1. Acceptance of terms
By creating an account and using Pack Hiker, you agree to these Terms of Service. If you do not agree, do not register or use the service.
2. Description of service
Pack Hiker is a collaborative trip-planning platform for groups undertaking multi-day hikes. It provides tools for itinerary planning, expense tracking, emergency contact management, and group communication.
3. Your account
You must provide accurate and complete information when creating your account. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your password and for all activity under your account.
You must be at least 18 years of age to create an account. By registering, you confirm that you meet this requirement.
You must notify us immediately of any unauthorised access to your account.
4. Acceptable use
You agree not to use Pack Hiker to:
Upload, post, or transmit any content that is unlawful, harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, defamatory, or otherwise objectionable
Impersonate any person or entity
Upload malicious files or code
Attempt to gain unauthorised access to any part of the service or other users' accounts
Use the service for any commercial purpose without our express written consent
Violate any applicable laws or regulations
5. Content you upload
You retain ownership of content you upload to Pack Hiker (including route files such as GPX, KML and GeoJSON, profile pictures, and messages). By uploading content, you grant Pack Hiker a limited licence to store, display, and transmit that content to other members of your hike groups as necessary to provide the service, including sending safety brief emails that may contain emergency contact details, hike itinerary information, and route files to hike members and their designated emergency contacts.
You are responsible for ensuring that any content you upload does not infringe third-party rights and complies with applicable laws.
6. Sharing of personal information
By joining a hike, you acknowledge and consent that your name, email address, and phone number (if provided) will be visible to all other members of that hike. Emergency contacts you add to a hike will similarly be visible to all hike members. See ourPrivacy Policyfor full details.
7. Safety disclaimer — planning tool only, not for navigation
Pack Hiker is a trip-planning and coordination tool only. It is NOT a navigation device or navigation aid and must never be relied upon to navigate, find your position, or find your way in the field.
The maps, routes, elevation profiles, waypoints, and any location information shown in Pack Hiker are provided for planning purposes only. They may be inaccurate, incomplete, out of date, or unavailable — for example if your device is offline, has no signal, or has a flat battery, which is common in the backcountry. Map imagery and data are supplied by third parties and are not verified by us. Do not use Pack Hiker, a phone, or any single electronic device as your only means of navigation.
When hiking, always use proper navigation tools and skills: a dedicated GPS or navigation app designed for offline field use, together with a physical topographic map and compass and the ability to use them. Pack Hiker does not replace professional safety planning, qualified outdoor leadership, appropriate training and equipment, or the emergency services. Route information, itineraries, and emergency contact details in Pack Hiker are user-generated and have not been verified by us. Always carry appropriate navigation and emergency equipment, check current conditions, and register your trip with the relevant authorities where required.
You are solely responsible for your own safety and navigation. We are not responsible for decisions made using information in Pack Hiker, or for any outcomes of outdoor activities planned or undertaken using the service.
8. Post-hike check-in and alerting service
Pack Hiker offers an optional post-hike check-in feature. If you enable it and do not mark yourself as safely returned by the deadline you set, Pack Hiker will attempt to send an automated alert email to the emergency contacts you have nominated. This is a convenience feature to help you keep the people you choose informed — it is not a monitoring, rescue, or emergency-response service.
We do not guarantee that any check-in reminder or alert will be sent, delivered, or received, and no person at Pack Hiker monitors your hike or your check-in status.
While we take reasonable steps to keep the service working, alerts depend on systems outside our control — including email delivery, third-party mail providers, spam filtering, and network and power availability — and may be delayed, filtered, or fail entirely. Nobody at Pack Hiker watches for missed check-ins, verifies your safety, or is responsible for contacting your emergency contacts, the emergency services, search and rescue, or any authority on your behalf, and we are under no obligation to do so. The accuracy of any alert also depends entirely on the deadline, contact details, and other information you provide, and on you remembering to check in when you return.
You must not rely on the check-in feature as your primary or sole safety measure. It does not replace a proper trip plan, leaving your intentions with a trusted person, carrying a personal locator beacon (PLB) or satellite communicator, and registering your trip with the relevant authorities where required. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we accept no liability for any alert that is delayed, not sent, not delivered, or not acted upon, or for any reliance placed on this feature.
9. Limitation of liability
To the fullest extent permitted by Australian law, Pack Hiker is provided "as is" without warranties of any kind. We are not liable for any indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages arising from your use of the service, including but not limited to loss of data, loss of income, or personal injury.
Nothing in these terms limits liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, or for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, or any liability that cannot be excluded under Australian Consumer Law.
10. Account deletion and termination
You may delete your account at any time through your Profile settings. We may suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms of Service. See ourPrivacy Policyfor information about what happens to your data when an account is deleted.
11. Changes to terms
We may update these Terms of Service. Material changes will be notified by email and/or a prominent in-app notice. Continued use of Pack Hiker after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated terms.
12. Governing law
These Terms of Service are governed by the laws of Australia. Any disputes will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Australia.
13. Contact
Questions about these terms: privacy@packhiker.com