Is Your Backcountry Safety Net A PLB or Cell Phone?

[RWSmith]

Excerpted from: http://www.nationalparkstraveler.com/2008/05/your-backcountry-safety-cord-personal-locator-beacon-or-cell-phone...

Is Your Backcountry Safety Net A Personal Locator Beacon or Cell Phone?

Posted May 19th, 2008
by Kurt Repanshek

Do you skimp on backcountry preparations, figuring you've got your trusty personal locator beacon or cell phone to summon help at a moment's notice? It's tempting, no? Why prepare yourself equipment-wise and possibly skill-wise when help is just a button push away?

Curious about the SAR [search and rescue] professional's opinion on these gizmos, I turned to Butch Farabee, who during his 34-year National Park Service career participated in more than 1,000 SARs in such parks as Yosemite, Death Valley, and Grand Canyon, for his thoughts. He'd didn't mince words:



"Most SAR people will tell you that this kind of technology is great from their perspective and when it is used appropriately and there is a connection, i.e. the cell phone gets the distress call into 911 or that the cell phone can be traced through the various cell phone towers and related sites, etc. That is the good news," says Mr. Farabee. "The bad news is that all too many people are now believing that all they need to take into 'the field' is their cell phone. Forget the rain gear or matches or whistle or tarp or mirror or checking the local weather forecast or letting someone know when to expect them back and where they were going, etc."

[Mrw]

My camping is pretty much restricted to car camping and the hikes to day hikes in pretty non-remote locations.

That being said, I am way too old to feel comfortable relying only on modern technology such as a cell phone for if I might need to be rescued. Even biking on the road, which I do all the time, there is someone who knows about when and where I should be and will know to come looking if I don't show up where and when I should be.

[wagionvigil]

In Climbing we teach Proper Planning and One of lifes little lessons is to leave a schedule of where you will be when and when you are returning. I guess it is something like one of those things that some leaders fail to use A TOUR PERMIT

[kwildman]

I always take my cell phone but the places I go it usually wont have service. I have a backup charging system that works off of batteries or a solar collector.

I also have access to a PLB but have no experience in using (thats a good thing).

For big trips to remote areas a SAT phone is a handy item since all you need is a clear shot to the sky. There are places where you can rent these.

[mhjacobson]

Both the PLB and the cell phone have relatively limited range. We have a unit in our area who does high adventure (last year they hiked Mt Rainier) and when they go on trek they carry a satellite phone which has unlimited range -- some have the ability to transmit a GPS position as well.