These Apps Can Help Keep You Safe While Exploring The Outdoors

Even the most prepared hikers deal with unexpected problems occasionally. Unpredictable weather or a slip can put someone in harm's way. In these kinds of situations, it's helpful to have a device made to handle most problems. Almost everyone has some sort of smartphone now, and it's something you should keep on hand to get important messages or to keep in touch with loved ones, even while out in the wilderness. 

If you go on a lot of adventures (and always take your phone with you), it's a good idea to prepare by downloading a few of the apps below. They can work well in emergencies and help if you lose or break your other equipment. While phones aren't indestructible, they're certainly helpful. When you're hiking in an area with no service, many of these apps can get you somewhere safe where you are able to get a signal and call for help, or will help you get back to a place where you can recognize your surroundings. 

Some of the apps you may already have, like AllTrails, or a compass. However, you might not realize how useful they can be in an emergency. There are also some that are still growing in their potential beneficial capabilities, such as AirFlare. Take a look at all of these apps, whether you own them or not, and see if you're using them to their full capacity, and which ones you may need to add to your device. These five apps are ones with high ratings on their respective app stores and ones mentioned several times on discussion pages for various outdoor adventures. 

Available on Android and Apple devices, AllTrails is a useful app to carry with you as a hiker or explorer no matter what, but it can also double as a safety tool. The app helps give you an idea about any trail you might consider going on, including if it's one-way, the total elevation gain, the length of the trail, and how long most people take to hike it. This is useful to look at when you're considering trying a new path, as you can make sure you have enough supplies before heading out. 

If you invest in AllTrails+, the app has even more safety features, including offline and printable maps, weather reports of the area you're hiking, and the option to share your progress with friends and family so they can make sure you're safe. The paid version is $35.99 a year, which equates to about $2.99 a month. For those regularly hiking and challenging themselves with new and more adventurous hikes, paying for the premium version may be worth the annual cost. 

If you plan your path before you start on AllTrails, it can also tell you if you've gone off-route. Calculating your GPS coordinates and comparing them to the path, the app will alert you if you've headed in the wrong direction. When trails are hard to see, or there are a few and you don't know which one you're supposed to take, it can be helpful to keep you going in the right direction.

There are several OnX app versions, all available on both Android and Apple. Backcountry is more for hikers and explorers, though it also works well for skiing, biking, and rock climbing. Offroad is for those in vehicles, and Hunt is, of course, for hunters. However, they all have some similarities, such as providing you information on what kind of land you're on, so you know if you're somewhere you're allowed to hunt, and if there are trails nearby where hikers might be exploring and not following proper trail etiquette during the hunting season. 

These apps are handy if you're in an area you don't know well. They tell you what kind of land you're on, such as public, private, or national forest, and how close you are to a border between lands. It's important to know which land you are on, so you can be sure you have the right paperwork and hiking permits, if you need one, for your adventure. 

Each app offers several payment plans. The free trial version provides different map layers, satellite maps, and weather based on the location. The premium version, which costs $29.99 to $34.99 a year, provides full offline access to maps, the ability to build your own routes, tracking options, and more. The final option, Elite for $99.99 a year, is the one that tells you the various land types, and plenty of data about the area you're exploring. While it's not much different than AllTrails at assisting you if you get lost, it does save your rear end when it comes to avoiding trespassing on private property and getting in trouble with the landowners. 

If you hurt yourself in the middle of a solo hike, and are unable to make it somewhere you can flag down help, an app like AirFlare can be incredibly useful to have on hand. It is available on the Apple Store and Google Play Store, making it perfect for any solo adventurer. It costs $4.99 a year, though the app often has sales and discounts. 

There are several ways AirFlare helps the user. If you're in an area with decent cell service, but don't know the local numbers to call for the nearest Search and Rescue Team, AirFlare will use your location to provide you assistance. Also, in areas where it's available, there are options to text law enforcement when you don't have enough signal to call, but could still get a message through. 

However, the real reason that AirFlare is so useful is because it can help when a rescue mission is started on your behalf. Teams working with AirFlare will be sent you information and you have a chance to respond and say it's a false alarm. If you don't reply in time, your GPS coordinates will be sent to the Search and Rescue Team. This is incredibly useful as it can be much faster and more precise than having the local police agency ask cell phone tower companies to triangulate your location. When you're not in an area with any signal, the app will help teams find you, even through trees or under snow. The biggest downside with AirFlare is that it doesn't work everywhere. It's still a relatively new program, and not all Search and Rescue Teams incorporate the tool into their gear. 

Even if you've taken first-aid classes, having the app on hand can be incredibly helpful. Sometimes, in stressful moments, it's easy to panic and forget what you know, especially if you've never had to use it before in a real-life situation. In these moments, having a tool to walk you through the process is incredibly helpful. That's where First Aid by American Red Cross comes in handy. Thankfully, the app is available for anyone who has the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store.

The American Red Cross understands how important it is to be able to use this app in case of an emergency. That's why it's available to use for free and without any ads. They even have a pet first aid app in case your pet gets injured on a hike. Additionally, while these apps are beneficial in an outdoor setting, they can also help you in your daily life. If an emergency with your pet, family, or friend occurs, you don't want to have to wait for ads on YouTube or spend precious time trying to search for information. First Aid provides assistance for most of the emergencies you could think of, including burns, allergic reactions, and bleeding.

The app can walk you through anything you may need help with, but only if you have the right tools. That's why it's always important to carry the proper first aid kits with you. No matter if you're going on a short hike or a multi-day excursion, carrying the right emergency supplies can save your life, especially when used alongside the app.

While you should always carry and know how to use a compass, sometimes, things happen. Perhaps yours broke during a nasty fall, you lost it, or even forgot to bring one along with you on this trip. In these kinds of situations, having a backup compass app can be useful. Good apps require no internet, use little to no battery, and are reliable even in areas where GPS tracking might not work as well as it should. Phones are built-in with a magnetometer, which detects magnetic fields. Compass apps take advantage of this feature, allowing phones to understand where you are and which direction you're facing. In a pinch, it works great as an emergency directional tool. 

Any compass app can work, just make sure you check the reviews and confirm that it's actually useful and works properly. They aren't as accurate as a real compass, but when you need to get close, or head into a general direction to get help, they can definitely be a life-saver. Alltrails and OnX can also do this, but they tend to drain a battery pretty fast. If you have a ways to go, and you want to make sure your phone stays charged all the way there, a simple compass app is a better solution. Or, you can use them together to double-check you are going the right way.