HARDCORE OUTDOOR-GEAR RECOMMENDATIONS-GEAR REVIEWS FOR HIKING, SEARCH AND RESCUE, MILITARY, HUNTING: GREAT GEAR RECOMMENDATION

HARDCORE OUTDOOR-GEAR RECOMMENDATIONS-GEAR REVIEWS FOR HIKING, SEARCH AND RESCUE, MILITARY, HUNTING: GREAT GEAR RECOMMENDATION - SPOT Satellite Messenger 2

GREAT GEAR RECOMMENDATION - SPOT Satellite Messenger 2

The SPOT 2 compared to the original SPOT Satellite Messenger on the right. The new unit is smaller, lighter, and easier to use.  The SPOT 2 is just better all the way around. Very nice.

You have to love technology and the way new products progress. I liked the SPOT Satellite Messenger device from the very beginning and while I enthusiastically promoted the product, I was candid about some of its short comings.  To their credit, SPOT admitted that they could do better and in fact asked for my input.  I was happy to help with the second generation unit.  The SPOT 1 is a great concept that has saved many lives and given its users peace of mind. The SPOT 2 is even better in every aspect.

Smaller just doesn't mean more convenience, it also means that there is a greater chance that the device will be carried in the field more often or all the time.  That is a good thing from my perspective.

You can see from the photos that the SPOT 2 is much smaller. It is lighter too. According to my scale, SPOT 1 weighs 7.1 ounces including batteries while SPOT 2 is only 4.2 ounces.  A smaller, lighter form factor is nice but the improved performance is what really sets this new unit apart.  I am still field testing but I am very pleased so far, especially with the speed of GPS acquisition and message transmission. It is fast.

How fast?  How about 2 minutes from turning the unit on, pushing the CHECK/OK message button and setting it on the tailgate to text message on my mobile phone fast. Consistently.  Considering that this little device has to communicate with two separate sets of satellites orbiting something like two and three hundred miles above the earth respectively, that is amazingly fast.  It is accurate too. The little green arrow on the Google Earth aerial photo is dead bang on every time. Shit hot fast and deadly accurate. Very impressive.

If you love to get out and away in the great outdoors do yourself a favor. Buy a SPOT Satellite Messenger and learn how to use it.  This device and a good flashlight or strobe light could be the difference between life and death in a backcountry emergency. Don't be that guy that should have gotten one or was going to get one but just didn't get around to it. Besides, I can't think of a better stocking stuffer. If you have the original model, it is time to upgrade to the new SPOT 2. Put it on your Christmas list or do a boomerang gift back to yourself.

Thanks.

Wade Nelson
Editor

Sorting through the fads and fashion of the outdoor equipment industry to identify and promote the very best wilderness gear for high end recreational users, backcountry professionals and government agencies.

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