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Not sure it's going to change much at all. I do a lot of bikepacking and everyone carries Garmin inReach or similar which allows you to send SMS and SOS via sa

Not sure it's going to change much at all. I do a lot of bikepacking and everyone carries Garmin inReach or similar which allows you to send SMS and SOS via satellite in case of emergency. You ideally want a seperate device like that because it has up to 14 days battery life and is a backup to your phone.

kortilla 4y ago
>I do a lot of bikepacking and everyone carries Garmin inReach or similar which allows you to send SMS and SOS via satellite in case of emergency. You only hang out with well-off people, congrats. This will be great for people who don’t want to shell out another $15-20/mo + $300 for a device but still want to enjoy the outdoors.
- threeseed 4y ago
  > You only hang out with well-off people Or people who think their lives are worth more than a few hundred dollars. If you're travelling into remote areas with just your phone then you're going to be in a lot of trouble.
  - kortilla 4y ago
    Yet millions of people enjoyed the wilderness before sat technology existed.
teruakohatu 4y ago
I think Garmin's days are numbered in this area. You can buy a small prepaid mobile phone as a backup and leave it off, it won't weigh much and be far cheaper. I am going to guess One New Zealand won't allow prepaid mobile phones to use the service initially other than 111 emergency calls.
- iudqnolq 4y ago
  Unfortunately it's only possible to buy high quality rugged cases for very expensive phones. Keeping your prepaid in your backpack might work for you, but I was strongly encouraged by my local backcountry search and rescue volunteers to keep my emergency communication device in immediate reach on the shoulder strap so that I can get assistance if partially incapacitated. This might be different if you don't recreate alone.
- threeseed 4y ago
  > I think Garmin's days are numbered in this area Garmin and similar devices have proven reliability anywhere in the world. SpaceX may prove itself to be a better proposition but it won't be anytime soon.
totetsu 4y ago
Having dropped my phone and smashed it in the middle of bushwhacking I second the need for a secondary device. But no reason it couldn't just be another phone.

kortilla 4y ago

>I do a lot of bikepacking and everyone carries Garmin inReach or similar which allows you to send SMS and SOS via satellite in case of emergency. You only hang out with well-off people, congrats. This will be great for people who don’t want to shell out another $15-20/mo + $300 for a device but still want to enjoy the outdoors.

threeseed 4y ago
> You only hang out with well-off people Or people who think their lives are worth more than a few hundred dollars. If you're travelling into remote areas with just your phone then you're going to be in a lot of trouble.
- kortilla 4y ago
  Yet millions of people enjoyed the wilderness before sat technology existed.

teruakohatu 4y ago

I think Garmin's days are numbered in this area. You can buy a small prepaid mobile phone as a backup and leave it off, it won't weigh much and be far cheaper. I am going to guess One New Zealand won't allow prepaid mobile phones to use the service initially other than 111 emergency calls.

iudqnolq 4y ago
Unfortunately it's only possible to buy high quality rugged cases for very expensive phones. Keeping your prepaid in your backpack might work for you, but I was strongly encouraged by my local backcountry search and rescue volunteers to keep my emergency communication device in immediate reach on the shoulder strap so that I can get assistance if partially incapacitated. This might be different if you don't recreate alone.
threeseed 4y ago
> I think Garmin's days are numbered in this area Garmin and similar devices have proven reliability anywhere in the world. SpaceX may prove itself to be a better proposition but it won't be anytime soon.

totetsu 4y ago

Having dropped my phone and smashed it in the middle of bushwhacking I second the need for a secondary device. But no reason it couldn't just be another phone.