Personal Locator Beacon
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 Fast Find 210 GPS Personal Location Beacon $175.00 Time Remaining: 1d 8h 53m |
 ACR AquaLink PLB Personal Locator Beacon $372.98 Time Remaining: 9d 17h 28m Buy It Now for only: $372.98 |
 ACR Microfix Personal Locator Beacon GPS PLB 300 $99.99 Time Remaining: 17d 7h 47m Buy It Now for only: $99.99 |
 ACR 2880 RESQLINK 406 MHZ GPS PERSONAL LOCATOR BEACON 2880 $260.78 Time Remaining: 1d 17h 13m Buy It Now for only: $260.78 |
 SPOT 2 Satellite GPS Messenger Personal Locator Beacon $149.99 Time Remaining: 2d 17h 55m Buy It Now for only: $149.99 |
 McMurdo Fastfind 406 Personal Locator Beacon $579.54 Time Remaining: 14d 13h 3m Buy It Now for only: $579.54 |
 ACR MicroFix 406 MHz GPS Personal Locator Beacon Model Number PLB 300 $400.00 Time Remaining: 6d 15h 32m Buy It Now for only: $400.00 |
 ACR ResQLink Personal Locator Beacon w Floating Pouch $277.96 Time Remaining: 10d 15h 18m Buy It Now for only: $277.96 |
 ACR 2880 RESQLINK 406 MHZ GPS PERSONAL LOCATOR BEACON 2880 $265.20 Time Remaining: 5d 5h 11m Buy It Now for only: $265.20 |
 McMurdo FastFind 210 PLB Personal Locator Beacon w GPS $245.00 Time Remaining: 2d 3h 30m Buy It Now for only: $245.00 |
 50 Rebate ACR SARLink 406 GPS PLB Personal Locator Beacon EPIRB Model 2883 $399.88 Time Remaining: 2d 6h 53m Buy It Now for only: $399.88 |
 Acr 2880 Resqlink 406 Mhz Gps Personal Locator Beacon 2880 $281.17 Time Remaining: 16d 6h 3m Buy It Now for only: $281.17 |
 ACR ResQLink 406 MHz GPS Personal Locator Beacon $274.94 Time Remaining: 29d 8h 19m Buy It Now for only: $274.94 |
 ACR AquaLink View Personal Locater Beacon 350C P N 2884 $459.95 Time Remaining: 10d 7h 41m Buy It Now for only: $459.95 |
 ACR MICROFIX 406 MHz GPS PERSONAL LOCATOR BEACON MODEL PLB 200 P N 27994 LOOK $219.00 Time Remaining: 7d 16h 8m Buy It Now for only: $219.00 |
 ACR AquaFix 406 Personal Locator Beacon with GPS $399.00 Time Remaining: 9d 15h 29m Buy It Now for only: $399.00 |
 ACR RESQLINK 406 Mhz GPS PERSONAL LOCATOR BEACON 375 $296.43 Time Remaining: 22d 16h 12m Buy It Now for only: $296.43 |
 BRAND NEW ACR AQUALINK PLB PERSONAL LOCATOR BEACON $383.93 Time Remaining: 3d 14h 28m Buy It Now for only: $383.93 |
 ACR AquaLink PLB Personal Locator Beacon $372.17 Time Remaining: 7h Buy It Now for only: $372.17 |
 ACR ResQLink 406 MHz GPS Personal Locator Beacon W Floating Pouch $297.99 Time Remaining: 4d 18h 7m Buy It Now for only: $297.99 |
 50 Rebate ACR ResQLink 406 MHz GPS Personal Locator Beacon Model 2880 $274.88 Time Remaining: 27d 8h 5m Buy It Now for only: $274.88 |
 ACR 2897 Resqfix Personal Locator Beacon Epirb Battery Replacement Service $110.00 Time Remaining: 15d 5h 17m Buy It Now for only: $110.00 |
 SPOT 2 Satellite GPS Messenger Personal Locator Beacon $129.99 Time Remaining: 5d 10h 32m Buy It Now for only: $129.99 |
 ACR MICROFIX 406 MHz GPS PERSONAL LOCATOR BEACON MODEL PLB 300 P N 2898 LOOK $249.00 Time Remaining: 7d 15h 8m Buy It Now for only: $249.00 |
 ACR 27974 AquaFix Personal Locator Beacon Epirb Battery Replacement Service $110.00 Time Remaining: 15d 5h 17m Buy It Now for only: $110.00 |
 ACR 2898 MicroFix Personal Locator Beacon Epirb Battery Replacement Service $131.00 Time Remaining: 15d 5h 17m Buy It Now for only: $131.00 |
 ACR 27982 TerraFix Personal Locator Beacon Epirb Battery Replacement Service $110.00 Time Remaining: 15d 5h 17m Buy It Now for only: $110.00 |
 ACR 27972 AquaFix Personal Locator Beacon Epirb Battery Replacement Service $110.00 Time Remaining: 15d 5h 17m Buy It Now for only: $110.00 |
 ACR 27984 TerraFix Personal Locator Beacon Epirb Battery Replacement Service $110.00 Time Remaining: 15d 5h 17m Buy It Now for only: $110.00 |
 ACR ResQLink PLB 406 MHz GPS Personal Locator Beacon $284.95 Time Remaining: 1d 16h 56m Buy It Now for only: $284.95 |
 Fast Find 210 GPS Personal Location Beacon $299.99 Time Remaining: 6d 7h 49m Buy It Now for only: $299.99 |
 ResQlink+ Buoyant Personal locator beacon $324.95 Time Remaining: 8d 2h 10m Buy It Now for only: $324.95 |
 MCMURDO FASTFIND PLUS GPS 406MHZ PERSONAL LOCATOR BEACON NEW LOWEST PRICE $449.00 Time Remaining: 8d 7h 48m Buy It Now for only: $449.00 |
