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Well, there are just personal locator beacons which you can rent and tell rescue personnel exactly where you are if you need a rescue.
by oh_sigh 6y ago
Well, there are just personal locator beacons which you can rent and tell rescue personnel exactly where you are if you need a rescue.
- danpalmer 6y agoSatellite phones with this capability are remarkably cheap for anyone who’s undertaking activities that might call for this. Contracts typically have a call centre able to dispatch relevant local authorities wherever you are.
- Razengan 6y agoWhat if you lose them or they fail to work?
- ghaff 6y agoThen you’re in the same place as if you didn’t have one and you’re hopefully not making yourself utterly dependent on them.
- Razengan 6y agoThen it’s not really the same thing as the GP’s comment was taking about: A service that looks for you and SOS signals which can be constructed at the distress site without depending on any equipment you had before you were stranded.
- tapatio 6y agoCarry a backup?
- crooked-v 6y agoThen you've wasted $250, which at that point is presumably the least of your problems.
- vosper 6y agoThey're not even expensive to buy. I picked one up for a few hundred dollars for hiking. I believe it's good for 10 years, until the battery needs replacing. I don't even do particularly intense hikes, usually not even overnight, but I read a few stories and realised how easy it is to end up in a situation where you need one. You just have to slip over and land badly, that's all it takes. Or maybe it won't be me, but someone else on the trail who needs help.
- Alupis 6y agoThe history of humans, traveling totally unprepared into harsh environmental conditions, thinking they'll just "Rambo" their way through, is stunning. The "Into the Wild" bus comes to mind[1]. So many people died every year, attempting to forge rivers unprepared, and brave the harsh Alaskan elements, that they had to remove this bus! It wasn't enough that people died every year, and that most of them had practically zero harsh environment experience... Nature will kill you every chance it gets. Be prepared, or don't go. [1] https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53106441 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53106441
- prionassembly 6y agoWe choose to go to the moon!
- Alupis 6y agoI'd argue they were abundantly prepared for going to the harsh moon environment.
- newman8r 6y agoyeah I've got one too (for kayaking in the ocean and hiking/overlanding), the peace of mind that they offer is worth the cost alone. I like to go places with no cell signal, and when you're hours from the nearest paved road, it's nice to know that you can get airlifted out if you get bitten by a snake, etc.
- jessriedel 6y ago
- thaumaturgy 6y agoThis is the right answer. A Garmin InReach or similar device with two-way messaging capabilities should be regarded as standard equipment now for anyone going into backcountry or remote areas. The two-way messaging allows local rescue teams to assess your condition, confirm your location, and deploy the appropriate resources more quickly.
- senkora 6y agoYep. I planned to hike the Appalachian Trail this year (canceled due to covid), and the Garmin InReach was universally recommended equipment.
- crooked-v 6y agoThough, keep in mind that the satellite messenger's battery is going to run lower much faster if you use it much (and paying at least a $12/mo subscription for it on top of the purchase price, you'll probably be pretty tempted to use it), while a PLB never runs down from use because you only ever use it in a definite emergency.