To some, “outdoor tech” can feel like an oxymoron. Don’t we go into the great outdoors to get away from our tech-addled lives? No one going camping really wants a lantern that will ping them if they get a new work email or a tent that lets them check social media. They want to unplug, not stay plugged in.
The tech that actually elevates outdoor activities is that which allows you to be more fully present in nature, tech that removes barriers between you and your adventure rather than adding distractions to it.
Tech like onX.
Purpose-Built Apps
Founded by avid hunter Eric Siegfried, onX was initially developed to help his fellow sportsmen see public land boundaries when out in the field. Knowing exactly where you are and where you’re allowed to be while hunting is vitally important, but fumbling with paper maps or an app designed to provide driving directions is not how any hunter wants to spend their time.
What he and his fellow hunters needed, he realized, was a digital map built for their exact use case. One that features land parcel data providing information on not only property boundaries, but also private land that’s accessible to the public. One with weather and wildfire conditions, forecasts, and historical data built in. And one that was designed to be used offline, preventing a lack of cell service from ruining a perfectly good day.
So onX was born: a collection of purpose-built mapping apps and services designed for the specific needs of outdoor adventurers.
The Best-Laid Plans
Since the launch of the hunting-focused onX Hunt, onX has expanded to offer three additional specialized apps: onX Offroad, onX Backcountry, and onX Fish.
Each is built on the foundational onX mapping tech with its layers of information and data, but also has custom features created for their specific activity. So onX Offroad has trails, parks, and terrain for off-pavement adventures; onX Backcountry is stocked with hiking, biking, backcountry ski, and climbing routes; and onX Fish is filled with lakes and waterways filtered by species, size, and abundance.
So if you’re a backcountry skier planning your next powder day, onX Backcountry gives you access to over 5,000 ski lines vetted by Beacon Guidebooks, local experts, and curators pulling from the onX-owned Powder Project community. Check out photos of the area along with reviews and local knowledge like parking area details so you know what to expect when you get there. Combine that with terrain insights like slope aspect and angle alongside avalanche hazard information to make sure you’re making informed decisions and planning a safe day on the mountain.
And once you’re out on the snow, you’ll have accurate slope angles and aspects at your fingertips, making sure you know exactly what you’re dropping into. All that’s left is to put your phone away and let it rip.
By and For Adventurers
To know exactly what people need while out in the field, you’ve got to get out there yourself—there’s no book or video that can replicate the experience of being outside in the wilderness. So it makes sense that the specific and robust features in onX’s apps were created by actual outdoor adventurers.
Since its beginnings, onX has been made up of people with shared passions. From the product designers to the customer support team, it’s comprised of true enthusiasts who use onX themselves on their own excursions, bringing their love of the outdoors into everything they do.
That passion drives the company to make an impact on the ground for the communities of adventurers it serves. onX makes major contributions to Public Land Access & Stewardship initiatives through their onX Adventure Forever Grant Program, helping to secure access and maintain stewardship of huge swaths of public land nationwide. They’re also committed to activating their outdoor communities, with stewardship events like trail revival projects bringing people together to build and maintain trails for all user groups.
Getting Out There
Unlike technology that’s meant to make being outside feel more like being inside, onX apps are built to make it easier and safer to get out into the wild and follow your passion. They give you the information you need when you need it, letting you make and follow a plan quickly and easily. They’re tools that have specific, vital use cases, designed to go right back in your pocket when you get what you need from them.
If you really want to get notified of work emails while you’re out backpacking, there is almost definitely a way to make that happen. (And I’m sorry.) But if you’re looking to confidently get out there and see what makes the great outdoors so great, onX apps are designed to help you do that and then get out of your way.
After all, you’ve got some adventures to go on.
