Any backcountry enthusiast will tell you that one important piece of essential gear is a satellite phone or radio. However, radios work spottily in the mountains at best and although sat phones work, their price usually means that most people don’t have or carry one.

Introducing your newest safety friend: the inReach SE 2-Way Satellite Communicator. This little bad boy allows you to contact anyone in the outside world globally from anywhere on the planet.

This stand-alone device has a direct line to Search and Rescue and 911 and you can send a personal message to friends to let them know you are OK or that you need help but it is not an emergency. You can also track your trips and upload your tracks and messages to social media to let your friends know you’re having an epic day, while they are at the office!

The inReach works off the Iridium satellite network and provides global coverage; messages are sent in seconds and received just as fast. I am super impressed by how well it works—even under the forest canopy. On a recent moto trip, we left one unit at base camp and carried one so that we could let our wives know where we were along the way via texts. The inReach can also be connected via Bluetooth to an iPhone or Android phone.