Whether I’m trekking, day hiking, skiing or fishing a remote river I always have my Spot X Satellite Communicator in my backpack. In the backcountry, an SOS call and a timely rescue could make the difference between living and dying. Carrying a satellite communicator should be a requirement for anyone adventuring in the backcountry. Most outdoors gear isn’t cheap, and if you have the privilege to be able to play in the backcountry you should also be equipped with the equipment to help you and rescuers in a worst-case scenario.
If you’re in the middle of the Pacific Ocean or deep in the Alaskan mountains satellite communicators serve a simple purpose, to hear your call for help and share your exact location with rescue personnel. Time is everything in a rescue situation especially If you or someone in your party is severely injured. Unlike PLB (personal locater beacons) which only show your location to the nearest 100 meters and don’t confirm if your call for help was received, Satellite Communicators let you communicate the situation with rescuers and have confirmation that they are on their way.
The Spot X isn’t just made for SOS situations, it is an amazing communication tool that allows you to directly message family and friends allowing them to track your movement in the backcountry. This can give those who love you some serious peace of mind and will probably tack a few extra years onto your SO’s life. I’ve used my Spot X in a number of non-emergency situations such as letting my family know I was staying in the backcountry for another night of fishing and messaging a friend to bring his rig to tow me out when I was stuck bad on a logging road accessing a river fishing spot.
However, like any technology, the Spot X has it’s pitfalls. In this post I’m going to provide my honest review of the Spot X and provide details on what I love about it and what I dislike.
Table of Contents
What I Love
Easy Two Way Custom Messaging
Messaging is the biggest perk of the SPOT X compared to other Satellite Communicators and GPS devices. The SPOT X is equipped with a full qwerty keyboard and typing on it is a breeze. You can send messages to any cell phone or email address. Depending on your subscription level you can send and receive personalized messages wherever you are. This is great if you are on long trips and want to stay in touch with loved ones, need to provide intricate real-time updates or are in need of assistance from family or friends in a non-emergency situation.
You can send send messages from almost anywhere in the world.
All SPOT devices, use the GlobalStar satellite network of low altitude communication satellites. You can get coverage in all of continental United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe and Australia. Coverage also stretches hundreds of miles offshore of these areas. The map below shows the coverage and capabilities across the world. For anyone (like me) who does most of their adventuring in North America, the coverage is perfect!
Predetermined Messaging/Check In’s
In the cheapest service plan options SPOT allows you to send an unlimited amount of predetermined messages to a set of contacts. I use this option all the time for letting people know I have arrived at a summit, am safely at camp for the night or need to extend my trip and will be home later. The predetermined messages are one of my favourite functions of the SPOT X device because when I’m in the backcountry I’m not trying to have long text conversations. I’m trying to get away from it all! Using the predetermined messages gives my loved ones peace of mind without having pressure to message back and forth.
Emergency Messaging with Search and Rescue
When you activate the SOS function of the SPOT X will connect you 24/7 with local Search & Rescue services. You will be able to message back and forth about the nature of your emergency and will receive confirmation when help is on the way. Confirmation of an incoming rescue is unbelievably helpful. You can be confident to stay in a safe place until help arrives.
Tracking Capabilities
The bread and butter of the SPOT X is it’s messaging capabilities but it also offers an awesome tracking feature. While your device is on you can choose it to track your movement in 2 ½, 5, 10, 30, or 60 minute intervals. Using SPOT’s cloud based mapping feature you can check out your route when you get home or you can share your journey with loved ones and they can follow along on the map in real time as you go.
Save Locations Your Favourite Locations/Way Points
Maybe you found a way into a great fishing hole or the perfect backcountry camping spot. The SPOT X can mark and save any number of locations that you can name. You then can see them on the cloud mapping features when you get home or can use the SPOT X to help you navigate back towards them the next time you are in the backcountry.
