Anyone with first hand experience they care to share? They look pretty affordable compared to the Inreach. They pair with your phone, though you can trigger them just like a Spot even if your phone is dead. With the phone you can communicate.

I have one and it works as advertised.

I have used one for the last three years. Love the snooze feature on the subscription plan. If you have questions, ask away.

Tryin: "I have used one for the last three years. Love the snooze feature on the subscription plan. If you have questions, ask away."

+1

Does exactly what I need it to do, easy messaging home for my wife’s peace of mind at a decent price point.

Thanks for the replies. I pulled the trigger on one. Getting to that age...

I remember researching it a few years ago before I got the inReach. Their weather app didn't provide wind and that was a showstopper for me. I believe it has wind speed and direction now though. I did like the feature that you use your own email address to communicate as compared to the inReach where you don't.

But the inReach has a number of nifty GPS and tracking features that are 'nice to have' and I thought it was worth paying for. No regrets. Plus it can be used without a phone.

You can also suspend and resurrect your plan as needed with Garmin.

But if price point is a significant factor, go for the Zoleo. Competition will be good for the industry and we'll all benefit.

Zoleo for me.

If you buy the cheap $20 a month you get 20 messages with it.
When you are about to go over that limit they will send you an offer for forty more messages for $15 so it's a good deal. You can keep one-uping as you need too if that makes sense.
Tom

Argo: "I remember researching it a few years ago before I got the inReach. Their weather app didn't provide wind and that was a showstopper for me. I believe it has wind speed and direction now though. I did like the feature that you use your own email address to communicate as compared to the inReach where you don't.


But the inReach has a number of nifty GPS and tracking features that are 'nice to have' and I thought it was worth paying for. No regrets. Plus it can be used without a phone.


You can also suspend and resurrect your plan as needed with Garmin.


But if price point is a significant factor, go for the Zoleo. Competition will be good for the industry and we'll all benefit."

Zoleo has the wind in the forecast

I got one this year and like it so far. It’s my first satellite device.
My tip- allow 2 hours for setup. You will be charging it, reading instructions, setting up the app, exploring the features etc. Its not something you want to put off until the night before a trip.

Agree with all comments here, and I have experience hitting the SOS button, unfortunately, though all turned out well. Worked perfectly, love it.

I got an email about some new updates, including the ability to start "tracking" immediately when device is turned on. This is great, as it took us awhile to figure out how to start up the tracking once we fired it up. Second update automatically sends, with a message, the device's battery level. Two FANTASTIC updates that we could have really used this summer!

I’ve used one for over a year now & have no complaints. Never tried the SOS button though I assume it works. Their software is decent, my only gripe there is that contacts require internet to be modified/added. If it had radar included with the weather, it would be perfect, though that is a want, not a need. It has fulfilled its purpose admirably & I cannot recall really ever being let down by it. Battery life is pretty good as well.

Mine works great and gives my wife and I peace of mind. The location tracking feature is really neat, too. It's so nice being able to send basic messages while out in the backcountry.

However, be advised that these do NOT float. Be very careful to keep it somewhere that there is no risk of going overboard, such as a zipped pocket on your person. I had mine clipped to my belt. While paddling, I noticed it was disconnected from my phone. I'm assuming the carabiner gate got pushed open somehow and it fell off. Thankfully, someone else in the group also had a Zoleo so we could tell people what happened. If you drop your Zoleo in the water, you are almost better off never having taken it because now everyone is going to be wondering what happened to you.

I had to buy a new Zoleo and will be very careful not to let that happen again.

I recently bought one, used it last week in bwca, very satisfied. Easy to set up and worked fine.

I am intrigued by the Motorola Defy satellite device, especially the cost and plans. Kind of wish I knew about it before I bought the Zoleo.