For most of the history of canoe tripping in this country, heading out meant cutting off all communication. You left a route plan with someone at home, gave a return date and an instruction: if there is no news by Sunday night, call the park.
That is no longer the case. On many lakes this summer, at least one person in every group carried a small orange device clipped to a pack strap, which allows text messages to be sent from the most remote places.
Being unreachable has become a choice, and that change deserves reflection.
What does a satellite messenger do?
A satellite messenger is a small device that communicates with satellites rather than cell towers. The best known at present is the Garmin inReach. DeLorme launched the inReach around 2011, and Garmin acquired DeLorme in 2016 while keeping the name. The device runs on the Iridium network, which covers the entire planet, poles included. Other devices exist: SPOT devices, which appeared earlier, work differently, and older SPOT models could mainly send messages, not receive them.
Two-way communication is what changes things. With an inReach, you can:
- send and receive short texts from anywhere with a clear view of the sky;
- press an SOS button that connects you to a round-the-clock emergency response centre, which then coordinates with local search and rescue;
- share your track, so people at home can follow your position on a map;
- request a basic weather forecast for your exact location.
A subscription is required in addition to the device, and plans vary considerably depending on message volume. Garmin's satellite communicators page lists the models and plans. We recommend reading the terms carefully: some plans allow service to be suspended in the off-season, others do not.
What is the real value of a satellite messenger?
The emergency button and the weather forecast. Messaging attracts attention, but these two functions are what justify carrying the device.
The value of SOS is obvious. On a long canoe route, you may be a day or more of paddling and portaging from the nearest road. A broken ankle on a portage, a capsize in cold water in September or a medical problem can occur. Without a device, someone must paddle out for help, or the group waits until it is overdue and hopes the search begins in the right place. With a device, a single button press sends your coordinates to the response centre, which can text you to find out what happened.
The device does not make the backcountry safe, but it greatly reduces isolation when something goes wrong.
The forecast is underrated. On large lakes, the wind determines how the day unfolds. A forecast calling for strong west winds after lunch indicates that the large open stretch should be crossed first thing in the morning, or that the group should stay put. On our first trips, around thirty years ago, receiving a forecast on a lake with no signal would have seemed like science fiction.
How can you avoid unnecessary worry at home?
By agreeing on check-in times before you leave. One problem is rarely mentioned: once people at home know you can write, they expect to receive messages.
For example, you send a message every evening for three days, then nothing on the fourth night. The situation is distressing for the person waiting. You may have forgotten, the battery may have been low, or you may have camped under dense tree cover that prevented the message from going through. They cannot know this. The device meant to reassure everyone can thus cause alarm.
The solution is simple and requires no technology. Before departure, establish clear rules, for example: one preset "all good" message every evening; one missed message should cause no concern; after two missed messages, call a specific number. Write these rules down on paper.
Also leave your route plan in the traditional way. The device is a tool; it does not replace the plan.
How does being reachable change the trip?
This question has no single answer.
Part of the value of a backcountry trip comes from being cut off. Attention focuses on the lake, the weather and the people in the canoe. A device in the pack that may buzz with a message from work or from the family group chat reduces that focus. Even if it never buzzes, you know it could.
Some people appreciate this availability: they prefer being reachable and relaxed to being cut off and anxious, which is understandable, particularly when children are on the trip. Others feel that the essence of the trip disappears. Both positions are legitimate. What matters is making the choice deliberately, not by default.
How reachable should you be?
Here are a few effective setups:
- Leave the device on for tracking and SOS, but check messages only once a day, in the evening.
- Tell your workplace that you have no means of communication, without sharing the device's address.
- Use preset messages only, with no real conversations from the lake.
For a small business, the real question is what happens to customers while you are away. The answer should not be replying to them from the canoe, but rather a clear auto-reply, a booking system that works without you and one person able to handle genuine emergencies. Setting up this kind of simple automation before departure is far less stressful than typing replies on a tiny keypad in the rain.
Will regular phones soon support satellite texting?
Based on observed trends, it is likely. At the end of the summer, a rumour suggested the new iPhone would be able to send messages by satellite. Apple announced the iPhone 13 this week, without this feature. It is therefore not yet available.
It would nevertheless be surprising if it did not appear within a few years, from Apple or another manufacturer. Dedicated messengers will remain relevant for long trips, because of their battery life, their durability and their design for this specific purpose. Still, the idea of being completely out of reach once you leave the last road is on its way out.
This change will be invaluable in an emergency, even if it alters the backcountry experience the rest of the time.