Any ideas on electronic devices that add a layer of safety…GPS if you get lost…walkie talkies or cell phone if you need help. Any experience with any of them and what is your suggestions…
Thanks.
rich
Safety concerns
system
#1
system
#2
mobile antenna arrays.
pack mules to carry it all.
satellite homing distress beacons.
geiger counters.
blackfly radiation suit.
take whatever you want to take. just make sure it doesnt beep around me. 
there are many different levels of safety…
map and compass would be my level. you might like to add a gps unit. how strong is your CB battery? how close do you think that mobile phone tower is to you??
Ceaser
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#3
up north, in the heavily damaged areas where there have been re-routes, a GPS might be useful. i don’t know for sure, because i’m only familiar with the trail south of Yosemite. if you are REALLY prone to getting lost, are no good with map & compass, and can’t follow the guidebook, then maybe you need a GPS. or maybe you just need more practice with those other skill sets.
cell phones will work on some portions of the trail, especially those that pass nearby dense population centers (SoCal) but even in those areas you will encounter large pockets where there will be no signal. through most of the Sierra Nevada you will get no reception unless you get to a high peak along the eastern escarpment.
a walkie-talkie would be pretty useless IMHO, as the range is not very long and you would be banking on there being somebody else in range who had theirs on at the same time. i’m no walkie-talkie expert but we’ve found our models to be useful only for places like Disneyland.
tarbubble
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#4
Cell phones should not be considered a safety item. They do work in select locations, but probably wouldn’t work when you need them most.
I hiked From Yosemite South to Whitney last summer, my cell worked on most passes and high points with line of sight to the east or west metro centers. The bill showed connections to Eastern sierra citys, Tonopah Nevada, as well as Fresno, Mereced, and Madera.
Anytime your low the phone will not work. I used it to keep in touch with my wife and family…not for safety. Keeping in touch was a good time!!:cheers
thinair
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#5
If you take a gps make sure you also have map and compass. And know how to use them! It is not enough to just have a gps.
I found it obnoxious to listen to people caling their friends from the top of a pass in the middle of the Sierras.
:eek:
Bon
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#6
What was so obnoxious Bon? I think it’s great to be able to call home, share the excitement of my trip with my wife. I gladly share my phone with other hikers, and often do, if fact, no one has turned me down yet. People like the opportunity to call home when they can.:lol
Thinair
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#7
Once you hit the Cascades, which are volcanic in origin, your cell phone probably isn’t worth carrying unless you can actually see the nearest tower. These mountains are comprised of lots of iron, and cell phones don’t like iron. I live near Mt. Lassen, and can’t use my cell phone here at all, except on the Hat Creek rim (there’s a tower up there). Depending on the carrier, some folk are successful at the Hat Creek store…the further away from civilization you get, the dicier your chances. GPS is better, just don’t wait til you’re on the trail to learn how to use it.
Georgi