Verizon wants a $100/month for no contract service with txt msg and net access. Full price for a phone. $$$$. They do have 'refurbished' phones.
With a contract, 3G service runs about $60/month with big discount for phone.
A simple flip phone, a $100 gps, and a $180 Kindle Fire will get the job done, with redundancy, and no contracts. Take a battery pack recharging device along.
Darn, those expensive smartphones do offer a lot in a small package.