🏔 Andy McKay

When I started seriously backpacking I got a Spot Gen 4 in 2022. The Spot was a wonderful device that provided a level of security for me and reassurance for my wife. It allowed me to roam further and with more confidence, knowing that if things go really bad there's a button to press that would send a message for help. It made me more confident and more comfortable hiking on my own. I wouldn't have done a lot of the hikes on this blog without it.

Unfortunately the Spot had a few issues and recently it started to act erractically. The battery light would come on just an hour or so after fresh batteries were put in. Messages that I tried to send didn't seem to be going through. The one thing I need in this device is relability, everything else is secondary. Just before some big hikes, I decided I needed to replace it.

One thing my wife and I decided upon is that we'd like to have two way messaging in a device. For the simple reasons that when I press the SOS button, any context or information we can share is useful. For example: the difference between me pressing the SOS button because I've broken my leg and because I've come across another hiker with a broken leg is quite important.

So what were my options?

Another Spot?

There were things I didn't like about the Spot Gen 4:

• The battery life was good and required carrying batteries 👍
• A lack of information. For example, there's no battery level indicator, just green "ok" and red "replace" 👎
• No two way messaging 👎
• It's rather big and bulky to strap on the outside of backpacks and the velcro strap sucked 👎
• It's a US company 👎

There is a Spot X which provides two way messaging, but it seems like a Blackberry with it's keyboard. The reviews of it are not good. It's not small or light either (198.4g). If I'm going to pay money to a US company, it better be good.

How about Zoleo?

Zoleo is a Canadian company, yay 😻. The Zoleo is a bulky box with some lights, reminiscient of the Spot Gen 4. It does have two way messaging and an app. The problems with the Zoleo were that:

• No where local sold them, both Valhalla and MEC had none for sale. I could order online and get one in a week or more (plus shipping) 👎 👎
• It looks even more big, bulky and ugly than a Spot Gen 4 👎
• It isn't super light 👎 (150g)
• It does have a long battery life 👍
• It is a Canadian company 👍
• It's a relatively cheap device ($250 CAD) 👍

The fact that I couldn't get one in time for my next hikes was the deal breaker, but I admit the thought of having another bulky box didn't fill me with joy.

How about just my phone?

The iPhone 14 and upwards come with Satellite messaging. I've used it a couple of times and it works in North America:

Messages via satellite is available in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. It's free for two years after the activation of an iPhone 14 or later (all models).

That's pretty generous and will cover 90% of my use cases, although we do travel outside of those areas frequently. I'm not sure how much it costs after the two years though.

In practice however, I've found it very finnicky to use. It didn't work well under tree cover, it didn't work on the West Coast Trail when a US cell tower could be reached (which I couldn't use), it didn't work well down in a valley surrounded by mountains.

The phone is one of the most important devices while hiking. I use it for pictures, a map, it has a weak backup flashlight (always carry a dedicated flashlight) and in an emergency can be used to find you. But that means it's batteries run down and having a dedicated device for that emergency is important to me. But also, in an emergency I really don't want to be having to move to a spot with no trees, or turning my iPhone around to find a satellite.

Garmin inReach

If you ever see a device on the trail, it's likely a Garmin. I've had multiple Garmin devices and I've pretty much disliked them all. The software is terrible and Garmin will find any way to charge you more. However the inReach does everything I want:

• It's small and light 👍 (100g)
• It's got a long battery life 👍
• It has an app, and clear indicators about what's happening 👍
• It is able to send messages in situations an iPhone can't 👍
• It's an expensive device ($579 CAD) 👎
• It's from a US company 👎

On my first hike out, I came back raving about how much more I liked the inReach. It's small - it fit into my backpack front pockets easily. It has a screw so I can attach it to my camera mount. I can look and see how much battery life is remaining easily. Checkin messages are clearer than the Spot.

Unlike the iPhone I don't need to do a lot of manual steps to send a message. I just queue it up, clip my inReach back in and continue hiking. In a few minutes I'll get an audible notification when it's gone.

I was able to find it on sale at $399 CAD. That was still way more expensive than the other options, but let's talk about plans... 👇

The plans

When buying a device, you need to consider the recurring plan that you need. The Spot Gen 4 was costing me ~$12 a month and there were no extra message charges, but also no two way messaging anyway. The cheapest Zoleo plan is $25 CAD a month and that includes 75 messages, with unlimited check-in messages. The cheapest Garmin plan is $10.99 CAD a month. Messages vary from 15c to 70c.

In September I did 5 hikes with the Garmin and I overused it a bit. I sent 19 check in messages, 1 weather message, 8 text messages, so my total cost was $21.23 CAD. Those 27 messages still costs less than the Zoleo plan.

In October I plan on doing no overnight hikes, so my total cast is expected to be $10.99 CAD.

The Garmin cost $150 more than the Zoleo, but in roughly (depending upon usage) one year, the plan for the Garmin will have made up for the Zoleo cost difference. I note this calculation was helped by the Garmin being on sale.

Summary

I ❤️ the Garmin inReach. After four days on the Rockwall in the Rockies, my battery was at 75% and I'd gotten a weather report and sent a bunch of messages to my wife. It's small, lightweight and fits perfectly in my loadout. The plan fits with my hiking schedule of busy and quiet months. I would fully recommend it. The downside is that the original unit is expensive (we know it will get bashed or broken at some point) and I'm paying money to a US company.