The Mrs. and I are planning a 2010 through hike and we are trying to figure out what will be the best communication device for the trail. Am curious what the hiker community's experience has been with cell phone providers and pocket mail use. One way or another we need a cell phone and want to know which service works the best on trail. Any ideas?
_Brian_Cell phone/pocket mail
system
#1
system
#2
If you search this forum for 'cell phones' you'll see many posts from others:
http://www.trailforums.com/index2.cfm
_Bagel_
system
#3
I have had good luck with a Blackberry Storm. I recommend Verizon as the best service.
_rocky_
system
#4
The Blackberry Storm (Verizon) worked great for me. There were only a few days I couldn't get a phone signal (the first 800 miles). I only tried a couple times each day, otherwise the phone was turned off. Not getting a "text" signal occurred even less. I also typed and sent all my journal entries using the Storm. If you plan to use the Storm to send/receive emails, I suggest creating a new account specifically for your hike. If not, you'll receive way too many emails that you won't want/need.
_WeatherGuy_