Why don't you carry a PLB?

[rideold]

Yep, you can set it up to allow others to see your progress and to ping your location. It costs a bit on the cheap plans but on the top tier plans it is included. Just remember that it is public data so to speak. No way that I've heard of to only allow certain people to see the web page. What you can do though is using one of the three set messages that you can send to a set group or individual you can send them location updates manually. There isn't any charge for the preset messages once you have a plan in place. I have mine set up to be basically:
1. all ok, just checking in
2. all ok but running late
3. animal down, going to be as long as it takes

I have the messages set up to send a coordinate pair and a link to a web map showing the location. The receiver can then respond back (uses one message from your plan) or just have the info for reference and know where you are.

Proof will be in the pudding. I haven't used the inreach in any really nasty country yet. I did try sending from inside my house compared to outside and while it took longer to send from inside the house it did get the message through.

 

[Power54]

I agree with most others, get an InReach and be done with it. I can't imagine not having one at this point. I shot an elk a few weeks back in griz country and sent a message to my wife telling her that I got one. Since the messages are accompanied with a location, it served the purpose of telling her I'd be coming home but coming home late AND it told her exactly where I shot the elk in case something bad happened and people needed to start looking for me. That's just an example of my most recent application. I pay for the cheapest plan since which only allows for 10 messages but that is more than enough for the way I use it. I had similar thoughts of getting away from it all when you're up in the mountains (or anywhere away from civilization) and didn't carry anything like this for quite some time but I now realize that was pretty reckless given the existence of the technology and the fact that I often hunt/hike/fish solo.

 

[wolfpup]

I use the SPOT device for a few reasons.

1) Cheap insurance
2) My father is not in good shape and I constantly think he could kill over at any moment. (I can't / don't want to haul him out of the back country if something happens)
3) Solo hunter that sends coordinates to the other hunters in camp of my position. If I have to camp out overnight or get lost, they have a short drive to get cell reception to either come help or send help depending on the issue at hand. I can have 3 others to help pack out by morning if I don't show up at night.

4) And the biggest reason! I am a young father of a 3 year old princess and another princess on the way. Why bring stress or negativity to a woman as good as mine while I am out doing what I love!

For a $100 device and $15 a month. Easy decision for me!

 

[charliebravo77]

Just remember that it is public data so to speak. No way that I've heard of to only allow certain people to see the web page.

You can password protect the page via the settings on the website. If you go to https://explore.delorme.com/Social while logged into your account you can click on options and set a password for your MapShare page. You can also change some other settings in there with regards to if visitors can message or locate you.

 

[rideold]

You can password protect the page via the settings on the website. If you go to https://explore.delorme.com/Social while logged into your account you can click on options and set a password for your MapShare page. You can also change some other settings in there with regards to if visitors can message or locate you.

Good to know. Thanks for detailing this out. I couldn't figure out parts of their interface.

 

[Cheater]

Do you have to purchase annual service, or could I purchase service on a monthly basis only during my hunts?

 

[charliebravo77]

There is a subscription package as well as a month to month option. Whether any particular one is 'cheaper' depends on how many messages you are sending and how many months out of the year you would be using the service. I currently use the Freedom (month to month) plans and generally select the Recreation Plan at $34.95 per month, though I am going to experiment with the $14.95 plan this coming trip I think.

The plans are outlined here:

http://www.inreachdelorme.com/product-info/subscription-plans.php

 

[Big Tex]

Hey ElkHunter, I've rented a sat phone from Tailwaters Fly Shop in town a number of times and they have good phones, mkt prices and its convenient to get and return it to the shop.

 

[Olelkhtr]

Got an Inreach for this year...for 3 reasons...the wife, you can send and receive messages, and you can suspend service for 9 months and only have to pay during hunting/mountain time. (Besides the emergency SOS service.)

