What is Reddit's opinion of
ACR PLB-375 ResQLink+ 406 Buoyant Personal Locator Beacon?
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17 reviews of this product found across Reddit:
Just bring a PLB. I bought one on Amazon here. Velcro it to yourself and if you have to put down, activate it as part of your emergency procedures. Had they done this, Coast Guard would have been overhead within minutes.
Another option is a Personal Locator Beacon. I bought one for a longer sailing trip I am going on, but lots of solo hikers carry them as well. Mine was about $250 off amazon, so a little cheaper than the InReach, if OP doesn't care about all the bells and whistles.
This is the best $250 I've ever spent. Anyone who does anything outdoors in Alaska without a PLB and a .44 is asking for trouble.
I've used a spot Gen3 for several years. As others have said it's a nice addition to the kit. Keeps the family updated in 10 (or less) minute intervals without me having to do anything. There is a cost though as you've noted. It easily will track for a week on one set of batteries. I'll press the track button when I leave the house and don't need to touch it again for a week. I have the annual plan so I don't need to mess with it. With the inReach you can maybe save a bit with their pay for only the months you use plan. Just depends on how often you're out.
Cheaper is a plain PLB like the ResQ Link. These are one-shot devices. You don't get any tracking -- just an SOS button that brings in the Thunderbirds. No additional fees. Pay once and you're covered for a few years.
> This would be in competition with PLBs which can go for under $300 CAD.
That's what I have. Register with your emergency contact info with NOAA (in the US) and carry it with you for free.
If you're looking for a true I-NEED-HELP-NOW solution, look at an EPIRB like this: http://www.amazon.com/ACR-PLB-375-ResQLink-Personal-Locating/dp/B006JXY0CQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1447898808&sr=8-1&keywords=epirb
There are no fees, but when you pull out the antenna and push the help button, you really are activating a major search and rescue op. It will work virtually anyplace there is a decent view of the sky.
Virtually no handheld radio (or even car-mounted CB radio) is going to have any reasonable range if you're in mountains or heavy forest.
Buy a PLB to keep on you should the worst happen and you survive.
ELT is nice, but having your own tool to make sure someone can find you is a really nice piece of mind in my opinion.
I personally carry this
I have one and have found it to be generally reliable. I use it to send check-in messages once I arrive at my campsite, and have never used the 911 (emergency) function. With that said, a SPOT is more than the bare hardware device, you'll also need to buy at least one year of basic service which is around $100 as I recall-more if you want added features such as tracking. If you really want to get a no hassle, completely reliable device that isn't tied down my advice would be to get a PLB instead. While a bit more in cost over a SPOT it doesn't need an account to work.
/edit: a SPOT is not a PLB (Personal Locater Beacon)! A PLB is something like this that works on the 406 mhz sat band, includes a homing beacon to help you get found, and has a registered GPS built in. It's to be used only for a serious emergency and is basically a completely sealed device that has one function only.
An EPIRB or PLB. The PLB's are relatively inexpensive in boating terms.
Fixed VHF's don't work if the boat is capsized and the antenna is underwater...the range on hand-helds is not very good if you are floating in the water up to your neck, so if you are offshore and no one is in range, you are not getting picked up. PLB's communicate via satellite, are completely waterproof, buoyant, and the battery is certified for 6 years. A PLB can literally save the mans life.
Here in an ACR model on Amazon for under $300:
https://www.amazon.com/PLB-375-ResQLink-Buoyant-Personal-Locator/dp/B006JXY0CQ
Side Note: I'm a big supporter of PLB's after the 2009 incident where three football players were lost in the Gulf after their boat capsized. A $300 investment could have saved their lives. Those guys spent that much money on a pair of shoes.
Do you have a PLB, or EPIRB? You want S&R to be able to know you want to be found. They run just under $300usd, it has NO subscription, and will alert state and military S&R. The cost is higher than a "SPOT" sat beacon because it is a registered life saving device, where the "SPOT" beacon is a private company and requires a subscription. PLB's/EPIRB's are monitored in the US by NOAA satellites, and help will there in normally under 2 hours after activation.
One from amazon: https://www.amazon.com/PLB-375-ResQLink-Buoyant-Personal-Locator/dp/B006JXY0CQ/
Also add green (it's the brightest longterm) chemlights and orange smoke signal (from boating section). The chemlight tie the paracord and swing in a 8-10 ft circle over your head to be seen at night, the orange smoke to be seen during day.
ACR PLB-375 ResQLink+ 406 Buoyant Personal Locator Beacon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B006JXY0CQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_u4WMzbC9SYEY8
(:
Here we go: https://www.reddit.com/r/nosleep/comments/3jadum/im_a_search_and_rescue_officer_for_the_us_forest/
/s
Also: "In his books and in interviews Paulides does give some possible reasons for the disappearances. On a recent appearance on the radio show Coast to Coast AM, Paulides listed some ideas, such as sasquatch, large birds and extraterrestrials, but he also mentioned demons as a possible cause, which goes along with the belief in the Philippines that the Jin or demons are responsible for the abductions." link
An interesting point from that article though, if one believes it to be accurate, is that not one person with a firearm has gone missing and only one with a PLB. The idea of carrying one or both seems logical (though I'd tend to think for use against animals or nefarious humans, not sasquatch and extraterrestrials)
For a consumer-grade radio, I don't think you can get much better than these from Backcountry Access. They are very expensive but they certainly had much better range than simple handheld units for us last summer. However they aren't miracle workers.
As others have mentioned, these aren't really good for an emergency per se. I did quite a bit of research and ended up getting one of these for emergencies. That goes to local SAR. You don't want to ring that bell unless it is really an emergency, but it is a very economical solution for that situation. You could also look into something like a Spot.
I was just looking into the Sundiver for a catalina trip too... shocking. I also carry an EPIRB and a dive canister in case I'm ever forgotten.
ResQLink+ Personal Locating Beacon but you need to activate it..
http://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/personal-locator-beacons.html
my other suggestion is you get personal defense training - guns - weapons etc if it is that shady for you.
http://www.amazon.com/ACR-PLB-375-ResQLink-Personal-Locating/dp/B006JXY0CQ
There's a slightly cheaper version that doesn't float.
If you aren't an Alaskan do not even consider this without the following items:
Gun - .44 mag or better, shotgun preferred.
Bear spray
Bear bell
Emergency blanket
First aid kit