Downside of SPOT device

I think a lot has to do with communication before the trip and setting the right expectations. My first two levels of message are:”All is well. Remember, if I miss a night or two, Don’t Panic.” and “I am slowed down but still OK. A day, maybe two behind. Don’t Panic.” The only problem is that she doesn’t always pay close attention when I describe my upcoming trip. Two summers ago when I got back from my trip she said she had been watching the weather in Wyoming and it looked like I had a good week. I had been in Colorado.

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I’ve owned a SPOT G3 for two years now and it’s performed flawlessly thus far (probably in the neighborhood of 30 trips, almost all solo)- Mtn West, have never used it in deep canyons though.  The message stuff is OK, but it’s the tracking and the ability to have who ever you want look at the tracking that is the most important feature imo.  For these devices to be most useful the tracking needs to be turned on- no worry about battery life w/ the Gen3

I give detailed route information and a ballpark timetable before leaving, with the understanding things can change.  By following the tracking they can see if I’m still on route, my progress (or lack thereof) or if there has been a change (bail).

I’ll use the OK button, generic “made it to camp- OK”, but everyone knows that if they don’t get it not to send the cavalry- but do pay attention to the tracking.  My other message is “change of plans-look at tracking”, signaling a change (most likely a bail).

I think 3/4 or more the Bob Open people used them successfully last year and I’ll be bringing mine again.

Andy seems to like his

http://andrewskurka.com/2015/spot-gen3-satellite-gps-messenger-review-long-term/

“By following the tracking they can see if I’m still on route, my progress (or lack thereof) or if there has been a change (bail).”

Or… they will be watching the track of the bear or mountain lion that ate you and your Spot :)

billy

All this tracking and communicating… geez we are a fretful, impatient, and fearful people…

gone are the days when a explorer would go off for a year and the wife and kids would be at home waiting for a year or more… maybe they’d get a letter or two in that year from some distant port… maybe not… if they were gone two years instead of one, then I guess the wife started to get concerned…. :)

billy

Billy, you (like me) are a dinosaur.

Today people need instant communication. Heck the cell phone carriers are now advertising the price for gigabytes of data, unlimited minutes, and unlimited texts. We have become conspicuous consumers of communication electrons. This consumption has now infiltrated the back country.

Someone mentioned my perfect wife who is okay with me hiking solo without a cell phone or new fangeled communication device. I did the same for 20 years when I was married to my first wife, of course there was none of this technology back then, but she was okay with the solo trips.

I gew up without a phone in the house. I didn’t even know how to use one. My college roommate had to teach me. My parents figured that if we need to talk to someone we could just walk to their house. If they lived to far away, a letter was sent, rarely was anything so important that immediate communication was required. If someone far away had to contact us in an emergency they sent a telegram, which happened twice – when each of my paternal grandparents passed away.

I view all of this as society’s obsession with risk avoidance. We are paranoid with “what if.” Hell, we are now required by law to have medical insurance. I didn’t have insurance until I was 35 and that was a poor financial decision. In the past 30 years I have spent more money on the insurance than the amount spent on health care. The difference is more than a thousand-fold.

If someone feels they need a Spot or similar, then they should carry one. If they need to hike with a chair or wear camp shoes that is okay too.

HYOY.

The problem I see with SPOT and similar ilk is the owners don’t read the instructions, don’t really understand how they work, don’t plan out how they will use them, and don’t set proper expectations with those who will monitor the messages.

I shall remain a dinosaur without a SPOT or other communication device. My hikes will be simpler and more rewarding. As Mags says, I will hike my own hike, dammit.

I got my Spot last year. I am pushing 60 and still doing trips that involve off trail travel. My wife has always been fine with my trips and has never needed to know where I am all the time as part of my going. The check ins are more something fun for her to watch while I am out of town than a necessity, though I do like the idea of being able to tell her if I am going to be a day or two late getting off trail (hasn’t happened yet). But as I get older I have admitted to myself that the  chances of blowing out a knee our having some other injury while off trail go up with age. That doesn’t stop me from going and if devices like Spot didn’t exist I still would. But they do exist and I have gotten to the point where for me it makes sense to  have one in my pack. But at the same time I chose Spot because of the lack of two way communication. I like the idea of having a safety device in my pack, and it is fun for my wife to track where I end up each evening, but I do not go out in order to stay in touch. HYOH

I’ve been using a SPOT for 3 or 4 years now and have never had issues w/ missed or dropped signals. There are certainly drawbacks to the inability to send two way messages though.

I will generally have my SPOT with me xc-skiing, backcountry skiing, hiking, hunting, and on road trips. I’m a regional social worker in the Yukon and often travel remote highways with no cell phone reception throughout the year. Our department has mandated the use of SPOT devices for all regional workers travelling these roads for safety in case of an emergency.

“I view all of this as society’s obsession with risk avoidance. We are paranoid with “what if.””

I agree to some extent with this statement. I likely wouldn’t be using a SPOT if I were hiking on-trail in well-populated areas. However, not carrying a SPOT or similar device in isolated areas borders on negligent given the availability of technology these days. I would feel like quite an a** if I broke my ankle on some backcountry route or my vehicle breaks down at -35 and I’m unable to get help because I was too proud to carry a device that could alert someone to assist me.

I prefer to minimize risk with preparation, training, and the proper skill set, but accidents can happen to anyone. Dying out in the backcountry wouldn’t be the worst way to go, as far as I’m concerned. But it wouldn’t be fair to my child (or my wife) to have to grow up without me because I’m a luddite. I’m guessing the thousands of trappers and prospectors who died alone in the bush would have been pretty excited at the ability to press a button and be rescued from their misery.

