Few days ago I updated the registration info with NOAA for my personal locator beacon. Thankfully, I’ve never used it. But every time I pack it, I wonder what it would take. Friend of mine had to use the SOS function on his inReach a couple years ago when a fellow rider on a desert moto trip went over the handlebars at 40 mph and punctured a lung. Last spring in the middle of nowhere, Utah, while trundling along off-road in an SUV I thought I’d be in a similar situation when I encountered a rider on the ground, his bike in the dirt, gear smeared across a two-track like a bomb went off. I grabbed my inReach Mini as I got out of the truck to offer help. We righted his rig, he shook off the butterflies, and sent me on my way.
That’s probably the closest I’ve ever come to using my inReach or my PLB. I carry both often when solo in the backcountry, by the way. The PLB operates on a stronger frequency than my inReach and uses a global military satellite network as opposed to the inReach’s commercial sat system. The PLB is also a turn it on and wait kinda deal with no messaging capability. I figure if I fall down into a cave or something, I can turn the PLB on and pitch it into the clear, maybe keep the inReach nearby as a backup.
Anyway, while registering my beacon I did what I always do when I test the batteries and signals of my sat tools. I wonder what it would take to actually call for SOS. A broken ankle? But what if I could hobble out? Being hopelessly lost? Sometimes I fear the embarrassment would overrule my desire for rescue. Get wet somewhere deep in a cold backcountry environment, with hypothermia setting in? Running out of water in the desert? The mind reels, but I always wonder just what it would take to think it’s now or never, and to press that red button.
As an incentive for conversation, we’re giving away a copy of Adventure Journal to one commenter chosen at random. You can choose any issue we have in stock, and if you’re already a subscriber we can extend your sub by an issue, send you an issue you don’t have, or give one to a friend. Just include your email when you post your comment so we can get in touch.
Photo: Justin Housman
I had my older Delorme inReach go off in my backpack this Fall. It was turned off and the SOS lock was on, and it still managed to go off. The call from Garmin’s network scared the $%&! out of my Mom and girlfriend. It also launched our local SAR, which fortunately is comprised of close friends who knew where we were and that we were likely fine.
The experience made me feel like a rookie, nonetheless, even though I use my inReach as my sole communication device for roughly 6 weeks a year.
I learned a couple of things in the process, beyond that it can go off with constant pressure on the SOS, even when turned off:
1) Take my Mom off my emergency contact list since she lives 1,000 miles away and I’m a grown adult now
2) Float plans are important – Many folks knew where we were, even for a day trip. Only real worry on SAR’s part was a bear attack given the country we were in
3) Even though we were just off the road network in rural Alaska, SAR isn’t coming quickly. The process from pressing SOS to getting local responders on scene takes time, so it’s important to be a part of your own rescue in a true emergency.
4) Cover the SOS button with plastic and duct tape.
Good things to have for a real emergency. I emphasize real.
A good friend of mine pushed the button on his SPOT when they first came out about 10 years ago while dirt biking, when another buddy went down hard on his bike. It was a very remote location near dark, but SAR got there in just a couple of hours because of the SPOT. He’s paralyzed from the waist down, but it saved his life.
Interesting question you pose, because the SPOT operator asked my friend’s wife when he called her: “What would it take for your husband to push that button?” She replied “He’d have to be dying”.
I finally got the Inreach Mini when I decided my life was worth $300 and $12 a month. Never used the SOS function, but I have used the messaging several times. I smashed my collarbone mountain biking last fall. If I’d been alone I would’ve had a hard time getting myself out. But it would take a pretty serious accident to call SOS rather than message a friend.
I bought an InReach for my wife’s peace of mind while I went on a solo river trip. I ended up buying the cheapest plan and now I use the 3 free messages to tell her I’m at the put-in, stopping for lunch, and at the take-out so on my way home. I would have to have a broken leg to trigger the SOS. I figured if I take the year-around plan, I’ll take it with me. If I only turned it on when I thought I was at risk, I’d never use it.
My wife talked me into get one, I didn’t want the texting version as I think it leads to more use or at least the expectation of use.
