Solo e biking. Who has an EPIRB or other safety device to call for help? What are you using ?

[Tigga]

Doing a lot more riding on my own and getting a lot further away from civilization and totally loving it, but what happens if You have a stack? Doing more Kms getting more confident only a matter of time before i have an off. What does everyone use as far as APPS or GPS or EPIRB ?

 

[iXi]

I have my phone on my bars with a quadlock. My watch is a garmin 245 with incident detection. If I crash it's meant to send an alert to my designated contacts with my gps location.

The two times I did crash I didn't have my phone with me so the watch just vibrated but couldn't send a message. Now I never leave without my phone. Hopefully it works in the event of a serious crash.

And I also have location sharing on 24/7 with the Mrs so she can see where I am. But doubt she rarely checks it so would only be good for body recovery in the event of my untimely death.

 

[sunstoner]

Not so much a dedicated app as such but when im out on longer runs away from people traffic i switch on my location sharing in google maps so my wife can track me at all times whilst im out.

Also my phone is prep'd in case of issue to text/email my gps cordinates, google map image, photograph and brief voice message to a select number of family and friends if i tap the power button quickly 3 times.

I take 2 phones and a usb battery charger just in case.

Could prob do with something more dedicated.

 

[papab]

Where I ride, there usually isn't cell coverage. I use a Garmin Inreach.

 

[Tigga]

I have my phone on my bars with a quadlock. My watch is a garmin 245 with incident detection. If I crash it's meant to send an alert to my designated contacts with my gps location.

The two times I did crash I didn't have my phone with me so the watch just vibrated but couldn't send a message. Now I never leave without my phone. Hopefully it works in the event of a serious crash.

And I also have location sharing on 24/7 with the Mrs so she can see where I am. But doubt she rarely checks it so would only be good for body recovery in the event of my untimely death.

Yeah I agree my wife still wouldnt know how to find me

 

[Tigga]

Where I ride, there usually isn't cell coverage. I use a Garmin Inreach.

Do you need be sign up to a contract with the inreach?

 

[aarfeldt]

Specialized makes a helmet crash sensor "ANGi".
It can be used on any helmet.

Tracking / crash sensor when paired with a cell phone.
It's quite cheap and works great.

 

[paquo]

only a matter of time before i have an off.

i get spooked sometimes when riding by myself and dial it back but i guess things still happen

 

[KenX]

All the apps in the world won't help if you've got no signal!
I use one of these:

RescueME PLB1

Ocean Signal rescueME PLB1: Your compact lifesaver for outdoor adventures. Trusted beacon technology for reliable distress signaling. Buy now!

oceansignal.com

It's tiny, weighs next to nothing and is my get out of jail free card......
Also take on remote hikes and ski touring where we quite often have bo cell signal

 

[RickBullotta]

Cell phones = false sense of security in the backcountry - too many dead zones. Something like a Spot Tracker or a Garmin InReach is what you'll want if you're going off the grid. Can be pricy depending on which monitoring plan you choose, but what's the cost of being stranded injured in the middle of nowhere? They're not infallible though. Some subscriptions also include an evac insurance plan.

 

[Lun]

I have a SPOT that I take with me every time. It's nice and rugged but the downside is that it is only 1 way. I've been in some places where the messages didn't go out (location and status ones, I believe emergency uses the premium tier of satellites).
Once the subscription of this one expires, I will most likely get a Garmin 2way.

It ain't cheap but I'll pay for the peace of mind any day.

 

[steve_sordy]

I have a whistle!

 

[RickBullotta]

I have a SPOT that I take with me every time. It's nice and rugged but the downside is that it is only 1 way. I've been in some places where the messages didn't go out (location and status ones, I believe emergency uses the premium tier of satellites).
Once the subscription of this one expires, I will most likely get a Garmin 2way.

It ain't cheap but I'll pay for the peace of mind any day.

The SpotX is two way...

 

[KenX]

A standard PLB like mine is subscription-free, it will only send a distress signal, but that's all I need it for............

 

[lumpy]

I tell my wife where I'm going.


