Phone and GPS Tracker?

[vsiddhartha]

Hi guys. Long time lurker here. Nice community y’all got here! Anyways, I have a question so I thought I’d pipe up and introduce myself. Name’s Josh. No real trail name yet (except amongst my old friends, who call me “Hike Nazi” from the days when I used to bite off more mileage that we could chew…not too fond of that name for its negative connotations). Anyways, I’m a KY transplant living in NJ, happily married, and an avid hiker/backpacker, homebrewer, motorcyclist, and dog owner. Been dreaming about a thru-hike for years and I’m finally in the early stages of planning it for 2009!

My question is with regards to gear. I’ve done a lot of backpacking (tons of 1-6 nighters), so I have a good idea of what I need and how much I want to carry, but I’m struggling with two items: mobile phone and GPS tracker (the kind like Spot, that sends out your position so friends/family can track your progress). My first inclination is that I want nothing to do with these items on the trail. For me, I envision the hike as a chance to simplify things and get away from the grind, tech, etc., and I feel like these would “tie me down” a little bit, so to speak. OTOH, the huge convenience of a mobile phone (for arranging trail pickups, lodging in town, having packages mailed, checking in with my better half, etc. is undeniable. The GPS tracker would also be a cool way to let friends follow along with me, and would assuage some of my mother’s and wife’s apprehension (albeit unfounded IMO) regarding my well-being on the trail.

So I’m really trying to decide whether I want to take none, one, or both of these with me on my hike. I can evaluate the cost and weight factors myself, but I’m interested in your guys’ opinions on the issue. Especially those who have taken one or both of these items and regretted it (why did you regret it?) and those who haven’t taken these items but wish you had (why do you wish you had?). Also, am I being too overly cautious in thinking that these two items will decrease my ability to “disconnect” mentally while on my hike?

Thanks for your input and sorry for the long post!

[4eyedbuzzard]

Cellphone is good for all the reasons you mention and more, including possible emergency use. The GPS is pretty much just extra weight. Call your wife everyday or two on the cell from high ground and let her know you're okay. Keep it turned off until you need it - it'll just trash the battery anyway searching for signal when you don't have one. Check on ridges and either side occaisionally for a signal. Don't wait until you're down in the gaps/valleys/etc to try to make a call - often the antenna are blocked by terrain.

[Quoddy]

On long hikes I'll carry a cell phone if there is going to be occasional service. I purchased a SPOT unit in January specifically for my upcoming CT hike, since I'll seldom have any cell service, and found it to be a 1/2 pound brick. It may occasionally work in Colorado since I'll be above tree line most of the time, but for trails in the east it is worthless and unreliable. I've gone for hours with no track and had to place the unit in a totally tree void area to even hope to get a OK message out, and even then it didn't always work. Save your money on the SPOT.

[J5man]

I always carry a cell phone. One article I read put it great; "it is the most important piece of emergency equipment you can have." As mentioned above, it is a great convenience also. I also have a SPOT, it has sent signals back home in places where I did not have cell coverage. However, it is not as consistent as I thought. I also "mark" places as I hike sometimes and recently I was on top of Mt. Rogers, (highest altitude in VA) and it didn't go through. It was in a forested area but evidently did not make it through. It says on the directions to allow 20 minutes for it to get a signal. Yes, it is a brick and weighs half a pound but the features (safety and marking points of interest) it offers is also a "peace of mind" payoff for your loved ones back home. If anyone is interested in buying one, you can get them $20 cheaper from Sportsman Whse than on the SPOT website.

[WalkingStick75]

As much as I hate cell phones on the trail I have one hidden in my pack for emergency use and to let everyone know at home not to cash in on that insurance policy.... yet. However, phone usage on the trail should be used with the same privacy as you expect when using the outhouse. I know their is a thread on that subject.

[y4555]

You should check if your phone service is compatible with the Chaperone system (I know verizon is) - if so you can use your cell for both functions.

[mkmangold]

You should check if your phone service is compatible with the Chaperone system (I know verizon is) - if so you can use your cell for both functions.

www.allensportsusa.com (http://www.allensportsusa.com) has 2 versions of software that converts a cellphone into a GPS unit, including one that is a tracker. I don't have either one but I am interested, so if anyone has experience with them, let me know. The new gear issue of "Outside" magazine has an ad for them.

[Rockhound]

there are white blazes every quarter mile. A GPS device is unnecessary. As for the phone, you can carry a calling card instead. The AT is close enough to trail towns and has enough other hikers on it that, if injured, you should be able to get the help you need. Plus cell phone reception is spotty if not nonexistant along many parts of the AT. If you don't feel like carrying a GPS or a cell phone then don't

[vsiddhartha]

there are white blazes every quarter mile. A GPS device is unnecessary. As for the phone, you can carry a calling card instead. The AT is close enough to trail towns and has enough other hikers on it that, if injured, you should be able to get the help you need. Plus cell phone reception is spotty if not nonexistant along many parts of the AT. If you don't feel like carrying a GPS or a cell phone then don't
Just to clarify. I am NOT talking about carrying a GPS device for navigation. The Spot GPS is for allowing others to track you (as scary as that sounds:eek:). Provided you can get to a location where it can transmit a signal, it uploads your location, and friends and family can follow your progress on a Google Map at a password-protected website. The device also allows you to send out an "OK" message however often you want, so that loved ones can view that as well.

[Cool AT Breeze]

Get a pay as you go Trac Phone they use all the carriers for better coverage. But use it away from other hikers. It seemed like the first question people were asking this year when they got to a shelter was "Is there a signal up here?" Three years ago it was " where's the water?" I saw several people with The Spot they seemed to work well. Every one that had one said it was for they're family and friends piece of mind. They enjoied keeping track of the daily progress.

[max patch]

I learned about The Spot on Toothless' last podcast. I'd no more carry that stupid thing than an anvil. How much "peace of mind" does one get hearing a prerecorded message? How often does the "peace of mind" actually turn into "fear" at home when the prerecorded message doesn't arrive because of an inability to get a signal? What a peace of crap.

[wahoo]

Here's what I do, get a Windows Mobile-based phone (Sprint Mogul), a Holux bluetooth GPS (weighs less than a stick of gum) and Run.GPS software.
Run.GPS will track your position on the GPS-Sport.net website, or you can embed a map in a site of your choice. No monthly fees.
Don't get that SPOT thing, looks like a joke to me.

[Christopher Robin]

My daughters asked me to take a Trac phone W/me for simple uses; resations,mail-drops like some has already mention but it also work like a G.P.S. Most of the cell phones have it built in.