This is the best review of the Zoleo on TH-cam. Your actually using it in real life. All the other reviews are of a guy sitting at a desk telling us what it’s supposed to do. Thanks so much !!
Getting ready to hike Mount Blady in California here soon. Being a San Diegan as well, I just wanted to say I've never felt more prepared for LIFE than before I started following your channel. I greatly appreciate your content Aaron.
Late to the party here but got a funny story to go with the zoleo. After spending 3 hours limping my truck out of the bush with a broken serpentine belt and finally getting back to cell signal I called my wife , she was literally standing at the cash register at cabelas buying me one of these in case i broke down in the bush and had no cell service. Kinda ironic huh ! Lol
I am always in the Montana backcountry by myself and need something like this! I was looking at the garmin mini but now I'm definitely going with this one. Thank you for the video!
Good review. I just ordered an ACR Bivy stick even though it cost a little more. Reason i did not buy the Zoleo are because everything is type C charge cords now but Zoleo is the older style. The Bivy stick will roll over the unused credits but the Zoleo does not. Thats a big one for me as you are prepaying for the credits and if they are unused, they should be stacked onto the next month credits.
This is really cool and I think will fit the bill for our vineyard teams that go out into the boondocks. Since they are seasonal workers being able to put the devices on pause in the winter is very nice. Looks like they offer business solutions I assume so that we can manage multiple devices/plans from a single account.
RE: there should be a 'pay-per-use without monthly subscription' option for really casual people; but there isn't As I live in Belgium, where real nature is absent, I would use a device like this for the very few times there isn't phone coverage like in the most southern part of the country in the woods or when I'm out on the water with a kayak. However ... since I'm rather a casual outdoorsman AND have phone coverage 99% of the time, I don't feel I can justify the price. What I miss is a 'pay-per-use' option with no subscription; I don't mind having to pay quite a bit more for the few times I do use it ... but on average not using the device half a year and only very rarely sending anything but emergency stuff, makes subscriptions and reactivation costs rather expensive for what you get out of it. The only alternative would be a 'personal locator beacon'; however I don't like those since they're also rather pricey, don't show if the SOS actually is being responded to AND still require an expensive battery change every 5-7 years if not a new device. -- In short: I would like to see the communicator market going the way of the 'payed subscription GPS'; being replaced by the smartphone. With StarLink, Swarm and tech like that I can imagine that being the case in less then a decade. I would already be very happy if I could simply have a device that just works whenever and charges just for that specific use.
That’s pretty cool. Couple things you didn’t cover: what do the 3 different service packages cover/ how are they different? Also, how does it charge; can you charge it from a portable battery charger or solar panel?
Ive been on the fence about one of these for a while, I hunt in some unforgiving areas of east san diego county. They are now 149.99 on Amazon, I think this is the time to get one.
I'm a Garmin user but I like seeing the competition. Does the system offer gps mapping in the application? Does the system offer a web site for tracking by family and friends?
I've been looking at this device as a possible solution for comms on the trail. Can you turn the phone to Zoleo Bluetooth connection on and off (to save phone battery charge) and still receive any messages that might have been sent while your phone was not paired? In other words, are those messages cached somewhere in the Zoleo comms linkage so they can be retrieved later? Great review and demo by the way!
The Garmin InReach mini has a lcd screen and is not dependent on the phone necessarily for texts. It is also has a well established emergency rescue response system. Both have plans and costs involved, Garmin is much less cost per month. Of course, if I have cell coverage, I would be using my phone anyway, so is that feature really a plus? Thanks for showing a alternative device though. Now, when one of these type devices include voice communication using satellites I’m in!
Thanks for your video, have you tried the Garmin in Reach mini, I was about to buy the Garmin, but this video is making me change my mind… any suggestions? Thanks…
It would just depend on what you are looking for. The Zoleo needs the phone to fully utilize its features the Garmin has a small screen. The Zoleo has better battery life, and start up cost much lower on the Zoleo.
@@gideonstactical The other thing to consider is that with the Garmin you can also receive messages from other people even if you don't have your phone. This is what made me go with the Garmin; if my wife needs to message me about something urgent, I can still get the message even if my phone is dead. With the Zoleo and a dead phone, you're limited to outgoing 'check in' messages only.
Ive been on the fence about one of these for a while, I hunt in some unforgiving areas of east san diego county. They are now 149.99 on Amazon, I think this is the time to get one.
You did a great job with explaining everything about the Zoleo communicator, and you saved me $20! Thank you!
Glad to help!
This is the best review of the Zoleo on TH-cam. Your actually using it in real life. All the other reviews are of a guy sitting at a desk telling us what it’s supposed to do. Thanks so much !!
Getting ready to hike Mount Blady in California here soon. Being a San Diegan as well, I just wanted to say I've never felt more prepared for LIFE than before I started following your channel. I greatly appreciate your content Aaron.
Late to the party here but got a funny story to go with the zoleo. After spending 3 hours limping my truck out of the bush with a broken serpentine belt and finally getting back to cell signal I called my wife , she was literally standing at the cash register at cabelas buying me one of these in case i broke down in the bush and had no cell service. Kinda ironic huh ! Lol
I am always in the Montana backcountry by myself and need something like this! I was looking at the garmin mini but now I'm definitely going with this one. Thank you for the video!
Good review. I just ordered an ACR Bivy stick even though it cost a little more. Reason i did not buy the Zoleo are because everything is type C charge cords now but Zoleo is the older style. The Bivy stick will roll over the unused credits but the Zoleo does not. Thats a big one for me as you are prepaying for the credits and if they are unused, they should be stacked onto the next month credits.
Right on!!
Bought one, so far so good!
Awesome. Used your activation code and received the discount. Thanks.
