I agree it&#x27;s foolish to do a dangerous trip with just one navigation method. But that doesn&#x27;t mean your phone isn&#x27;t a good tool, or that we&#x27;d have less emergencies if they didn&#x27;t exist.<p>I develop an app called Gaia GPS, which a vast array of backpackers, wildland firefighters, and SAR use as a tool to navigate in the woods. They use battery packs and rugged&#x2F;insulating cases with their iPhone and Android devices to make them durable and long-lasting.<p>Even if you are a master orienteer who knows how to use a compass and a map with great skill, there are situations where you will be safer to have a GPS along too (either a smartphone or standalone unit). Situations like I have been in, where there is so much snow coming down, that you can&#x27;t see the trail you&#x27;re following or cutting, much less peaks or other landmarks.<p>In some situations, map skills and reckoning may get you home, but seeing yourself clearly marked on a map will make you safer too. People shouldn&#x27;t fear GPS devices or phones as tools for survival and navigation.<p>p.s. This comment is FUD and based on anecdotes from two articles about Scotland.