NOTE: This blog shares information about some of the tools we use for mapping. These are not sponsored products (we purchased them and we use the heck out of them!)
Photo credit: Lady Lockoff Photography
Photo credit: Lady Lockoff Photography
Because our phones interact with the Trimble GPS units and they store all of our data until we have wifi access and can upload it, they are critical tools and they must be protected!
The phones are abused worse than the Trimble (since the R1 is securely attached to our backpack). We have to hand-carry our phones because we are constantly interacting with the GPS unit app - e.g. starting and ending lines, taking individual points, collecting terrain data, taking photos and orientation notes. This means the phones get wet, scraped, scratched, dropped long distances onto hard surfaces, dropped short distances into dirt and sand, fallen upon, and carried between teeth.
Between the teeth is Rick's primary method to be able to use his hands on a 3rd or 4th class sections of an approach or walk-off. I sometimes use my teeth as a phone carrier, but more often when I have to climb, I find a flat(ish) spot on the rock above, set down the phone face down (I don't want the camera lens covers to get scratched), climb, then reach down and grab the phone and place it on the next flat spot. If there are no flat spots the phone goes in the teeth or backpack.
As a result, Rick's Lifeproof has teeth marks on the edges, mine has scratches across the front (I have the Lifeproof case with the complete plastic front cover). Both of our phones are surviving a daily barrage of assaults and the Lifeproof case is absolutely the reason why.
Photo credit: Stefani Dawn
The phones are abused worse than the Trimble (since the R1 is securely attached to our backpack). We have to hand-carry our phones because we are constantly interacting with the GPS unit app - e.g. starting and ending lines, taking individual points, collecting terrain data, taking photos and orientation notes. This means the phones get wet, scraped, scratched, dropped long distances onto hard surfaces, dropped short distances into dirt and sand, fallen upon, and carried between teeth.
Between the teeth is Rick's primary method to be able to use his hands on a 3rd or 4th class sections of an approach or walk-off. I sometimes use my teeth as a phone carrier, but more often when I have to climb, I find a flat(ish) spot on the rock above, set down the phone face down (I don't want the camera lens covers to get scratched), climb, then reach down and grab the phone and place it on the next flat spot. If there are no flat spots the phone goes in the teeth or backpack.
As a result, Rick's Lifeproof has teeth marks on the edges, mine has scratches across the front (I have the Lifeproof case with the complete plastic front cover). Both of our phones are surviving a daily barrage of assaults and the Lifeproof case is absolutely the reason why.
Photo credit: Stefani Dawn