You can make a traditional phone call long before you have sufficient data speed to load maps. And more of issue, theres a fair chance you're going to need to download the app (if you've not used it before, you've a new phone since last used, or your phone has offloaded it for storage). Both the times in the last couple of years we've made an ambulance call someone has had to walk hundreds of metres away to get enough signal for W3W to work so it's notional 3m accuracy is irrelevant anyway.
It’s a bit odd as all modern UK smartphones can/will transmit their location to the 999 service by default!
MR commonly use Sarloc - a link by SMS that will enable them to get your position.
however I’ve just tested W3w app - and no need for you to have data / display a map to get an accurate W3W location. W3w will also work in a browser if you have signal.
I can't say for sure - the app could well have all the locations cached and just need a gps signal but as I said, it hasn't worked well the times I've seen it being used either by the incident or the responders when the incident is an area with no signal.
Likewise when I was last injured spent some time trying to explain the location relative to roads as well - if Sarloc works all that should be unnecessary - why are they even asking for W3W?
A few people have mentioned the "emergency 999 text thing" - what is this, how do yo use it up/register for it? why isnt' it on by default?
Text REGISTER to 999, and they will send you a message back explaining the service, you reply YES and it registers you
A good read that. Wishing you a speedy recovery.
I ride solo 99.9% of the time and perhaps do get a bit complacent about the risks. I always tell my gf where I'm going but other than that I'm probably not best prepared if SHTF.
I came off badly on my own ~25 years ago on a trail I couldn't describe to anyone but my two best pals with who I'd ridden it for years. It was the very dawn of mobile phone ownership, I had my first phone with me, called one of my pals. He was round the corner playing cricket in the village, rescued in 5 mins, off to A&E with a broken collarbone.
I don't know if I learned anything from that other than always have my phone with me but I always have a spare insulated layer in anything but summer conditions, even then when running I carry the same coat and an emergency shelter.
I often ride alone too, just 'because'. Likewise hillwalking and sometimes a bit of low grade scrambling. Having the OS Locate app is handy on the phone for other reasons, such as easily geolocating photos for the Geograph website, but I've just registered it with the 999 service too. Hopefully will never need it, but being prepared is one step ahead of just assuming everything will be fine, so thanks for the suggestion.
On the subject of whistle signalling. My recollection is 3 short blasts, then quiet for a minute, then repeat. Wait for a reply of 2 blasts, I think. And I'm sure we used to have an elderly Blacks rucksack with a rather faded label sewn into the lid which said that was the recognised pattern, but it was probably 1950s or 60s vintage, and things may have changed since then. Googling it produces references to both 3 and 6 blasts now. Either way, as someone mentioned above, having a proper whistle is better than relying on the pokey little things built into chest straps. I shall be spending a few quid next time I'm in a gear shop, and getting a whistle for each of several rucksacks.
Thanks for sharing and hope you heal quickly. Like you, I do a lot of solo rides, particularly big days out in the Lakes when I can occasionally be out for twelve hours or more on my own. There are a few things I do to stack the odds in my favour if things go wrong.
Making sure my good lady the Professor Her in Doors knows my route. A really simple thing to do.
Regular text check ins. I'm invariably riding several peaks so the tops make for a natural opportunity to drop a message.
Not going full beanz. I always ride within my abilities and rarely go full gas even though I may know the trails well. On local trails where it is likely that there will be people passing if I come off, I'll adjust my risk appetite accordingly. The remoter the location, the more I will ease back a little.
I tend to carry more kit than most. Fast and light is great right up to the point that it isn't. I'm always mindful just how quickly you get cold when you stop so my list of kit includes a synthetic belay jacket, a beanie hat, spare gloves and waterproof jacket (and trousers in winter or if the forecast is looking potentially grim).