 Fast Find Max G Personal Location Beacon $693.00 Time Remaining: 6d 8h 5m Buy It Now for only: $693.00 |
 ACR AquaLinkTM PLB Personal Locator Beacon $404.37 Time Remaining: 27d 15h 51m Buy It Now for only: $404.37 |
 ACR ResQLink 406 MHz GPS Personal Locator Beacon model 2880 $263.00 Time Remaining: 9d 14h 10m Buy It Now for only: $263.00 |
Backpacking - Six Ways to Save Money
As pack weights get lighter and going into the wilderness gets safer, backpacking also is getting more and more expensive. How do you save money without giving up the ultralight equipment and safety gear? Let's look at a few different ways.
Backpacking in the most remote places has become much safer now that there are personal locator beacons. One I recently saw advertised lets you call for help to 911 and family or friends at the touch of a button. It will even locate you on Google maps so others can see exactly where you are. Of course, at almost $200 for the device plus an annual fee of $100 per year for the service, it isn't cheap.
My alternative? Just bring your cell phone and GPS unit. If you already own the phone you will only have to buy the GPS, and using it is free. When in trouble you can call for help on your phone and give the coordinates of where you are. They can type them into an online service themselves to see where you are on a map. Since your cell phone probably isn't satellite based, coverage won't be quite as good as the expensive locator, but it is a reasonable way to save money. Here are five more.
1. Buy used gear.
I would never buy an old sleeping bag, because the filling gets destroyed with time. On the other hand, there is nothing wrong with used aluminum pans or tent stakes. I have seen both in thrift stores for a fraction of what they cost new. You can also find some decent backpacking equipment online at either Ebay or in outdoor forums which allow users to sell their old gear.
2. Stay close to home.
A big part of the expense of backpacking can be the travel expenses to get to the trailhead. But do you really have to go 2,000 miles to backpack somewhere beautiful? If you intend to eventually hike some of the trails closer to home, why not start with them? Inevitably there will be destinations you never get to, so why not have them be the more expensive ones?
3. Buy real foods.
Forget the expensive freeze-dried backpacker's meals. Bring nuts, granola and other inexpensive real foods. For cooked meals, bring instant brown rice and a fast-cooking legume like red lentils. Noodles with olive oil, parmesan cheese and spices can be more delicious than a freeze-dried dinner and cost only a fourth as much. Many supermarket foods are better than specialty "backpacking meals" in my opinion.
4. Buy regular clothing.
Contrary to the impression given by outdoor clothing manufacturers, you don't need a new high-tech wardrobe to get out into the wilderness. Instead of a $16 super-wicking t-shirt, try a 50/50 cotton polyester blend t-shirt from Wal-Mart for $4. It will probably be more comfortable, and dry almost as fast if it gets wet. In a warm climate with brief summer showers you can forgo the $120 waterproof/breathable rain jacket in favor of a $20 low-tech one, or even a $2 emergency poncho. There are usually ways to save a lot of money on clothing if you consider where you'll be going and what is truly necessary.
5. Base camp.
If you just want to get out and hike, you might consider camping in your car or in a cheap tent next to it. You can hike all day with just water, food, and the few other things you need in any cheap day pack (buy it used at a thrift store to save money), and return to the car to sleep. You don't need a great sleeping bag, backpack, tent or other expensive gear if you don't plan to spend your nights out there in the woods. This technically isn't backpacking, but perhaps the point for you is just to see and hike in some beautiful places, and on a budget.
About the Author
Copyright Steve Gillman. To get an ebook on Lightweight Backpacking for FREE, as well as photos, gear recommendations, and a new wilderness survival section, visit: http://www.The-Ultralight-Site.com