Backcountry Communication

[The_Franchise]

Alright guys, thanks for the feedback. The Explorer seems great, but I'm not sure I like the idea of another subscription. Will have to think about it. May just go with the PBL.

[rangerstan]

Loved my SPOT and it never let me down. It’s a piece of equipment to have in the event of an emergency and just good insurance. With having kids and family a personal communication device to text back and forth is really important for me now. I will be upgrading to an Inreach mini, listed the SPOT on Kijiji.

Not many of these PBD’s come without having to get a subscription.

[bigbaddad]

Originally Posted by Big Grey Wolf

Guys, my $40 Koodo flip phone works in foothill country west of Whitecourt and North of Hinton, not much more wilderness than that in Alberta.

Actually.. The Willmore is.. And it won't work there..

Sent from my SM-G960W using Tapatalk

[Grizzly Adams]

Originally Posted by bigbaddad

Actually.. The Willmore is.. And it won't work there..

Sent from my SM-G960W using Tapatalk

Go West of Sundre or Rocky and dependable cell phone coverage disappears real quick.

Grizz

[Big Grey Wolf]

Flip phone works in most of western Athabasca and little Smokey river country. Lots of oilfield activity usually good cell phone coverage.

[albertadave]

Originally Posted by Big Grey Wolf

Flip phone works in most of western Athabasca and little Smokey river country. Lots of oilfield activity usually good cell phone coverage.

Those areas are not the backcountry.

[bigbaddad]

Originally Posted by albertadave

Those areas are not the backcountry.

Exactly...

Sent from my SM-G960W using Tapatalk

[bigbaddad]

Originally Posted by albertadave

Those areas are not the backcountry.

Exactly..

Sent from my SM-G960W using Tapatalk

[Big Grey Wolf]

Please define "Back Country" I do not know anywhere in Alberta you are not within 10 km of a road anymore.

[matt1984]

Originally Posted by Big Grey Wolf

Please define "Back Country" I do not know anywhere in Alberta you are not within 10 km of a road anymore.

Open google earth and look west

[bigbaddad]

Originally Posted by matt1984

Open google earth and look west

Exactly..

Sent from my SM-G960W using Tapatalk

[MountainTi]

Originally Posted by Big Grey Wolf

Please define "Back Country" I do not know anywhere in Alberta you are not within 10 km of a road anymore.

[crazy_davey]

Originally Posted by Big Grey Wolf

Please define "Back Country" I do not know anywhere in Alberta you are not within 10 km of a road anymore.

You don’t get out much do you...

[sheffield]

inreach mini with the earth mate app.

[Big Grey Wolf]

Just for the record I have hunted/fished/trapped most Western and Northern WMU's in Alberta in over 60 years chasing elk, sheep, caribou,grizzly bear and deer. Please explain where this 'Back Country' area exists on google. I walked, snowmobiled and quadded most of it Any further West I would be in national Parks or BC.

[250mark1]

https://www.zoleo.com/en-us/?gclid=C...8aAjiFEALw_wcB

this is made by the people that developed the inreach before it was sold to garmin

[raab]

Originally Posted by sheffield

inreach mini with the earth mate app.

x2, add the GAIA app as well

[albertadave]

Originally Posted by Big Grey Wolf

Please define "Back Country" I do not know anywhere in Alberta you are not within 10 km of a road anymore.

Originally Posted by Big Grey Wolf

Just for the record I have hunted/fished/trapped most Western and Northern WMU's in Alberta in over 60 years chasing elk, sheep, caribou,grizzly bear and deer. Please explain where this 'Back Country' area exists on google. I walked, snowmobiled and quadded most of it Any further West I would be in national Parks or BC.

You did all that, and you don't understand what is meant by the term "backcountry"? And you never, at any time, found yourself more than 10km from the nearest road?

[Bigwoodsman]

Originally Posted by Red Bullets

Used to be that a person left a map circled with where they were going to be. If they weren't back by a certain day or time then send in the troops. Didn't cost more than the map.

I know it is re-assuring to have a help button but it takes the adventure out of things in a way. Know your first aid, be alert, cautious & smart, hope for the best weather and prepare for the worst.

This is what real mountain men do.

BW

[abhunter8]

Originally Posted by The_Franchise

So inReach seems to be the majority here. How are they with subscriptions? I see it's $20/month for the freedom plan and another "program fee" pf $30 or so dollars. So I'm looking at around $50 to use it for a couple weeks? Is it easy to activate for a month here or there?

Thanks again for the feedback!

Plus the $500 initial purchase price. I don't think anyone has mentioned that.

[Hooter]

Originally Posted by KyleSS

So you go out on a 7 day trip, hand your wife a map with a circle on it. On the way in, you fall and break your femur 6 km from the truck. You're not expected back for another 6 days.

I'd rather hit an SOS button and have help in ~2hrs than lay in the bush for 6+ days with a broken femur

Call me crazy

Like 👍🏻

[Hooter]

Originally Posted by Big Grey Wolf

Please define "Back Country" I do not know anywhere in Alberta you are not within 10 km of a road anymore.

Really???🙄

[Grizzly Adams]

Originally Posted by Hooter

Like 👍🏻

Not just single people, check out the story of the Indianapolis, referred to in JAWS.

Grizz

[MLayden]

1st hand experience on this unit?

Price tag on this one is a little easier to swallow.

Originally Posted by 250mark1

https://www.zoleo.com/en-us/?gclid=C...8aAjiFEALw_wcB

this is made by the people that developed the inreach before it was sold to garmin

[reel lucky]

Garmin Explorer + $14.95 a month. Saved my life once. Take it hiking, biking, hunting, off shore fishing and out of country holidays. priceless

[Smoky buck]

I still just tell someone where I am heading, mark a map, or tell the wife “ call X they will know where I am”.

Don’t plan on changing that anytime soon and have heard it all the scenarios why I should get a spot or whatever emergency device people like

[Big Grey Wolf]

Back Country? A few years back hunting friend and his partner canoed up river west towards headwater for wilderness elk hunt. They were working the back country until they came upon another hunter. He was sitting in a wheel chair!

[Smoky buck]

Originally Posted by Big Grey Wolf

Back Country? A few years back hunting friend and his partner canoed up river west towards headwater for wilderness elk hunt. They were working the back country until they came upon another hunter. He was sitting in a wheel chair!

That’s what happens when you don’t do proper research/scouting

[daveyn]

Originally Posted by Big Grey Wolf

Back Country? A few years back hunting friend and his partner canoed up river west towards headwater for wilderness elk hunt. They were working the back country until they came upon another hunter. He was sitting in a wheel chair!

The guy was probably in the wheelchair because he was out of cell phone range when the Quad flipped. OK thats probably insensitive and not true, but you get the point.

[daveyn]

Originally Posted by MountainTi

Pretty sure Red Bullets was making reference to the "good old days" and how things worked. Oddly enough most of us lived thru the lack of modern technology.....sometimes I sure wish a guy could go back to that!

Most, is the right word, some didn't. If you could ask the ones that didn't do you think they would be supportive of the SOS link. If the extra margin of safety is available why wouldn't you use it. Most people survived driving pre seat belts, but we have better tech now. As much as I also long for some of the things about the good old days, there are a few new things that just work better.