Hi Tom. Note that the OP said he wanted a GPS in this context:
"I would use it when I hike into the national forests to find a particular spot but mainly to help make sure I can get back to my car. I might also use it when I kayak around some of the larger lakes to make sure I know the way back."
A smartphone seems like quite a reasonable choice for that sort of use.
You said:
"The problem with a smartphone app is battery life and recharging the phone. Many phones do not have replaceable batteries. My GPSr uses 2 AA batteries that can be easily replaced. I carry spares. In contrast, my Blackberry has a short battery life and although I could, I don't own a spare battery for it. Phones like the new Motorola Razr do not have replaceable batteries. If you carry a phone for emergencies, then kill the battery using it as a GPS with no way to recharge it, you've defeated the purpose of having it with you. I wouldn't carry a phone unless I had a solar panel to recharge it. Better yet, a SPOT, PLB or sat phone for phone or emergency use."
True that some phones don't have replaceable batteries, in particular iPhones, but of course there are add-on devices that can take up the slack there. In my particular case, I use an android phone, and can carry a spare battery when it's an issue. For long trips I do, for shorter ones I don't bother. It's all situational. On the CDT last year I did carry a stand-alone GPS as I anticipated using it a lot more than is my norm, and as you suggest, in that case it was good to not have to worry about smartphone battery power for GPS use.
I suspect that for a lot of people, however, a smartphone would be enough. And again, for someone who already owns a smartphone, it's pretty cheap to try it out in some real world cases to see, before buying yet another electronic device ...
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