SPOT Satellite GPS Messenger

I do a lot of solo backpacking and I got this to keep my wife and kids happy. Never had any GPS tracking devices before, so I don't have anything to compare it to. I used it on my last 7 night trip, and the Mrs. got every OK check in I sent. And it is cool how you can go back and see your trip on Google maps. Seemed a bit pricey after buying it and signing up for all the services, $300. But then again, if I'm on my back with a busted femur somewhere, $300 to send for help will seem cheep...

can't wait to use the Spot Connect this next year on all my adventures and know that I'll actually be able to be found using this lightweight and small device. Adventure #1 coming up1

I know you see the SPOT as a toy, something that real hikers wouldn't need. Let me tell you it's not a toy. I'm a NYS Paramedic with my Wilderness EMT Cert and the SPOT goes everywhere with me. In the car on a road trip because what if you come up on an emergency situation and your cell phone doesn't have signal or you break down and the cell does not work. The SPOT has a road side assist feature so you can get help on the road. Now if your a boat person the assist feature works the same way to get you help if you need it on the water. For me I have been climbing Mountains half my life, (I'm 33) and this gives my family peace of mind when I'm out on the trail or on the road because you can send an OK message to your SPOT team and they get an e-mail that they can click on and see where you are on Goggle Maps. Also SPOT can send text to a cell phone as well so they know you're OK and all systems are a go.
Now if an emergency comes the SPOT has a 911 feature that will send the location up and help will be on its way from search and rescue services that could be the difference between life and death. Know this we all go on the trail to have a good time and come home safe. How could you put a price on your life or the peace of mind of your loved ones at home. You can't so the SPOT is the way to go.

GPS is slow and sometimes inaccurate on SPOT2 - loses power a little fast, and has been missing more transmissions than promised.

For Connect, I have worked with customer care reloading the app and trouble shooting with them on multiple occasions. The customer service was friendly and nice, but they are not up to speed on the device. They couldn't answer many questions, and after spending countless time on the phone, without resolving the issues, they said someone would call me back.

I didn't get the call back twice. When I recently followed-up I actually, got a call back the next day. The guy admitted to some of the faults and said they are working to fix them. They sent me a new unit, but I still have all the same problems. They then gave me the number of the SPOT sales rep for my area, Rocky Mountain, and he seemed very rushed on the phone, and really didn't have any more to offer than care did. What is a customer to do?

And SPOT has already collected a full year of service up front!

Works well and haven't had too many problems with it. The yearly subscription seems to be a little high for the few things that it is able to do.

This unit has functioned completely as expected for the price. There is nothing better for under $300. I would recommend for any hiker or climber.

This is a great little device with some great features... and it has proven to be a life saver for some. Learn more in my video review:

http://backpackersreview.com/gear-review/tents/52-a-mountainsmith-morrison-tent

If you are a solo hiker or camper this is really a must need for your kit, simple reason is it actually works anywhere; when I say that I am not exaggerating in the slightest. I had a chance to see this in action on a military operation over seas in the mountains near Pakistan and it worked even there. The only down fall is the billing that comes with it monthly. You can not put a price on safety though.....

All backcountry.com customers buying a SPOT2 can put $50 back into their pockets! Go to:

http://www.findmespot.com/rebate50/

I was very disappointed with the GPS performance of this device. I picked this unit partly because of the tracking feature. Well, given todays GPS technology, this device performs very poorly. Yes, I know the directions state the unit has to be oriented upward to get good signal, but it is ridiculous how sensitive it seems to be. If you hang it from a pack or put it in a pack pocket, GPS reception is terrible. Even when hand holding it the reception is poor. After poor results I tested it along side my Garmin wrist mounted Forerunner 205 and another handheld I have. The SPOT regularly failed when the other GPS worked fine. So the tracking feature that I though would be cool was really pretty useless. Instead of a reading every 10 minutes as supposed, I would be lucky to just a few over a full day adventure (unless I carried it in my hand with unit oriented correctly - and even then it regularly indicated no signal). If you just want something that can save your life by calling the cavalry in a life or death emergency, I'm guessing it would be a worthwhile purchase. But I selected this unit because of other advertised features and it failed to deliver.

Can be found at www.findmespot.com/rebate50

Validity dates are May 1 - July 31, 2011.

Pls. use downloadable form after purchase and activation of unit at www.findmespot.com/rebate50

Went on a 108 miler in late fall and expecting snow so my pack was loaded for Bear with the snow and ice stuff and a bit of extra rations as I anticipated getting snow bound for 4-5 days on that hike like past years. Well, 56 miles in and ended up with a broken ankle...3 hrs later I was eating an In & Out burger and fries.