I travel solo and act accordingly.
I carry a SpotX satellite communicator which I will probably never need. It can be used to summon search and rescue services I hope never to request. I also have search and rescue insurance that might save my wallet from a financial reaming if I ever need a helicopter extraction. I last mentioned it here.
I also carry a GPS navigator. These are cheap and plentiful and worth having. (Insert usual speech about how nothing replaces a compass and common sense here.)
I also carry a GoPro camera. It’s the best combination of tough and not a private link to Zuckerberg’s hive mind snitch factory. What I’m saying is that a GoPro is a video device that takes pictures and a cell phone is a Orwellian nightmare that takes pictures… choose wisely.
I carry a flashlight that’s also a backup power supply for the SpotX or the GoPro. It’s a new addition to my gear that was advertised by the creepiest sales pitch I’ve ever heard. (I mentioned it here.) I highly recommend the flashlight. The link is here: Tactical Flashlight Portable Power Bank Cree LED 1865. If you buy from my link it costs you nothing extra but I get a tuppence of beer money. I paid $17 and the price has now dropped to $15. Go figure! Feel free to feel smug and superior to me. (At least $2 worth of smug is completely justified.)
Sometimes I take a cell phone. If I can find any excuse to… I don’t. The reason I don’t carry my cell phone is because fuck cell phones. (I am among the last generations of homo sapiens who will be able to function without a hive mind… enjoy it.)
All this gadgetry is overkill but it’s what I do. Since I don’t expect the components to change, I ponied up for about $90 in RAM Mounting hardware. Handlebar clamp, 3″ shaft, ball mount for the GoPro, cradles for both the GPS and the SpotX, and two funky looking diamond shaped quick release apparatus to swap GPS and Spot X on the fly.
The good news is the RAM mount is rock solid. Everything mates to everything else. It’s a good system and every part is excellent. The cradles cradle. The quick release quickly releases. The ball mount… um… balls. It’s all very rugged and rock solid. Based on that I’d give RAM a 5 star rating and shoo you all there to buy their shit from my link on Amazon so I could get some more sweet sweet kickback money.
Unfortunately, it ‘aint a perfect setup yet. The TW200 has a tiny “dash”. The devices (any one of them) take up a lot of important real estate. They work, it’s all acceptable, but it’s not as cool as I’d like. I’m going to fiddle with it before I issue a Curmudgeonly seal of approval. I think I need a different type of handlebar clamp. I’ll post details when/if I upgrade.
Some other notes:
- In theory, the SpotX should be on your body and not on a machine. If I do something dumb and send the bike off a cliff without me on the saddle… I’ll lose my SpotX just when I need it. I’ll be at the top of a cliff thinking “that was dumb” while my SpotX is pointlessly (and remotely) wrapped around a handlebar. That said, it seems a relatively unlikely scenario and if you’re going to split hairs about risk like that why are you riding around the forest on a motorcycle?
- My GPS is absolutely awesome when operated at the speed of hunter or hiker. It’s pretty damn good at the speed of canoe (though a bit of a PITA when sailing). It’s absolutely useless if the bike is in motion. You just can’t see anything on the little screen. That said, you ought to be steering and not fucking around with gadgets when on a moving motorcycle. Darwin might just sort things out on your behalf if you can’t stop long enough to hit a waypoint while stationary.
So, it’s a setup that has all the basics covered but needs some tweaking. I have to admit the SpotX looks cool though.
Also, don’t leave the SpotX in a pocket. You must train yourself to use it or it won’t be second nature when the time comes. I’m still trying to housebreak myself to leave an electronic trail of breadcrumbs when I’m off adventuring. This is not a gadget thing it’s a personal attitude thing. I’m workin’ on it.