Gotta get a SPOT

[STICK]

So my wife tells me that I have to get a SPOT for my hike coming up in May. (I told her I would rather have a sleeping bag....but the SPOT will be neat too.) This will be my first solo trip.

I am probably going to get the Personal Tracker (Gen 1 SPOT) off of Amazon.com. They have one listed for $98 + free shipping. I will wait and activate it towards the end of next month though just so I don't waste a month.

I will be using it from Neels Gap to Fontana Dam. Has anyone used a SPOT between these points, and if so how well did it work for you? I am debating getting the tracking feature turned on, but it's an extra $50 and I don't want to turn it on if signal is crappy through there.

Also, does anyone get the extra SARS insurance? I know it's only $13 but by the time you add the cost of the SPOT, the annual membership, Possibly tracking feature, and then SARS insurance, well it adds up (and I still want the sleeping bag, and the tarptent, and the.........)

Thanks for any help.

[Tuts]

I carried that damn thing for 3 months before I gave up on it. It works really well. Every night I turned it on and pressed the "ok" button and it tracked my progress. It's sort of neat to see the old map and to have your family follow you, but the Gen 1 Spot is bulky and heavy. I'm not carrying a full pound of extra weight like that for 2000 miles. Not worth it to me, but still a cool little thing. It worked about 90% of the time also, no matter the weather or location.

[Wise Old Owl]

Tough call, you do not need it for the AT. Its more about reaching out each trail town and calling about your progress.

[STICK]

I understand that the Gen 2's have just recently been re-released, so I was not sure about those, plus it's about $70 more! I would rather save that and use it on something else.

[kayak karl]

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en...a1e7b4d0b5&z=5
this is my map of this section. i only carry my SPOT kayaking now. its a pain hiking with it since it must be mounted on top of pack to work. its just a very expensive toy.

[10-K]

Yes, but if mama ain't happy, nobody's happy..

[STICK]

KK, that map is pretty neat though. Did you buy the tracking feature or did you just hit the OK button a whole lotta times?

[Roland]

STICK,

If your wife refuses to release your leash unless you buy a SPOT, I guess it's worth the 100 bucks. I'd try to get her to settle for an occasional phone call rather than SPOT. In my opinion, it's a gimmick.

Your money, your hike. Enjoy it.

[STICK]

10-K, I tell here some of the responses here such as Wise Old Owls (Just the "You don't need it for the AT" part) and she stars asking, "Do they have a wife?!"

I hear ya.....

[Tuts]

If she really won't let you off the hook, then get a gen 2. They're MUCH smaller and lighter than their counterpart.
Tuts

[10-K]

10-K, I tell here some of the responses here such as Wise Old Owls (Just the "You don't need it for the AT" part) and she stars asking, "Do they have a wife?!"

I hear ya.....

Yeah, If my wife wanted me to carry a SPOT I'd carry a SPOT - so what? It's not that big of a deal in the overall scheme of things.

[just dad]

I too was trying to keep mama happy. On one section hike I ended up rafting verses calling home. Big mistake. I investigated SPOT. Reports were that it did not work well under dense tree cover, which is most of the AT. A reliable alternative is a SARSAT locator beacon. These are more powerful and more reliable than the SPOT technology. At least one model is about the same size and weight as the SPOT. The SARSAT won't let you check in with the wife, but it will give you more reliable rescue help, which is what mama should really care about. There is no subscription for SARSAT, so the overall price is about the same. If I were hiking alone, I'd leave it home, but since I'm hiking with the kids, we carry the SARSAT so mom can sleep.

[Hooch]

Stick, you need to tell your woman to get in the kitchen and make you a sammich or some pie. Take charge and tell her you're going hiking your own way and if she don't like it, then she can hit the freakin' bricks. She'll like that, I bet it works real well for you. Or maybe not.

[Roland]

Stick, you need to tell your woman to get in the kitchen and make you a sammich or some pie. Take charge and tell her you're going hiking your own way and if she don't like it, then she can hit the freakin' bricks. She'll like that, I bet it works real well for you. Or maybe not.

So.....how many times have you been married?!!

[Hooch]

So.....how many times have you been married?!!

Twice. I know what you're gonna ask. Yup, divorced twice, too.

[Roland]

Twice. I know what you're gonna ask. Yup, divorced twice, too.

So now you gotta make your own sammich and pie.....

[schnikel]

My brother bought me one for Christmas a couple years back for a hike in RMNP.
Last year my friend thru hiked the AT and borrowed it so that his friends could track his progress. So he set it up of the website and ever night my wife and I got on line and followed him. It was fun because I had an old thru-hike manual so we knew exactly where he was and could guess where he might make it to the following night.
He would hit the "OK" button everynight where he was camping for 1 hr or so. Some nights there would be 10 hits in the same location, some only 2, but keep it in a clearing and eventually it will get through.
Not only will your wife be happy but your friends will be able to track you each night and that will also be fun.
Just use it for fun, not to save your a$$!!!
Schnikel

[STICK]

Haha, wow!

Truth be told, I wouldn't mind having one, it's just that there are so many other things.....I will get one, and it will make her happy, and I will get to go hiking and I will be happy.......

However, I think I am going to go the cheapest way out, which is looking like the old Gen 1.

Hooch, thanks for the tips, but as a "newly wed" still I had better not follow that to a tee (hey I said "AT")

[Roland]

~
Hooch, thanks for the tips, but as a "newly wed" still I had better not follow that to a tee (hey I said "AT")

Memorize these two little words: Yes Dear

All the best in your marriage and your hike!

[10-K]

Memorize these two little words: Yes Dear

All the best in your marriage and your hike!

And always choose your battles wisely.