About TrailSim
Route-based mobile coverage analysis and eSIM matching for hikers, cyclists and road-trippers.
Who is behind TrailSim?
TrailSim is built and run by one person — James Moore, a software developer and long-distance hiker. It exists because carrier coverage maps are drawn for cities: nobody could tell me where I would lose signal on a trail, so I built the tool that answers it — real tower data, segment by segment, along the actual route.
What one person means for you
The person answering support@trailsim.com is the person who wrote the code and built the coverage model. No ticket queues, no scripts — and nothing you have to take on faith: the methodology and data sources are printed on every report, and refunds are self-service.
Your connectivity doesn't depend on me
The eSIM itself is provisioned on major carrier networks — once installed from your email, it works whether this website is up or not. Your coverage report, PDF and GPX are yours to keep offline, and payments are processed by Stripe (your statement shows TRAILSIM).
— James Moore, TrailSim
What is TrailSim?
TrailSim is an independent eSIM coverage service for outdoor travelers. We compare estimated mobile signal along specific hiking, cycling and driving routes, then match each route with an eSIM whose available networks provide the strongest modeled coverage.
Country-level population coverage can hide gaps on remote roads and trails. TrailSim focuses on the route itself, including where 4G/5G is likely, where only 2G/3G may be available and where travelers should prepare for no signal. TrailSim is not a mobile network operator and is not endorsed by the carriers shown in its reports.
- Service
- Route coverage analysis and eSIM matching
- Designed for
- Hiking, cycling and road trips
- Report formats
- Web report, PDF map document and GPX GPS route file
- Support
- support@trailsim.com
Where the eSIMs come from, and how pricing works
TrailSim does not run a mobile network. The eSIMs sold here are standard travel eSIMs from established wholesale providers, picked route by route because their plans run on the networks that actually hold signal along that trail or road. We resell them with a small markup — that margin is what keeps this site running: the coverage analysis, the reports and the person answering support email.
The value TrailSim adds is not the eSIM itself — you could buy a similar plan elsewhere. It is knowing, before you pay, which plan holds signal on your specific route, and carrying the dead-zone map with you when it doesn't.
How does TrailSim estimate route coverage?
TrailSim combines route geometry from OpenStreetMap with the best public signal data available for the route's region: crowd-sourced tower records from OpenCellID, U.S. carrier propagation filings from the FCC National Broadband Map, Ofcom's drive-test measurements on some UK roads, and Australia's ACMA register of carrier transmitter licences. The route is sampled and classified by expected signal technology for the networks an eSIM can use, and every report names which source it was built from.
Source-backed inputs
Reports identify their route and coverage data sources instead of presenting an unexplained national coverage claim.
Route-by-route analysis
Coverage is calculated along the actual route and summarized as 4G/5G, 2G/3G and likely no-signal sections.
Plan-specific matching
The map updates to the network combination of the selected eSIM, so plans with different roaming partners can be compared.
Each report shows when its coverage data was updated and when it should be refreshed. Read the full coverage methodology.
The route-level results are open data: the Coverage Index is free to cite and republish (CC BY-SA 4.0), and the same dataset is mirrored on GitHub at github.com/TrailSim/coverage-index — corrections and field reports that contradict the model are welcome there or by email.
What does a TrailSim report include?
Online coverage report
A browser-based route map with signal percentages, stage-by-stage estimates and a list of likely dead zones.
PDF coverage map
A PDF is a fixed-layout map document. Download it to your phone before departure, then open it without an internet connection or print a copy.
GPX route file
A GPX is a standard GPS route file containing the route and dead-zone waypoints. Download it to your phone and import it into a compatible navigation app; download the app's offline basemap separately.
What are the limits of coverage estimates?
TrailSim reports are modeled estimates, not live signal measurements or guarantees. Actual reception can change with terrain, buildings, weather, network load, roaming restrictions, the traveler's device and changes made by mobile operators.
Plan for the no-signal sections
Download maps before departure, tell someone your itinerary and carry an appropriate backup or emergency communication method. Never use any mobile coverage map, including TrailSim's, as your only safety plan in a remote area.
Privacy, support and corrections
TrailSim collects the contact and route details needed to provide the requested service. We do not publish submitted personal details or make them available through a public website endpoint. You can ask to access or delete data associated with your email address.
Your privacy
See what is collected, why it is used and how to request deletion in the privacy policy.
Corrections and support
Report a map issue, suggest a route or ask a service question at support@trailsim.com.
Service limitations and user responsibilities are set out in the terms of service.
Route photos on the homepage: José Antonio Gil Martínez (CC BY 2.0), Chmee2 (CC BY 3.0), and Eric Polk (CC BY-SA 2.5).
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