Comparison

PackLight for Backpacking vs Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

PackLight for Backpacking

This app helps backpackers create lightweight packing lists by organizing gear, tracking weights, and visualizing their impact. It allows users to build custom lists, share them, and even import from other services. An optional supporter edition unlocks advanced features for a one-time purchase.

Highlights
  • Organize gear by name, weight, and category
  • Build weight-aware packing lists
  • Visualize pack weight impact
  • Packing checklist functionality
  • Share packing lists via link or CSV
  • Import lists from LighterPack
  • Offline access to data
Features
Read full description

Keep your pack weight down and never forget crucial gear with PackLight, the packing list app for backpackers. Get PackLight today and be confident that you have exactly what you need - and only what you need - on your next adventure. CORE FEATURES (100% free / no sign up / no ads) - Organize Your Gear -- Inventory your gear by name, weight, and category. - Build Packing Lists -- Use your gear to build weight-aware packing lists. - Keep Your Backpack Light -- Instantly see how your gear choices impact pack weight. - Packing Checklist -- Check off items as you pack to ensure nothing is forgotten. - Share Packing Lists -- Post your list on packlightapp.com and share a link or send a CSV of your list to anyone. - Visualize Weight Distribution -- Use the bar graph to compare gear categories. - Custom Categories -- Organize items your way with your own categories. - Import From LighterPack -- Don't start from scratch - import your LighterPack lists (unaffiliated). - Offline Access -- Access your data even off the grid. Works without internet. ADVANCED FEATURES (Supporter Edition) Supporter Edition is a one-time purchase that supports ongoing maintenance and improvements to PackLight and grants permanent access to these advanced features: - Kits for Quick Packing -- Create kits to group items that you normally pack together, like a first aid kit or cooking gear, so you can add them all to a list at once. - Unlimited Base Lists -- Create new packing lists based on any combination of your other lists and kits. - Inventory Search -- Quickly find gear in your inventory. ABOUT PACKLIGHT PackLight was originally built for my own use and published free on the App Store to share with other backpackers. All of the core features are still free and always will be and it's been great to see PackLight become a favorite for so many! Thank you! If you think PackLight has earned it, I'd really appreciate your honest rating and review. They help a lot and I read every last one. Got an idea for improvement? Email me any time with feedback or feature requests at packlightapp@gmail.com.

About

Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness

Explore topographic maps of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and Superior National Forest. This app offers offline access to detailed maps, ensuring your privacy by not tracking your location or collecting analytics.

Highlights
  • Topographic maps of BWCAW and Superior National Forest
  • Offline map access
  • Privacy-focused: no location tracking or analytics
  • High-performance vector and raster maps
  • Intuitive touch controls for navigation
Read full description

Please see the full map at http://RobLabs.com/ntier What to see — Featured locations from Ely, Minnesota to Prairie Portage - Topographic map of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and Superior National Forest The map is based on US Forest Service 7.5 quadrangles. Your privacy, your trip — After the initial download from the Apple App Store, no server is necessary — We don't track your location — We don't have analytics in our app — We don't care where you go, we just want you to enjoy yourself safely eπ Maps is powered by Open GL with high performance vector based maps built with Open Map Tiles, and high performance raster maps built with GDAL and WebP. Usage — Pan to move — Pinch to zoom — Use two fingers to rotate — Double-tap to zoom in one level — Two-finger single-tap to zoom out one level — Double-tap, long-pressing the second, then pan up and down to "quick zoom" (one hand mode) Legal — Publisher assumes no liability for safety or condition of roads or trails. Map is not intended for navigational use and is not represented to be correct in every aspect. Consult federal, state, and local laws for current regulations. — © OpenStreetMap contributors — © Open DEM, Open Database License (OdBL) — Please see the full terms and conditions at http://RobLabs.com/Legal

Screenshots

PackLight for Backpacking4 screens
Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: PackLight for Backpacking at 95% against Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness's 0%. PackLight for Backpacking also leads on rating (4.8 vs 2.0) and ratings volume (1K vs 14). Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and device support (3 vs 1). On price and ads there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. PackLight for Backpacking sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

PackLight for Backpacking holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 2.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PackLight for Backpacking has 1K ratings behind it against 14, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 95% of PackLight for Backpacking's written reviews are positive against 0% of Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness's.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
PackLight for Backpacking versus Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPackLight for BackpackingBoundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (1K ratings) — better2.0 (14 ratings)
Positive reviews95.2% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings1K — better14
Update frequencyEvery 2 months—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.08.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size4 MB64 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMark OliveiraePi Rational, Inc.

Customer experience

PackLight for Backpacking

All ratings991 ratings
Positive95.8%
Neutral3.0%
Negative1.2%
Written reviews146 reviews
Positive95.2%
Neutral2.7%
Negative2.1%

Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness

All ratings14 ratings
Positive7.1%
Neutral28.6%
Negative64.3%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral100.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

PackLight for Backpacking

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Occasional issues with alphabetical sorting of lists
  • Reported bug with displaying the correct list when selected

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add ability to track purchase price and date for gear items
  • Implement custom category creation
  • Include option to add notes and details to gear items
  • Implement cloud sync and backup functionality
  • Add sharing capabilities to easily collaborate with others

Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

PackLight for Backpacking

One-time1
  • Supporter Edition$19.99
None

Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is PackLight for Backpacking free?
PackLight for Backpacking is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness free?
Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, PackLight for Backpacking or Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness?
PackLight for Backpacking is rated higher. PackLight for Backpacking averages 4.8 out of 5 from 1K ratings, while Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness averages 2.0 from 14 ratings.
Do PackLight for Backpacking or Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness have ads?
Neither PackLight for Backpacking nor Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness shows ads.

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