# Another good thing to carry



## stoepstyle (Sep 15, 2008)

I am going to get one of these 

SPOT SATELLITE MESSENGER :: HOME PAGE

to carry in the backcountry. You can hit a button and say you are OK, or that you need help, and then there is a full on 911 button. Its GPS so it tells people where you are. Im sure it will provide my parents much relief 


Just throwin it up there dunno if it has been posted before or not.


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## killclimbz (Aug 10, 2007)

Either one of those are good to have. I have neither. If you need help after an accident, it is definitely the quickest way to get help mobilized. The Spot was used by a base jumper who had a nasty crash out here last summer. Worked quite well for him.


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## stoepstyle (Sep 15, 2008)

Yeah what my parents like about the SPOT is that you can hit a button and say you are OK. Or you can also ask for non life threatening assistance. And then the one I am getting you can also send your own customized message. And then you can track your waypoints online which is cool too. Although I will be carrying a legit gps as well.


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## killclimbz (Aug 10, 2007)

I never carry a GPS with me, then again I don't have one. Generally speaking, if I am going into new terrain without someone who knows the area, I'll get a topo map. Then I can just pay attention to my altimeter watch and the map to find my way around. 

GPS are fun though.


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## iKimshi (Feb 18, 2009)

That definitely is a good thing to carry around but since I don't really travel backcountry and just hit the slopes and park, I don't really need it that much.


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## stoepstyle (Sep 15, 2008)

Yeah my family owns a Magellan 315 with the computer cable so im like ehh what the hell ill throw it in and it would be fun to download the routes onto the computer and check em out on google earth. And that plus a topo map id be set.


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## AdamBQ (Sep 15, 2009)

I've looked at that Spot myself. We sell them where I work, and I can even save some money. The other cool thing is that you can sync it up with Google Maps apparently, and if you want, your friends/family can see where you are even when its not an emergency.


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## Guest (Nov 27, 2009)

all that have been listed above seem like great ideas, but you have to make sure it doesnt give you a false sense of security. as stated, they only locate you to within 100ft.sq. In the rare case you are buried by an avalanche or something, if your S&R team can only pinpoint you to 100ft, they might as well be miles away.

aside from an avalanche though, looks like a great tool to bring along. pushing a button sure beats trying to ride home on a broken leg


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## stoepstyle (Sep 15, 2008)

Yeah obviously you would still carry transceivers.


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## killclimbz (Aug 10, 2007)

chawski said:


> all that have been listed above seem like great ideas, but you have to make sure it doesnt give you a false sense of security. as stated, they only locate you to within 100ft.sq. In the rare case you are buried by an avalanche or something, if your S&R team can only pinpoint you to 100ft, they might as well be miles away.
> 
> aside from an avalanche though, looks like a great tool to bring along. pushing a button sure beats trying to ride home on a broken leg


By the time the S&R team locates your general location, mobilize, get to the site, set up a command center, then get a group out to your location, you'll have been ready for the body bag hours previous. 

There is no substitute for having a beacon, shovel, probe, and friends who have the same and know how to use them. The satellite locater beacon can be very handy after an avalanche incident. Once you've dug the victim out. Often times injuries are severe and you'll need an S&R effort to save their life. Check out the Dozen More Turns that I have stickied to this forum. Probably the best video showing the realities of what can happen if you make a bad decision out there. Mark my words, when riding in the bc, it's a mistake you make that gets you in trouble. It is never a "they were unlucky" situation. The warnings were there.


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## AdamBQ (Sep 15, 2009)

Just to help some of you guys out who might be interested in one of these. . .
As I mentioned before, I am a Sales Manager at a retail chain in Canada that sells the Spot and they have just gone "Clearance" in our inventory., and something like this doesn't sell fast, and very few of our customers would buy something like this. . . Therefore any customer interested can normally get a good price.

So anyway, if you are interested and live in Canada, swing into a Future Shop near you, and ask them for a good price on this unit, or their demo. You should be able to get a pretty solid deal. Picked up the demo at my store today for a ridiculous low price, and will always have this on me from now on.

Edit : Sorry. Reread this and it really sounds like a car commercial lol. Didn't mean for it to be that way. Anyway, if you want one, and for a good price.


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