I like to go down the less traveled roads/ places where time seems not to matter. Most of all I love mountain back roads and love to camp in national forest, hidden away places.

Is there a GPS that will give me a decided advantage for this type of traveling?

Wife and I went on our anniversary trip this last year,  Spent ~2 weeks living out of the camper just poking around montana, no real plan, just going day by day.  

 

Used our Cell phones and a trusty paper map.  There is a great app for your phone called " free campsites".  It takes your current location and plots any campsite in the area.  All o fwhich are inputted by users.  You will find a TON of great off the beaten path places to camp. 

 

I have always been a fan of paper maps for finding back roads.

 

Only real downfall to it was cell service was sometimes not around, but that is becoming less and less of an issue.  

That is a great way to go having input from others on camping spots. I still like paper maps too as I've seen GPS users come up a dead end road only to find out it does not go thru  like shown.  Can't be trusted completely I guess.

 

But I love my flip phone

https://freecampsites.net/

 

I've had a handheld Garmin GPS for years.  I can throw it in a backpack , on my dash or I have a mount for my ATV's handlebars.  I can upload topo maps into it, however, I wouldn't allow my life to depend on those maps.  The screen is too small to ever replace a good paper map but it is a good reference.  I have seen a lot of problems with back roads being accurate on map software; either the exist and do not show up on the GPS or the don't exist and do show up on the GPS. 

I always pack a paper map, compass, and grid reader when ever I venture out.

 

I prefer a GPS to a phone as I have never been out of range for satellite signals, and bringing spare AA batteries guarantees that my battery will never go dead. 

I've done Geo Caching. Now this is really pushing the GPS to the limits. It doesn't matter if the map is good or not. The thing is to reach your LAT and LON numbers one way or another. Once you've done some Geo Caching you realize the map part isn't much of a problem. I'm using a Garmin Nuvi 42LM and works nearly flawless. I use favorites quite a bit they are saved by LAT LON numbers. Address look up can be challenging some times but 99% of the time its work good for me. I rarely ever use a GPS for long travel. I'll use it for like for getting across town in traffic or one way city area. 

 

https://www.geocaching.com/play

 

I also use a Garmin GPS V for my search pack. That GPS the maps are totally out of date and no longer even close for travel of roads. Now as for get from point A to point B using LAT / LON not a problem. I've done it many time where I make a way point at the truck then take off hiking any direction. Then I can return back to point A. I've had several times where SAR's provides a LAT / LON and I've always found the point without any issue. Driving roads, hiking, ATVing you name it. 

Thank you everyone.... some good tips. The computer can tell me where some good camp spots are along with others input from reviews. A GPS can tell me  Lat/ Long to keep track of good stays and where National forest boundaries are. Does Google maps give Lat/ Lon? Never have seen that info  on there but, never tried either?

Yes, Google Maps does provide LAT LON numbers. 

 

https://www.google.com/maps/@45.2365164,-116.3393906,15z

 

Look at the URL The LAT (45.2365164) is the first number and the second number is the LON (-116.3393906). The z15 is just the zoom level of the map.

1 hour ago, JAG1 said:

Thank you everyone.... some good tips. The computer can tell me where some good camp spots are along with others input from reviews. A GPS can tell me  Lat/ Long to keep track of good stays and where National forest boundaries are. Does Google maps give Lat/ Lon? Never have seen that info  on there but, never tried either?

right click anywhere in the map and hit "whats here"