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My 11 year old and his friend have taken to doing a few short MTB rides recently, they are getting more confident and would like to go a bit further and explore the area.
The only issue is they tend to get a bit carried away and I am not confident that they could find their way back if they take a wrong turn and I am also not confident that they would be able to explain to me where they are if they had a mechanical or crash - I am on a long rutted track with some green hedges and a farmers field etc.
Does anybody use a GPS real time tracker that I could stick in his pocket in case it is needed? My first idea was a cheap Android phone with a tracking app but thought I'd check if there was something more suitable.
Garmin (some) devices have a live track function but need a mobile with data to work so might as well just use the phone.
apple and I think android have this functionality built in but I’d use something like view ranger it has a buddy beacon function and more detailed mapping to help find / talk them out.
Brat Nav.
We just track them on Find my Iphone
You don't really need a tracking device, just a phone with a map. This also means they will be able to work out where they are if there's no signal (the GPS will still work) though of course not call for help in that case.
I don't see a downside to just using a phone. 1. It lets him call for help if something happens. 2. It lets you call him to provide directions (or potentially him to use google maps) rather than waiting hoping you will come find him. 3. he's 11 - you will be buying him a phone soon enough! 4. a tracker will require a phone contract anyway...
We use live tracking in Google maps (Android phone) when son (14) goes out on road bike - he only turns it on for that - as the search area is potentially much bigger - and covering areas he is less familiar with. Usually on the MTB he is distances he could walk home eventually if he had a mechanical.
You don’t really need a tracking device, just a phone with a map. This also means they will be able to work out where they are if there’s no signal (the GPS will still work) though of course not call for help in that case.
Whilst that can work, the default mapping apps will unhelpfully not display a map without a data connection. You can of course get other mapping apps to address that (or cache maps) - but the time to discover this is not when lost! Whilst the phone will help guide him - I'd also just caution that in a bit of a panic 11yr olds can sometimes get more lost, when presented with this sort of information; whilst maps on phones "make it easy" it doesn't guarantee he can find his way home by a sensible (or safe) route.
Thanks for the feedback, seems a phone will be the way to go. As mentioned, it wont be long and I'll need to get him one anyway.
I've tried the garmin live tracking, it's very unreliable
Best app I've found is Glympse. Seems to use the lowest amount of data and you don't need a login to view the map. He just sets how long he wants it to be live for and you get emailed a link to a map. If you have several people to track you can create a group and see them all. Works nicely
I've got friends who use google maps tracking and that also seems to work nicely. Never checked the data on that though as I had already bought into Glympse at that point. Should really give it a go
Whilst that can work, the default mapping apps will unhelpfully not display a map without a data connection.
They will. Google maps lets you download areas for offline use. It even prompts you to do so if you plan a route into it when it knows there will be flaky data services on the way.
As above, google maps is all you need for this, download map areas offline (they use very little space, the whole of the Alps from west of Lake Geneva to the Italian border with Slovenia is 700MB). Navigation also works when you've got offline maps. Turn on location sharing and you're good to go.
Am I missing something, there are a good few recommendations for google maps but the don’t seem to have foot paths and bridle ways on there when I look on my iPad or phone?
if you have a pheon with data, then Glympse. If you have lots of money, a SPOT tracker
Pre download trailforks, komoot or viewranger for maps with trails on.
We have Google Trusted Contacts as our BratNav.
Great to hear they are out and about. Ours do, and have dealt with some punctures, busted bikes (blag free train ride) and poor weather. Perfect life preparation.
To add - the time to worry is when 16yr old and bike gets 7am saturday train to Edinburgh, meet another 17yr old pal and drive to Golfie... And didn't return until 8pm...
Or next week when 15yr old rides to Lochearnhead,with pals on road next weekend....
Thump is 12 and goes wander about in the woods on his own or with a friend.
I bought a Lezyne GPS for tracking him but the Google Maps live tracking will be more use going forward.
I know the area where he's riding but the fun bit is trying to get him to explain it in a way that I understand. The only time we've had a problem so far is when he got a puncture and had forgotten his pump. Then the Lezyne pump I delivered to him failed. Pah!
poly, well I was assuming use of one of the decent mapping apps - i use outdoorsgps and have 1:50000 os maps loaded up and fully usable at all times. I wouldn't like to rely on google for MTBing that's for sure.
I use glympse for longer solo rides, and also while driving and on the motorbike. Means wife can have a quick check of where I am when she's interested, rather than waiting until she's worried, then waiting a bit more until she thinks it won't seem silly for her to be worried, then call me, and find I don't answer, then start wondering whether I've got my phone on silent, enjoying a downhill, or if I'm dead in a ditch.
Also means I don't have to think about when she might want to hear from me, then not call for a while after as I keep thinking I'll call at the top of the hill, then at the bottom of the next, then be out of signal.
NeverAlone is an Italian GPS tracker that we've got, it was a requirement for a couple of the Italian bikepacking events we've done. It doesn't seem to kill batteries too much.
Buy OS map, give lessons in reading, never have a lost child in the wilds again.
I spent my 11+s roaming the Southern Uplands after being taught to read a map and never got lost.
But just a cheap phone will do, just use the "find my phone" functionality!
But you could give them a copy of Viewranger too.
To update this one. We picked up an android phone and have been using glympse, so far so good.
If you use WhatsApp you can do a live track in that.
Click the + icon, then select location, and then 'Share live location'
If lots of money, the Garmin InReach GPS tracker. Less money, an el-cheapo eTrex unit. Less than that, a mapping app on the phone that - crucially - will spit out a grid reference without a data connection (quite rare to be totally out of any phone coverage now short of most of the Lakes / Wales / Scotland).
Bit of a mixed bag whether or not the police or ambulance will accept grid references though. Apparently their computer will, but the call operator may not be trained. Mountain rescue and air ambulance are obviously far more capable.