r/WildernessBackpacking • u/ShadowAce88 • 2d ago

Washington State backpacking solo question.

Hi all, I’m planning to do my second ever backpacking overnight in the cascades this year. Last time I went was with a group of friends 10 years ago. Ever since I’ve been wanting to go back but long story short I have no one to go with. Now I’m debating on going solo for just a night.

My questions are: - what would you recommend for solo overnight? - Is it safe? (Clearly it’s safer with a group)

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u/tfcallahan1 2d ago edited 2d ago

When going solo I like to carry a satellite communicator like the Garmin InReach Mini 2. It provides a lot of peace of mind for me and my wife who can track me on Garmin's website in real time. It has 2 way satellite texting and an emergency SOS button to call SAR if needed. They're not cheap and require a subscription for the service but for me it's well worth it. I also go off trail a lot so it's doubly important. But even if you are on well established trails stuff can happen and you can get in trouble just a little ways off trail. And with no one else there to help, a device like this can be a life saver. FWIW solo backpacking can be very rewarding. I do it almost exclusively. HTH.

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u/RiderNo51 1d ago

I have personally given up on Garmin and the InReach after Garmin decided to charge $39 every single time you reactivate it, when that used to be free.

Operating by iPhone and it's SOS now.

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u/tfcallahan1 21h ago edited 21h ago

The new pricing model sucks balls. But I still need it to keep my wife happy when going solo. Paying that amount is still cheaper than any other vacation :)

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u/RiderNo51 1h ago

If one has a family I totally get it.