I also have a small first aid kit with painkillers including Diazepam if things really go south, an emergency blanket and an ultralight Bothy shelter. The last has been a game changer. 400 grams of guaranteed warmth if I am stuck on the Fells and it starts raining and the wind gets up.
A map and compass just cos the batteries never run out on them.
A whistle.
A head torch.
Spare food that is energy dense but I am unlikely to scoff except in an emergency such as halva or chocolate covered Kendal mint cake.
A fully charged phone.
I've not invested in a tracker but they seem like a really good option.
I guess my approach is to think what I would want if I came off and could not easily extricate myself from the situation.
Other than that, checking the mountain forecast is my first port of call. There is a reason why so many of my bigger adventure rides take place under sunshine and blue skies, summer or winter. 🤣 One the wind gets up to the point of impeding movement, I'll ride elsewhere. I learned that the hard way on Ben Chonzie one January.
I guess none of it is rocket science. It works for me. Others will take a different approach which is absolutely fine.
I was out yesterday riding some of the West Highland Way. There were big sections of ice so I was running my spiked tyres. They are a bit niche but have seen several years of service so have proven a worthy investment. Any excuse for a bike related purchase!
Hope some of this is of use?
Cheers
Sanny
On the subject of whistle signalling. My recollection is 3 short blasts, then quiet for a minute, then repeat. Wait for a reply of 2 blasts, I think.
I suspect it doesn't really matter. any sort of pattern is relying on the person hearing it knowing the code as well but the sound of a regular whistle is probably enough for most to investigate
I read this and my immediate thought was that this is all very “mobile-phone-centric”.
Just don't do what someone on a group ride did and set her phone to silent or airplane mode or whatever. It fell out of her pocket on a descent, someone behind her had actually seen it fall and was able to yell her to stop but with the speed of the descent, it took a while to stop and walk back to roughly the area it had fallen. Couldn't see it anywhere.
Oh give me your number, I'll call it.
Oh I put it on airplane mode when I'm riding... 🙄
Why?!?!?! Jesus ****ing wept. Took over an hour to find the thing, something which could have happened in 5 seconds if Bluetooth or the speaker were actually on.
Leave the bloody phone on! If you don't want to be distracted while riding turn notifications off or set up a straight to voicemail divert. Or - radical thought - ignore it. Do not turn it off!
I read this and my immediate thought was that this is all very “mobile-phone-centric”.
Just don't do what someone on a group ride did and set her phone to silent or airplane mode or whatever. It fell out of her pocket on a descent, someone behind her had actually seen it fall and was able to yell her to stop but with the speed of the descent, it took a while to stop and walk back to roughly the area it had fallen. Couldn't see it anywhere.
Oh give me your number, I'll call it.
Oh I put it on airplane mode when I'm riding... 🙄
Why?!?!?! Jesus ****ing wept. Took over an hour to find the thing, something which could have happened in 5 seconds if Bluetooth or the speaker were actually on.
Leave the bloody phone on! If you don't want to be distracted while riding turn notifications off or set up a straight to voicemail divert. Or - radical thought - ignore it. Do not turn it off!
Airplane mode does have the advantage of saving battery and if you're using the camera on your phone then powering it on every time is a drag.
Airplane mode does have the advantage of saving battery
Yeah but realistically, a phone sitting in a pocket doing not a lot other than coming out for the occasional photo is using very little battery anyway. It'll certainly last long enough for the average ride, even an all-dayer. Certainly doesn't need airplane mode.
Even with my phone connected to the satnav, it'll still last a 200km audax easily.
Depends where you are does it not? - if its a poor reception area does it not use a lot of battery looking for a signal all the time? I have had a phone run down really quickly like this I am sure
OP here.
Thanks for the comments all.
I had told the missus where I was going but in a vague shout up the stairs "off up to ****" kinda way. No detailed route description, but then most of the time I make a route up as I go along. I know my patch pretty well and pick trails subject to how I'm feeling and what ground conditions are like as I find them. This last week or so I'd actually been riding a lot of "summer only" trails as it had been so dry and firm under wheel.
