off to Ecrins for a week, thought i might try the viewranger maps app (a monthly subscription is ~£5)
as a backup for real maps.
I cant find much help about this, i've never used Viewranger before,
is it as simple as pay for the download, then select which areas I want before i go and it all gets saved ?
or should i use something else entirely (andriod phone)
Not used Viewranger abroad but it is very straight forward in the UK. Give them a ring if no one can give you the info you need. I have found them really helpful.
I've never paid any subscription, I have all of Scotland (where I live) and a large area of northern Sweden on viewranger all I've paid for is the map tiles.
Yep, you can buy individual tiles at 1:25k. You just need to zoom on an area and it bring up the option to purchase them. They're usually around 26 credits per tile at that scale. It costs £5.99 for 400 credits through the iOS app. Advantage over the subscription is that you get to keep them forever, and you can pick and choose where you buy the tiles. Could be a mix of UK, Switzerland, etc.
In reply to lithos: Another option could be the iphigenie app. It looks like you get 7 days of free maps from when you install it or pay €5.99 for a month/€14.99 per year.
We’ve used it in Chamonix and The Pyrenees just paying for a month each time and found it pretty good.
I downloaded a single tile when I was in Germany last month, and it worked a treat. It covered the area I needed for I think £1.99. Obviously that becomes pretty expensive if you need more.....
looks like they vary....its worth just browsing the map shop and see what fits best..Looking at it you can get a national park for £7.99, which i guess will be quite a few tiles! so dependant on what you're doing there may be cheaper options.
I don't know anything about the monthly subscriptions but I guess if you're never going back it may be worth a one off cost if its cheaper.
It does look as if it is different for different countries. There does not seem to be an option for offline viewing on a monthly subscription for France whereas you can download tiles for Germany without a subscription.