Backpackers Friend

The multi-day backpacking app most hiking apps never became. Offline maps, battery-saver GPS, gear checklists, all on-device. No AI. No cloud. No account. Just the trail.

Backpackers Friend is built for multi-day and thru-hike trips — not adapted from a day-hike app. Plan your route with trail-snapped GPS navigation, cache your maps before you lose signal, and track every mile from trailhead to summit. Everything runs on-device. No account required. No cloud. Just you and the trail.

PLAN YOUR TRIP

Draw your route on the map and watch it snap to real trail networks. Add waypoints — campsites, water sources, summits, trailheads — and organize them by day. The app uses OpenStreetMap trail data and a three-tier routing engine to find the best path, even in areas with sparse trail coverage. Backpackers Friend comes pre-loaded with 16 iconic multi-day routes including the John Muir Trail, sections of the PCT, and the Enchantments — fully planned with waypoints and elevation data, so you can explore on day one without building anything from scratch.

NAVIGATE OFFLINE

Download map tiles for your entire trip before you leave the trailhead. OSM raster and USGS Topo are both available. Once cached, your maps work completely offline — no cell service, no Wi-Fi, no problem. The app automatically caches tiles for each trip's bounding box so you're never caught without a map.

TRACK EVERY MILE

Hit GO at the trailhead and Backpackers Friend tracks your route, records GPS fixes, and measures distance, elevation gain, pace, and splits. Your activity history builds over time — every trip logged, every mile counted, every summit recorded. Achievements track what matters to backpackers: lifetime distance milestones, first summit, first completed thru-hike segment, multi-trip streaks, and more. Every trip you finish adds to a history worth keeping.

FREE FEATURES

◆ Unlimited trip creation with waypoints ◆ Trail-snapped GPS route drawing ◆ Online maps — OSM raster and USGS Topo ◆ Live GPS tracking and activity recording ◆ Full activity history and lifetime stats ◆ 16 pre-built iconic routes to explore on day one

BACKPACKERS FRIEND PREMIUM

◆ Gear checklist with weight tracking by category ◆ Background GPS tracking when your screen is locked ◆ Off-trail alerts when you stray from your route ◆ Elevation profiles for every route ◆ Battery-saver GPS mode

Premium is a monthly or annual subscription. Cancel anytime.

WHO IT'S FOR

PCT section hikers. JMT planners. First-time overnighters. Anyone who has ever tried to plan a multi-day trip in a day-hike app and felt the gap. Backpackers Friend is built specifically for the moment you leave the trailhead and don't come back for days.

NO ACCOUNT. NO CLOUD. NO TRACKING.

Every piece of data — trips, routes, gear lists, activity history, achievements — lives in a database on your phone. Nothing is sent to a server. No account to create, no password to forget. The core app is free and fully functional without ever opening your wallet. Backpackers Friend was built on a simple principle: your data belongs to you, your maps work when signal doesn't, and the best planning tool for a multi-day wilderness trip shouldn't require a Wi-Fi connection to function. Whether you're planning your first overnight or your fifth JMT attempt, Backpackers Friend gives you the tools serious backpackers actually need — without the bloat or the requirement to be online to use them. Download free. No account needed. Just open the app and start planning.

Privacy Policy: https://backpackersfriend.app/privacy Terms of Use (EULA): https://backpackersfriend.app/terms