Not wrong to go out. Wrong to go out on the bike IMO. Assuming your weather is anything like it has been here- long period of sub zero means even though air temp goes above zero ground remains frozen and any thaw freeze cycle means black ice in places.
Walking or even jogging in daylight you can assess the surface before each step. Cycling is too fast.
This is arguably valid and what caught me out, however my mindset is that a day that I don't ride is a "day off". I'd already had Tuesday and Wednesday "off", I knew Friday I'd be travelling up to the Lakes and climbing Sat, maybe Sun, so wouldn't get another ride in. Therefore "have" to ride and I'm "failing" if i don't. I'd figured mtb as being safest option compared to road or gravel and was doing what by my lights was a really low tech, safe, route. There had been no sign of ice at all until suddenly (line on the ground) death ice.
Location finding and the reliance on tech is an interesting one. I could describe the location to within a couple of metres to any biker or general outdoors person who knows the area in 10 words or so (when I got through to the missus, she knew exactly the place). Getting that through to a non-local in a control centre 30 miles away is a different matter. Its a proper shame that 999 don't get gridrefs, but for most of the population that's beyond their ken. I could have done a 6 figure GR easily - I have the OS map stored offline on my phone. W3W is great (we use it at work lots) in built up areas with good signal, but in my case, I could get a 3 word code, but the map wouldn't download so I couldn't check it was the "right" code for the location I was actually in.
This was only a short local ride - was planning to be out less than 2 hours, closer to 1 - I could have been home in 10 minutes from where I came off (all DH), so I understand why people don't carry much stuff - I travel much lighter in summer too. I'd got spare kit with me, so felt like I was some kind of prepared before going out, but if MR hadn't been so on it, it would have been a chunk more touch and go. How much "stuff" is too much? Or not enough?
If I'm in the proper wilds, I'll have a proper map with me (although most of the time I use the OS app). Compass more rarely if I'm on the bike - I prefer to never not know where I am, rather than needing to "navigate" properly (I did have a winter skills course pencilled in for a month's time, which would include bad weather nav stuff as I enjoy that type of thing)
My phone is a moderately elderly iphone11 pro. Doesn't do 5g, only 4g and i think a lot of the older 3g is network is getting turned off now? I travel by train a lot, and am aware I struggle for reception way more than most other passengers seem to. It is always set to silent, but never in airplane mode. We do have "Find my iphone" enabled for each other, but I find mine is really slow to respond - it'll regularly take 3 or 4 hours to find herself, when I know exactly where she is in a fixed location with good signal. "last seen at home 6 hours ago". Great, right, thanks.
Get well soon OP. I love a solo ride at this time of year. I'm MBL qualified but I don't make use of it now. But I like to test myself in tough conditions. This thread has made me realise I've gotten a bit slack recently so I've been checking the contents of my winter pack, partly to see if my current 12l pack is big enough. My Garmin sends out a live tracking link to my other half, so we made sure she knows how it works today. I'm also going to send her a copy of my usual winter solo ride and be a bit more organised in general.
That's a good point actually - I don't use strava or any other kind of ride tracking and I don't use a GPS either 99% of the time.
I’m interested in exactly this was @JonEdwards, I was a Sheffield local until four weeks ago so I suspect I know the spot very well but can’t visualise where it might be. PM me it if you want to disclose and not on here.
I had a very close call during Covid near Lady’s Cross at Barbrook, ended up lying in a pond for a minute or so assessing my injuries and decided I was just about good enough to pedal gingerly home to Totley.
Heal quickly and keep positive. It’ll take time but you’ll definitely get there.
