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The best walkie talkies, satellite messengers, and mesh antennas for hiking and camping

Off the grid doesn’t have to mean off the grid. These products are the best way to communicate from — and within — the woods.

One of the big reasons people head into the wild is to forcibly disconnect.

Getting far enough from cell towers is the excuse some of us need to just turn off our now-useless phones and escape the constant need for communication and connection. And while we don’t need to give that up, having some level of communication in the backcountry can be handy in more ways than one. In an emergency, it might be our only way of getting help. On certain trips, you might want a way to talk between group members — and ideally something a little more reliable than shouting to the next ridge.

And even without LTE service, there are plenty of ways to stay connected, both to the outside world and to the other members of your isolated adventure. Outdoor-specific technologies like satellite communicators, ruggedized or long-range radios, or mesh-style radio texting devices can all increase your margin for safety and make life a little easier when you’re off the grid, without the grid itself.

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