I enjoyed reading the article, but I have also converted to the cell phone for all around use.
To address comments of cold weather/durability etc, I use my phone for ice fishing navigation, winter hiking and all my deer hunting in MN. My old phone was a Samsung Galaxy S4 in an Otterbox. I never had a single problem maintaining battery through an entire day, usually less than half the battery was used. I leave my GPS on during my entire hunt/hike and never had a problem. I used it throughout my trip in Yellowstone last summer and turkey hunting in Nebraska. i recently upgraded to a Note 4 which survived deer hunting and a weeklong cow elk hunt in NM in January. The Note4 is nice with the stylus for screen use so I don't have to deglove to use the touchscreen. I downloaded the OnX basemap since I didn't want to purchse the NM maps since I was hunting a ranch, but my cell did just fine and tracked my 3-8 miles every day. I have no durability concerns. Maybe if I was hunting coastal NW or Alaska, but then again the Galaxy S5 has the same waterproof ratings as a GPS.
I also used my phone as a GPS map using the OnXMaps app when I spent 3 days solo canoeing the Boundary Waters. I could've gone all 3 days without a charge I think. The app worked awesome. I spent about 10 mins loading the map tiles I wanted while at home on WIFI and the rest was history. Because its a Samsung I had a huge screen and expandable memory. The treks and trails map was awesome and showed all the portages and lake depths.
What I use to maintain battery is a solar panel and battery pack from Goal Zero. The Guide 10 pack provides a bettery charger for AA and AAA batteries and the batteries in the charger serve as a power storage pack. I lay the solar panel on the top of my pack and its fully charged before lunch. It would be great for anyone, even GPS owners. I highly recommend it.
http://www.goalzero.com/p/79/guide-10-plus-solar-kit/24:1/
A key to prolonging battery life is to put your phone in airplane mode. It turns it into a touch screen color GPS with more capability. My "flimsy" phone is thinner and lighter than a GPS and something I already own. I have a heavy duty case and insurance on it and I always carry a map and compass that I mark up as I go, but my phone has replaced my GPS many years ago. I have two GPS laying in the garage that I see I should put up for sale, because there is clearly a market.
I have to agree with the guy that said I could show you the upside of the GPS in less than a half hour. I was floored at how easy it is and no need for another standalone unit.