I carry a PLB with me whenever I go into the backcountry, so essentially any place where my cell phone can’t maintain a reliable signal.
I have not used it, even considering past accidents I have yet to have a situation where I would have used it: Rode out once with broken rib, another time with broken leg, etc…
So yeah, I’d have to be totally incapable of getting to help on my own.
Ben, the upside to those things you describe are-
Use: if you get to use it outside of emergencies, you’ll know it works & be comfortable operating it when an emergency comes. Sort of like jet fan airbag packs vs compressed gas packs.
Communication with emergency services: you can tell them if it’s trauma, or dehydration, or hypothermia, or snake bite. (I’ve heard it takes a while to prepare a dose of antivenin!) You can also tell them that yes, you really meant to press the button. There have been a number of accidental PLB activations over the years.
I agree it is a difficult but meaningful question. I used to ride my mountain bike solo quite often when I lived in WV. I figured even if I crashed and broke something I could drag myself to a point where I could attract attention and get help. Living in AZ that is not true. Too easy to expire from exposure here. I have an inReach but only use it when going on longer adventures. I might have to look into acquiring a PLB.
I have never used one, but I’d call in a bear attack or if one of my children were with me when I got injured.
I wonder if these devices give a false sense of security and get abused as such. I don’t have one but can see the last-resort need for one.
Having a PLB has changed nothing for me, most of the time I forget I have it, but it does relieve my wife’s anxiety.
… and so far I have not needed to use it.
I think the advent of cell phones may lead to more people calling for help, but I really can’t see how having better communication leads people to making riskier decisions.
I’ve always rode, ran, paddled solo.
Like seat belts & air bags in cars? Like beacons and avy airbags for backcountry skiing? Like helmets for biking? Like BRS parachutes for aircraft?
I dunno. Maybe.
I’ve carried a PLB in the backcountry ever since they first came out. There’d have to be a very reasonable expectation of dying before I’d use it. I worried about the possibility it would make me more tolerant of risks, but I can’t say that happened. It’s only peace of mind for me, and more importantly, for my family.
Definitely a useful device. While I’ve never used one, I was inadvertently (long story) involved in a search and rescue last May in Colorado where a 21 year old boy ended up dead. He got lost on his way to a hut. I’m certain that if he had a PLB he would still be alive today. I carry one every single time I venture into the backcountry, solo or not.
My buddy and I were trapped in Sandthrax slot canyon in Utah. Some friends of ours were given instructions to come looking for us after dark since we assumed it would only take half the day. We got stuck and they activated their InReach to get SAR moving while they got gear together and organized a rescue. Luckily we were unhurt and they were able to get us out without actually needing SAR. The ability to message back and forth and communicate the severity of the situation was critical.
Here is the story for anyone who doesn’t want to sleep at night:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-9KlH2ksxEUHksywzP5dQ5rg1_VuAuHLi66xENahSKY/edit?usp=sharing
I did SAR in the middle of the Colorado mountains for quite awhile. We were all in agreement that we would rather you call when perhaps you really didn’t need it rather than not call and really need it.
After retiring to the Colorado Front Range this summer and spending more time alone angling, paddling and hiking alone, I am getting the in reach mini.
While it would take my being immobile or a life & death situation to hit the SAR, the texting/ location function will be a relief to my wife. It’s like fire insurance. I’ve never had a fire in my house, but I’ve had fire insurance for 30 years….
If you’re seriously hurt in an accident, SAR doesn’t mind helping. If you activate it because you’re lazy and entitled, or for a minor boo-boo, we’ll still help you even if we really don’t feel like it, we’ll just make fun of you for years later. (Joking, we’re all professionals and would never do such a thing …)
I (personally) like and run a DeLorme because it lets people know the severity and, thus, how much speed and risk we have to take to get to you. Nothing against PLBs in any way, I just like (and appreciate) the extra layers of information. If you break you ankle back in the sticks and cannot get out, with a DeLorme you can hit the SOS, they’ll contact you via SMS to try and eval your situation. Then you inform them of the severity and they can immediately organize the appropriate level of response. And a smaller response can usually get to you and get you out quicker. With a PLB there’s no information so bigger wheels get moving behind the scenes, just as if you don’t answer the SMS responses from the command center.
