Outskirts Overland Podcast
Welcome to the Outskirts Overland Podcast, your go-to source for all things overlanding! Hosted by a seasoned adventurer with over 15 years of experience, this podcast offers a genuine and down-to-earth exploration of the overlanding lifestyle. Whether you're a seasoned traveler or just starting out, join us as we delve into the essentials of gear and equipment, share captivating stories from the road, and provide practical tips for your next adventure. Tune in for insightful interviews, expert advice, and a community of like-minded explorers who share a passion for discovering the world beyond the beaten path. Get ready to fuel your wanderlust and embark on unforgettable journeys with the Outskirts Overland Podcast!
Outskirts Overland Podcast
Survival Tech Showdown: iPhone vs Zoleo
Reliable communication in the backcountry can be a lifesaver, but with advancing smartphone technology, many adventurers are wondering if dedicated satellite devices are still necessary. After years of recommending satellite communicators like the Zoleo, I decided to put my iPhone 16's satellite features to the test on a recent camping trip.
The results were definitive - and not what many YouTube influencers would have you believe. Despite claims that smartphones have made dedicated satellite communicators obsolete, my real-world experience proved otherwise. The iPhone required awkward positioning to maintain a satellite connection, couldn't share my location easily, and struggled with basic messaging. Meanwhile, my trusty Zoleo connects quickly, maintains a stable connection, and provides seamless two-way communication even in the most remote locations. For serious backcountry explorers, the $199 investment in a dedicated device easily outperforms the limited satellite capabilities of a $1,200 smartphone.
Beyond gear discussions, I share thoughts on maintaining the proper mindset during outdoor emergencies. When things go wrong - whether it's a stuck vehicle, mechanical failure, or other unexpected challenge - freaking out only makes matters worse. My philosophy of "control what you can and cope with what you can't" has helped me navigate countless difficult situations. Taking a breath, sleeping on problems when possible, and approaching challenges with a clear head can prevent minor inconveniences from becoming dangerous emergencies. This mindset, coupled with proper preparation and equipment, forms the foundation of backcountry safety. Whether you're dreaming of Alaska adventures (like I am) or tackling challenging terrain closer to home, these principles will serve you well on your journey.
Ready to enhance your overlanding experience? Join me at Overland of America and save 10% on day passes with code OUTSKIRTS10. Let's connect and share our adventures under the open sky!
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, welcome back to outskirts overland. Today's Tuesday. Today's Tuesday before the 4th, 4th July Again, exciting stuff, um and uh, yeah. So that's what's going on. I got nothing particularly exciting going on today, but you know it's Tuesday.
Speaker 1:Last night I did watch a considerable amount of I don't know Considerable is a considerable amount. I watched a good amount of the story till now. I like I mean I mention him a lot just because he's also going to be at Overland of America, which, not to be that guy, but also use code OUTSKIRTS10, save you 10% on your ticket set. Overland of America and it was recently made aware does not work for not recently made aware, but recently educated myself that it does not my code doesn't work for RV or cabin camping, but it still will save you on your day passes. Anyways, watch this story till now because he's doing a trip to Alaska and Alaska for those of you that have been long-time listeners or even listeners from when I was a guest on Budget Overland wow, you know, when Budget Overland was still around Alaska's a bucket list I really want to go to Alaska. So, not watching just because it's them, but because it's Alaska. I'm very, very interested in that Prior to that, I was really interested in doing the Million Dollar Highway, going to Colorado, doing all that.
Speaker 1:I did go do that in 23, 23, 24, 23. I don't know, I did it, guys. I don't like heights so much, so we'll see. I mean I did not like, I didn't, I mean I did not enjoy, I did I do a lot in Colorado? Yes, did I? Yes, 100% Fact. Did I do everything I wanted to do? Yes, was I scared to death? Yes, like it was rough on me, but I did do it. So I'm, you know, cross that off, done and done. Cross that off, done and done. Moving on, I would like to go to Alaska.
