Reliance on GPS navigation systems not recommended

[CalOldBlue]

I agree; only if you're planning on heading off onto Forest Service roads....

[Lifemagician]

Having driven from the east coast to the west coast, across the northern States, at least eight times, and mostly off the Interstates, I can assure you, you won't need any special gear. That is, assuming you will not be doing any serious back country touring. Even on the minor roads, you'd never be an hour without seeing another vehicle or house or town. You will not be travelling into any remote areas.

I'd just go with the normal gear you have in your vehicle, all in good condition. Take some snacks and plenty of water, to enjoy along the way.

Travel safely.

Lifey

[Utahtea]

Regardless of whether or not the road was passable, if you are going into sparsely-populated lightly-traveled territory in a single vehicle you are subject to getting stuck (accidents, car problems, etc.).

After the sad tale of the family in Oregon I decided to pony up the cash for a PLB (personal locator beacon). Never had to use it, probably never will, but it goes in the car for EVERY roadtrip... regardless of where I think we're going to be.

Not a guarantee it will work and people will find you, but it increases your odds significantly.

When we are going to remote areas, I tell my Mom where we are heading. Nothing like a Mom to keep track of you when they don't hear from you that evening!

[CalOldBlue]

A (final?) thought... even on reasonably well-travelled roads there are rare cases where a PLB could help. There has been a case or two locally where a driver lost control, the car went down a ravine, and the driver survived but was trapped in the vehicle. Thankfully in the case I'm recalling, the driver was found (alive) after a couple of days. IF the driver had a PLB and IF it was accessable to the driver (i.e. not in the trunk) and IF it had sufficient view of the sky, the rescue could have been expedited.

Also note: I like to hike on vacations, the PLB is as much for that as for the car.

[Foy]

Here in the heavily-vegetated South, auto + driver disappearances happen with some regularity. Not an everyday event, of course, but every year or two we see such a story. The victims are normally discovered only after the leaves are down in late October/early November.

The PLB might expedite dispatch of assistance in a medical emergency, too, where perhaps hours would pass before someone stopped to check on a car at a rest area, an Interstate off-ramp, or at a two-lane highway pullout. Yes, in many places a cellphone would/could work, but in many places, they don't, and it can be rather more difficult to place a phone call during a cardiac arrest than to "pull the ripcord" on a PLB, I'd guess.

Foy

[David Cournoyer]

Thanks for the responses! I feel pretty good about most of the cross-country trip except for two stretches, one from Rapid City, Sd to Billings Montana and a stretch from Cody Wyoming to Idaho Falls through Yellowstone. I planned to talk to the locals about if my Outback can handle the trip from the NE entrance to the west entrance of Yellowstone. I plan to be there on June 10, and hear that some Yellowstone roads may still be closed even then. It would cost about $270 for a sat phone for the month I would be on the road. Would this be a more useful substitute for a $200 PLB?

Sorry for the delays getting back to the forum. I am new to this and couldn't locate the thread. dec

[Lifemagician]

I planned to talk to the locals about if my Outback can handle the trip from the NE entrance to the west entrance of Yellowstone.

With an Outback you'll be lauging in those areas. My Dodge Caravan - not the most stable vehicle on the road - handled it OK, though I was longing for my AWD Outback. It was late May in 2009, and the road into the park was open.

If you like the country out there, may I suggest that you turn off I-90 at Sheridan, and take Alt 14 over the BigHorn Mountains, past the Medicine Wheel and the Big Horn Canyon, onto Cody via Lovell.

Another great road and pass is the Beartooth Highway and Pass, which would mean a detour from Cody via Red Lodge. But don't be fooled by the distance. It is a slow road, but the view all the way up and from the top takes your breath away.

Lifey

[glc]

I don't think you would need a sat phone or a PLB in those areas - they are well-traveled. If I can travel through there in October with a 2 wheel drive F-150, you can certainly do it in an Outback. Bring a wifi-equipped laptop with you and check on weather and road conditions before leaving the hotel in the morning, or find a Starbucks or McDonalds for breakfast and check.

[Foy]

I can't say with absolute certainty, but I'm fairly sure my Verizon cell phone had consistent coverage all along I-90 from Gillette to Billings and from Crow Agency, MT to Belle Fourche, SD. I distinctly recall phoning my wife from Gillette and again when closer to the MT border, and one of my sons phoned me when I well away from towns in between Lame Deer and Broadus, MT on US 212.

Foy

[Iblishaitan]

Not gonna lie, I love my GPS unit alot.

45K miles on it and have never been lost. When I put the address it takes me to the address and the "ETA" that it shows is very precise.

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Though I would advice to have couple maps and a gps unit, incase either of the things fail.