Emergency Electronics Awards Announced by OutdoorGearLab.com

CHEYENNE, WY – OutdoorGearLab.com announced today the results of its 2013 Editors’ Choice awards for emergency electronics. Four devices: three satellite messengers and one personal locator beacon were tested in extensive side-by side testing. The devices were evaluated in the following categories: SOS functionality, global coverage, message sending, general ease of use, clarity of indicator lights and tracking.

The testing involved may months of traveling the world to tropical islands, skiing in the high sierra and BASE jumping in the Alps. View the complete reviews at emergency electronics.

The winners:
DeLorme InReach Satellite Messenger – Winner of the Editors’ Choice award for 2013. According to Gear Editor Matt Gerdes, “The InReach wins our Editors’ Choice award because it is was by far the most reliable and easy-to-use satellite messenger we tested. It is also the only device we tested that allows your to reliably receive messages. The DeLorme can be used as a standalone device a’la SPOT, or it can be paired with your smartphone, which is where it really shines. Its expensive: $250 for the device and then $100-300 a year depending on what data plan you choose. But you really get what you pay for; less expensive options were far less reliable and much less feature rich in our tests.”

ACR ResQlink 406 Personal Locator Beacon – Winner of the Editor’s Choice and Best Buy award for 2013. The Best Buy is given to a product that balances a high score in our tests and a reasonable price. According to Gerdes, “If actually getting rescued is your top priority, choose the [[ACR ResQLink 406 Personal Locator Beacon]]. It has an upfront high cost, but once you add up the messaging plans of the other devices, the ACR is less expensive after two years and drastically less expensive if you hold onto it for 5+ years.”

“When all was said and done, our head tester choose to mainly travel with the ACR because he doesn’t have to worry about changing the batteries for 5 years or paying a subscription. And when you’re really in trouble, it’s the device that has proven to work best.”

OutdoorGearLab LLC, headquartered in Cheyenne, Wyoming, is dedicated to creating the world’s best outdoor gear reviews. The company’s website is a free resource for people who love the outdoors and participate in activities such as hiking, climbing, backpacking, and camping. The company performs side-by-side testing of outdoor gear and publishes the results in comparative reviews. Each product is scored across a range of weighted categories, competing products are ranked, and awards are given to top performing products.

Media Contact: Chris McNamara – 307.509.0188 – outdoorgearlabpr@gmail.com