The time is drawing near! I’ll be shoving off in less than three weeks for trip #1, my shakedown trip to Yosemite. I always do a quick overnighter, usually to Yosemite, where I shake off the cob webs, check my gear, and test out new gear. This year will be no different, however, historically, I stay at a hotel the night before, usually within an hour of the trailhead where I can rest, clean up, and go the next morning. This year, for trips that involve less than 4 hours of driving, I’m going to boondock as close to the trailhead as possible. For those Eastern Sierra Trips, I’ll still get a hotel to rest from the long drive. With boon docking comes buying gear. And with the new backpacking season here, also comes new gear! I can’t wait to test things out. As I formulate opinions, I’ll be sure to blog about them. So, without further ado, here’s what I’m adding to my stable .
I’ve had the Inreach Mini for about four years now and it’s worked great, but I have struggled with the battery life and delay in sending/receiving texts, especially on solo trips. Garmin advertises advanced technology that improves connectivity and supports up to 25 days of use (in 10 minute tracking mode), and is lighter than the Inreach Mini, so I pulled the plug and purchased it. Out of the box I was impressed. The setup was much easier and the messenger app is much more intuitive than I was used too. I’m already impressed and I haven’t even used it. Even cooler, I can send photographs and voice recordings, even when I don’t have a signal. Garmin has updated their price plans, and for $30/month, I can send 150 text/pictures. I’m looking forward to giving this guy a spin to see if it’s as advertised.
I’m really excited about this! I’ve been videotaping my recent trips with my iPhone as sort of a personal vlog. I can rewatch them and it brings me back to not only where I was, but what I was feeling at the time of the recording. This should be a big upgrade. Who knows, maybe I’ll give vlogging a try.
*Update: I gave it a shot, but I just don’t have the time to really use this the way it should be used, and I found I was routinely just shooting video with my iPhone. After a couple quick trips I sold the Osmo to someone who would get a lot more use out of it than I will.
