The one thing I always have with me, whether on a personal backcountry trip or a Quiet Guiding Co. trip, is my InReach device.

What I Always Have With Me Looks Like:

For those of you who don’t know what the old-cell-phone-looking orange device is on the map above, that’s my Garmin InReach device. It uses the Global Iridium Network of satellites to broadcast messages.

It’s Good Risk Management.

At the barest of minimums, there is an SOS button on the side of the device. It’s protected by a hard cover so you can’t accidentally press it and call in Emergency Services (who responds depends on where you are).

I have not had to press the SOS button yet and I hope I never have to. I use it to message my location at the end of the day. I send a quick note to my partner, letting him know that we’ve landed at a campsite. The device sends a map along with the message to his phone.

He likes to click on the map and marvel at how “in the middle of nowhere” we really are when we’re out. He’s not outdoorsy at all. But this benefits us out on a Quiet Guiding Co. trip. If your loved ones need to reach us for an emergency situation, they contact him and then he contacts me. The same would be true in reverse if we had an emergency out on trip. Once we had the emergency under control, I would contact him and he would contact your loved one, as required.

The InReach device gives me peace of mind while guiding you through Ontario’s wilderness. And it gives him peace of mind when I’m out adventuring by myself that we will check in with one another at least once a day.

So no matter whether I’m carrying my gear via my barrel or backpack, whether I have my tent or hammock with me, or whether I brought the Whisperlite or Dragonfly to cook on, the InReach device is the one constant that I always have with me.

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