There’s Always Airplane Mode…

Last week Elon Musk announced that he was going to launch more of his Starlink satellites into space so that some of the most remote locations on the planet would have cell service.

Outlets like Outside and Gear Junkie picked up on the story, and – in accessing these articles on their respective social pages – there was no questioning that there is a heavy divide between who’s for this and who’s against it.

The people who are against it are the purists who believe that the outdoors is a sacred place that should not be interrupted by modern amenities. Their fear is that the TikTokers will infect the woods with their twerking videos and/or this will just be another place for people to walk around with their faces glued to their phones – taking away from the whole meaning of being out there in the first place.

The people that are for this are the “better to have, and not need, than to need, and not have” crowd, who believe that if you can improve your situation in an emergency in a remote area – then you should. They’re not interested in making videos or having conversations on their phones when they’re out there in it – instead, they’re looking at this as another way to be prepared in a place where a lot of folks generally aren’t.

So – as someone who spends the majority of their time in the outdoors, in remote places, a lot of times without cell service – where do I stand on the matter?

Well, I love the escape the outdoors provides me, but I’m all for being prepared and being as self-sufficient as I can be out there. I’m also a dad and I like to be as available as I can be for my kids because you never know what kind of jam they’re going to get into.

Adding to that – big picture – we live in a society where everyone is a text or phone call away. It’s as common as breathing these days, so people expect to be able to get a hold of you. But, if you set parameters – like “hey, I’m going hiking this afternoon, so I might not get back to you right away.” people get that, because they get you.

And, if I’m being blunt – you can always turn your phone off or turn on Airplane Mode if you don’t want to be bothered.

So, all due to respect to the die-hards who oppose this improvement, but this isn’t the fight you want to fall on your sword for. You can save that enthusiasm for the jerks who play their bluetooth speakers in the woods talk. Besides, this isn’t going to be the type of cell service where you can stream yourself lip-syncing in a bear cave, this is going to be a very slow, necessity-driven form of service that will allow a text or call to be sent or received.

Not a lot of bandwidth, but a nice to have, just in case.

In the end, this is all a sign of the times. There are already multiple ways to communicate in the outdoors in places that don’t have cell service – most of which charge an extra fee to use. And, as awesome as they are, if you can save a few bucks and not have to carry an extra gizmo or gadget, that’s a win-win.

Especially if you’re one of those people who drill holes in their toothbrush to cut down on weight.