I work in forestry and my company bought this product for me and my coworker. I've tested this out at work out in the field and on some trail runs on the weekends and was surprised at how bad the tracking/signal is. If there is any interference, canopy cover, hills, etc. the tracking pings and messages won't go through. I keep the spot clipped to the strap of my pack at work or in the front pocket of my running vest where people usually keep a bottle.

When I was out surveying Joshua trees in the desert it worked just fine but when I did a trail run on some mild hills in an area where I know there is cell service it didn't work at all. I had it set to track every 10 minutes, ran for 3.5 hours, and nothing went through. Another time I was looking at city trees on foot in some suburbs and the tracking worked maybe 2/3rds of the time.

Didn't think the instructions were too hard to follow but yeah they could be better. If messages went though I think this would be great.

I replaced my first generation Spot Locator with a Gen4. On the positive side it is smaller and apparently lighter than the first generation and the button configuration is an improvement. On the negative side: 1.The unit should have remained a bright orange color for easy identification. I recommend placing the unit on top of some piece of equipment that you must have in order to continue your travels. 2. The previous recommended connection time for the Gen1 was 14 minutes;the Gen4 is 20 minutes. 3. When checking the location on Google Maps it was disappointing to see how far off the image location was from the actual location. Sometimes it might be appx 100 to 200 feet off. Preliminary checking indicates that the new Gen4 is closer but not as accurate as I had hoped. It could be a problem with Google Maps matching up with the unit coordinates or some other problem with terrain or foliage? In an emergency where a person passes out after sending a signal,accuracy might be critical. I bought my Gen1 unit in spring '09 and a curious human behavior that I have observed is that if you set your Spot on the ground in a busy area off to the side you can expect someone to see it and try to pick it up while the unit is transmitting. I still recommend this unit and while setting up your account make sure to add your own email and also relatives and friends so they can check on you during your travels. I recommend that you do not send/post your locations on social media because undesirables can find out if you are not at home.

I've had this for a while, used it across multiple countries, all over the US, in the desert, PNW forests, everywhere. Only ever had one message not send, and it was because my phone was stil on and close to it. If you airplane mode your phone for a bit and press your button, orient it the way the directions say (I leave mine clipped on my shoulder on my bag and rotate it and still hike), it sends just fine. I've noticed most people just never thoroughly read the manual and that's the cause of most issues for people. Great peace of mind, simple, small. 4 stars only because it can fail a message because you're walking, but tracking does work, so I imagine a higher priority message/ sos would be immediate, which is kind of what the company says as well.

This is a follow up of a review I wrote one month ago. I still don't recommend this product. Yesterday I took it on a hike to Oakmont Park in Redlands, California. It's actually a wilderness area with several trails. The only trees are at the trailhead otherwise good trails with clear skies. I took the West Ridge trail that takes you to the top of a hill. I turned on the unit and all the lights flashed green. I took it slow to allow time for the unit to pick up the satellites. It was hooked up to the back of my pack with the included strap and carabiner so that it would remain upright. I got to the top of the ridge after 35 minutes and stayed there 10 minutes. I pushed the "check" button to let my assets know and after a few minutes the message button. It took me another 30 minutes to get to the trailhead. Again the unit was on and in the back of my pack. I checked my profile on the SPOT web site. It showed the time I turned on the unit. My assets never received my messages. In conclusion I don't recommend this unit.