrackingA checkpoint when you open the app
Off-trail alertsOnly while the app is open
Trade-offCoverage depends on check-ins

Honest pricing. No strings.

Premium unlocks the features that matter on a real backcountry trip.

$2.99/mo

Premium subscription

Quit any time. Cancel in one tap from the App Store — no email, no support ticket, no retention dance.
No data tracking. Backpackers Friend has no analytics, no ad SDKs, and no servers that store your trips. Everything stays on your phone.
No obligations. No annual contracts hidden behind a "monthly" label. You pay for the month you use it, and not a cent more.

Everything else you need in the backcountry

Built by backpackers, for backpackers. Every feature earns its place on the trail.

Navigate offline

Download map tiles per trip. Full topo maps with zero signal — USGS Topo & OpenStreetMap built in.

Pack smarter

Track every item by weight, category, and quantity. Save your favourite kit as a reusable gear bundle.

Plan every step

Tap to drop campsites, viewpoints, summits, and trailheads. Routes snap to real trails — no straight lines across cliffs.

Off-trail alerts

Drift more than 330 feet from your route? Backpackers Friend buzzes your wrist and flashes a warning. No data needed.

Explore the Adventure

Real trails, real miles, real battery percentages — the stories behind the app.

Why I built this · No. 6

Six Miles Is Far Enough

One night at Coast Camp: six easy miles in from the Bear Valley Trail, a beach fire, a sun-wheel drawn in the sand, and no plan to speak of. A short story about the simple pleasure of leaving things behind.

Read the story → Why I built this · No. 5

There's No Trail on the Lost Coast

Three nights of black sand and elephant seals on California's most remote coast. Keep the ocean on your right and you can't get lost — until the trail climbs the bluffs and simply isn't there.

Read the story →

Browse all trail stories →

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