One other thing. When I did my first First Aid course I was the casualty for one of the scenarios. I had crashed and broke my ankle, had lots of ketchup and a fake bone protruding from my sock. I was lying on the ground still attached to my bike, it was November and not too cold. But after 15 or 20 minutes lying on the ground I was shivering and that was wearing more than I would've done in a normal riding scenario. Comments were made on how well I was pretending to be cold but I wasn't pretending l, it was a real eye opener to how quickly you get cold when lying still on the ground.
I think I've linked this video before. It's aimed ar runners but very relevant to cyclists (especially off-road) too.
good thread. food for thought. thanks.
Googling it produces references to both 3 and 6 blasts now.
My OH is an ultra runner and when I mentioned this she spontaneously said 6 blasts - followed by "just keep blowing until someone hears you" (may also have been the odd expletive in there!). Having a whistle in the first place is the important part. I replaced my whistle this year with a new Lifesystems metal one because the old plastic one had fallen apart - a reminder that you need to frequently check your kit.
I carry all the gear Sanny mentions bar a bothy bag. I've been toying with getting one for a while but kept putting it off because on big trips I'm usually carrying a tent, sleeping bag etc anyway. However this has spurred me to get one.
Could I suggest getting a PLB
That. I had a similar incident to the OP. Broke my arm at the Golfie, no telephone signal, no one knows where I am, and I live alone and would not be missed. Being an arm I was able to self evacuate and then met two lovely Irish chaps on the fire road who sorted me out (thanks again if you're on here!)
If it had been a leg and not an arm, on a lesser ridden trail, at sunset on a Saturday with the forecast turning grim for Sunday so probably no one riding...
I now carry a PLB.
Does anyone else always carry a whistle (and know how to use it)?
Often, but not always. It's on the same string as my compass. And there's one built in to my running pack
Thanks for posting this OP. Really useful to have that reminder to be mindful of not letting safety margins creep away from you. I'm going to be carrying an extra layer when the local trails & roads have melted enough to head back out.
I read this and my immediate thought was that this is all very “mobile-phone-centric”.
Just don't do what someone on a group ride did and set her phone to silent or airplane mode or whatever. It fell out of her pocket on a descent, someone behind her had actually seen it fall and was able to yell her to stop but with the speed of the descent, it took a while to stop and walk back to roughly the area it had fallen. Couldn't see it anywhere.
Oh give me your number, I'll call it.
Oh I put it on airplane mode when I'm riding... 🙄
Why?!?!?! Jesus ****ing wept. Took over an hour to find the thing, something which could have happened in 5 seconds if Bluetooth or the speaker were actually on.
Leave the bloody phone on! If you don't want to be distracted while riding turn notifications off or set up a straight to voicemail divert. Or - radical thought - ignore it. Do not turn it off!
This where a garish bright phone case can come in handy. I once lost my phone on an offroad moto-ride after forgetting to put it back in the tankbag (after messaging my 38-week pregnant wife to let her know I wasn't dead yet). Back-tracking I found it on the side of the corner thanks to the bright yellow case.
Yeah but realistically, a phone sitting in a pocket doing not a lot other than coming out for the occasional photo is using very little battery anyway. It'll certainly last long enough for the average ride, even an all-dayer. Certainly doesn't need airplane mode.
Depends on the condition of the battery, the temperature, the starting charge, how far from cell towers it is, which apps you have running.
Its a proper shame that 999 don't get gridrefs, but for most of the population that's beyond their ken. I could have done a 6 figure GR easily - I have the OS map stored offline on my phone.
Did you try to give them a grid ref? It might take them by surprise but if it’s all you provide they should be able to work with it - after all they can call MR or CG who use OS GR themselves.
but, have you ever played find the casualty with a six fig GR of possibly uncertain accuracy. If the are lying in a football field it’s easy - in a forest it can be quite a challenge especially if the trail you were on is not mapped or there’s multiple trails etc.
of course you could give a more precise GR which would be just as accurate as W3W but it also needs accurately communicated.
Leave the bloody phone on! If you don't want to be distracted while riding turn notifications off or set up a straight to voicemail divert.