 

[charliebravo77]

Used my InReach for an SOS activation this weekend. I took my cousin pronghorn hunting in NE WY on his first hunt ever and when we were back at camp he was cleaning up his skull for a euro mount and the Havalon slipped and he had his hand in the wrong place (after a few minutes before saying "I should probably cut away from myself") and sent the blade into his thumb. In the split second that it took all we knew was that he had cut himself and dark red blood was pouring down his arm at a pace that was alarming. Fortunately I carry good first aid supplies (and he was a Ranger in the Army) and we got the bleeding controlled pretty quick, but he needed a hospital and at minimum stitches so I hit the SOS button to get an ambulance started towards us since we were a good 30-40 minutes from a county road via 4x4 trails on top of being another 1.5 hours from the nearest hospital and neither of us had reliable cell service. My only complaints with the service was that there was a lot of delay in communication between emergency services, the inreach service, and us. I asked right away if we should head to the county road, but didn't get confirmation on that for almost 40 minutes. I didn't want to leave from where we were since they had our GPS position and I wasn't sure what direction they'd be coming from, but in the end we met up with the ambulance, fish and game, and the county sheriff right where I expected they'd want us to go. Fortunately due to how quickly and how well we dressed the wound in the field the ER doc said that it had started to close up on the ambulance ride and was able to Dermabond the wounds closed after cleaning it out and inspecting for any nerve or tendon damage and he should be fine. The blade ended up going through one side of his thumb and out the other.

 

[Khunter]

Added feature of Inreach is great maps and aerials on your smartphone. Easy and faster than and more reliable than the Hunt app by Onx. Free with subscription to use the Inreach units.

 

[rideold]

I used my inreach for my archery hunt the week before last. Turned out it was nice to have because there was no chance of any cell service in the state parks campground I was in and the payphone that was available was broken. I could message the family a few times during the week. Nice to keep in touch.

While I'm a little disturbed by the report above that it took 40 minutes to get confirmation on a meeting place I can also see how that could happen with the inreach folks coordinating with multiple agencies on an ambulance meeting place. Still, be nice to have a bit quicker of a confirmation. It is what it is in the end.

 

[Bambistew]

I've used a SPOT, sat phone and recently purchased an InReach.

The SPOT has "spotty" coverage at times. The one I have is set for only preset messages and tracking, and the yearly subscription isn't something I need. I used this for a couple years quite a bit. Worked ok, but the InReach is far better.

A sat phone is nice, but again, you get crappy coverage at times, need a GPS to relay coords, etc. Expensive, runs about $100 a week. Nice to talk to friends and family though. I usually get one for long trips. In an emergency it's not as simple as pushing a button and people knowing where you are.

The InReach worked very well. Messaging via phone, the GPS feature connected to the phone is pretty slick as well. Only downside is battery usage. Need a backup of some sort to charge both the phone and unit. That is the only downside I could see. Might get 4 days out of one before charging? I'm not sure if all battery packs are compatible?

 

[whiskeydog]

are the batteries internal/rechargeable or can you use AA?

 

[npaden]

If you use it sporadically and just check in a couple times a day it will last a week (if you turn it off when not using it). If you are using it to keep a tracking log of exactly where you are at any given time it is going to need recharged every 18 hours or so.

I carry a 16,000 mAh battery pack for my phone, ,inReach, camera, etc., and it works great. You could easily get away with a smaller one if you were really worried about weight. One of the smaller 5,000 mAh battery packs doesn't weigh anymore than a couple back up AA batteries. I wish my Garmin would recharge with a battery pack so I didn't have to mess with carrying spare AA batteries anymore.

 

[whiskeydog]

I wish my Garmin would recharge with a battery pack so I didn't have to mess with carrying spare AA batteries anymore.

It gets a bit heavier, but you can do it! I bought one of these to keep in the boat if I need a jump, but then I also picked up the Garmin 12V power cable (the Besteker comes with a 12V cigarette lighter adapter). Combining the two, I can charge my Garmin Rino from 0%-100% 2-3 times. I don't take it with on backpack hunts, but will throw it on the pack horse when we go to elk camp this year. Main reason I went this route is that the AA battery pack for the Rino drops your walkie talkie output from 5W to 2W which makes that function about worthless for me.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B014QZZGLW/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/Garmin-Vehicle-Power-Cable-12V/dp/B001PQ97L6