SerenityScenes
New member
I also pay for Garmin rescue insurance. It is very inexpensive and back country rescues can get very expensive. Never had to use it but it is a nice to have.
Emergency beacons, do you carry one?
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Roy
Well-known member
Most places I go here in Australia have no cell phone coverage.A Garmin InReach or similar device (with backup charger) would have avoided a potential disaster at sea. This photographer was fortunate to avoid seriously rough seas
Wildlife Photographer Missing at Sea Found in Different Country
He's lucky to be alive.petapixel.com
The 'remarkable story of survival' of a dad missing at sea in Wales found in Ireland
Solo sailor Chris Ellery sparked a massive land, sea and air search when he failed to return home after a trip to Pembrokeshire.www.southwalesargus.co.uk
Photographer’s drift to Ireland: The full story behind Chris Ellery’s ordeal
THE story of Chris Ellery’s unexpected journey across the Irish Sea has captivated many, especially after the photographer from Bristol was found safe in County Wicklow, Ireland, last Saturday. The 54-year-old set off from Pembrokeshire, Wales, with plans for a short solo trip but ended up...pembrokeshire-herald.com
Similar situation in Australia, which could have turned out fatal
Missing Photographer Found With Snake Bite After Six Days in Remote Mountains
She's 'fortunate to be alive'.
I've been planning to get a satellite phone (if they get cheap enough) ..
Calson
Well-known member
And iphone 14, 15, or 16 provides for satellite communication and is going to be adequate for sending text messages including ones GPS coordinates.
I traveled on land and far offshore before there was GPS or cell phones and needed to be prepared for emergencies and self reliant. Today people take stupid risks and then expect others to come and rescue them regardless of the risk to these other people.
A surf skier was rescued in Hawaii and this fellow did not tell people where he was going or provide an ETA and he did not take a phone or radio or flare and he had not bothered to tether his paddle to the boat. I have owned 6 kayaks and all had a line to tether the paddle to the boat.
forums.paddling.com
The 10 Essentials are a good starting point for those off the beaten path:
I traveled on land and far offshore before there was GPS or cell phones and needed to be prepared for emergencies and self reliant. Today people take stupid risks and then expect others to come and rescue them regardless of the risk to these other people.
A surf skier was rescued in Hawaii and this fellow did not tell people where he was going or provide an ETA and he did not take a phone or radio or flare and he had not bothered to tether his paddle to the boat. I have owned 6 kayaks and all had a line to tether the paddle to the boat.
Surf skier rescued in Hawaii after 12 hours
Nice picture Both my kids grew up in Hawaii and were always out on the water. It’s stressful but just how it is. The kids would all jump off the cliff over by Koko head and all I could say was “don’t ever jump first.” One night my ten year old was missing in Hawaii Kai because he would...
forums.paddling.com
The 10 Essentials are a good starting point for those off the beaten path:
Roy
Well-known member
Thanks I'll take a look at a new iPhone.
I've already tried a cell booster but it didn't work ...
I've already tried a cell booster but it didn't work ...
I have engaged in sports which place your life at risk. When I was young we used to go backpacking iin upstate Pennsylvania in the middle of winter. 20 below zero.
I also scuba dove.
the secret to security is safety redundancy. I never went out in the wildehirness alone, I always had a friend with me.
they teach the buddy system in diving. the idea was you have a buddy to rely on if your gear fails.
the reality is particularly when diving relying on your buddy is illusory. I have dove in waters where you can barely see your hand in front of your face. If you have a prolblem under water you may have a minute to find an alternate air source. You turn right your buddy turns left all of a sudden you can't see your buddy. No anway you can count on him being there for you in one minute.
I then studied decompression diving. this is the kind of diving when you absolutely can't go to the surface whenever you want. You have to burn off nitrogen. It means you have to stay underwater perhaps a half hour or more before it is safe to come up.
they teach self sufficiency and redundancy. You have to have two of everything so in case one piece of equipment fails you have your own backup. You still dive with a buddy but you are also really self sufficient. You know that if one piece of equipment fails and you are down to your backup you stop the dive and get to the surface as soon as it is safe to do so.
Applying this theory to the InReach devices, the question is what happens if the device fails. Do you have backup? For instance are you with a buddy who has his own InReach device/? What if you make a mistake and you drain your batte3ry?
HAM radio is another way to get redundancy. You can call anywhere in the world with the right ham radiio equipment.
the moral of this story is don't put all your safety eggs ion one basket. Plan for equipment failure and have a backup or two.
