Use to document "I'm OK" and progression on solo hunts, and when offshore fishing. Good for posting daily check-ins and map locations en-route with youth groups to the Web for parents, while backpacking out of cell phone range. Good for contacting family/friends if your vehicle breaks down out of cell phone coverage = non-emergency "Come Get Me". I have NEVER used the "911" or the Road/Vessel Tow Service call options. Is predominantly, but not 100% reliable in getting a signal out. May not work without a full view of the sky or under heavy tree cover. Doesn't work in buildings or below decks in large vessels. Does work through windshield/sport boat single layer fiberglass roof, but takes longer to get set and initialize. Never failed to send a signal on the open ocean. Successfully operated all over California, Pacific Nearshore Ocean, Panama, Guatemala, Baja CA, and South Africa. Owned Gen 1, 2 & this 3. This is the best if still sightly imperfect version yet. Better transmission reliability than Gen 1 or 2. I transport it on the water in a small Pelican Case, in case it was dropped in the water

I actually own and have extensively used these so I might not be as authoritative on the subject as some if these reviews;) I've owned two generations of SPOT and have used the messaging functions for extended thruhikes and hiking in Iceland, France,Spain and Italy. I also sail and have used it up and down the BC and Alaskan coast and to San Francisco. More recently we did month long overland camping trip involving some hiking, biking, and kayaking from Cape Town up through Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe. The messaging functions and tracking have never let me or my family down. True you can't message from your phone through this model, but it doesn't advertise that you can. The subscription price seems high but when you compare the cost of the unit and the subscription options available it is still the most cost effective. True, if you spend much of your outdoor time messaging your friends about what a great time you're having and they're not this this isn't the right product for you.

This is the third SPOT I have had, I lost the first one, the second burned up in a fire ( now I know why you are not supposed to dispose of a battery in a fire!) and I am using the third. I live in the Yukon and spend a good deal of time in the bush by myself and I bought the first one for my family's piece of mind. Though the unit works well most of the time where the sky is quite visible there are some things I have learned. With the first one it was advertised as sealed up to one meter and I thought that meant depth in water and so I would leave it outside after sending my nightly "I'm OK" and went to be while it did its magic. It got rained on several times but I was not concerned. I was on a moose hunting trip with my daughter and two grandchildren, 2 and 5,in the Yukon at 63'north latitude in late September in an area where we were70 km from any community when it quit. Long story short Grandma not receiving Spots called in Search and Rescue and they spent a day and a half to find we were quite ok but the unit had quit. I later found out it had moisture in it and after three days of drying it out it worked fine. I always put my units n a zip lock now.

With all three units I have noticed that often there are anomalies as to location the last being a couple of weeks ago at the south end of HWY 37 at Kitwanga in British Columbia. The unit put me 4.78 km west of where I actually was. This has happened before and I am concerned that if I were to activate the SOS function that this anomaly might be the difference between life and death. I will continue to use the unit as it is relatively inexpensive though they increased their service cost by 60% this year ( must be the freight ) but I send regularly and the point person that follows me can usually see the anomalies and discount them. I have used the unit all over the Yukon and Northern BC, NWT and western Nunavut. It is easy to cary in my pocket and use but it does have its downside. Just don't bank the farm on it.

I got a 50% discount on this device (send in coupon) but the subscription is a bit pricey (approx $200 per year). However, for what it does and what I wanted to use it for seemed to work fine.

I took it up on an Alaskan cruise and sent messages to friends (email and text) where I was every six hours (one-way communications only - can send and not receive). I also used to track fishing excursions I was on. I did have to sign up on their web site to activate and where the tracking data is stored. The web site is a bit exclusive but does have features to download and share data. Setup was a bit confusing for I had to read the instructions carefully to figure it out all the lights and their meanings. It does take about 10-20 minutes to send a message but does the job. Tracking was set to send every 5 minutes and worked great. I was mostly in the heavy rain and rough seas. It held up fine bounced around and exposed to the wet elements like it was.

Overall, I like the small size but the amount of time to send is frustrating especially in the age of instantaneous communications. Price is a bit high for the initial purchase and so is the subscription. Getting it for half price was a good option for me and the reason why I bought it. I can live with the subscription for now for it passed my tests and I can use in remote areas just in case.