[pct-l] SPOT messenger vs McMurdo PLB

Sun Mar 27 16:04:05 CDT 2011

On t he converse;  having one and being like "eh, let's push on... We can always push the red button". Makes you more likely to USE it...  Instead of making camp when you should

Sent from my iPod

On 2011-03-27, at 4:51 PM, Toby Maxwell <tmm19 at geneseo.edu> wrote:

>       I wanted to add in one thought.  There may also be something said for someone who is carrying it (and aware and used to the backcountry) being less likely to accidentally injure themselves.  It's a little bit of a stretch, but for example when I rock climb (im a newbie) I can climb much harder when roped up than free solo because of my confidence theoretically exposing myself to less danger due to less stressful worst case scenarios.
>      That being said I don't really feel that translates prefectly to hiking, but its a thought.  I think that the PLB is (and will be for me) something that basically sits in my pack with the intent of preventing death in the case of some random boulder falling on my leg.  It will also function kind of like a spot for my family, just less directly, because they will know that if I am in a serious pickle, I'll have a red button to believe in.  It's not a SUL backpacking toy by any means, but it seems that it is undeniably a good thing to have (not saying that its bad to not have).
> 
> -Toby
> 
> On Sun, Mar 27, 2011 at 4:34 PM, Paul Robison <paulrobisonhome at yahoo.com> wrote:
> Hillary,
> The spot is 100$. And sub. Is 99$
> 
> A traditional PLB is about 500$... So I thought spot was amazingly cheap for what it does.
> 
> I certainly wouldn't say they are 'really expensive'. If 100$ is a stretch for you;  youre in for a hard thru hike.  That's less than the cost of one zero.
> 
> Just talked to two couples I hiked with last year and both spent over 16,000 ... That sufficiently scared me... I'm even considering skipping Warner springs.
> 
> Sent from my iPod
> 
> On 2011-03-27, at 3:36 PM, Hillary Schwirtlich <hillary.schwirtlich at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> > I think this comes back to the central question of heavy trucking vs light
> > vs ultralight hiking: how do you mitigate risk? It's a question that doesn't
> > just have to do with weight though. If you are concerned about being
> > prepared for everything, you're going to bring more options for bailing
> > yourself out of sticky situations.
> >
> > I don't have a SPOT and I don't plan on getting one. That's because they're
> > really expensive and they aren't something I think is 100% necessary for my
> > style of hiking. Partly because I'm almost never alone, I rarely stray off
> > trail, and I always have a map. In other words, I'm usually as prepared as I
> > think I can be, I have enough experience to know how to deal with most
> > common backcountry situations (i.e. cold, wet weather, etc), and I'm not
> > like the guy was in 127 Hours - I see the need for human companionship and
> > letting someone know where I'm going.
> >
> > What happened to your friend's uncle was definitely unexpected and very sad.
> > But that was also a very rare case. Maybe it's foolhardy of me to say that I
> > doubt I will be having a heart attack soon (I'm 23, female, have always been
> > active and eaten well, and have no family history of heart problems). But I
> > feel that the risk of that or something else like it happening to me, where
> > I don't have someone who can go hike for help, is small enough not to
> > warrant needing a SPOT. Just like the likelihood of me developing an
> > allergic reaction to a bee sting on the trail when I've never had an
> > allergic reaction to one before is possible, but unlikely, and so I'm not
> > going to go get a prescription for an EpiPen just in case.
> >
> > That being said, I don't think you're over prepared if you do decide to get
> > a SPOT device or something like it. I can see that having that extra safety
> > would make someone feel much more comfortable, especially if they spent a
> > lot of time alone. But I certainly don't think that you're a terrible person