Speaker 1:So I did watch a good amount about Alaska yesterday. Excuse me, and that's about what I did last night. I'm a big John Wick fan and the new John Wick, you know, ballerina movie was released on Amazon Prime yesterday. It's been out in theaters, it's just now on Amazon Prime, so I had that pre-ordered. So I'll watch that tonight. But it did get released like midnight last night and weirdly, I do this sometimes, guys I went to bed. I fell asleep at like 7 pm. I didn't go to bed, I fell asleep on the couch like 7 pm, woke up at like damn midnight, then went back to bed at like 2. Weird thing, I don't know, I guess I started, you know that's that late, that's that late nap, you know when you're doing it, that late in the day I guess. But yeah, so I saw that that was available and I was like I'll watch that tomorrow and watch the uh, nascar documentary about going to Le Mans.
Speaker 1:Big NASCAR fan, I'm a big NASCAR fan guys. So I watched that documentary. That was 2023 as well, but, um, still cool still. I mean, still Still cool, still interesting to me, still enjoyed it. That stuff's fun for me. Like I've said about every episode, I come from racing. I do enjoy race cars and fast cars. I wouldn't say I like sports cars particularly, but I do like fast cars and so that kind of stuff interests me. I watch NASCAR every Sunday it's available, unless it's football season Football, football, football over everything else, you know. So nothing real, nothing real interesting going on. There Was looking at some maintenance items for the truck Trucks due for a new serpentine belt, thought about well, I mean maybe doing radiator hoses as well.
Speaker 1:It's at 80, it's just at 86,000 miles. The reason I think about the belts and the hoses. It's a little early. I mean, it is a little early for those things. Maybe, maybe not, you know, but that mud, all the mud and sand and everything that gets up in them from being off road, it does dry that rubbery stuff out. So I'm looking at silicone hoses and, you know, serpentine belts or them be whatever. It is right. I'll probably take it to Toyota and have them put one on.
Speaker 1:Serpentine belts are such a dumb thing that I absolutely despise, because there's always a special little trick to each car on like not how it routes. I mean, most cars even show how it routes under the hood, but there's always a little trick to make it happen easy and it's just one of the dumbest things to like. You can get so frustrated with it, so I'll probably just take it in there with that tongue. If it's not an LS or a 350 Chevy, I probably won't have a serpentine belt in my list of stuff I care to do anymore, and this is not either of those, and it has a manual fan, clutch fan and I don't know how that plays into it. I haven't even looked now. I try not to look too much at any of the engine components of this truck, I'll have it supercharged and, yes, I just don't want to do that scroll. Not even gonna say it, it works. How is I almost jinxed myself there, not gonna, I'm not going to change that unless it's necessary.
Speaker 1:So one thing that I was thinking, that I was, you know, I don't know, I always say I was thinking about last night, but one thing that I mean that's what I was doing, I was thinking about last night. So I got the iPhone 16, and I'm a big proponent. So you guys will see where this is going here in the next sentence. But anyways, I'm a big proponent of Zolios and inReaches. Okay, yesterday or yesterday, yesterday, I was thinking about it.
Speaker 1:Last weekend, when I went camping, I used the iPhone satellite feature because it has it now, and so I had a friend, benji, who previously said the iPhone worked better than the Zolio, but he didn't have a Zolio set up. Like he had it set up but like the app wasn't logged in and et cetera, et cetera. So I was like dude, I don't think that's the case. Et cetera, et cetera. So I was like dude, I don't think that's the case. So, me being me, I left my Zolio and used the iPhone.
Speaker 1:Iphone sucks compared to the Zolio. The Zolio is way freaking better for off-grid communication. You have to have your phone to use it, but I can just send. Like I can't send a location on, I can't send somebody my location from the iphone satellite thing. That's really all I want to do. I mean, you can send texts and they take about forever. With the zolio I can also get texts back better. I don't know.