When was Mrs Sandwich out riding bikes up North? I'll be asking questions of her later!
Airplane mode does have the advantage of saving battery and if you're using the camera on your phone then powering it on every time is a drag
Used if I'm using the phone as a stand alone GPS in the wild as not polling the nearest tower or Wifi saves battery for the hungry GPS.
Thanks again to the op it's certainly made me look at what I take with me on a ride and add a few things.
LOMO.CO.UK pin this thread.
I bought into the new fashion of biking-bum-bags for shorter rides and really enjoyed the lack of back sweats, so have bought a slightly larger bag for day rides, but not large enough to get the proper amount of kit in. It has certainly been nagging me that the kit i carry is just about enough while i can keep moving to keep warm, with superlight shell layer to thrown on while i fix a puncture or sit in a cafe.
Stuck at the trail side with a broken ankle, would be a very different kettle of fish.
the text 999 is news to me, that could be useful.
must add foil blankets and a dedicated whistle onto my shopping basket too.
Good posts OP, hoping you have a speedy recovery.
It's got me thinking as, although I go MTBing in a group most weeks, I also ride solo often - early mornings gravel from the house and also MTBing on moderate hills. Mornings before work I don't start with a route in mind which isn't the best of plans, and solo MTB I tell Mrs a11y the rough area for but not the actual route/trails cos generally I make it up as I go... I've always thought if I had an off on some of our local trails it'd be more effective posting in my riding WhatsApp with the trail name than telling MR that I've crashed on Dead Hobo etc.
I'm not a minimalist and always have a bag with extra layer(s) (always a waterproof/windproof), extra gloves etc, a survival blanket plus bike tools/spares to fix all the basics. Bags all have whistles built into the buckles but I've now ordered 'proper' whistles to stash in all bags.
PLBs: suggestions? I've got an iPhone 17 with the satellite capability but wouldn't like to rely on that. I'm not riding in the middle of nowhere but it can all too easily go south even on a local ride in a local area.
ULTRALIGHTOUTDOORGEAR.CO.UK Carrying a bothy bag is a good call. Trying to climb into a sleeping/bivi bag with a broken leg can be quite difficult I hear, so mountain rescue now advise that folk carry a bothy bag instead if they can.
For the cost of them, seems silly not too. Plus, It's somewhere dry and warmish to eat sarnies and check maps etc
top tip for a bothy bag, keep your rucksack on - it will insulate your back better than a thin layer of BB material will
Trying to climb into a sleeping/bivi bag with a broken leg can be quite difficult I hear,
When I was much younger and plastic emergency bags were the thing it was recommended to punch a few holes in the bottom of the bag, then slip it in over your head and sit up (if possible/on your rucksack). That keeps the core warm and reduces heat loss to the ground. (The holes are obviously for ventilation).
The thin foil blankets aren't very robust but I'm told you can get fairly good results by wearing your jacket over the blanket. Not great for your arms but might be better than the whole thing shredding in the wind.
Always a good reminder whenever a thread like this comes up.
Bothy bags are a really very good investment, and as well as being emergency kit can also be used if you need to get out of the weather for bit. My top tip is to carry another bag to put it in. I used mine with my daughter near the top of Skiddaw in some grim conditions, needed to get out of the wind and the rain to put some food in her, warm up, regroup and add some motivation. Worked really well, but getting it back into the stuff sack is impossible with cold, wet hands. I now put the whole of the bothy bag into a bigger bag that is tied together (so they can't blow away). I can them stow it more easily, dry it out at home and then repack it properly when I'm back. Total weight of the summit supalite 4 person bothy bag with the extra bag is 407g. I don't carry it locally but I do carry it on hill days
I actually leave my other one in the van. Good in case I forget to bring my proper one but also for emergencies. Always worry about having to get out and wait around in grim conditions e.g. by the side of a motorway
Trying to climb into a sleeping/bivi bag with a broken leg can be quite difficult I hear,
When I was much younger and plastic emergency bags were the thing it was recommended to punch a few holes in the bottom of the bag, then slip it in over your head and sit up (if possible/on your rucksack). That keeps the core warm and reduces heat loss to the ground. (The holes are obviously for ventilation).
