First Impression
I downloaded this app last fall after the one I used for years started crashing every time I tried to save a route. My first thought was that Backpacker™ Go! looked a bit simple, maybe even boring. I set it up on a Tuesday night while helping my son with his homework. The profile setup asked about interests like “family-friendly trails” and “picnic spots,” which felt more relevant to me than extreme sports stuff. I was skeptical, but I loaded up a map of our local state park for a test run that weekend. It didn’t blow me away with flashy graphics, but everything was right where I expected it to be. That’s a good start for a parent who doesn’t have time to fiddle with complicated tech.
What It Does Well
This app is fantastic for keeping things simple and safe. The offline maps are the main reason I stuck with it. Last month, we drove out to Shenandoah for a day hike. About twenty minutes in, my phone lost all bars. My old app would have just shown a blank grid, but Backpacker™ Go! still had our trail clearly marked with my little blue dot moving along it. I didn’t panic because I could still see exactly where we were and how to get back to the parking lot. The budget tracker is another win for family trips. I set a $50 limit for our “after-hike snacks and souvenirs” fund. Every time one of the kids begged for a fancy granola bar or a park magnet, I’d tap the app and log it. Watching the budget bar go down was a great visual lesson for them on spending. It stopped the “can I have this?” chorus pretty quickly.
Where It Falls Short
The social part of the app, the Travel Community tab, is a mixed bag and honestly makes me a little cautious. I glanced at it once to see if there were any tips about a trail being muddy. While I did find that info, I also saw a few posts from users sharing their exact, real-time location, asking to meet up with other travelers. That’s a feature I immediately turned off and made sure my kids couldn’t access. For a family-focused tool, that kind of open social interaction feels out of place and is a potential safety concern. Also, while the ads in the free version aren’t terrible, they sometimes pop up as short videos right when I’m trying to quickly check the map. My daughter grabbed my phone once to look at the trail and a loud ad for a mobile game started playing. Not the end of the world, but annoying.
Is It Worth the Price?
The free version is absolutely good enough for what most families need. The core features—finding trails, offline maps, and basic budget tracking—are all there without paying a cent. The ads are mostly banners, and you learn to ignore them. I’ve considered the premium subscription just to get rid of the occasional video ad, but I haven’t pulled the trigger yet. If we were planning a big, multi-day camping trip somewhere totally remote, I might pay for the premium offline layers with weather info. For our usual Saturday adventures, free works perfectly fine. They’re not locking essential safety features behind a paywall, which I appreciate.
Developer & Support
I haven’t had any major problems that made me contact support, so I can’t speak to their responsiveness. From what I see in the App Store reviews, other people have had mixed experiences—some say they got help quickly, others say they never got a reply. The app itself has been very stable on my iPhone. I’ve noticed it update a few times since I got it, usually with notes about “updated trail data for North Carolina state parks” or minor bug fixes. It seems like the developer, Qiiwi Games, is at least maintaining it and adding new trail info, which is a good sign. An abandoned app is a red flag for me.
Privacy & Safety
This was my biggest question before letting my kids look at the app with me. I dug into the privacy settings right away. You can make your profile completely private, which I did. I also disabled the “share my location with the community” option. The app needs your location to work, obviously, but the privacy policy is pretty clear about it being used for the map and not sold to third parties. I feel okay about it. As I mentioned, the open social feed is a downside, but since you can avoid it entirely and lock it down, it’s a manageable issue. For a parent, having that control is crucial.
How do offline maps work in Backpacker™ Go!?
Offline maps allow you to download trail maps ahead of time so you can navigate even without cell service. Your current location shows as a blue dot on the map, making it easy to follow trails and find your way back to the parking lot.
Can I use the budget tracker for family trips?
Yes, the budget tracker lets you set a spending limit for things like snacks or souvenirs and log each purchase. It turns budgeting into a visual game, which is great for teaching kids about spending on the go.
Why does my location keep disappearing on the map?
This usually happens if your phone’s GPS signal is weak or if you haven’t fully downloaded the map for offline use. Make sure to download the area map while you have a strong signal, and check that location services are enabled for the app.
How do I turn off the location sharing in the Travel Community tab?
Go to the app’s privacy or settings menu and look for the option to disable real-time location sharing in the community features. This stops other users from seeing your exact spot, which is a good safety step if you prefer privacy.
How does Backpacker™ Go! compare to AllTrails?
Backpacker™ Go! focuses more on simplicity and family-friendly features like picnic spots and a budget tracker, while AllTrails offers a larger database of user reviews and photos. For offline maps, Backpacker™ Go! is just as reliable, but it’s less cluttered and easier for parents to use quickly.