> > for not having one. If everyone who every went hiking absolutely needed a
> > signaling device, 1. people wouldn't have gone hiking until the last however
> > many years since those signaling devices were invented, and 2. only people
> > who could afford the device would experience outdoor sports. And I'm all for
> > as many people as possible exploring and appreciating the natural world.
> >
> > I guess it's also a question of HYOH. :)
> >
> > On Sun, Mar 27, 2011 at 12:00 PM, Edward Anderson <mendoridered at yahoo.com>wrote:
> >
> >> Jim,
> >> I always advise people to "expect the unexpected"- and try to be prepared
> >> for
> >> it. Trees can fall unexpectedly, for no obvious reason - even on a nice day
> >> with
> >> little or no breeze. Boulders can come down, starting slides, as snow and
> >> ice melt from high above the trail. Anyone who has spent a lot of time,
> >> hiking,
> >> climbing, and riding, in the back country, as I have, has experienced the
> >> unexpected. You don't have to be taking foolish risks to have the
> >> unexpected happen. While I lived in Mendocino an uncle of a close friend
> >> tragically died while hiking in the Yola Bolies alone.  He was a healthy
> >> and fit
> >> guy and knew the area well. He died of a Cardiac Arrest. he had no way
> >> of summoning help. This happened about 15 years ago. If he had along a way
> >> of
> >> summoning help he might have survived. Now that the technology has become
> >> available I hold that it is foolish not to take advantage of it. It might
> >> be the
> >> life of someone else that you save.
> >>
> >> MendoRider
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> ________________________________
> >> From: "enyapjr at comcast.net" <enyapjr at comcast.net>
> >> To: pct-l at backcountry.net
> >> Sent: Sun, March 27, 2011 11:12:17 AM
> >> Subject: [pct-l] SPOT messenger vs McMurdo PLB
> >>
> >>> ...only a fool would not bring one, or some other reliable rescue
> >> signaling
> >>> device.
> >>
> >> Sorry, MendoRider, but I definitely have to disagree with that statement!
> >> With a moderate amount of experience, sufficient or adequate gear for the
> >> conditions
> >> expected or possible, and the common sense to know when to hunker down or
> >> bail
> >> out or
> >>
> >> not try something too 'extreme' - one wouldn't have any need for
> >> "rescue"...
> >> Not having a SPOT or PLB does not necessarily mean that one is stupid or a
> >> fool!
> >>
> >>> The successful TV program "I Shouldn't be Alive" would not exist if all
> >> of
> >>> those
> >>>
> >>> people had had a way of calling for rescue.
> >>
> >> And how did many of those people get into such 'situations' that they
> >> needed
> >> 'rescue'?
> >> Sometimes it's the opposite - one goes ahead and does something one
> >> normally
> >> wouldn't
> >> because they do have a rescue device with them...  Plus ask some SAR folks
> >> what
> >> they
> >> honestly think of these rescue devices - too many times that 'rescue'
> >> button is
> >> pushed
> >> without THINKING over the situation first - or developing skills needed
> >> ahead of
> >> time...
> >> The most important piece of 'gear' one carries? - the gray matter in one's
> >> skull
> >> - it's
> >> seems amazing that so many people nowadays don't use it (but makes for
> >> "successful TV"
> >> programs, however)...
> >>
> >> There's also another 'popular' TV program - "A 1,000 Ways to Die"; and
> >> let's not
> >> forget
> >> about the annual "Darwin Awards", either...  I doubt a rescue device would
> >> have
> >> helped
> >> the majority of those people...
> >>
> >> What was my 'rescue device' carried many years ago (before 'electronics') &
> >> never once
> >>
> >> used as such - the mirror in my small sighting compass...
> >> All that said - I'll probably carry a SPOT - but as a COMMUNICATION device,
> >> NOT
> >> as a
> >>
> >> 'rescue' device...  It will be for the family & friends 'peace of mind',
> >> and for
> >> me in
> >> the sense of 'sharing' my trek with them daily...
> >> YMMV, HYOH, ad infinitum etceteras......
> >>
> >> Happy trails!!!
> >> Jim (PITA)
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