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I have soloed exactly once before and I rented a sat phone at the insistance of my wife.  I was a bit reluctant to do so as I have a few dozen trips under my belt and was fully confident in my abilities.  However, I aquiesced to her wishes when it became clear that the issue was NOT my own confidence in my abilities but rather the worry that she would have gone through for the 9-day duration of the trip.  Mrs. Snow_Dog has a PhD in worrying  and I knew she'd be a wreck if I didn't have the means to summon help.

I also have 3 young kids and have no desire to turn Mrs. Snow_Dog into a single parent against her wishes...or mine.  So I caved.

The problem I ran into was that with the sat-phone came an expectation to "check in" every 2-3 days.  That part, I was NOT happy about.  I mean, I go up there to truly escape civilization and all it's attendant responsibilities.  Last thing I want to be dealing with on a canoe trip is stories about the kids fighting, the car needing a repair, the latest work-related issues she's dealing with, etc.  But that's who she is.  She HAS to talk these things out with SOMEBODY because that's how she deals with stress and if I'm available, I'm the go-to guy.  51 weeks a year I enjoy being able to lighten her burdens in this way.  But on a wilderness trip?  No thanks.

So is it fair for me to be selfish in the sense that I really don't want to open myself up to these conversations on a wilderness trip?  On the one hand, it significantly diminishes the value of my trip.  But on the other, my wife simply cannot comprehend my need to have some time away from the pressure of civilization, family, etc.  She'd be very hurt if I carry a sat phone but insisted on NOT making use of it to check in periodically.

All these issues make the SPOT device seem like a much better alternative for ME.  And when I'm tripping with others, I've been able to successfully defend my unwillingness to carry a means of contact.  But now that she's experienced the sat phone, the SPOT may no longer be an option.  We shall see, as I will be soloing again this year which means the issue is going to come up again.

Riskwise, I know the rules are different when soloing.  I'm not taking stupid chances regardless of whether I can summon help at the push of a button.  I had one bad experience on Basswood in a huge wind on my previous solo that definitely changed the way I assess risk while traveling alone.

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I could see them eventually requiring users to sign a waiver if they choose not to use a signalling device of some kind but I highly doubt they'd be successful in a push for mandatory useage.  I get the potential liability but the waiver would answer that without stepping on a user's desire to be as free from technology as they choose to be.

I agree $35 a great price BUT it's the - what, $100 yearly to make it go that's over the top for me. Between gas, fees, fishing license ... my ~2 weeks a year of use can't justify it. Plus, I agree with whoever compared it to a PFD. I often think that when I put mine on I should just go for a walk instead ... DOH! That would make it even harder to find my corpse wouldn't it? See I just can't win. 

Oh, if everything always goes according to plan. A neighbor related the story of being flown it to a remote fishing cabin. One of his buddies was having trouble getting the wood stove in the cabin going and put in a little gas. The explosion and fire burned him very badly. This was before sat phones and spots were even thought of. For days they kept someone outside to signal if a plane came by. The burned man screamed in pain all this time. Eventually a plane came by and delivered the burn victim to a hospital just in time to save his life. I am in favor of taking the devices because, IT IS NOT ABOUT ME!!

monjon wrote on Mar 20^th, 2012 at 1:40pm:

I find this to be fundamentally invalid logic.  With this alone there would be no progress.  Ignoring that there wouldn't be Kevlar, there wouldn't be cedar/canvas or even canoes at all. 

Here's a fun exercise.  Try this on your wife.  Tell her that for years women didn't have rights, didn't need rights.  Ergo, they don't need them now.

It's all relative based on when one started.  Look at the Luddites.  They never claim to actually avoid all technology, just the newer stuff introduced since they got started.  The Amish would love zippers if they got started in the 20th century instead of the 16th.  I've never seen anyone refuse to use simple machines, levers/inclined planes/and such.

Things need to be valid on their own right.

sitting in the Toyota dealership..........wife hated the Prius. Ended up with a Camry.........a bit classier.

Isn't this whole discussion about being in control of ones own situation via technology? If you have never gone down it is easy to be cavalier about it. I certainly was.

Now in the back of my mind is "if it happened once it could happen again". What a SAT phone or a SPOT does is allow for some peace of mind. I can still enjoy a carefree attitude without self doubt hovering over my head knowing that a floatplane is but a phone call away. This becomes even more important as one ages and the illusion of indestructability is gone.