RidgeWise help
Answers to what hikers ask most, drawn from the app itself. If yours is not here, write to us and a person reads it.Opening RidgeWise
How do I get a Trail Council code?Add your name at https://www.builtbyfoundry.io/ridgewise. Codes go out from that list. Anyone can install RidgeWise; a code is what opens it. Once you have one, install the app and enter the code on the Trail Council screen. Spacing and capitals do not matter, so RW 4K7M P2QX and rw4k7mp2qx are the same code.
My code says every spot on it is taken.Codes carry a set number of spots and most admit one hiker, so this usually means the code has already opened RidgeWise for someone. Ask whoever sent it for another one. If it was sent to you and nobody else used it, email us and we will issue you a fresh code.
My code says it has expired.Codes can be issued with an end date. Ask whoever sent it for a current one, or email us with the code that failed and we will replace it.
RidgeWise says my code is not a Trail Council code.Check the code against the email it arrived in, character for character. The alphabet leaves out the letters i, l and o and the digits 0 and 1 so nothing is mistaken for anything else. If it still does not open, email us the code and we will look it up.
I reinstalled RidgeWise. Do I need a new code?No. Sign in with the same account and RidgeWise opens without asking again, on that phone or any other. Your code is spent only if you start over on a brand new account, and we will replace it if that happens.
Joining a friend's crew
Someone invited me to their trip. Do I need my own code?No. Their invite link opens RidgeWise for you, and you land straight in their crew with the shared pack list, meal plan and countdown. Joining a trip is its own way in.
The invite link did not work.An invite can expire, be turned off, or fill up once the crew is complete. RidgeWise tells you which one it is and names the organizer to go back to. Ask them for a fresh link. Open that link on the phone RidgeWise is installed on, since it is what carries you into the trip.
How do I invite my own crew?Open the trip and share the invite link. Anyone with the link can join, and everyone who does sees the plan you see and packs from the same list.
How do shared costs work?Once a trip has two or more people, the Trip costs screen tracks what each person paid and who it was split between, then works out the smallest set of payments that squares everyone up. Costs are split evenly. RidgeWise does not move money; it tells you who owes whom.
Building a plan
How do I import a route?Tap Plan a new trip and then Import a GPX file. Save the file to your phone first, then pick it. Any GPX exporter works. If you would rather not bring a file, the same screen offers trip templates and routes that are popular this season.
My GPX file would not import.RidgeWise names the reason. A file over 10 MB is refused, so export the section you are hiking instead of the whole trail. A file that is not readable GPX needs re-exporting as GPX. A file with no track points has no line to follow, so export the track itself rather than a waypoint list. If the file lives on a cloud drive, save it to the device first. A route with no elevation data still imports; RidgeWise plans against the distance and leaves the climb at zero rather than inventing one.
What is in a plan?A pack list with a weight on every item, drawn from your gear closet and matched to the route, the nights out and the forecast. Meals day by day with the shopping list behind them, and how much water to carry each day. A countdown of what to do before you leave. On a trip with two or more people, shared costs as well.
How long does it take to build a plan?A few minutes. You can close RidgeWise and carry on with your day; it sends a notification when the plan is ready. If it runs longer than usual, the screen says so and offers to check again rather than leaving you watching it.
Why is this item on my list?RidgeWise stores a reason with each item as it builds the plan, shown under the item and in full under Why this is on your list. The Why these items screen collects them by category and states how many of your items carry a recorded reason, so you can see the coverage rather than assume it. Sample trips and plans built before RidgeWise started recording reasons carry none.
When the plan changes
Why did my plan change after a check-in?RidgeWise re-checks your trip on a schedule that tightens as departure gets closer, and it rebuilds the plan only when an input has actually moved. Each proposed change shows what it is changing and the reason, with a longer explanation behind Why. Nothing is applied until you apply it, and items you have already packed are left alone.
I want to keep something the way it was.Mark that change as an override and keep what you had. You can say why: you already have it, you do not need it for this trip, or you would rather keep your current choice. If you apply a set of changes and then think better of it, undo restores what you had.
Where do I see what has changed since I started?Plan history. Every check-in that moved your plan is listed there with what changed and why. It reads from your account, so it needs a signal to load.
I am not getting notified when the plan changes.RidgeWise notifies you only when a check-in moves something that matters, so quiet weeks are quiet on purpose. If a change did land and nothing reached you, open Settings, then Notifications, and check that Trip updates is on for push, email, or both. On iPhone, also confirm notifications are allowed for RidgeWise in the system settings.
Offline and exports
Do plans work without a signal?Yes, once the plan is on your phone. Open the trip with a signal at least once and RidgeWise stores that plan on the device, so opening it in airplane mode shows the real thing. Settings, then Data and Sync, then Offline plans tells you trip by trip what is stored and what is not, and never claims a plan is there when it is not. RidgeWise does not download map tiles, so keep your maps in your mapping app.
Offline plans says a trip is not on this device.That trip has no stored plan yet, or its details changed after the stored one was built. Open the trip once with a signal and RidgeWise builds and stores the current plan. Do that before the trailhead rather than at it.
How do I get a copy of the plan out of RidgeWise?Tap Save or share this plan, on the trip itself or under Settings, then Data and Sync, then Export my data. It sends the whole plan as text through the share sheet: route, pack list with weights, meals by day, shopping list and countdown. Save it to Files or Notes and it reads with no signal. The shopping list has its own Export list button, which emails the current list to your account email.
Your account and data
How do I delete my account and my data?Open Profile, tap the settings icon, scroll to the bottom and tap Delete account, then confirm. It runs immediately and permanently removes your trips, gear and history, and it cannot be undone. Deletion runs against the account you are signed in with, so sign in first if you have not. Our Privacy Policy covers the backups and records we are permitted or required to keep for a limited period after that.
What happens to my crew if I delete my account?Trips you organized are deleted for everyone on them, along with their plans, packing state and logged costs. Trips you only joined stay with their organizer, and your name stays on the shared costs you were part of. If a trip you organized matters to the rest of the crew, tell them before you delete, because there is no way to hand a trip over.
Will my trips follow me to a new phone?Yes. Trips, plans, gear, packing, food, countdown and shared costs sync to your account. Install RidgeWise on the new phone, sign in with the same account, and it restores.
Can I change the email RidgeWise sends to?Plan-change alerts and shopping-list exports go to the email on the account you signed in with. Change it through the Apple or Google account you used to sign in, and RidgeWise follows.
How do I report a problem or ask for something?In the app, open Settings, then Help Center, then Send feedback. It reaches the people building RidgeWise. You can also email support@builtbyfoundry.io.