electronics: pack your fears?

I started taking a Zoleo along on my hikes when I was volunteering in Wilderness areas, at the suggestion of the rangers. They pointed out that when a hiker sees me, that hiker might reasonably expect that I am going to be able to help them in some way, and it would be a good idea to have at least a way of calling for help.

But I also take it along when I hike solo for peace of mind–not mine, my wife’s. She likes to know that I can send a message if I really do get into serious trouble. The phone is with me anyway, because it’s my camera these days.

Pinging phones?  Nope. I turn off data roaming and all those features. The only contact I have is when I send an outgoing message.  Other than that, I am in airplane mode and the silence is golden.

On the other hand, the only time I might have needed the Zoleo was with a hiker who badly sprained her ankle. When I heard about it, I asked if they needed me to call for help. Nope, where she was sitting, she had cell coverage!

We dive so deep into our own fears that we become the very same monsters that we dread. I wear a seatbelt as much for the safety of others as well as mine. [edited], I will agree an emergency device is for their good as well as mine. As a personal choice, I don’t carry one..

I wonder if these devices don’t become an anchor, in every sense of the word, to the very fears , anxieties and distractions we’re looking to move past when we venture out into wilderness. It’s hard to let the world go!

I also know many people who carry a firearm explicitly because they feel threatened by other people in the remote wilderness.

I do carry an Inreach Mini, to check in with my wife, but I leave it turned off otherwise. TBH, it has been useful on two occasions (once for me, and once for a child in another hiking party), and it doesn’t distract me at all. My phone is more of a distraction, and I do find myself taking a lot of photos, which may compromise my experience at the moment. In retrospect, however, the photos make my memories more vivid, which extends the pleasure of the experience, so I don’t regret it.

Otherwise, I have learned that data-tracking really gives me no long-term joy, so I don’t keep track of mileage, time, temperature, etc. I just live in the moment as best I can.

I’m with you Dan.  I am also approaching the age when I will not be able to cover as much ground (hell, I’m already THERE) or go into the back country as much as I would like.  And my photos are an investment in my sanity for the coming years.

But, no, I don’t keep GPS tracks or any other of the possible electronic traces.

And now for a story: My dad was more than ten years older than I am now when he suffered an accident and, as a result of that accident and subsequent medication, became disoriented. He could carry on small talk just fine, but often got the details wrong, and it soon became clear that his memory was somewhere between confused and disappeared.  One day I showed up at his room to hear him asking the nurse where that photo on the wall had been taken.  He had taken the photo some fifty years ago, but couldn’t tell us where it was shot.

I reminded him that it was Two Medicine Lake in Glacier. He immediately beamed and thanked me.  And for the next week, that photo becamse a touchstone for anyone who visited, including me., and gave him enormous delight.

well actually the In-reach IS really tiny and light…and a phone makes a light weight camera…once again I may have over stated my case.

Hi everyone,

A quick reminder about our Community Guidelines. This thread has veered into some language and tone that could feel unwelcoming, which is something we work hard to avoid here.

Specifically, please keep these points in mind:

#1 – Be considerate. Focus on sharing your own experiences and choices, rather than questioning others’.
#2 – Honor each other as human beings. Avoid implying motives (e.g., “fear-based”) for why someone makes a different choice.
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If you’d like to continue discussing electronics and philosophy of gear, that’s great—please do so respectfully and keep the focus on your personal perspective.

Thanks for helping keep this a welcoming and inclusive space for all backpackers.

The most important reason to carry electronics is so that rescuers will know exactly where you are and rescue you. Without that, rescuers will have to comb a much larger area – wasting time, resources and money.

Imagine you are on a 5 day hike spanning 50 miles and you get hurt on day 1. Your loved ones will notify emergency personnel after 5 or 6 days and now the rescue operation has to span 50 miles – and a lot more resources because you can be anywhere on that 50 mile trail.

A person with a device can notify exactly where they are on day 1 – and it can be a much smaller operation benefiting not only hiker – but also the rescuers.  So it is not just packing ones fears. It is also to benefit the rescue operation. That to me is the most important reason to carry a device. An Inreach mini has a fantastic battery and can last a long time – 10 days or more if you power it, send a “I am alive” text to loved ones and shut it off – which is what I do.