For the SOS button proper, for me: Loss of life and/or limb, or critical injury where speed of extraction is an issue.
Disclaimer: SAR volunteer, and thank you for carrying either one so we don’t have to comb an entire mountain range looking for you. =)
I use amateur radio and APRS, it has worked all the places I hike, I can message just like the PLBs can, I can be tracked just like the PLBs can, and I do not have to pay a monthly fee. Radios cost anywhere from 250-500.00 depending on which features you want/need and a license is good for 10 years and only costs 15.00
I started carrying one when I started leading youth backcountry trips. Now I carry it on my solo missions, in case I need it, and to help other people on the trail who may need it.
I do love the 2 way capability of the inreach to keep in touch with loved ones and work when I am in remote locations- a simple preset “made it to camp” with coordinates gives plenty of peace of mind to folks back home.
Luckily I have never needed to use it!! But just like my 1st aid kit- happy I have it, hope to not need it!
In the mid-Atlantic region many just rely on their cell phones but I have been in many areas where they are very useless here. I still do not have anything like an InReach but as I read some of these comments I may have to even more seriously reconsidering getting something.
Never thought I would call 911 but after a crash on my bike with 4 broken ribs and a puncture lung I didn’t hesitate to make the call.
Used one of those devices a few times. I always make to talk to my emergency contacts registered and let them know that I may uses the SOS for another party or person in need of assistance. So to reduce the possible stress of getting contacted about an incident.
I have a PLB and my girlfriend has an inReach Mini. We’ve never had to activate the SAR feature on either device. I was recently wondering about the ability to text or email emergency services using the inReach when a situation occurs that may not require the immediate launch of a SAR but could go that way if a situation deteriorates. I haven’t dug into it yet but I’m wondering if Park rangers, county sheriffs or other emergency services have emergency e-mail addresses they monitor so you could contact them and receive a quick response without activating an SOS. I’m not entirely sure what situation we might encounter that would drive this type of contact and I’m sure it is agency specific but would be curious to know if anyone has any knowledge about this.
I don’t have one one, but I would use it only as a last resort. Myself or member of my group not able to get out or make it through the night due to an injury. I think that the texting option has more usefulness, in that you can let someone know you are okay, but going to be late or gone longer.
My question – how does one choose which type of device to buy? Any good guides or overviews of comparisons of features? I plan to start doing some mulit-night remote bikepacking trips this summer (hopefully), and this might be a good thing to have as a safety device.
Here’s an overview of PLBs – (All these do is call for help, no ability to send or receive text messages, but they have no subscription fees) https://www.adventure-journal.com/2017/01/5-things-know-personal-locator-beacons/
Here’s a review of the best sat messenger you can carry (we think): https://www.adventure-journal.com/2018/09/small-mighty-testing-garmin-inreach-mini/
I just purchased one last (inReach) year and have taken it on a couple of trips. I enjoy the messaging feature on it. As I do quite a bit of solo adventuring it is a great comfort to my family. I would have to be in Grave Danger to ever push the button.
I’ve never had to call 9-1-1 or push the SOS button on any device. I’ve been camping, hiking, canoeing and kayaking and back country adventuring for for well over 35 years. First with family, then with my wife and young daughter. She is 3 1/2 now and we took her hiking at Shenandoah at about 4 weeks, and we did a cross country road trip from DC to Yellowstone and back hitting many major national park sites along the way. We hiked at the Badlands, wind cave, Teddy Roosevelt, as well as the grand Teton, devil’s Tower, and Yellowstone. For the first few years we hiked with our daughter in a carrier, and over the last year or so, she misty hiked along side us. We hiked several of the high peaks in the Adirondack mountains including cascade and Whiteface. We have also hiked in the green and white mountains in Vermont as well. And yet we’ve never found ourselves pushing that button. There are several reasons for that, most of them have to do with proper trip planning. My wife and I both work for the national Park Service and we both have extensive SAR and EMS experience. We both volunteer as ski patrollers as well. When we plan a trip we always make sure we are carrying the 10 essentials… we make doubly sure to have extra food, warm clothing, and diapers for the child. We review our route carefully and we always check and double check the weather. We west sturdy hiking boots and make sure we know the route. We also carry a paper map as back up because the GPS and cell
Coverage can be spotty or non existent. While what we do can still
Lead to an accident, someone turning an ankle, a loose tree branch falling on someone, a bear or animal attack, we’ve found that we are prepared for 99.9 % of anything that can happen…. ohh and when we went hiking in grizzly bear country we made sure to check in to the back country permit office and watch the informational video…. we also always carried bear spray as well.