I also scuba dove.
the secret to security is safety redundancy. I never went out in the wildehirness alone, I always had a friend with me.
they teach the buddy system in diving. the idea was you have a buddy to rely on if your gear fails.
the reality is particularly when diving relying on your buddy is illusory. I have dove in waters where you can barely see your hand in front of your face. If you have a prolblem under water you may have a minute to find an alternate air source. You turn right your buddy turns left all of a sudden you can't see your buddy. No anway you can count on him being there for you in one minute.
I then studied decompression diving. this is the kind of diving when you absolutely can't go to the surface whenever you want. You have to burn off nitrogen. It means you have to stay underwater perhaps a half hour or more before it is safe to come up.
they teach self sufficiency and redundancy. You have to have two of everything so in case one piece of equipment fails you have your own backup. You still dive with a buddy but you are also really self sufficient. You know that if one piece of equipment fails and you are down to your backup you stop the dive and get to the surface as soon as it is safe to do so.
Applying this theory to the InReach devices, the question is what happens if the device fails. Do you have backup? For instance are you with a buddy who has his own InReach device/? What if you make a mistake and you drain your batte3ry?
HAM radio is another way to get redundancy. You can call anywhere in the world with the right ham radiio equipment.
the moral of this story is don't put all your safety eggs ion one basket. Plan for equipment failure and have a backup or two.
Just don't be this guy....
www.ranker.com
The True Story Of '127 Hours' Where A Man Cut Off His Own Arm To Survive
If you've ever used the term "between a rock and a hard place," you may want to rethink it. That is, unless you've walked in Aron Ralston's shoes. Ralston, the canyoneer who self-amputated his arm after becoming pinned between boulders on a climbing excursion, was the inspiration for the 2010...
www.ranker.com
I was 16 and snorkeling off Palos Verdes and my "buddy" went missing. I surfaced to find him practically running across the water to shore. I yelled at him WTF, he yelled SHARK. I looked down and sure enough, an 8 foot shark. He wasn't interested in me though and after he passed I headed casually for shore. Had the shark been aggressive I'm fairly certain my "buddy" would have drawn his attention. You don't have to be faster than the bear........
Years later I met Jack O'Neill who helped develop the wetsuit and pioneer SCUBA. He and his buddies bought surplus Air Force compressors which they ran on vegetable oil but still damaged their lungs.
Years later I met Jack O'Neill who helped develop the wetsuit and pioneer SCUBA. He and his buddies bought surplus Air Force compressors which they ran on vegetable oil but still damaged their lungs.
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doesn't the newer iphone have SOS via satellite?
John Navitsky
Well-known member
yes, although mind your coverage area.
hiker guy on youtube has some videos why you might choose garmin or just the iphone
Link please
John Navitsky
Well-known member
here's one
I frequently hike alone in the mountains.
I fully agree with everything you say
This has been an informative thread. I'm thinking of getting a Garmin or similar device especially since we do a lot of single vehicle desert travel (death valley, utah, anza borrego, etc) in an older but well maintained 4x4 toyota truck. We have a good shell plus sleeping platform and camp well away from the beaten path. But it has over 410k miles and we will probably replace it at some point soon.
I agree with others who emphasize being well prepared. I've spent a lifetime traveling the backcountry in a wide variety of conditions, seasons, and weather. I also use paper topo maps, compass together with a good phone map app. I have a small backup battery in my backpack and plan to get another larger one for the truck. We usually have about 30 gallons of water in the truck on one of our trips to start.
A question: has anyone used their Garmin or similar device to add GPS to their photos via Bluetooth or wifi link with snapbridge? My phone just doesn't work well for that. I may get a solmeta unit or equivalent.
Thanks for the good discussion.
I agree with others who emphasize being well prepared. I've spent a lifetime traveling the backcountry in a wide variety of conditions, seasons, and weather. I also use paper topo maps, compass together with a good phone map app. I have a small backup battery in my backpack and plan to get another larger one for the truck. We usually have about 30 gallons of water in the truck on one of our trips to start.
A question: has anyone used their Garmin or similar device to add GPS to their photos via Bluetooth or wifi link with snapbridge? My phone just doesn't work well for that. I may get a solmeta unit or equivalent.
Thanks for the good discussion.
Another thought, I know that my map and compass and orienteering skills suffer from disuse. I become reliant on my phone mapping app and don't use orienteering skills often enough.