Speaker 1:I I prefer the zoleo guys, but a lot of the zoleo was really big like two, three, four years ago. And in reaches like the, in reach mini, everybody's like, oh, I gotta have it, gotta have it. And now the iphone's out and people are like I'll just have this. Well, guys, man, I, I'm. I'm coming more into my own with this. To be honest, I think people are full of crap. I have used the damn phone now and I'm not saying Benji, I mean Benji, they used it and it worked for him and he didn't have his Zolio set up. I mean you YouTube people. They're like, oh, I just used my iPhone 16 and it does it now. Blah, blah. These people are talking out their butt because I've used them both and it's not even close. It's not even close.
Speaker 1:If you have your iPhone and you're trying to send a text, you got to do this whole spin around thing and it loses the satellite. My Zolio is on. Okay, I turn my Zolio on. It says searching for satellites. It connects a satellite and I can carry on a text conversation or send a location or ping emergency services, and there's no like one at a time type crap, like it just works. Whatever it does, it picks up the signal, it keeps the signal. When people text the number, I get the text. When I text them, they get the text.
Speaker 1:You know, when I shoot, I have a list of favorites or whatever emergency contacts, whatever Zolio calls it, and you can send unlimited location check-ins. So I have a list with, like you know, my dad, my sister, my daughter, my oldest daughter, and I just click the check on the Zolio and it sends a check-in. It's a checkmark looking button and it sends a check-in. That costs you nothing, because naturally the Zolio is like a service you pay extra for. But again, my Zolio is not new. I've had my Zolio since 2022, 2022, 2022. I've had it since 2022. I think that might be when they came out.
Speaker 1:I update it when it needs updated. You know I do pre-chip trip checks, make sure you know it's good to go, got to set up, got it updated, got the app updated on my phone if it needs to be, because again, the whole point is that it's off-grid communication and if you're off-grid and you don't have it ready to go, well, that just you know that's then it's kind of like on you. You got to have that thing ready to go. But yeah, I've heard a lot and again that's Benji's personal experience so I was like I'll give it a whirl on a trip that I don't think I'll be, you know doing anything too crazy. So I took it and man, it sucks. I was pissed by the second day with the thing. I was like this is dumb, like this is stupid. I was like this thing is it works okay. I'm not gonna sit here and tell you guys it doesn't work. It works okay.
Speaker 1:The freaking satellite iridium satellite deal on your iPhone works. You can send texts, you can't send locations, you can't send anything along those lines. So along the along the lines of like yes, the zolio costs extra money, but like you still have to have like offline maps with onyx or something to even send someone a location via numbers on text, like to make sense of it like you can't, there is no, there is no like just send a location. You can't share a location and maybe you know, maybe you can and I couldn't figure it out, but furthermore that makes it more complicated than the zoleo. Then too, I I don't think that's the case, but that was my experience. So again, guys like my Zolio works about 75 times better than the Iridium on the iPhone In a pinch.
Speaker 1:If that's what you got, that's what you got, you know, run what you brung For sure, use it, use the iPhone. If the iPhone's what you got, I'm not saying go get a Zolio. But if you're somebody that has an N-Rage or a Zoleo and you've kind of let it go or you've even thought about maybe I sell it or get rid of it, don't, if you already have it, continue using it. It is way freaking better. I've seen some new ones come out. I don't even know what they are, but there are some newer ones I just I'm only aware particularly about. There's one that's called the Spot, the Zoleo and the Enrage. Those are the only ones I know about. There is one other one that I think is, and maybe it's the Spot, I don't know, there's an. I don't know, I'll have to look into that. I don't know, I'll have to look into that.