Only external rescue so far was before PLBs and similar. Large raft trip in a steep Sierra Nevada canyon. One paddler took out her knee after colliding with a rock wall, couldn’t be moved with several Class IV rapids downstream. We sent most of the party downstream to arrange rescue, while the rest of us planned to spend the night. Luckily we were on a large gravel bar; the expert CHP pilot landed on a spot not much bigger than the helicopter about 4 hours after the incident. Victim had a dislocated knee which the ER docs popped back in, and she was resting at home with painkillers before we got back to camp.
I’ve carried inReach for several years. I’d use it if I was really lost, trapped, etc., AND if anyone involved met Wilderness First Responder evacuation criteria and we couldn’t evac ourselves. That’s a lot more than broken bones. If you play deep in the backcountry, take a WFR class and keep getting recertified.
I’ve SOS’d our local equivalent, the SES. But I didn’t have a PLB, so I was just lucky I had mobile phone coverage.
Why?
– Out of water
– Dehydrated
– 43°C
– Became delirious, went off track
– Stuck partway down the wrong ridge line
– Lost footing and slid, having only some shrub roots and a strong grip between me and death
All of the above, I gave up and called it in.
I had also run out of battery on my phone and wasn’t certain when/if anyone was going to find me. So, despite hearing/seeing the chopper overhead, I eventually made my way back up the ridge and walked myself out to safety, after cooling down in the shade for an hour or two.
Very lucky.
I own an inreach that I purchased after a scare in the Narrows at Zion. 1/2 way through my daughter rolled her ankle and though it ended up being minor the thought of either carrying her out or waiting two days for help really made me think. It would take a catastrophic failure for me to push the button but to be able to text for help is worth it’s weight in gold especially when family is involved.
In 2016 we were headed out on a connector trail to get on the JMT. On the first day out we encountered a young man suffering from acute mountain sickness with high altitude pulmonary edema. A physician in our group determined he was life threateningly ill so we used our inReach to coordinate a helicopter evacuation that saved his life.
On the last day of the same JMT hike we used the inReach to coordinate the rescue of a man that walked right off the trail below Mt. Whitney and fell about 60ft into a ravine in the dark.
In both cases the two way communication was instrumental in the efforts to coordinate with rescuers. We also carry a PLB but tend to think of it as a last resort tool if we can’t establish two way communications with the inReach. We never head out without them!
I carry an ACR PLB, and have never used it. My neighbor has the same model, and a few weeks ago was up on the AT with a group when a friend with a cardiac history collapsed; out of 9 cell phones, no one could get a signal. She activated hers; the call center called her home, her son (listed as NOK), and Macon County Fire Rescue, who were at the trailhead with an ambulance as they walked him out.
Good to know it works as advertised.
P.S. Her casualty’s OK, but may have to hang up his boots for good. As for notifying NOK, her son didn’t recognize the call center’s number, and didn’t answer the phone. I can pretty much guarantee my wife would do the same.
I never thought about this, but purchased one anyway before I went on my first solo backpacking trip.
It wasn’t until a couple of months ago that I pressed it for the first time – not for myself, but for a thru-hiker I had met and befriended a few days earlier.
A day hiker had come upon him and came running down the trail looking for help when he found another section hiker I had just met and I coming up. There was no cell signal and between the four of us, I was the only one with a device capable of an SOS.