As wotan said, redundancy is good. I try to have downloaded usgs topos on my phone, but back them up with paper topos when we visit areas that just aren't traveled.
As wotan said, redundancy is good. I try to have downloaded usgs topos on my phone, but back them up with paper topos when we visit areas that just aren't traveled.
John Navitsky
Well-known member
i'm not sure it's possible. if the phone doesn't work well enough (and i agree, i don't think it was reliable for me), then i think you need one of the nikon gps dongles.
luckily for me, i mostly use the z9, and just leave the onboard gps active
Woody Meristem
Well-known member
Just a word of warning to you young folks about relying on your cellphone -- Don't ! Batteries die, you might fall on the thing and smash it on a rock, in my area most places that are worth going to have spotty cellphone service at best. Carry a good first aid kit, not one with only a tiny tube of anti-biotic salve and six adhesive bandages. Carry a tourniquet or something that can be used as one and know how to use it, carry some heavy duty sanitary napkins (one of the best absorbent bandages you can get) and self-adhesive tape to hold it on, a few heavy duty pain killers should be along as well. Learn how to splint a broken arm or leg and make sure you have a multi-tool along (I prefer a Leatherman Fuse, but they haven't been made for more than ten years). Remember, you don't need to be concerned about a small cut or a little blood, the only thing you really need to worry about are injuries that can kill you quickly or a sting that might result in an allergic reaction that can also kill you quickly.
Cclaude
New member
I spent a life time climbing in Peru and Nepal and never carried one.After breaking my neck on a bike I no longer climb. I do carry a Spot and my IPhone 14, since I spend a lot of time solo in the back country. Thankfully all I have ever used the Spot for is to text Owners of lost dogs I have found in the back country
fcotterill
Well-known member
Every other week, the international news reports a survival story, with the similar sequence of events. Hiker/camper/naturalist gets lost in a remote region of wilderness. Massive investment in expensive searching ensues.... Lost human turns up worse for wear, or it's worst case.
Carrying a Garmin or similar rescue device would avoid almost all these emergencies, including search and rescue workers risking their own lives, which usually demand often flying in dangerous terrain and weathers.
bc.ctvnews.ca
Carrying a Garmin or similar rescue device would avoid almost all these emergencies, including search and rescue workers risking their own lives, which usually demand often flying in dangerous terrain and weathers.
Missing hiker found alive after 50 days in northern B.C. wilderness
A missing hiker who spent 50 days alone in the frozen wilderness of northern British Columbia has been found alive.
Woody Meristem
Well-known member
Every other week, the international news reports a survival story, with the similar sequence of events. Hiker/camper/naturalist gets lost in a remote region of wilderness. Massive investment in expensive searching ensues.... Lost human turns up worse for wear, or it's worst case.
Carrying a Garmin or similar rescue device would avoid almost all these emergencies, including search and rescue workers risking their own lives, which usually demand often flying in dangerous terrain and weathers.
Missing hiker found alive after 50 days in northern B.C. wilderness
A missing hiker who spent 50 days alone in the frozen wilderness of northern British Columbia has been found alive.
I understand what you're saying. But as someone who has been involved in multiple searches and read the reports of many, many others, rescue beacons and cell phones enable people who are merely unprepared or confused or hungry or slightly "injured" to call for a "rescue" when it's totally unnecessary. I remember the guy who wound up needing to be rescued twice from basically the same spot under the same circumstances two years in a row due to his own stupidity. Another guy in the Adirondacks had to abandon his gear while he was being "rescued", he later went back for his stuff and needed a helicopter rescue after using his rescue beacon again when it snowed -- fortunately he was met by law enforcement the second time. All too often emergency personnel are put at risk when a "rescue" is totally unwarranted. Witness the costs and danger involved in retrieving the body of Guy Waterman (the story is far too involved to go into here). Before easy communications the unprepared tended to stay home, now they think that no matter how stupid they may be someone will be sent to "rescue" them. I'm too old to participate in rescues now, instead I may die out there some day and the ravens, vultures and bears will have a meal, even if the meat's a bit stringy.
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Cclaude
New member
I agree… sometimes it’s because people are scared. Years ago ran into a friend who helped out YOSAR (Yosemite Search and Rescue ) pull a guy off of el cap because he was scared and not hurt… my friend was so pissed because it took an entire team an entire day to do the evac, and evacs are as safe as they can be but not safe