I also have iPhone finder

 

[Lun]

The SpotX is two way...

Perhaps I could have been a bit more specific. I have a SPOT Gen3 which is 1way only.
I'm aware that SPOT has other solutions but the company is a mess. I believe that they got revamped or bought and now they are trying new ways but it still wouldn't be my first choice.

 

[Silverfox]

Do you need be sign up to a contract with the inreach?

Yes, but now they do a plan you can take out for one month at a time rather than paying for a whole year if you don't need it all the time

 

[neiloxford]

Garmin InReach. A phone will not always get a signal.

I signed up to the annual contract where you can turn it on and off for the month depending on the season etc.

 

[Pdoz]

I've cancelled my garmin inreach ( mini) subscription - over a years use, more often than not I was paying for tracking signals that were never sent. Even messages had less than 50% success , and it was never clear if the message had been received.

Pretty annoying that garmin still charge fir messages sent even when their log shows they were unsuccesfull!!!

i had hoped the garmin could replace my satphone + plb , but I've returned to carrying a plb for short rides and carting the satphone as well on the big rides.

The icing on the cake was difficulty cancelling my subscription! For a communication company, Garmin have very poor communication. Three months, several emails, lots of automated responses but they kept charging . I finally got through to a human, but still get a monthly bill sent by email for $0

 

[aussieskier]

I bought a Garmin GPSMAP 66i with InReach about a week or so ago, I tend to ride solo at Mt Buller and I worry about being out of phone reception. Plus I’ve wanted a handheld GPS for a while for ski touring, a couple of the guys in my group have them and they’ve been handy on the odd occasion. Touchscreens don’t tend to work well in a blizzard.

 

[Bellefield]

I took a fall last summer on a rocky downhill Trail halfway through a mega ride. I was on me own as it was a last minute decision and I’d ended up on a a fairly remote mountain and managed to come off after a pedal strike whilst taking a drop. Bounced off every rock, but was wearing knee and elbow pads. One elbow pad rode up and my elbow took a Deep gash off a corner of a rock.

So I was laying there, head down the trail, blood running past me, my head hurt, my ribs hurt, one leg was trapped in the triangle of the bike and my other thigh felt like it was broken and I thought... I’d better call someone, (the wife was in Belfast running a half).

but I couldn’t as my phone had been in my shorts pocket and it had a massive dent in it where it had saved my thigh bone from being smashed on a rock.

I’d bought along a first aid kit for that ride so fixed myself up as best I could, fixed the bike up, then had a 15km ride down the mountain and along the coast road. Put my bike in the garage and drove to the hospital.

had concussion, broken wrist, deep cut into my elbow, a dead leg (which lasted weeks), bruised ribs, legs, etc and a broken iPhone, but I reckon I got off lucky. It could have been a lot worse especially as I was way off the beaten path.

What I’m trying to say is not to rely on your phone to get you out of trouble if you’re going off exploring on your own. If you can, take an inreach unit, or let someone know the route, or wear crash pants, or put your phone in a protective case, or carry a spare phone, and carry a first aid kit. Do as much as you can, because when it goes wrong it can go wrong badly.

 

[papab]

Do you need be sign up to a contract with the inreach?

Yes

 

[Trig]

All the apps in the world won't help if you've got no signal!
I use one of these:

RescueME PLB1

Ocean Signal rescueME PLB1: Your compact lifesaver for outdoor adventures. Trusted beacon technology for reliable distress signaling. Buy now!

oceansignal.com

It's tiny, weighs next to nothing and is my get out of jail free card......
Also take on remote hikes and ski touring where we quite often have bo cell signal

Always considered getting something like this for kayaking/mtbing, but never got around to it.This one looks good.
No cost for this other than the initial purchase?
How hard would it be to accidentally trigger? Looks like its got a good cover, is it fairly secure?

 

[Pdoz]

Always considered getting something like this for kayaking/mtbing, but never got around to it.This one looks good.
No cost for this other than the initial purchase?
How hard would it be to accidentally trigger? Looks like its got a good cover, is it fairly secure?

