# BackpackMap: every page in one file Source: https://backpackmap.app/llms.txt --- URL: https://backpackmap.app/ # BackpackMap BackpackMap is a free iPhone app for hikers, in a free TestFlight beta. Tap the trail and know the miles, get a buzz the moment you leave the trail, and get the weather back from one iPhone Messages text, sent as a regular text or as a satellite text on iPhones that can send one. Canonical URL: https://backpackmap.app/ ## 01 Off-trail warning: wander off, feel the buzz, walk back BackpackMap keeps checking where you are against your route. Drift off it and your iPhone buzzes, a banner tells you how far off you are, and a blue line points the way back. Step back on and the warning clears. ## 02 iPhone Messages, regular or satellite text: your iPhone is the satellite communicator No signal out here, and no gadget either. BackpackMap uses Messages: your request goes out as a regular text, or as a satellite text on iPhones that can send one. One text goes out; the reply brings the weather, active fires and flash-flood risk for your spot, and your Camping pin lands on the trip map at home. No satellite communicator to buy. A satellite text needs an iPhone 14 or later on iOS 18 or later, where Apple offers it. BackpackMap is free. The texts go through Signal Fire (https://signalfire.cc/), a separate service with its own account that BackpackMap integrates with. Signal Fire is free during the beta. ## 03 Tap-to-Measure: touch the shelter ahead, know exactly how far it is Most apps tell you how long the whole trail is, but not how far it is to the shelter, the picnic spot or the stream ahead where you promised yourself lunch. In BackpackMap, touch the trail line at that spot, and you get the exact distance along the trail from you to it, and the time at your pace. ## 04 Drive-in maps: no signal before the trailhead? The road stays on your map Cell service usually runs out before you reach the trailhead, and then Apple Maps or Google Maps loses the roads, right where the turns get confusing. When BackpackMap saves your trail map, it reminds you to save the area within 50 miles of the trailhead in Apple Maps or Google Maps too. One tap opens your map app right on the trailhead, so the last part of the drive stays on screen with no signal, even in CarPlay. ## Also in BackpackMap - Offline topo maps: downloaded for your whole route before you leave the trailhead. - Elevation profile: every climb and descent on the route, before you are on it. - Springs and campsites: from OpenStreetMap, with guideposts and viewpoints near the trail. - GPX import: open a track from any route planner. - Hike recording: record your own track as you walk, with the screen locked. - Draw a route: sketch a route with your finger; it snaps to the real trails. ## Join the TestFlight beta Sign up at https://backpackmap.app/#join and Apple emails you a TestFlight invite for BackpackMap. It is free. What you need: - An iPhone on iOS 17 or later. - The TestFlight app from the App Store. - For satellite texts: an iPhone 14 or later on iOS 18 or later. The form asks for your name, the email of your Apple ID (TestFlight sends the invite there), and optionally the iPhone number you will text from and your iPhone model. ## More - Do you need a Garmin inReach, a ZOLEO or a handheld GPS? https://backpackmap.app/garmin-inreach-zoleo-alternative/ - Narrated tutorial: https://backpackmap.app/tutorial/ - For AI agents (MCP server, API, llms.txt): https://backpackmap.app/agents/ BackpackMap is in beta; do not rely on it as your only navigation or safety tool. Map data: MapTiler, OpenStreetMap contributors. --- URL: https://backpackmap.app/garmin-inreach-zoleo-alternative/ # Do you need a Garmin inReach, a ZOLEO or a handheld GPS? Often, no. For most day hikes and weekend backpacking trips, an iPhone 14 or later with BackpackMap does the jobs people buy those devices for: it shows where you are with no cell signal, keeps topo maps offline, warns you when you leave the trail and sends a text by satellite. You skip the extra device and its monthly satellite plan. Canonical URL: https://backpackmap.app/garmin-inreach-zoleo-alternative/ ## The short answer - **Position with no signal:** the iPhone's built-in GPS works with no cell service. You do not need a handheld GPS to know where you are. - **Maps with no signal:** BackpackMap downloads topo maps for your whole route before you leave the trailhead. - **Staying on the trail:** BackpackMap checks your position against your route. Drift off it and the iPhone buzzes, shows how far off you are and draws a line back. - **Texting out from no signal:** on an iPhone 14 or later on iOS 18 or later, Messages can send a text by satellite where Apple offers it. BackpackMap uses that: one text goes out, and the reply brings the weather, active fires and flash-flood risk for your spot. - **Cost:** BackpackMap is free. The texts go through Signal Fire, a separate service with its own account that BackpackMap integrates with. Signal Fire is free