Good
Update looks awesome
Nice App
Great Info, Poor App
Response from developer
We appreciate he feedback. We are working on improving our offline maps and functionalilty.
Worst offroad app
This app is extremely expensive at $60 and now feels to me like a complete rip-off.
This app just offers you the GPS track in pink.
It is not color coded like in the books. You need to refer to the book to see the color of the current portion of the trail.
None of the book text is present in the App.
You still need to hold the book in your hands while driving.
I had dowloaded the offline map for my trail.
The map is basically useless : best case, it’s just yellow. you do not see the other roads. At an intersection, there is no intersection, just the pink track you’re on. So no way to know if a bypass or a shortcut exists. Refer to a paper map for that.
Worst case, the screen turns black, the pink track disappears and you just have a blue dot in the middle of the black screen. Of course it happened to me while I was navigating tight switchbacks with scary drops on the side in Moab.
( I wish I could add screenshots to this review to show you how bad it is).
Finally, unlike Google Maps, Apple Maps, this app does not keep the screen on. While getting bashed on boulders in steep descents, I had to constantly reenter my six digit passcode to wake up the phone.
This app is a complete rip-off. I wish I could be refunded.
You’re way better drawing your GPX track into Gaia than using this app.
Response from developer
We are sorry your expectations were not met with this product. We believe customer satisfaction is #1. Please reach out to us through our website or email us at books@funtreks.com and we can make sure you are refunded.
Mixed thoughts
It’s okay
Response from developer
A search feature has been added. Thank you for your suggestion!
Outstanding app
Maps
Buy only if you have the books
I have the books but since they are useless without a track, I had to buy the app just to get the tracks.
If you off road, you know that there is very likely there will be many off shoots and confusing intersections when you adventure. No book could compensate for an actual gpx track.
Since I have the books from this company but in the field is very cumbersome to use, I had to buy the tracks.
Now for the app review
The only good: Is needed in conjuncture with the books
The bad:
- inconsistent trail ratings (i.e. found same trail in Phoenix area is rated both blue and red)
- rating system green blue black is absolutely not sufficient to grade off road trails, a scale of 1 to 10 would be better (i.e. I went on some blue trails that were not equal, one would have been a 4 and the other more like a 6 and that is a big difference)
- you cannot download the satellite view for the surrounding area next to the track (there are free open source satellite view maps and I do not know why they did not bother to at least make the surrounding area next to a track downloadable); as soon as you lose signal, you lose the satellite view (and you always lose cell signal off-road)
- price is high when only purpose is to complement the books
In short, there are better free sources with very detailed description and photos and gpx tracks that you can use if you have a gps unit or other navigation app you could import.
Overall I find the book and app combo from Fun Treks to be just average. I just use them to get a general idea what trail to search for in an area I travel.
Response from developer
Dear klein78: As the owner of the company, I can't deny your review really got my attention. As one 4-wheeler to another, tip-of-the-hat for getting this off your chest. Man, I'm really sorry you are so unhappy with our stuff. If you have some time, call the office toll-free at 877-222-7623 and ask for me. If I'm out driving trails, I'll get back to you as soon as I can. I use the app a lot and maybe I can help you out.
Worth the money!
Tim
Response from developer
Thank you, Tim. We've rewritten the app description to make it clearer which areas the app covers. Although the original description stated Colorado, Arizona, California and Moab, Utah, we think the new description drives the point home. We are a close-knit family of long-time Jeepers and hate to disappoint. We invite you to call us toll-free at 877-222-7623 to discuss how we might regain your confidence.
Book is Better
I already have a book so I thought the app would be great in order for me to keep my eyes on the trail. Great in theory buy not in practice.
While this app will get you to the trail head, or the end, you won't get much out of it after that other than a pink line showing the suggested route. Directions to the trailhead use Apple maps so if you have Apple Carplay and want to see it on the bigger screen it's great. But now that you are there you have to use the apps map to see the highlighted pink route... which isn't projected on the head unit cause Carplay doesn't work with 3rd party apps. Even if you install the specific trail map to your device, get to the trailhead, then decide to have the app route you to the end of the trail using the default Apple Maps it won't work cause you probably have no service.
I found myself still using the book and glancing down every once in awhile to make sure I was on the right path but the book is written so well you don't need the app. This is not a $60 app IMO since it doesn't replace the book but is a minor supplementation to it. Make it $20 and it's easier to justify but you can get to the trailhead using the GPS coordinates in the book and download offline maps using Google.
Without turn by turn directions and Apple's inability to display 3rd party apps as of writing this there's not much to see here.
Response from developer
Thank you MDK210 for taking time to review our app. We've taken your comments into consideration and have refined the app description to make it clearer how the app works. The purpose of the app was to consolidate all of our GPS trail data into one handy device that people already own, thus eliminating the need to buy a regular GPS unit. We're sorry the app didn't meet your expectations. Our guarantee says "We promise to do whatever it takes to make you happy," so please call us toll-free at 877-222-7623 and a friendly, knowledgeable person will help you out. Please check out our website, www.funtreks.com. Every trail in the website is covered separately and, if applicable, includes trail updates to keep you abreast of changes. We also send updates directly to customers who have signed up for our free email newsletter. An upcoming blog will feature a story about new "trail-tested" ways to use the app.
Easy to use
Response from developer
Thanks for taking the time to review our app. We, too, would love to get to Nevada and the rest of Utah. Lately, it's just been a challenge keeping up with our existing books. Right now we are re-driving trails in Arizona for a new edition of that book. We have been posting quite a few updates on the trail pages of our website. We also send out updates in a free email newsletter you might want to sign up for since there is so much on Arizona right now.
Best off-road App I've used
Disappointed NOTHING like the book
I'll keep it because I have the AZ book and I can use it to track my location on the trail but otherwise you need to buy the book to get the real info. DISAPPOINTED!!!! Don't buy the app!!!
Response from developer
Thank you Qtn55ax. We took a look at our app description and agree with you that it didn't make it absolutely clear that the app is intended to be used with the book. Our last update of the app (April 2019) has a new description that clarifies this issue. The purpose of the app was to consolidate all of our GPS trail data into one handy device that people already own, thus eliminating the need to buy a regular GPS unit. We experimented with many different colors for the track line. The color we picked showed up best against all the different background colors that appear. Technical factors didn't allow us to color code the trails like in the book. We note your review is over 2 years old and we apologize for taking so long to respond. If you are still unhappy with the app, give us a call, toll-free, at 877-222-7623 and we'll refund your money. In the last 2 years, we've used the app on hundreds of trails and have discovered some handy new ways to use the app, even for non-trail use. In the next week or so, we will be publishing an article on our blog outlining these tips. This will be posted soon on our website at www.funtreks.com. We also post trail updates on the site as well as in our free email newsletter.
Excellent App!
Only minor opportunity for improvement is when the device is on the edge of cell service, I get repeated pop-up warnings that the app is going into offline mode. Would like an option to permanently dismiss these pop-ups as they can get annoying after awhile.
Definitely recommend this app for off roaders!
