I'm just going to add a compass to my kit. Something fairly basic to take bearings with. I don't know that I'd need anything fancy like a inReach or anything. They're neat but I don't know if the cost is worth it for short hikes.
Discussion
I bought the new Motorola satellite communicator. Waaaay cheaper than the inreach and you get a year of service to start, with much more sensible plans than the Garmin or others.
I've got coverage with my iPhone and its built in satellite SOS feature.
You hope you do. It's OK, for now, but gosh, I wouldn't want to have to rely on a cell phone that's droppable...
But it sure is better than not having that.
For sure if I was mountaineering or back country hiking I'd spend the money for something more durable and with better battery life.
I solo hike and I'm often in areas with no cell coverage and having a means to send an SOS is a comfort.
Maybe you misunderstood but the SOS function in the iPhone is satellite and not cell based and lets you send texts to emergency services.
I'm very well aware. I have several friends who have new iphones with that function, but, it's very limited, and takes a long time at times to connect to a satellite to send an SOS, and is very sensitive to phone directionality. It's usable, but not intuitive in a panic situation.