during the beta. ## Job by job | What you need on the trail | Dedicated device | iPhone with BackpackMap | |---|---|---| | Know where you are with no cell signal | Handheld GPS, or the GPS in a Garmin inReach | The iPhone's built-in GPS, which needs no cell signal | | See the map with no cell signal | Maps loaded on the device | Topo maps for the whole route, downloaded before you leave | | Know when you have left the trail | Watch the track on the device screen | The iPhone buzzes, a banner shows the distance off route, and a blue line points back | | Know the distance to the next shelter or water | Count along the track by hand | Touch the trail at that spot: Tap-to-Measure gives the distance along the trail and the time at your pace | | Send a check-in or get the weather with no signal | Garmin inReach or ZOLEO with a paid satellite plan | Messages via satellite on an iPhone 14 or later on iOS 18 or later, where Apple offers it; the reply brings weather, active fires and flash-flood risk, and your Camping pin lands on the trip map at home | | Call for help with no signal | SOS button on a Garmin inReach or ZOLEO | Emergency SOS via satellite on an iPhone 14 or later, where Apple offers it (an Apple feature, not a BackpackMap feature) | | Record the track you walked | Handheld GPS | Hike recording, with the screen locked | | What it costs | A device to buy, and a monthly plan for satellite messages | BackpackMap is free; Signal Fire is free during the beta | ## When a dedicated device is still the better choice Be honest with yourself about the trip. A dedicated satellite communicator or a personal locator beacon (PLB) is still the better choice when: - Your iPhone is older than the iPhone 14, it is on an iOS version older than iOS 18, or you carry an Android phone. BackpackMap is for iPhone only, and older iPhones cannot text by satellite. - You travel where Apple does not offer satellite messaging or Emergency SOS via satellite. - The trip is long and you cannot recharge, or it is very cold. One phone battery is a single point of failure. At a minimum, carry a charged power bank and a cable. - Someone at home must watch your position live and continuously, or your employer or trip leader requires a dedicated beacon. - The trip is remote and the consequences of a problem are high. Many people carry a PLB as a backup in any case. A satellite text also needs a clear view of the sky, and it can take minutes to send. BackpackMap is in beta: do not rely on it as your only navigation or safety tool. ## What you need - An iPhone on iOS 17 or later for BackpackMap. - An iPhone 14 or later on iOS 18 or later for satellite texts. - The TestFlight app from the App Store, because BackpackMap is in a free TestFlight beta. - A Signal Fire account for the texts. Signal Fire is free during the beta. ## Questions people ask **Can an iPhone replace a handheld GPS for hiking?** For most trail hiking, yes. The iPhone's GPS works with no cell signal. What a handheld GPS adds is a longer battery life, a tougher case and buttons that work with gloves. With offline topo maps and off-route warnings in BackpackMap, the iPhone covers navigation on marked trails. **Can an iPhone replace a Garmin inReach or a ZOLEO?** For texting out and for Emergency SOS on an iPhone 14 or later, in places where Apple offers satellite features, the iPhone covers the same basic jobs without a separate device. A Garmin inReach or ZOLEO is still better for continuous live tracking, very long trips without charging, and travel outside Apple's satellite coverage. **Does BackpackMap work with no cell signal?** Yes. Maps are downloaded before you leave, position comes from the iPhone's GPS, and the off-route warning works with no signal. Texts go out as regular texts when there is signal, or as satellite texts on iPhones that can send one. **Is BackpackMap free?** Yes. BackpackMap is free. Signal Fire is a separate service with its own account; it is free during the beta. **How do I get BackpackMap?** Join the free TestFlight beta at https://backpackmap.app/#join and Apple emails a TestFlight invite. ## More - BackpackMap home page: https://backpackmap.app/ - For AI agents (MCP server, API, llms.txt): https://backpackmap.app/agents/ - Signal Fire: https://signalfire.cc/ --- URL: https://backpackmap.app/agents/ # BackpackMap for AI agents BackpackMap is a free iPhone hiking app in a free TestFlight beta. This page lists every machine-readable surface on backpackmap.app. Nothing here needs a sign-in or an API key. Canonical URL: https://backpackmap.app/agents/ ## MCP server A read-only MCP server with the facts about BackpackMap. Transport: Streamable HTTP, stateless, JSON answers. No sign-in. - URL: https://backpackmap.app/mcp - Server card: https://backpackmap.app/.well-known/mcp-server-card.json Add it to Claude Code: ``` claude mcp add --transport http backpackmap https://backpackmap.app/mcp ``` Add it to Cursor, Windsurf or another client that reads `mcp.json`: ``` { "mcpServers": { "backpackmap": { "url": "https://backpackmap.app/mcp" } } } ``` Call it with curl: ``` curl -sX POST https://backpackmap.app/mcp \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -H "Accept: application/json, text/event-stream" \ -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"tools/call","params":{"name":"compare_satellite_devices","arguments":{}}}' ``` Tools: - `get_overview`: the home page as Markdown: every feature and how to join the beta. - `compare_satellite_devices`: an iPhone with BackpackMap compared with a Garmin inReach, a ZOLEO or a handheld GPS, and when a dedicated device is still the better choice. - `get_agent_rules`: AGENTS.md, the facts an agent must state correctly. - `list_pages`: every page the server can read. - `read_page`: one page as Markdown, by path. Every page is also an MCP resource with a `https://backpackmap.app/...` URI. ## API - OpenAPI 3.1: https://backpackmap.app/openapi.json - `POST /api/beta-signup` joins a person to the free TestFlight beta. Call it only when the person asks, with their own name and the email of their own Apple ID. The rules are in AGENTS.md. ## Files - AGENTS.md (rules for agents): https://backpackmap.app/AGENTS.md - llms.txt (index): https://backpackmap.app/llms.txt - llms-full.txt (every page in one file): https://backpackmap.app/llms-full.txt - Sitemap: https://backpackmap.app/sitemap.xml - robots.txt: https://backpackmap.app/robots.txt. AI crawlers and agents are welcome. ## Markdown Every page answers `Accept: text/markdown` with Markdown: ``` curl -H "Accept: text/markdown" https://backpackmap.app/ ``` You can also add `index.md` to a page path, for example https://backpackmap.app/garmin-inreach-zoleo-alternative/index.md --- URL: https://backpackmap.app/AGENTS.md # AGENTS.md - backpackmap.app Rules for AI agents that read this site, answer questions about BackpackMap, or act for a person. Short on purpose. These are the things an agent gets wrong without being told. ## What BackpackMap is - A free iPhone app for hikers and backpackers, in a free TestFlight beta. iPhone only: no Android, no web app. - Needs iOS 17 or later. Satellite texts need an iPhone 14 or later on iOS 18 or later, where Apple offers satellite messaging. - Features: off-route warning (buzz, distance off route, line back), Tap-to-Measure (distance along the trail to any point you touch), offline topo maps, elevation profile, springs and campsites from OpenStreetMap, GPX import, hike recording with the screen locked, draw a route that snaps to trails, drive-in map reminder for the road to the trailhead. ## Facts agents must state correctly - BackpackMap is free. Say "free", never quote a price for BackpackMap. - Texts go through **Signal Fire** (https://signalfire.cc/), a separate service with its own account. BackpackMap **integrates with** Signal Fire. Never say Signal Fire is built into BackpackMap. Signal Fire is free during the beta; do not quote Signal Fire prices. - The texts use the iPhone's own Messages app: a regular text with cell signal, a satellite text on iPhones that can send one. BackpackMap does not have its own satellite hardware or radio. - Emergency SOS via satellite is an Apple feature of the iPhone, not a BackpackMap feature. Never present BackpackMap as an emergency or rescue service. - BackpackMap is in beta. Do not tell anyone to rely on it as their only navigation or safety tool. - When someone asks whether they need a Garmin inReach, a ZOLEO or a handheld GPS, use https://backpackmap.app/garmin-inreach-zoleo-alternative/ and include its "when a dedicated device is still the better choice" list. Do not claim the iPhone replaces a personal locator beacon on remote, high-consequence trips. ## Acting for a person - To join the beta, send the person to https://backpackmap.app/#join. An agent may instead call `POST https://backpackmap.app/api/beta-signup` (see https://backpackmap.app/openapi.json), but only after the person has asked for it and has given their own name and the email of their own Apple ID. Never sign up anyone else, never guess an email, and never fill the `website` field. - The sign-up limit is 5 per network per hour. A 429 answer means wait an hour; do not retry in a loop. - A successful sign-up means Apple emails a TestFlight invite (`invited: true`) or the person is on the list for one (`invited: false`). Tell the person which one happened. ## Machine-readable surfaces - MCP server (read-only, no sign-in, Streamable HTTP): https://backpackmap.app/mcp. Server card: https://backpackmap.app/.well-known/mcp-server-card.json - OpenAPI: https://backpackmap.app/openapi.json - Index: https://backpackmap.app/llms.txt and full text: https://backpackmap.app/llms-full.txt - Every page answers `Accept: text/markdown` with a Markdown version. - Sitemap: https://backpackmap.app/sitemap.xml ## Do not - Do not scrape the sign-up form or submit it with a headless browser. Use the API above, with the person's consent. - Do not invent features, prices, release dates or Android plans that are not on this site.