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Hi. I am wondering what gps+ emergency locator equipment fellow hikers recommend. I am interested in a spot - but love the garmin gps etrex....just wondering if anyone recommends a certain kind of tracting devise. Thanks in advance for your time.

Great question! I've been researching the same myself. I'm looking for an economical SOS button; I don't need GPS, messaging, or a subscription. All I need it to do is alert SAR if there's an emergency.
Here's a link to some side by side comparisons.

http://m.outdoorgearlab.com/Personal-Lo ... on-Reviews" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The ACR ResQlink 406 Personal Locator Beacon is at the top of my wish list.

Umm, the Garmin GPS ETrex isn't a personal locator. Well I guess it allows you to locate yourself on a map, but it can't transmit your location to anyone else, if that's what you want.

Some discussion here: http://14ers.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f= ... cy+locator
And here: http://14ers.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f= ... ot#p555462

i'm a fan of the SPOT but disappointed in the fact that they upped their annual contract to $150 from $100. I will be researching options before next years renewal.

I use the ACR. No monthly/yearly fee, and since I don't PLAN to use it, that is fine with me. It is a once per 5 years insurance policy to me.

I'm a big fan of the Delorme Inreach. The two way texting has been awesome, especially for my wife who likes to worry. The two way texting can also be important in conjunction with the SOS functionality. It will give SAR an idea of how bad the emergency is- broken ankle vs unconscious or an even worse condition.

I have used the SPOT 3 for the last three years. Pairing with the IPhone is a disaster. Sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn't. This makes the one way messaging very unreliable.

I have never used the emergency function.

I will not renew my contract and I do not recommend it.

Nelson

I bought a SPOT three years ago and it gives my wife peace of mind when I am out on a trip. It reduces the likelihood of her calling SAR when I need to have one more day to complete a big mountain. Even if I never need it for personal rescue, there is a good chance that I can help out other injured people in remote places. I almost needed to use it on the backside of Yale on a January hike when another climber had a bad fall. Fortunately she was just badly bruised and could walk out under her own power. There is no way that my son and I could have carried her down from that point and the afternoon was rapidly coming to an end. We all would have been hypothermic if we had to sit at 13,000' for prolonged periods of the night. Having a 2-3h faster response time provided by the SPOT would have been a big difference maker.

For me SPOT works, and the price fits my budget.

Nelson wrote:I have used the SPOT 3 for the last three years. Pairing with the IPhone is a disaster. Sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn't. This makes the one way messaging very unreliable.

I have never used the emergency function.

I will not renew my contract and I do not recommend it.

Nelson

what function of pairing it with the iphone are you using (i honestly dont know what that does, texting?)

I have used the Emergency function to rescue a lady who broke her knee cap on a mtb ride on the CT back in 2012. Worked great.

My SPOT is a spot connect. Every time I want to send any message I have to go through the pairing process (there is a SPOT App). Then go to the app and send the message (either pre written or a new text). Particularly on my last trip in June, it just wouldn't pair for three days. Then it miraculously started pairing again and I could send messages after going through the cumbersome pairing process each time.

Delorme recently added "Freedom Plans", might be worth looking into if you only use an InReach a few months out of the year. http://www.inreachdelorme.com/product-i ... -plans.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I've been quite happy with my Delorme inReach. Pairs easily. App works well, allows you to download all sorts of maps (USGS, aerial photos, etc.). Speaking from experience (http://14ers.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f= ... ch#p498772" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) two-way messaging is invaluable in an emergency. Also useful for getting weather forecasts (http://wx2inreach.weebly.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) when out in the backcountry.