Speaker 1:But my whole point is, the idea was that the iPhone now does it and you can get rid of all these things. If you're an exploratory individual, if you're an enthusiast, an adventure enthusiast, if you're an outdoor hobbyist, oh, your iPhone will do it. Now, well, yeah, I mean, if I broke my leg and I couldn't spin around and crap like I'm going to die, like it would not connect unless I was doing exactly what it wanted me to be doing and the phone had to be like unlocked, not, not, not ideal, okay, in a place where you don't have service like don't have service, quote, unquote, in freaking general, probably fine, it's probably fine. Yeah, when you're off grid and you're really trying to keep people updated, that you're like good, like I'm good where we made it, et cetera, I'm, you know, here's where I'm sleeping tonight. If you're a hiker or a mountaineer or whatever, like I would not rely on a freaking iPhone, not a chance.
Speaker 1:So I was thinking about it last night, just because you know, naturally I'm going camping this weekend and I was like I write stuff down. Yeah, I mean you could call it journaling if you wanted to, but I write stuff down like things went well, things that don't go well, so I can, you know, revert back or tweak something, because again, when you're out, I don't carry all this extra stuff to be updating this or redoing that. It's got to happen when I'm back home and I'm me and you know a squirrel. So I write it down. But one thing that I was looking at last night, while I was kind of doing pre-trip trips, trip checks, which is just part of my, you know, beginning of the week, you know Monday through Wednesday type thing with the truck stuff, you know checking on stuff, like I talked about radiator hoses, I was looking at them. I'm like they're not brittle, they're not cracking, but it's probably you know I try to do stuff before it's a problem I was like, yeah, it's probably time, you know it probably is time. So and this Olio was one I was like, yeah, absolutely, charge that bad boy back up, make sure it's all updated, because the whole iPhone charade with that thing is garbage.
Speaker 1:So something that I used to say a lot and I kind of backed off on it because of the iPhone, you know. I was like, well, maybe that is, you know, maybe that is. And I hadn't yet used my iPhone. So I was like, well, maybe the iPhone is the way you know, maybe that's the way now, get an iPhone 16. If you don't have one, you know, I'm sure Android will follow suit or already has Iridium capabilities. I was like, well, maybe that's the way to go, like you already have that with you, like everyone has one.
Speaker 1:So I hate saying, but it is, and I don't hate saying it's just unfortunate. That's where we're at. But yeah, I know it sucks. It sucks comparatively. If you've been rolling without anything and you got an iphone 16 and now you can do it at all, you'd be like this amazing. But yeah, that's not. You know, I've got five fingers and if I had zero two, be nice, but five is really ideal. Like kind of that type of thing, like something's better than nothing, but it's not as good as what it should be. So the Zoleo's still considerably better. So I just wanted to hash that out because it's been. I'm way behind on that topic. And I didn't. And I'm way behind just because I've just been using the Zoleo, because I have it. But I figured, you know, hey, I should probably I'll give it a whirl.
Speaker 1:You know, I was on Benji's podcast some months ago um, newfound Overland, we do a segment together and he was talking about how he he's like I'll phone work better in the Zoleo and I was like, well, huh, I mean I did ask him I'm like, did you have the Zoleo connected and updated and ready to go? And he was like no. So I was like, well, huh, I mean I did ask him I'm like, did you have the Zoleo connected and updated and ready to go? And he was like no. So I was like, well, that probably has something to do with it, and you know, just transparently. But at the same time it struck my curiosity to see if the phone was better. Answer negative, not at all, not at all better. So just take that for what it's worth.
Speaker 1:If you're in the market for some type of off-grid communication and you're not due for a phone upgrade and you were thinking about getting a phone upgrade and paying for it because it's going to be this dual-purpose communication multi-tool, a Zolio is like $1999. Phone's like $1,200. So do what you want with that. And the Zoleo is like self-up, like you can update it. Like I said, I've had mine for three years now, three years like on the dot, almost. I would recommend it. I don't have any partnership with Zolio. I've never even spoke to someone at Zolio. I just went on like anybody else could and paid for my subscription thing, did what I do and that's yeah. So I'm just a regular old like you guys, like I'm not in nothing special with with them, but it does work way better and I you've always said like that is one of the most important things that I would always take with me as a zolio.