I have a couple of kti plb's , one permanently on my life jacket , the other in my camelback ( or top pocket of my motorbike jacket if the camelback stays home) . Similar size to the one above, but it has an 11 year battery life ( vs 7 ) and is built in oz . Nb replacing batteries costs the same as replacing the units...

PLB - KTI

Even when I was carrying my garmin inreach mini I continued to carry the plb because I trust the world wide dedicated rescue services a lot more than garmin.

There are good arguments for trackers / 2 way communication devices like the inreach , including the ability to communicate rather than just praying the plb got a signal out. But at $200 for 11 years, a plb is a cheap back up

 

[JetSedgwick]

I took a fall last summer on a rocky downhill Trail halfway through a mega ride. I was on me own as it was a last minute decision and I’d ended up on a a fairly remote mountain and managed to come off after a pedal strike whilst taking a drop. Bounced off every rock, but was wearing knee and elbow pads. One elbow pad rode up and my elbow took a Deep gash off a corner of a rock.

So I was laying there, head down the trail, blood running past me, my head hurt, my ribs hurt, one leg was trapped in the triangle of the bike and my other thigh felt like it was broken and I thought... I’d better call someone, (the wife was in Belfast running a half).

but I couldn’t as my phone had been in my shorts pocket and it had a massive dent in it where it had saved my thigh bone from being smashed on a rock.

I’d bought along a first aid kit for that ride so fixed myself up as best I could, fixed the bike up, then had a 15km ride down the mountain and along the coast road. Put my bike in the garage and drove to the hospital.

had concussion, broken wrist, deep cut into my elbow, a dead leg (which lasted weeks), bruised ribs, legs, etc and a broken iPhone, but I reckon I got off lucky. It could have been a lot worse especially as I was way off the beaten path.

What I’m trying to say is not to rely on your phone to get you out of trouble if you’re going off exploring on your own. If you can, take an inreach unit, or let someone know the route, or wear crash pants, or put your phone in a protective case, or carry a spare phone, and carry a first aid kit. Do as much as you can, because when it goes wrong it can go wrong badly.

dude. nuts.

 

[KenX]

Always considered getting something like this for kayaking/mtbing, but never got around to it.This one looks good.
No cost for this other than the initial purchase?
How hard would it be to accidentally trigger? Looks like its got a good cover, is it fairly secure?

Sorry for the late reply! Almost impossible to trigger accidentally, you have to lift a cover, press and hold the button and unreel the antenna for it to go off!

 

[Trig]

Sorry for the late reply! Almost impossible to trigger accidentally, you have to lift a cover, press and hold the button and unreel the antenna for it to go off!

Ah, thats good. I would always be paranoid about doing it if it was simply a case of flipping the cover off and press the button.

 

[Woosydiver]

Ah, thats good. I would always be paranoid about doing it if it was simply a case of flipping the cover off and press the button.

Remember that if you genuinely accidently trigger a PLB [or EPIRB] the emergency services will not be grumpy and be happy that your OK.

I carry a KTI PLB

Also, if your going to be in a mobile reception area, install an app called "Emergency+" which has the phone numbers of Police, SES and shows your location as an address and Lat/Long GPS co-ordinates so they know your location.

 

[pavelmatic]

I have a couple of kti plb's , one permanently on my life jacket , the other in my camelback ( or top pocket of my motorbike jacket if the camelback stays home) . Similar size to the one above, but it has an 11 year battery life ( vs 7 ) and is built in oz . Nb replacing batteries costs the same as replacing the units...

PLB - KTI

Even when I was carrying my garmin inreach mini I continued to carry the plb because I trust the world wide dedicated rescue services a lot more than garmin.

There are good arguments for trackers / 2 way communication devices like the inreach , including the ability to communicate rather than just praying the plb got a signal out. But at $200 for 11 years, a plb is a cheap back up

“Welcome to the famous five-minute WordPress installation process!” WTF???

I hope their devices work better than their IT department...

 

[Derek]

I was looking at the ACR resqlink. Anyone have any feedback on these or can recommend a plb?