Anyways after getting lost countless times I decided it was time to get a GPS rigged up. I went with Battery Tender for my USB charging solution and Rokform for my mounting solution. I have to say these are top quality products. Not only is the Rokform case an awesome mounting solution, but it's a very good case in its own right. I would say it's on par with the Otterbox cases. The Rokform case is made in the USA and comes in plastic and aluminum versions. The case offers many accessories from mounts to bottles openers. On the back there is a magnet embedded in the case. You can just slap it onto your fridge or what ever. The handlebar mount has a magnet in the middle in addition to the RMS mount. It makes for a super secure attachment. I use a similar setup mountain biking and have never had any issues. Really the only downside I see is this setup wouldn't do well in the rain. Although they do include a bag to put over the phone, but I'm skeptical.
I have had no issues with the compass. I'v had the case for two years on my iPhone 5. I have a new one on order for my iPhone 6+ that hopefully will perform just as well.
What do you do in "no service" areas? I encountered a few of those on my recent trip around the Great Lakes.
I run the TomTom app, it doesn't require cell service or a data connection. Has a "windy road" button too. The iPhone pictured doesn't even have service. I'm just using it for navigation until my case comes in for my iPhone 6 Plus.
If you have a smart phone (not a flip phone...sheesh) you have a GPS chip. If you have a gps chip you have a standalone gps. If you run the right applications ie: Locus, OpenStreetMap...yada, yada you can cache the maps and then turn on Airplane mode to save battery and follow the little purple line all day long.