“If hikers carried beacons, then we would find many more accident victims. Some of them while they are still alive.”

— quote from a European SAR team

“If hikers carried beacons, then we would find many more accident victims. Some of them while they are still alive.”

— quote from a European SAR team

This reminds me of that RECCO technology. I wonder whether that is becoming more standardized and proving to be useful. It doesn’t seem so practical for rescue, but maybe for recovery.

Beacons = PLBs and GPS communicators.

Recco is a reflector. Still a good idea because it is cheap and doesn’t need a battery, so it can be sewn into your pack or parka. I would expect that most SAR aircraft probably have the transmitter, although ground teams probably vary.

I see, you were referring to PLBs and satellite communicators. When I read the word “beacon”, my mind went to avalanche beacon because that’s the only time I actually use that word. While RECCO is a reflector, the range is functionally pretty similar to a typical avalanche beacon, and neither requires the user to be conscious.

“Packing Your Fears” – I like that.

I don’t carry any “communication device other than a cellphone, and that’s for photography. However, as I approach a slightly more advanced age, while contemplating some long trips when I retire, my wife would like me to carry something like an inreach. If I were single and without dependents I’d probably not bother. But as a courtesy to the woman I’ve been married to for 40 years, I’m happy to oblige.

Our whole “wilderness experience” is mostly an artificial construct anyway. How many times have you sat in a “remote” camp watching a contrail overhead? Stargazing at night has become more about counting satellites than actually seeing shooting stars. Our gear is manufactured around the world out of mostly grimy industrial centers. I’m with those who want to limit civilization and technology creep, but I’m also not blind to the relatively artificial nature of “backpacking.”

I recently listened to the author of a book about the British couple who, in 1973, drifted on the ocean for 4 months after a whale sunk their sail boat. The husband was a purist, and didn’t bring a radio on their long ocean journey. He regretted that.

HYOH for sure, but I think it pays to be realistic about the actual “purity” of our pastime.

In the near future, I will probably get something lioke a Inreach Mini.  Yep, getting older, but the reason is that it will reduce stress from my three daughters.  They worry about us old folks backpacking.  Adding a few ounces to get them to back off is well worth it.  My 2 cents.

Boy Scout rescue

Well said @ Bradmacmt.

I too carry my cell phone (pictures and video) , Inreach Mini,  watch and small battery to keep them charged, including my headlamp. If I was back in the day with John Muir,  I most likely would not have/need any of them.. probably just a paper map and compass..  But, here I am…

I would say, like others above, that it is partly a matter of “packing others fears”, loved ones at home.  As a retired farmer, slipping up on 70, I had eschewed most electronics other than a headlamp while backpacking for 50+ years but have now replaced the camera with a cell phone and have come to enjoy my Caltopo navigation on long off trail walks which entails a battery to recharge if longer than a few days and now a Zoleo (that I only turn on if I need it to send an “all is okay” message) if solo and no cell service or on a very arduous off trail desert trip.  Still carry paper maps and a compass as backup and know how to use them.  There is a convenience and peace of mind for everyone involved.

The boy scout rescue Terran posted is another reason I always keep my Inreach in my pant pockets and not on the backpack like many seem to do.

Attach it to your trowel.

Only time I drop my pack is when im resting for a break and sitting with it, dropping a duece off trail (pack stays next to me), or at camp (under my tarp, in my bivy, or by my side).  Its is something to think about though..  I have a paranoia of somehow losing my pack!!!  That story just triggered it!!  I love my pack and my gear. When I am out there, we are one and they are my life.

At 70 I still hike everyday right from my front door. My property meets up with federal land plus huge tracks of private land I can hike on, so my dog and I try not to miss a day.

I carry an inreach mini all the time when hiking, nobody hikes in these areas and I’m mostly off trail, so it would take a long time to find me. The only time I’ve used it is on the CT to check in periodically so family didn’t get worried.

I typically forget I have it or my phone, so I end up taking very few pics even in scenic areas.