What I Hate About The SPOT X
Sending and Receiving Messages Takes A Long Time
Once you have a message written and press the send button it takes around 5 minutes or so for the message to send. This time can be longer if the message fails and the antenna isn’t pointing straight up to the sky the entire time. I find retrieving messages is a bit faster but still takes a little bit of time. If your primary goal was to have a full on conversation like you were texting it would get old real quick. Thankfully, I usually only send one or two update messages and I’m not ever trying to have a long drawn out messaging conversation
Antenna Needs to be pointed Straight Up
When messaging or tracking the antenna of the spot needs to be pointed directly up to the sky without any obstruction. This can be a hassle if you want to send or retrieve a message and keep moving, if you want to hold it like a phone in your hand or if you do not have a solid spot to attach it to your backpack vertically. When I’m sending a message I always write the message and lean it on a rock or something pointing straight up to the sky.
Message Confirmation
After sending a message you will see a chat bubble with either an X, ? or a check mark. An X means the message failed to deliver, the check mark confirms delivery. Unfortunately, about 50% of the time I see the ? mark meaning that message delivery is unconfirmed. To date, all of the ‘unconfirmed’ messages I have attempted to send did indeed deliver, but, I wish that this function was a bit more reliable.
No Batteries
The SPOT X has an internal rechargeable battery and you cannot insert disposable batteries into the device. In terms of battery life I have found the SPOT X to be great. The only time the battery runs out quickly (2+ full days) is if you keep it on a fast tracking interval like 2.5 or 10 minutes. I own a spot for the safety features not the tracking features so I typically keep them off. I’ve had my spot on for a week at a time and the battery has stayed half full. However, similar to a headlamp, I would prefer if I could insert disposable batteries if it happened to run out of juice in the backcountry
Navigation
The Navigation and Tracking on the spot isn’t perfect, its not designed to be a navigational device. The times when I’ve used tracking while hiking I find the spot usually only picks up about half of the tracking points along the way. This is likely because the device is not directly vertical when attached to my back. The SPOT X does work well for saving coordinates and locations. If I find a great fishing spot or camping area I like to save the area and keep record the coordinates of these zones when I get back from my trip. If you are looking for a navigation specific device a Garmin InReach is better, but, for a cost effective life-saving messaging device, the SPOT X does everything I need it to do.
Should You Buy The SPOT X?
It really depends what you do and the functions that you need. The SPOT X is fantastic device for those who spend time in the backcountry, don’t need detailed navigation capabilities but want peace of mind and the ability to make an SOS calls and send messages with the click of a button.
The SPOT X is reasonably priced and their subscription options are much cheaper than Garmin Devices. I fully endorse this device and believe it does a fabulous job at what it was made to do.
Having the ability to call for help in the Backcountry is invaluable. Also, I’ve greatly reduced the worries of my girlfriend and mother giving them greater peace of mind when I’m away on a trip.
Hopefully you will never have to use the SOS feature on the SPOT X but if you do, it will be the best money you’ve ever spent.
BE SAFE IN THE BACKCOUNTRY!
Let me know if you have any questions about the SPOT X in the comments below.
6 Responses
I’ve been using Spot X for a few months now and I have to say, it’s been a game changer for me. As a frequent hiker, the GPS tracking and offline maps have been so useful in navigating unfamiliar trails. I also appreciate the waterproof design and long battery life, it’s great to have a device that can keep up with my adventures. Overall, I’m very impressed with Spot X and would definitely recommend it to anyone in the market for a new outdoor GPS device.
Great review! I’ve been considering purchasing the Spot X for my upcoming backpacking trip, and your detailed pros and cons list has been incredibly helpful in making my decision. I’m particularly interested in the device’s ability to provide accurate elevation data and the durability of the device itself. Thanks for sharing your experience!
Great review! I’ve been considering purchasing a Spot X for my outdoor adventures, and your pros and cons list has been incredibly helpful. I’m particularly interested in the device’s performance in harsh weather conditions. Can you tell me more about how it held up in snowy or rainy conditions? Thanks for sharing!
Haven’t had any issues with snow or rain, but I haven’t dropped it into a river yet!