Original title: Do You Need a Satellite Messenger?
When the smartphone in your pocket is loaded with a growing arsenal of safety tools—including location tracking, fall detection, and SOS alerts—it’s very tempting to adventure off the grid without back up. But if your hikes, runs, and rides regularly take you beyond the reach of cell towers, into more extreme conditions and terrain, sticking a dedicated satellite messenger in your pack might just save your life. Unlike smartphones, satellite communicators don’t rely on Wi-Fi or network coverage to keep the comms lines open. So if the proverbial, you know, hits the fan where no one can hear you scream, you can still send up a virtual flare to summon help. Yes, they can be pricey. It’s another gadget adding weight to the pack, and they’re still not quite as easy to use as What3Words on your smartphone. But none of that will matter if you get lost in the backcountry without a way to call in rescue. At that point a reliable sat comm will look like a lifeline, not a luxury. So how do you de