The Path to Scout

I’ve been biking, camping and hiking since I was a toddler. Scout is the culmination of all the gadgets I’ve created over the years in the search for an easy-to-use, easy-to-read, reliable mapping device.

Most of my earlier attempts were either too fiddly to share or no fun to use. This one finally came together, out of off-the-shelf parts, into something that makes Scout both useful and easy to use.

The rules I set for Scout

Show a clear map, always. Scout continuously saves your location and brings up your last known location on reboot, so you can always find your way home. Scout’s epaper display means that your last map stays visible in the event of a power loss. Scout can hold large amounts of mapping data on its SD Card, but also has a minimal set of maps stored internally if it gets lost or corrupted. Scout tries hard to keep you informed.

Run for days on a charge. When using cell phone mapping software, I would have to turn the screen off while riding, and often the whole phone. The micro-controller that powers Scout along with its e-paper display and GPS means that Scout can stay in an ultra-low-power state most of the time so the battery is counted in days, not hours, and the screen is never blank.

Off-grid & private. Scout needs no internet, wi-fi, cell signal, phone app or account, and it keeps nothing about you. You may change settings, add or copy GPX tracks, and add map info all on Scout’s SD Card. Charge it, copy your GPX tracks to your SD Card, and go.

Always helpful. Scout aims to always show you helpful information, and doesn’t interrupt you. When the screen flashes, it means something: a mode change, an important update, or the map recentering when your location would go offscreen. After a power loss, your last screen stays visible: your last map, GPS location, and time of that update. A custom, field-reloadable backup set of maps lives in internal memory if your SD card goes missing.