Delorme InReach ads

Since I can't ski today (see Colchuck Closed ), I'll go ahead and share something that has been bugging me about advertisements creating dumb behavior.

Delorme's InReach ads encourage hanging your emergency communication device on the outside of your pack. This seems risky to me. If you fall from a height, get caught in an avalanche, fall into a river, get mauled by a bear.. If you have any violent experience which might create a need to use the satellite texting device, wouldn't having it on the outside of your pack decrease the odds that you will still have an undamaged device to use? What about brushing past a tree and having it stripped from your shoulder strap?






The result of these ads: Recreationalists carrying the inReach like the ads show:

Recreational hiker:


Recreational hiker:


I carry a Delorme inReach satellite texting device. But I carry it deep in my pack where it can't accidentally fall out and where it is unlikely to get damaged. Its the kind of equipment that you carry all the time, and hope never to need. Like your first aid kit. It seems to me that if you carry something long enough on the outside of your pack, you'll damage or lose it. So don't mimic the ads. Stash your safety gear in a safe place.

Avy beacons should *always* be inside a layer of clothing, unless actively using it. Period.

But I'm okay with keeping generic communication/navigation devices outside, if they're used frequently, and not relied on as essential safety gear. For me, navigation equipment is always a backup - the primary is the fact that I've memorized the charts before leaving, and know the route in my head.

It's also notable that we tend to hike rougher trails, and descend harder/faster than your average hiker. Generally, if those guys drop their toy, they can reach down and pick it back up. We don't always have that luxury...

A lot of the motorsports crowd (adventure touring big bikes, dirtbikes, and snowmobiles) carry their devices this way because they are afraid of falling down, getting seperated from their bikes, and being able to reach their device when they can't move due to a broken femur or something. Preppers... ???

I guess it's semi-legit, it's easy to break a femur while launching over a handlebar.

Delorme's InReach ads encourage hanging your emergency communication device on the outside of your pack.

Beware of marketers! They think the device looks cooler that way, sort of like a talisman.

Much sexier than showing a hiker crouched over the thing trying to send an emergency message.

Yeah, keep it in your pack....

Its all about marketing. Like cool Nike or K2, etc, logos we wear. The more folks that see em on a passing hiker the more demand for the product.

"Gee honey whats on that guys pack strap?"

"Its satellite 911 for the mountains dear"

"Honey we need one of those"...........

BTW I do have one and think its a great idea but I rarely get around to activating it.

Mine stays off in the bottom of my pack. I use the Earthmate app and phone GPS for a simple breadcrumb should I need help getting back. The InReach works very well. I used it last year to call in SOS for a fallen climber on Mt Adams. Wildest day I've ever seen on Mt Adams but that's another story.