VWE
Active Member
As life settles down a bit, I plan to get out camping and hunting much more. I'm not going to be pushing any limits, but the comms issue is my major concern. I just don't understand how it all works. I guess with the CB you search channels until you can find someone to help. With the in-reach and Sat phones, how do you know who to text/call in a non-SOS situation? If you don't know people in the area or have the ability to physically help, do you enlist someone ahead of time to do the internet legwork? Do you research contacts in every area while in LTE range? I remember from my boating days the last person you wanted help from in a non-life treating recovery situation was the Coast Guard due to the enormous bill.I would reiterate what XJ-99 says. We're retired, and thus, have time to go off-road when others aren't available. Since much of the back country here in Arizona is without cell phone coverage, we bought a Garmin inReach unit and an annual subscription. I drop a .gpx file on my dropbox account and e-mail the kids about our plans for the next day. Once at the trail head I activate the inReach unit and send a text (via the inReach unit) to our kids that we're now going off road. They can easily check on us during the day to see where we're currently located. If they have any questions - and the cell phones aren't working - they can text us.
If we have a breakdown, a quick text will alert them to our problems. Both kids have off-road set up JKs, so one or both can come to our rescue. If it's a medical emergency, then the SOS can be activated to summon higher level assistance. Not as good as a satellite phone, but much cheaper. $450 for the unit and about $25/month for the tracking option.
Also... spare parts. In the Land Cruiser world, a bunch of these guys seem to carry a spare rig worth of parts. With a newer JL, what could easily go wrong that you could easily diagnose and repair on the trail. I get that its easy to get carried away with all the fun stuff to buy with any hobby, especially "overlanding', but the best RTT or fridge setup wont do a bit of good if the Jeep wont start in the morning.
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