It is well worth it.....It works awesome....Just hit the OK button and it sends the time, Lat's/Long's location of where I am at to my wife by Text message and email saying I am okay! In the email just click on the link and it will connect to Google Maps/satellite mode and show my location!

Should I have a breakdown or have an issue getting back home....I hit the HELP button and it will again send a Text and email my location to my wife that I need help and it sends the message every 5minutes for 1 hour in this mode.

Should I ever get really hurt I hit the 911 button it will send a message to Emergency Response of my precise location. Well worth the dough if you hike/bike or wheel alone or even with friends!!!!

If you spend a little more/month you can actually track the spot unit by Google Earth, which I did not opt for!

 

I have the SPOT, mostly because I do a lot of mountain bike and long distances... and yes, I like to go solo as well...

 

First I've ever even heard of SPOT.....

 

Why dont you just wheel with a buddy??























Just kidding
The thought of being alone for 8 days and not seeing another car/person makes me horney Seriously, that is like a dream of mine...just me, my jeep and nature

 

I have been using it for about a year now...well worth it and no issues of no signal. Worth every penny!

 

I read, with interest, this thread concerning going out alone for extended periods and the idea that if you have a SPOT, SatPhone, etc, all will be well if you find yourself up to your ass in alligators on a back country trail. So I reviewed your "mods list" and fine what I consider to be essential extraction and survival equipment missing or not listed. Top on that list should be a good heavy duty winch and a Pull Pal. Next should be a pneumatic inflatable jack or at least a Hi-Lift jack. Then you should have a professional level first aid kit, suitcase size, and the knowledge on how to use its contents. I'm not going into the shelter, food, water aspects or the tool and spare parts kits that should also be carried while going it alone. I could go on for pages, but there's no reason to beat a dead horse other than for the pure joy of it.

Yes fate does, in fact, favor the well prepared. That being said, a SPOT GPS unit, by itself, does not make you well prepared. It will, however, make it easier for the Search and Rescue teams to find your body.

Never go alone !

 

Me too but I just checked out their site and man is this ever cool. I'm gettin' me one!

 

I would think 99% of the folks on this forum know how to be well prepared for what they are entering into with some pretty good bush & survival instincts. Even if they do go alone, I am sure they have a good safety plan together of where they are headed, time they will be back and a time to start searching & proper gearing & survival items!

With the SPOT this just makes that safety plan that much more tighter and fairly fail safe to ensure you won't be coming home in a body bag! It makes it nice you can send messages by text and email every 5 minutes if you want to let people know you are fine as in most cases your cellphone will not have recieption in areas you are hiking, wheeling or biking! Or you don't feel like packing cellphone, Sat phone, radio & spot GPS.

 

Like all of our Members here, I have family and friends. Some shake their heads at my JK obsession in complete incomprehension and some think its kinda interesting. Being semi-retired, I have a goodly amount of time on my hands to get outside. Sometimes I invite a family member or friend, but mostly i go alone. I like the solitude and quiet and with no distractions I think I observe more and challenge myself. I've got lots of customers and clients and frankly I just wanna turn it all off for awhile.

Although not embedded in my profile, my Jeep is modified and equiped very well and I feel I know how hard to press it or when to back off. Maybe some of us are more comfortable in a group, but I'm afraid that many times I would just as soon be alone. When I lived in Houston, I had a 20' sailboat that I lived on and sailed all over the Gulf of Mex solo. AFter I mnaried, my wife and I bought a 38' sailboat and spent the next 2.5 years sailing round the world. No radio..just us. The solitude and isolation are alone a challenge without geting into the daily work of that lifestyle. When I go alone, I brief my family where I'm goin and when they can expect to hear back from me. But maybe I just wanna stay longer, and when I', in a 3 million acre desert, a little more accuracy would be good for their worrying about me. I think the SPOT is the best for letting them know how i,m doing.....or if i don't report in to yes, find my shriveled corpse.

 

An Example of what the spot will send by email!

malakwa2
Latitude:50.96638
Longitude:-118.74109
GPS location Date/Time:10/01/2009 13:38:18 PDT

Click the link below to see where I am located.
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=e...UTF8&z=12&om=1
Message:Mike Checking in....all is good