That being said, not being able to send two-way messages w/ the SPOT IS frustrating. I’m constantly having to provide updated instructions and plans to the folks who receive my messages depending on the type of trip I’m on. Being able to send IM’s eliminates the possibility of mis-communication, or at least reduces it, and I’m guessing that in 3-4 years all of the devices will be set-up for two-way communication. Probably be more expensive too. You can never win.

Cheers.

All this tracking and communicating… geez we are a fretful, impatient, and fearful people…

gone are the days when a explorer would go off for a year and the wife and kids would be at home waiting for a year or more… maybe they’d get a letter or two in that year from some distant port… maybe not… if they were gone two years instead of one, then I guess the wife started to get concerned…. :)

billy

Always brings a wry smile to my face when i read someone on the internet forum complain about technology :)

I like how you make it sound like historical explorers had a choice, they didn’t choose to shun modern technology, more often than not they used what was available at the time, be that telegrams, mail or dispatch riders.

Pretty much pointless comparing historical events to modern choices, technology and just as importantly expectations has moved on a fair bit in the last 20 years never mind 50 years.

I work for a multi national company, i am abler to communicate with fellow workers over various media like they were sat next to me.

A lot of my time is spent on-call, if this was 25 years ago i would be stuck in a office 8 hours a day, as it is i’m able to go out hiking, running, cycling and i can solve problems over the phone, rather than rushing off to find as phone after i received a call on my pager.

End of the day there is no law saying you HAVE to take technology on the trail, there is not even any peer pressure, it’s 100% up to you what you take, so belittling other peoples choices when you are not living their lives is pointless/

If theres an accident and you go  “missing” .... SAR wilk come looking for you regardless

having a plb/spot/sat phone/delorne will likely save rescuers money, time and risk to them

the most expensive SAR in BC search was someone who tried hiked the fools gold trail and was never found, it is believed he skimped on the needed gear

years latter there was another rescue from a group of well prepared hikers on the same trail, this time they had a device that allowed then to be rescued

the trail is so rugged that GPS and beacons have issue getting fixes

I have been hiking and horseback riding alone for over 50 years now and I’m very aware of the dangers…..yea I’ve heard the “never go out alone” line forever….and heck yes I have had “accidents” but for 99% of the time I got my own rear out of the crack and crawled home. One time I couldn’t, and was darn thankful my Dad had insisted on my getting the InReach. He is experienced, a ship captain who spent months at sea and always had a PLB onboard and on his person, and wanted me to have one. Of course we all have the choice on whether or not to use the technology available to us today, and many of us “old timers” kind of miss the days when we didn’t have these leashes on us constantly. But it’s a price I’m willing to pay for the freedom I have to hike five months at a time (or whatever) and keep my family happy.

Currently there is now a hiker that has been missing since last November on the CDT, Otter. Now, Otter always struck me as a really sensible guy, not the type to just up and disappear. Sadly, all his friends and family are just in a state of pure horror day in and day out wondering where Otter is. It rips yer heart out….I wish Otter had had SOMETHING, ANYTHING like a PLB or SPOT or an InReach. Perhaps his story can serve as an example for the rest of us.

I had an issue with a friend using an InReach that convinced me that I will never bother with two way devices. My plan is to carry a PLB (one of the single use, only-in-definite-emergency-needing-evacuation kinds of situations devices) and leave a thorough trip plan with someone I know including possible variations of it and what I plan to do in case something goes awry. I leave instructions to call the specific sheriff office/park that has jurisdiction and know from SAR experience that if my route goes through several parks/areas the office contacted will connect with the other SAR in other jurisdictions. I tell them to call if I am not in contact by phone or text within 24 hours of my scheduled return time.

When that text message the InReach sent to me was not received for hours (long after my friend found the other friend, and returned home), it drove home that none of these devices is going to be much help and will only INCREASE the amount of anxiety if they fail to work. Panicked people contact SAR. Most volunteer teams are connected with Federal or State law enforcement jurisdictions, and WILL incur large costs covered by taxpayer dollars, regardless of what anyone wants to pretend actually happens — charging search subjects may come up now as a possibility, but for our local team it will NEVER happen, as knowing you will be charged leads to delays in serious situations that could lead to loss of life — which is the exact opposite of what a SAR team hopes to do.

Another incident involving a SPOT that was accidentally left on a rock then picked up by another hiker and went miles in the wrong direction while the hiker who found it started sending messages thinking he was contacting his own family(???? !!!!) caused the adult daughter complete panic would be another example of how this sort of device promising reliability is just not going to be so bombproof as they want us to believe. Thousands of dollars wasted sending SAR teams on these fools’ errands — no thank you, my taxpayer dollars are wasted on enough frivolities.

Yep, I have a really strong opinion on this. I don’t like it when people pretend battery operated devices in the backcountry are reliable enough to keep them out of trouble, and do nothing else to minimize risk. The SEKI wilderness guide states pretty strongly that electronics should not be the only thing you do to stay safe. As far as I’m concerned, people on my trips better leave something at home such as what you generate on reconn.org – they can carry their toys if they like, but I will tell them they should warn the family at home the fancy two way device may not always work, and not to call 911 if it fails. And that they should not be terrified — it happens a lot more than the companies want you to think it does.

Devices don’t keep people out of trouble, being aware, prepared and having the skills to survive do. A chimpanzee can pick up a knife but that does not mean they will know how to use it. Leaving an itinerary with a responsible and sensible person is a no brainer, devices carried or not.

When newbies ask me “what is the first thing I need to buy?” I tell em to go get wilderness first responders training and learn how to train the mind to think in emergencies. That’s the best money spent. It will outlive all the gear you could ever purchase.