The thin foil blankets aren't very robust but I'm told you can get fairly good results by wearing your jacket over the blanket. Not great for your arms but might be better than the whole thing shredding in the wind.
Many many years ago I was part of the first aid provision at the camp site a fairly large music festival. The weather was as attrocious as you would expect for such an event and as the night wore on a steady stream of people seeking "space blankets" was rapidly depleting our supply, and it was clear that they were having little effect on the worst casualties. Someone commandeered a barn (walls on 3 sides so out the rain but wind still whistling through). We were clearly going to run out of foil blankets so whilst that was escalated we used bin bags - with the corners cut off for arms and a slot for the head - you'll see similar things at large sporting events. They seemed to be at least as effective as the foil blankets - less flapping around. We then fashioned a second bag into a "kilt". We must have "treated" 150+ people that night, and after a couple of hours in the barn with their improvised survival bags they warmed up enough to return to their tents. If you don't want to take a full on survival bag - even a bin bag at the bottom of your bag could be useful.
A couple of years ago on here, there were two simultaneous active threads. One was along the lines of "what do you carry on a ride" and the other "do you carry a first aid kit".
While the first thread was quite well spread across a spectrum from full rucksack with everything mentioned on this thread, for every ride; to a "phone and multitool" unless its a big trip. Lots of people in the middle recommending lightweight hip packs etc.
the second thread was 95% people saying yes they always carry a first aid kit and listing quite extensive equipment.
obviously this was, with some overlap, different people replying. but the difference in answers suggested that people would either only be clicking on threads that they thought relevant, or reading them but keeping quiet if they felt they had gone against the group-think.
So I'll stick my head above the parapet and admit to solo riding without an extra layer, any of the self rescue equipment mentioned, and at night...
My couple of mitigating factors (and this doesn't seem like enough, having read this thread)
- these are woodland trails in the south. warmer temps in general and less wind/exposure than those of you exploring fells and mountains. Unless I'm starting in daylight and finishing under lights, I am fairly sure what the conditions will be for the duration of my ride and dress accordingly.
- there's always at least some phone signal round here, and as a millenial there is absolutley no chance it wont be with me and on. (maybe in the future a cellular enabled smart watch may takee its place)
- on the end of the phone will be my partner (who rides) or a few local riding friends, pretty confident I could describe or send my location to them anywhere I'm likely to end up. Those with non-riding partners or people who only ride solo and thus have no riding mates won't have this available to them.
- and finally, specific to the OP's situation, he seems to have hurt his ankle due to being clipped in and falling with the bike. I've avoided that (although not every potential ankle or leg injury) with flat pedals.
I say all this not as some sort of hardman brag or to disparage what others have said; but to hopefully get others to think about their choices and maybe join the discussion.
Re calling the police for MR. A casualty calling directly will automatically end up with the local force who will (should) know how to contact MR. If you're at home and are calling on behalf of somebody elsewhere, eg, because their tracking has stopped or you've had a text, you need to ask the police call handler to transfer you to the police for the area where the casualty is, as other forces won't know how to contact the right MR team. Not doing this has led to an hour's delay in MR arriving.
I must admit that I have got complacent/become a fashion victim lately with a small bumbag. I always used to carry first aid and safety gear, partly because I was Mr Responsible on most rides. Since I retired I have embraced irresponsibility and often take less than the basics if I can avoid it, let alone bother with "in case" stuff.
Re calling the police for MR. A casualty calling directly will automatically end up with the local force who will (should) know how to contact MR.
