Yes, busy bee I am, but slacker? Ouch! Good thing I LOVE burpees. By the way, I too give the Syngery Vest a 5 out of 5 rating.
I give it a 5 out ot 5.
My gear maven partner and I spent many weekend days of the 2008 summer going on trail running/hiking adventures in the Wasatch. We'd each spend time searching Google Earth satellite images of the Wasatch for new routes. This is how we devised the infamous "your house to my house by hooking into the Black Mountain trail" adventure. The mileage seemed doable. It should've only taken a few hours. Any idea where this story is going? There really wasn't a trail (code for no FRIKIN' trail) from the far northeast end of the Black Mountain ridgeline to the Smugglers trail - where we decided to end the Black Mountain ridge bushwack and drop into City Creek. The first 5 miles of our route took about 1 1/2 hours. The next 5 miles took us about 3 hours! This is understandable, though, progress slows considerably when you have to bushwack through a dark primeval forest, nasty leg-shredding scrub oak, and scramble over rocky outcroppings. Before leaving for our adventures, my husband would ask me, and rightly so, if I was bringing my cell phone. Well, I could, I'd say, but I don't think I'll have coverage. In comes SPOT.
SPOT is about the size of my hand and is a handheld satellite communication and safety device. You buy the device, then activate it and purchase a service plan. The basic yearly service plan includes these features: Alert 9-1-1 (notifies emergency responders of your location and indicates you need assistance); Ask For Help (notifies your contacts of your location and that you need assistance); and Check In (lets your contacts know where you are and that you are okay). You can also upgrade the service package to include other features like SPOTcasting, (allows your contacts to follow your route in real time or you can save waypoints for review later). I don't have this because it's an additional $50/year and I already have a GPS.
We took SPOT with us on several adventures last summer. At first I thought of it as another thing to carry, but I'm glad I have it - and my husband is too - for the peace-of-mind it offers. I have yet to experience, however, consistent performance. On any given excursion, at least 1 to 2 out of 5 or 6 "Checking In" messages I sent were not received by my contacts. Granted, some messages may have been sent from within a canyon. These are canyons like City Creek, however, not narrow. You are instructed to follow the precise directions in terms of device position, time holding the button, etc. Regardless, I have had inconsistent performance. One time Sue brought her husband's SPOT and we sent messages from the same locations at the same time. All her messages were received, not all of mine were. Operator or device error? To be determined. Of note, an email to SPOT customer service about this inconsistency yielded no response.
Do you buy it? You can plan and prepare, but not for everything. S--- happens. If your excursion will take you out of cell coverage, you will be on your own and/or the location doesn't see much foot traffic, or getting help could be a challenge, this could come in handy. Another bonus is that it may help to mitigate the "spousal worry factor". I would recommend purchasing SPOT if your excursions are anything like ours - and ours are really benign compared to what many others do. It doesn't come with a stupid meter (code for don't go on an excursion without water, food, appropriate clothing, etc...). But as Sue says: You can't fix stupid. I hope I'll never need to use it for help, but what if?
According to GPS Business News a newer version of SPOT has been introduced at the 2009 Summer Outdoor Retailers show. The newer version offers enhanced features and is 30% smaller and lighter than the original device. We took SPOT with us on several adventures last summer. At first I thought of it as another thing to carry, but I'm glad I have it - and my husband is too - for the peace-of-mind it offers. I have yet to experience, however, consistent performance. On any given excursion, at least 1 to 2 out of 5 or 6 "Checking In" messages I sent were not received by my contacts. Granted, some messages may have been sent from within a canyon. These are canyons like City Creek, however, not narrow. You are instructed to follow the precise directions in terms of device position, time holding the button, etc. Regardless, I have had inconsistent performance. One time Sue brought her husband's SPOT and we sent messages from the same locations at the same time. All her messages were received, not all of mine were. Operator or device error? To be determined. Of note, an email to SPOT customer service about this inconsistency yielded no response.
Do you buy it? You can plan and prepare, but not for everything. S--- happens. If your excursion will take you out of cell coverage, you will be on your own and/or the location doesn't see much foot traffic, or getting help could be a challenge, this could come in handy. Another bonus is that it may help to mitigate the "spousal worry factor". I would recommend purchasing SPOT if your excursions are anything like ours - and ours are really benign compared to what many others do. It doesn't come with a stupid meter (code for don't go on an excursion without water, food, appropriate clothing, etc...). But as Sue says: You can't fix stupid. I hope I'll never need to use it for help, but what if?
Rating: 5 
Where to buy: Check out the Dealer Locator or Buy on Line on SPOT's Website
Price: ~$150 for the device (check for coupons) and ~$100/year for the basic service plan (not cheap, but, what if?)
Where to buy: Check out the Dealer Locator or Buy on Line on SPOT's Website
Price: ~$150 for the device (check for coupons) and ~$100/year for the basic service plan (not cheap, but, what if?)
Whoa...is that a review by Martha? :-)
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