The thru-hiker passed away just before we got back to him, all signs pointing to hypothermia. He had survived a night of terrible weather but passed in the 15 minutes the day hiker was away looking for help mid-morning. I often wonder if he would have made it had we gotten up earlier that day or something else, anything else, had gone differently.
But what if I hadn’t had one at all? As we waited hours for rescue, not a single soul came by that day. The day hiker was understandably not prepared to endure hours in this exposed area, so he left after about an hour.
I used to only activate my inReach just before heading out on the trail for a backpacking trip, but after this, I never want to find myself in the position of that day hiker: coming upon someone in need of help with no way to get any. The inReach is always active now and goes with me even on short day hikes.
The answer to the question? Well, I’m still wrestling with it. I bought it for myself, never thinking I would have to press it for someone else. I think my bar for pressing for someone else would be lower than myself, never wanting to run the risk of someone else’s life. A lot can happen in 15 minutes.
Years ago, while on a solo backpacking/fly fishing trip, I sustained a serious leg injury after a fall. I did manage to get myself out of the backcountry and to medical attention. I didn’t have an inReach at the time but I carry one now. I often wonder how the events of that day would have changed if I would have hit the sos button.
Don’t have one yet.
I haven’t been getting into truly remote areas, and figure buying one before you start going into remote areas, just means that it’ll be outdated by the time you need to have one.
Kids are 2 and 5, so another couple years and I’ll have spare time again
In Canada SAR is free in an effort to get calls sooner than later to make them less serious. When I was a volunteer we were hoping for an easy outcome. If you are debating it just call, better to have a minor call with a story to tell rather than something more dire.
This is great advice, thank you.
The InReach is a lifesaver in true wilderness situations. I was trekking in New Zealand on a track only accessible by boat, and we had a team member get injured 3 days’ hike from either trailhead. In the frontcountry, it would have been an inconsequential injury, but because of the location the wound kept opening back up as she hiked. By the end of the day, she’d lost a significant amount of blood and wouldn’t accept food or water, which is when we pressed the little red button. We ended up with a helicopter evacuation about an hour after calling for SOS.
We had a satellite phone but no one we called back in the US could do anything – so the InReach was our only option. If I could do anything differently, I’d have pressed the button earlier.
I have found that a number of international search and rescue organizations would not take calls from US numbers, so the InReach has always been the best way for me to contact search and rescue. Because the device is so established, the InReach responders know exactly who to contact and how to respond to various scenarios.
Just one of those things that’s good to have/need to have and hope you never, never have to actually use it…
Finally bought an InReach this year since I seem to bike and hike alone much of the time. My hope is to never use it but is nice to have with me.
I’ve had a SPOT and now an InReach. I carry it mostly because I’m a solo backpacker & it gives family some comfort knowing where I am. The InReach is great because I can text a change of plans & no one will wonder if I’m hopelessly lost 🙂
Did a 4-day alpine climbing refresher a few years back and our Mountain Guide had been on the SAR team for years. Each night as we made our meals, he would tell us SAR stories – not because he was gung ho, rather because he was teaching us a vital lesson. Serious accidents happen in the mountains and your initial response can have a big affect on the final outcome.
His advice:
– always carry a PLB or similar in the backcountry
– if you are involved in an accident / situation and are debating whether to use it, use it. The first couple of hours can be critical to the outcome for the injuried person and in places like New Zealand, delaying an activation may mean you miss a flying weather window, if a helicopter evacuation is required.
As a SAR team member it would not take a lot for me to push the SOS button. Being on the team has opened my eyes to how many seemingly minor situations can be life threatening or severely impact your quality of life if not treated emergently.
My advice to others is as soon as you encounter a medical issue that you would want to talk to a doctor about you probably should press the button. This is especially true of bleeding cannot be controlled within 5 minutes, any change in mental or motor skills or any significant pain in the chest or abdomen.
I would rather come and get you for something that turns out to be nothing, than do a body recovery and time is always of the essence.
