Don’t put all the eggs in 1 Basket
I think what we can pull out of this is - be prepared
and don’t rely on any one piece of gear to save your tush.
Each piece of gear has limitations and works wonderfully
– within it’s design parameters.
Multiple redundancies is just good planning in an
uncertain ever changing dynamic natural world.
Agree
+1
Cellphone Works Great 99% of Time
– Last Updated: Oct-30-11 4:24 PM EST –
Right on, for I paddle surfski, and my small, thin and light Samsung B2100 fits perfectly inside my Speedos and Jammers. The phone, equipped with AT&T SIM card, works fine 99% of the time out in the ocean. Of course it wouldn't work if I was doing a Na Pali run off the coast of Kauai. But that happens 1% of the time, so why bother carrying these big fat radios that hardly, if ever get used? The big motor boats have them, but never use them, for they prefer communicating on CB's or their cell phones.
ps: Remember the search party that was sent out unnecessary because the scout leader collected all the cell phones, so the kids couldn't call to let someone know they took the wrong turn or where they were.
Big fat?
A plb is small - no problem to carry. In many areas a cell phone will not work as well as it does in your area. I can hardly get cell service at my house. Many areas I paddle have unreliable cell service.
Cell Phone
I have been paddling ~ 12+years. I know the paddling I do, the places I go and the conditions I tend to encounter. I also know the equipment I need for different areas.
When I paddle the sounds and/or the ocean,yes a VHF is a better tool. I still get good reception; near Cape Lookout, Ocracoke and other barrier islands, with the evil phone.But a VHF is better.
When I do the local rivers, creeks, streams and blackwater areas,a VHF is not the best tool.In the these areas the cellphone will get help quicker than a VHF.
I look at my cellphone as safety equipment.If it is locked in the car,it is of no use to me. I do not need a phone, that I am scared to get it wet.If that bucks tradition or old school, then so be it.My safety and the safety of others is more important.
My original post asked only about a reviews of Casio phones.That is all I was seeking. Thank you for those whom replied on topic.
Amazing
You ask a simple question and you get jumped.
I wish I could answer your question but I can’t. I wish people would understand that not everyone paddles way off shore and that a cell phone is a good choice and way better than vhf. Good luck with your quest for info.
hey, rufdawg, this is helpful!
I didn’t even know phones like this existed. I thought I had to carry my regular little prepaid cellphone in a water-resistant case in my PFD. I have often wondered how I’d make a call on it if I was in the water. Now I know! Cool. I’m going to look into these tough cellphones. (With Verizon, of course. Out in the Cedar Island marshes, miles from anywhere, I was with folks who could get a signal at the little pine hammock we camped on. That was a lesson to me.) Thanks again!
G in NC
Casio
I have one, enjoy using it. Turns into a pinball machine when dialing 911. Keep it in a small Pelican box. there’s an exact fit.
The waterproofness is for light rain not Niagara on the way down.
911
I remember looking at a Casio Boulder a few years ago in the store.The display mentioned a 911 feature. When I dialed 911 in the store;on the casio, a car alarm sound went off. There was no way to diasble it back then. It was the main feature that turned me off about that phone.I had forgotten about that.If I am dialing 911 due to a break in , the last thing I would want would be an alarm giving away my position in the house.
Ginger, I have a Motorola Quantico with US Cellular. The phone itself has been bomb proof thus far.Phone has been rolled and splashed in both fresh and saltwater. No problems. Their coverage east of I-95 is great.In the Falls & Jordan Lake area’s not so much.A tin can and string would be more useful.Hope to see you on the water soon.
You are right on, Goobs.
Cell phones have become one of the newest addictions for people. It appears as if some think others can’t do without hearing from them.
They are helpful for true emergencies, of which there are few in most of our lives.
I saw a cartoon once of a baby being born with one on his ear. Quite humorous.
To each their own pacifiers and security blankets.
Enjoy your day.
I always take my cell phone.
– Last Updated: Nov-04-11 11:41 AM EST –
Not for emergency use, just because I love to talk at loud levels as annoyingly as possible at all times. Except when I'm texting of course, or playing my mp3's as loudly as the water proof booster speakers I've attached to my kayak will play. I turn them up even higher when other paddlers come close to avoid any interpersonal dialogue, and to drown out that stupid paddle slap as they paddle by me (while I'm floating with current of course - why paddle when the current provides all the movement I need?). :~p
Jimini-Christmas, there are some real sticks in the mud in this sport. Crotchety, old, close-minded folks need not respond when someone has a sincere question about technology. The OP wasn't asking PERMISSION to carry a cell phone, they were asking for informed advice and experience on a specific model. Those with a penchant for unsolicited parental overreach should go preach somewhere else, like maybe the lounge of your retirement home . . . .
YoS
(edited to add that there is some really sound advice on this thread, despite the anti's worthless input. Especially about carrying multiple devices and the value of each in differing circumstances)