Personal Locator Beacons & Other Wireless Technologies for Backcountry Travel?

Richard,
It is sad that a private concern (Equipped To Survive Foundation) has to raise money to sort out the reliability of emergency devices "approved" by our government.

And sad that we really don't know anything about the 2009 versions of either. We can only hope quality has gone up.

You fall down and break a leg, no one to help. You get lost and it can happen. Granted the lower 48 back country is never very far from a road but a half a mile, heck a hundred yards is to far if you are physically disabled/injured. I live in the mountain west, danger everywhere from the ground up and with 2 and 4 legs. I have a SPOT, The ORANGE COLORED PLD with spare batteries taped to the unit. It has been to Alaska, Canada and in between and going back again this spring. NEVER HAD AN OCCASION TO USE IT AND HOPEFULLY THE OCCASION NEVER ARISES. It is readily accessible, not in a pack but hooked to my clothing up near my neck. Better safe than sorry. I even carry it in the vehicle when I go off road.

In the first article of Ryan’s that I read, he concluded:

“C'mon, how light is too light? …When your safety is sacrificed? Hey, c'mon. There's risk involved. You're not out walking the moors of your city park. Less gear sometimes means more risk. Get to the point – how light is too light? YOU get to the point. Throw some stuff out of your pack and take a walk. You'll find out soon enough. Just don't tell your mom.”

In the second article of his that I read. He concluded:

“Explore your limits and you'll leave ‘your’ hike back home soon enough, and begin to hike the hike that God and nature (and their weather and brambles and grizzly bears and glacial moraines) decides you're going to hike. The minute you find yourself saying, "I can't do that," prove the voice wrong. If you succeed, good. If you fail, better. You'll learn a lot more about yourself and your limits.”

In this article, he concludes:

“…Finally, we cannot help but ask: Are there 17.6 oz (the weight of the PLB used in this rescue) of gear/supplies that you would bring instead of a PLB that would have improved your ability to cope with the conditions Mr. Skalak was facing and avoid a rescue?”

So which is it? Should one assume risk and bring so little equipment that he is learning about his limits? Is it truly good if one hits that limit and fails? Or should one bring enough equipment to actually meet unexpected conditions, providing a buffer of safety, even if it means not being able to brag to sales clerks about how few ounces he carries backpacking?