Glad to help! Hope it serves you well. Still love and use mine after all this time 👍
Ooooooooo! I can use this! It'll be grate for my next pub crawl.
ZOLEO is amazing! My go to device!
This looks like a big win. Thanks for the review Aaron.
We've been using the inreach with several Garmin products - great to see more companies entering this space.
This is really cool and I think will fit the bill for our vineyard teams that go out into the boondocks. Since they are seasonal workers being able to put the devices on pause in the winter is very nice. Looks like they offer business solutions I assume so that we can manage multiple devices/plans from a single account.
Thanks - appreciate your informative review!
Glad you enjoyed it!
I like it but one thing to keep in mind is to use your phone off the grid you may be eating phone battery quickly. Bring a charger!
Wasn’t an issue for me. Just kept my phone on airplane mode till I was ready to send a text message and didn’t have to charge it for two days.
RE: there should be a 'pay-per-use without monthly subscription' option for really casual people; but there isn't
As I live in Belgium, where real nature is absent, I would use a device like this for the very few times there isn't phone coverage like in the most southern part of the country in the woods or when I'm out on the water with a kayak.
However ... since I'm rather a casual outdoorsman AND have phone coverage 99% of the time, I don't feel I can justify the price.
What I miss is a 'pay-per-use' option with no subscription; I don't mind having to pay quite a bit more for the few times I do use it ... but on average not using the device half a year and only very rarely sending anything but emergency stuff, makes subscriptions and reactivation costs rather expensive for what you get out of it.
The only alternative would be a 'personal locator beacon'; however I don't like those since they're also rather pricey, don't show if the SOS actually is being responded to AND still require an expensive battery change every 5-7 years if not a new device.
--
In short:
I would like to see the communicator market going the way of the 'payed subscription GPS'; being replaced by the smartphone.
With StarLink, Swarm and tech like that I can imagine that being the case in less then a decade.
I would already be very happy if I could simply have a device that just works whenever and charges just for that specific use.
Thanks for the review, this helped with my decision to get one. Also, thanks for the discount code, saved the $20 activation fee.
Excellent review - thank you!
Enjoy your weekend Aaron! The buddy
Really cool. Safety & communication "first". Looks good. Works great. Impressive view. 👍
That’s pretty cool. Couple things you didn’t cover: what do the 3 different service packages cover/ how are they different? Also, how does it charge; can you charge it from a portable battery charger or solar panel?
The plans are laid out well on there site, and you can charge it form a power bank or solar panel.
Ive been on the fence about one of these for a while, I hunt in some unforgiving areas of east san diego county. They are now 149.99 on Amazon, I think this is the time to get one.
Nice video of photographers point, Seneca Lake and Island lake. You guys get up into Titcomb basin?
I was wondering when you were going to cover some kinda Comms/SatNav ... Super cool device. 😀
What chair is the guy using to lounge like that at 9 minutes?? May need to look into that as well as the zoleo!
Picked mine up for $150 on Amazon a week ago. Too bad I missed the activation code, but I saved enough that I guess it's ok.
Do you have to use it an open space or is it going to work in closed areas like caves?
Done both with good experience
I'm a Garmin user but I like seeing the competition. Does the system offer gps mapping in the application? Does the system offer a web site for tracking by family and friends?
Yes to both 👍😀
Dont u hAve to use your phone to see gps mapping? If your phone dies… u cant see nothing from device its self.
@@BMLLINEAGE you can use sos and check in without your phone but not the GPS maps but I carry a battery bank anyway
how would this work if the grid went down and there was no power in my area?
Really good review. Lots of great features
I've been looking at this device as a possible solution for comms on the trail. Can you turn the phone to Zoleo Bluetooth connection on and off (to save phone battery charge) and still receive any messages that might have been sent while your phone was not paired? In other words, are those messages cached somewhere in the Zoleo comms linkage so they can be retrieved later? Great review and demo by the way!
Answer is yes. You receive them and they are displayed when connected to the mobile. I believe it even sounds when a message is received.
This sounds like a really nice device. I am curious. Have you attempted to go from Zoleo number to Zoleo number? Device to device?
The Garmin InReach mini has a lcd screen and is not dependent on the phone necessarily for texts. It is also has a well established emergency rescue response system. Both have plans and costs involved, Garmin is much less cost per month. Of course, if I have cell coverage, I would be using my phone anyway, so is that feature really a plus? Thanks for showing a alternative device though. Now, when one of these type devices include voice communication using satellites I’m in!
Thank you 👍.
Great info on a helpful device.
Love it 👍
Does it work inside an RV?
Usually, better outside though.
Thanks for your video, have you tried the Garmin in Reach mini, I was about to buy the Garmin, but this video is making me change my mind… any suggestions? Thanks…
It would just depend on what you are looking for. The Zoleo needs the phone to fully utilize its features the Garmin has a small screen. The Zoleo has better battery life, and start up cost much lower on the Zoleo.
Looks less pricey than a Garmin. I have an older Spot Messenger and may upgrade to this.
@@gideonstactical Thanks for your prompt answer… I guess Zoleo may be a better option for me
@@boscokid9524 Appreciate your opinion!!!!
@@gideonstactical The other thing to consider is that with the Garmin you can also receive messages from other people even if you don't have your phone. This is what made me go with the Garmin; if my wife needs to message me about something urgent, I can still get the message even if my phone is dead. With the Zoleo and a dead phone, you're limited to outgoing 'check in' messages only.
What it work in the lsle of man or not
World wide
The garmin Inreach mini 2 or the garmin maps 67 i are far better options
This has worked really well for me 👍
Zoleo satellite communicator
👍
Ive been on the fence about one of these for a while, I hunt in some unforgiving areas of east san diego county. They are now 149.99 on Amazon, I think this is the time to get one.