I always use one while paragliding. 6 weeks ago I crashed my glider and immediately hit the SOS. I hit the ground hard, breaking my back and didn’t hesitate to use the InReach to summons help. Unsure of whether my back was stable or not, and certainly unable to hike myself out, I was very thankful to have the garmin on my flight deck. SAR got to me quickly and I was on my way to the hospital not much more than an hour after my crash. For cross country paragliding it is an essential piece of equipment that almost all pilots now use.
I just got an inReach mini. I appreciate the SOS feature, but for me the additional killer features are 1. being able to send a message saying “I’m fine, but I’m a little delayed,” 2. family back home being able to check your position, and 3. small enough to fit in my pocket on a long trail run. My boyfriend was involved in a search and rescue for a solo hiker who fell off the trail, died, and wasn’t found until spring (covered by the first snow of the season). With inReach tracking, you’d at least be able to find the body. As for the SOS button, I’ll press it if I think life or limb are in danger.
I have never had to use one, but i have waited with someone who had fallen and broke their back, and 2 dislocated shoulders- there was no way that guy was getting out of there with just us. He hummed and hawed and then decided it would be good to get help. Took about 6 hours, but help came and pain meds! I’m grateful that there was prof help for him, and hope that if i ever do need it, i have packed mine with me.
2007 was a full year before the first SPOT messenger came to market, but PLBs were readily available. By that time I’d been involved in 2 separate back-country evacuations of injured climbers, so I had a pretty good idea of how difficult a self-rescue really was, especially if the victim had a serious injury.
2007 was also the year I had the misfortune of needing a rescue for myself after my partner and I were hit by an avalanche several hundred feet up a mixed gully while ice climbing in the Rockies. In the ensuing long fall he suffered an open fracture to his femur, and I fractured my pelvis in 3 places (amongst a longer list of injuries for us both). Unable to drag ourselves more than a few hundred feet to gain shelter from a worsening winter storm, we had no other option than to dig in and await a rescue.
Fortunately our friends reported us overdue to the authorities when we didn’t return that evening, but it took a full 24 hrs before the rescue chopper arrived to sling us off the mountain. By then we were both hypothermic, and my partner died during transport to hospital.
Tragic story that would have ended quite differently with the push of a button. I recall heated debate amongst the climbing community at the time, with many claiming the new communication technology was making people less responsible at managing risk. People proclaiming the need for self reliance and “self-rescue”. I remember being one of those skeptics… but that was before the accident.
Having survived the ordeal while my partner did not, then seeing the unimaginable pain his family endured afterwards, I quickly realized the folly of my earlier stance. I sought education on wilderness first aid, and I’ve carried a SPOT on all back-country trips since, while praying I’ll never again need to make “that call”. I’ll have absolutely no hesitation to push SOS button for any life-threatening injury or condition.
I recently bought an Inreach mini and year round subscription. I had a rolled ankle last year where I couldn’t weight bear, and one of my companions was able to run a few km to the trailhead where there was cell reception. SAR was able to respond. But it occurred to me that if if had been more remote, more distant, a different season, later in the day, a different group composition, etc., the day could have gone very differently. So both for myself and for the groups I lead and the people I encounter, it’s a great option to have. How serious an injury would warrant an SOS vs an SMS would depend on many factors, but I don’t feel there’s shame in using it. I travel responsibly and prepared and rarely solo so I wouldn’t be embarrassed about any situation I found myself in. Things can deteriorate quickly where cognitive function is concerned so it’s better to get some help.
I had to push SOS on my spot after rupturing every ligament in my knee when I was caught in an avalanche. I was also completely covered in snow that went through everything I was wearing which melted by my body heat and soaked me. Even being injured and becoming hypothermic in the backcountry, I was still hesitant to press that button. Part of the fun of venturing out into the backcountry is to test your own ability to make it back in one piece. It is in Outdoor enthusiasts nature to not want to ask for help.
I carry my PLB whenever I go into the backcountry alone, and a few other times beside. I hope and expect never to have to use it, but it’s certainly great insurance and would significantly aid and simplify any rescue efforts. I would only use it if I was unable to self help.
Approximately 3.72 packs of wolves, anything else i would defeat with ease. my survival skills are only matched by Bear Grylls i’m also proficient with a tomahawk