Mostly true, but not 100%, from various experiences. If you’re unlucky and the local force doesn’t have any available call handlers, you could end up with a London call handler who doesn’t even know why you wanted Police to get Mountain Rescue…
This has been quite a sobering thread for me, and the recent conditions locally has made me think quite hard about risk and 'what could happen'.
We've not had any snow in Leeds recently, so haven't had that and the subsequent compacted snow/ice/thaw/freeze to deal with. But, we did have the best part of a week of sub/close to zero temperatures following a period of dry weather, in which the riding was AMAZING!
And, then we've had a few days of bits and bobs of rain, temperatures hovering either side of zero, with some thawing/re-freezing. It's been really varied and really really unpredictable; some trails properly thawing out and starting to turn to mud', but a lot of places where the ground has still been too frozen & hard to absorb the rain, and then it's become ice covered in a layer of water. I can usually tell/predict pretty accurately what the local trails will be doing in a variety of conditions, but these last few days have had me totally stumped ... and, on the basis of a few sketchy moments trail running or walking, I made the very conscious decision NOT to go out on the bike until the trails have fully thawed.
But, I might have very easily done so, as like the OP, and others who have posted on this thread, love riding so much and always head out several times every week no matter what the weather ...
If I'd gone out (I'd been having this internal debate), I'd have worn knee pads (I don't usually, unless doing steeper/Enduro stuff) and swapped to flats (which I normally never do); I guess flats might have helped in the OP's case?
I usually ride quite light, certainly locally. I'll carry an extra layer sometimes, although that's usually a decision based on what the weather forecast is for my planned ride duration (light rain jacket if it might rain, minimal extra layer if heading for a beer after and possibly sitting out), but don't usually think to pack 'what would be needed to survive comfortably if something goes wrong'. Having read this thread has got me re-evaluating that a bit, even for the short local rides.
Re calling the police for MR. A casualty calling directly will automatically end up with the local force who will (should) know how to contact MR.
Yep - very mixed experience with this.
In this case - Steathcat76 got put straight through to MR. The walkers I met, had no end of trouble explaining why they called police when they wanted MR.
Another incident I got caught up in at Greno a year or 2 back while doing trailwork, we ended up talking to Northamptonshire police as that's where the call centre we were put through to was - again, "why are you calling us??". That one was solved by one of the group knowing the head of Woodhead MR though organising Steelcity race and calling him direct.
So I'll stick my head above the parapet and admit to solo riding without an extra layer, any of the self rescue equipment mentioned, and at night...
My "load" varies according to where and when I'll be riding. It would be wrong of me to suggest that I always go out with enough kit for a night outdoors. FWIW I used to use a SPOT tracker occasionally, especially when I first moved to Aviemore. I was aware that the trails I was on were often much more remote, I didn't know them so well and, not knowing the area, I might get lost somehow. The SPOT fell into misuse as I got to know the area better AND the availablity of 4G/5G increased significantly. My plans for 2026 certainly involve more remote wanderings again and I'm looking at subscription options for both SPOT and inReach.
This thread has convinced me to buy a bothy bag. My remote solo stuff is in highland glens and the odd hill, often remote less visited bothies. Sometimes on the bike. Mostly walking. If I am on a two night Mon-Wed trip my wife wouldn't raise the alarm until I hadn't been in touch by late Wednesday. An accident on Monday could mean a long wait for help if there was no phone signal. Low risk of course. Worst over the years was a gash on my leg needing stitches where I was able to walk off the hill.
Thinking about the Summit Supalite 2. At 265g who cares if I carry it in the bottom of the sac for years without using it? Anyone used one of these?
Yup, I got one of those👆 there bothy bags a couple of years ago. Packed size is conveniently tiny(barely bigger than the palm of your hand) and it'll compress even smaller into the corner of a bag. Big enough for two people with a bit of 'eating space' between them. I think it was on the recommendation of MOAB, or at least a thread thst he was major contributor to.
