I would like a way to use Collector with no basemap or better yet... be able to turn it off/on.
Yes! ArcPad could be used without a basemap, unsure as to why this is now required, and not an option.
I decided to create a feature service with a white, rectangular polygon the size of AOI and put it in my AGOL project. In Collector I can turn it on and off depending on the need. This lets me turn the basemap "off" when I am collecting data in the bright sunlight and the dark aerial would present the most problems for seeing what I am doing. Not great but... hey.. it works.