Going Alone - Single Vehicle Wheeling & Safety

Samo, samo. Overlanding is just car camping

 

"a map and compass is king"

Amen! But sadly the tech companies have made us too dependent on tech.

I love a good map and tell my kids if they choose to ride shotgun, then they have to navigate off a map for me. Mistakes are sometimes made, but it's a learning process.

 

My last time back from Carlsbad New Mexico to Edinburg Texas my phone died and I navigated via road signs... Took a detour to like el paso or some other border town... but still made it home

 

Ha! Love it. From my experience, those become the memorable trips.

 

A few years back I drove from Phoenix to Wyoming in an open top jeep with nothing but paper maps

I took a couple days to do it and stuck to back roads and forest roads while vaguely heading north

It was one of the best trips of my life

 

Highly recommend the Garmin inReach GPS for those going alone https://www.garmin.com/en-US/p/561269 it could save your life or someone else. No phone required and there is a mount you can buy for charging as you go.

My many trips to Death Valley it has cam in handy to settle my wife at the end of the day. Knowing I was good and where I was. With four adult kids she wants to be able to contact me anytime I am off grid so I would just send one of my three free messages when we stopped and when we continued. The nice thing is you can pause your plan when not being used and you still have a GPS.

 

I hate military people

 

x2

I take whenever I go out , be it on foot , the dirt bike or truck

I have yet to use the SOS but it is nice to have

I have a pretyped message that says something like “I have encountered an issue and will be delayed up up to four hours “ that I have used several times to keep the wife from being nervous

 

Got it stuck while solo for the first time since I bought it. There was nothing close enough to attach my winch cable to (next step was attaching it to a traction board and burying it). A good amount of elbow grease and a shovel and i was able to get out and on with the adventure.

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You guys might appreciate this post I put together which outlines how you can setup your 3 preset messages to cover nearly 100% of usage, allowing you to use the cheapest plan and not really have to worry about ever going "over" in terms of messaging:

How I Use My Garmin inReach Mini Satellite Communicator – ADVENTURETACO

<snip from the post>

The Solution
All three of these plans include a solution to my first goal - sending an SOS to spin up SAR, so my focus was on the second - communicating my status and location on a regular basis.

The most expensive plan would clearly solve the issue - I'd have an unlimited number of text messages that I could send, and I could also communicate an unlimited number of tracking points - up to one every two minutes - so they'd know where I was. The other two plans varied only in the number of text messages, and neither 10 nor 40 seemed like they would approach my desire for "regular basis."

However, while arbitrary Text messages can quickly get expensive, all plans allow me to send Preset messages - of which I can define up to three (and each one can be delivered to any number of email/SMS recipients) - an unlimited number of times. Preset messages also include the location from which they are sent, so I set about devising three messages that would meet my goal around regular status messages.

So what are the messages, and when might I send them?

Message 1: I am with my vehicle or in camp and OK, notify SAR if you don't hear from me in 36 hours.

This is a message that I may send many times each day, and always send when I reach camp at night. Basically, it resets a 36-hour window during which SAR will not be called. The assumption when I send this message is that I am healthy and self-sufficient for an extended period of time - with food, shelter, etc.

Message 2: I am hiking and OK, notify SAR if you don't hear from me by the later of [a] 9pm (my time), two hours after sunset (my time), [c] two hours from now.

This is a message that I send when leaving the truck. Generally, for me this is hiking, but it can be for any number of reasons, and it shortens the window before which SAR will be called.

Message 3: I am hiking and OK but doing something tricky, notify SAR if you don't hear from me within 1 hour.

This message is pretty self-explanatory - it lets folks know that something risky is going on and shortens the SAR window dramatically. The idea is that the risky activity takes only a few minutes, and then Message 2 or Message 1 are sent again (often multiple times in order to ensure delivery) as normal activities are resumed.​

I've configured each of these preset messages to send to several individuals - via both email and SMS - who I think can help should SAR need to be called. Further - and just as importantly - I've educated them on when and why I would send each message, and instructed them to not respond, since responses count against my text message count for the month.​

</snip>

 

Agree, I have a Zoleo which is a bit less expensive and the peace of mind it provides for both the family at home and the traveler is worth it.

 

Great thread. I'm often solo in the backcountry hunting and an inreach makes a huge difference being able to send the wife updates on long trips.

 

Great info, P.A.C.E. and GOTWA will be a big help moving forward.

 

Reply necro...

(2) x 46" helical anchors for $80?!

I see the 46" screw-type earth anchor now going for $156... EACH.

What exact brand / make / model did you buy?

 

A bow saw like the Sven Saw folds to a small package. Fits in the gear container. No rattle.

I used the Sven Saw to get out of several areas. That thing is amazingly efficient and fast.

I always go alone.

 

When in a truck there is no excuse for not bringing excessive amounts of food and water. I saw food mentioned but not in the amounts I think is important. The food container will have a month of emergency food. Canned or otherwise. I also bring lots of fresh food, enough to last a few weeks if need be.

Same for water. I bring 4 of the 7 gallon containers and try to refill when down to two.

Mountain bikes can also be a big help. Those who are fit and experienced can click off 60 + miles like it’s just another ride. Unfit folks can still cover a lot of ground, fast.

Always alone. For me it’s the only way to experience nature.

The silence is golden.

 

A standard bow saw stands up flat behind a Tacoma's rear seat and with a small towel...no rattle.

 

Seeing this thread made me realize I sold my truck with a tire star and my bow saw still behind the back seat. Hopefully it helps the new owner out.

 

Water filter.

A basic I didn’t see posted.

Modern filters work well and fast. It’s always in the kit.

 

I have used a Sawyer Mini for several years. It's not as fast as the MSR filter or Katdyn filter, but it's a lot smaller and simpler. I just do a gravity feed.



Fill the gallon bag the ick water, screw the Sawyer on, hang from something. If needed, can squeeze. For water that's still not very tasty, like if there's a lot of tannins in the water from trees, or just some odd funk, or if I'm worried about viruses (super rare), I'll drop in a tablet of chlorine dioxide. Makes the water clear and fresh tasting.

The Mini doesn't come with the bag, but I just found one at Fleet Farm for $15. It's durable thick plastic.

The Sawyer Squeeze didn't exist at the time I bought the Mini, but since the price difference is minimal, I'd recommend the squeeze in the future but also keeping a strip of chlorine dioxide tablets on hand. If you freeze the Sawyer, or if you think you froze it, throw it out. But this is true for all filters. Have to keep them in your sleeping bag at night when it's risk of freezing.

The MSR filter is a lot faster if you have a group of people. But it's also slightly more complicated and more expensive. I've used a Sawyer mini on a 4 person self-supported canoe trip for a week and you just have to be thoughtful about it -- filter in evening to collect water for morning, filter afternoon for evening, etc.

MSR filter I used:
MiniWorks® EX Microfilter - Backpacking Water Filter | MSR® (msrgear.com)