Speaker 1:One cool thing about it too and I didn't check my iphone for this, because I was just already so fresh pissed off with it really but the zol you can check the weather through the satellite based on your location with the zolio too, and that's nice. I like I do quite like that, and it does count. A weather check counts as a like a message. So you do essentially pay for that, but I think I pay for like 250 messages a month for like 20 bucks, and I go on. I you guys know this like I'm going very regularly. You there's there. That's not the cheapest or the least plan. You can do less and I just think it's way well worth the money for the safety piece.
Speaker 1:It's kind of like there for a while when I first got my diesel heater it's kind of like this, where I had um carbon monoxide detectors in the tent. I'd like two, because I was like I don't know about this. You know we're in this closed tent, this diesel heater, I don't know. But now I'm, I don't have them in there, but I was skeptical. You know safety is important. You don't want to die in your sleep when you're alone. Nonetheless, when you're alone, you know safety is important. You don't want to die in your sleep when you're alone, nonetheless, when you're alone, where you can't hardly talk to people. So I don't have them now, because I ran one for probably 40 nights in the winter and zero PPM, so zero parts per million. I was like, well, that's probably, we're probably OK, and I had a like a regular one with a beep and a digital one. So I redundancy there just to make sure I'm not falsely getting killed with the diesel heater. Um, so yeah, just making sure being safe being safe is a huge thing with me specifically, just because it's something you a lot of times.
Speaker 1:You can prevent many things If you'll just, you know, remain calm, don't freak out, like, even if your truck's stuck, just chill, like, come back to it. You don't got to rush, you don't got to freak, you don't got to get all excited, like sometimes, you just got to. Okay, this is what it is. You know those type of things can lead to accidents, mistakes, injuries. You know, Just come back at it with a fresh mind, as long as you're safe. You know A truck gets stuck and you're freaking out and calling everybody and walking four miles one way, and I don't do that. That is a that is a concoction for disaster. 10 out of 10 times I'd rather, yeah, so I'd sleep on the angle, sleep next to the truck, on the truck, do something else, come back at it later with a better mindset and that'll help you out.
Speaker 1:Not that I'm trying to preach, you know, but like, if you, if things aren't going how they should, freaking out, it's going to make them worse. Freaking out, getting anxious, like, just take a deep breath, take it for what it is and keep it. You know, keep it in perspective, because more times than not, a twisted knee, blisters on your feet that turn into infection, getting lost on foot. You know, expecting things to happen faster than is really realistic. It just doesn't work out anyways it's not. You'll injure yourself. You're already frustrated.
Speaker 1:Oh, another thing you know Well, just stop. Just stop and prevent it from being. Another thing. You know your truck breaks and there's people with you. I mean take all the help you can get. But if you can't get help, I mean kind of just chill and, you know, come back another day. Another day is another time to try and call people and another day is a time to, you know, do a number of different things. It doesn't have to be immediate I know we all live in a world of immediate things but just woosah, some stuff, you know it'll help you out, that's just good, that's just good safety.
Speaker 1:So advice in general like don't, yeah, just don't freak out, don't get, don't get excited, don't get. Like, you know, like deep breath, that takes some, that takes some experience. Guys, like in some bad situations and I say bad, like it could be anything from a blown tire and you don't have a spare or a patch kit or patch kits not working to a cv axle or getting stuck without the ability to recover or who knows what, like who knows what your truck blew up, for all I know. I mean any number of things, but like, once it's happened, it's happened. You're not going to undo what happened.
Speaker 1:So rather than freak out because you're already going to be, you know, kind of distressed with the situation that just occurred, kind of just, I always say you know, control what you can and cope with what you can't. And I always try to take, control what you can and cope with what you can't. And I always try to take. When something bad goes wrong, I try to cope first, before I even think of control, because the mechanism of my mind wants to control, fix it immediately. So I try to go okay, what now? Chill out, charlie, chill out what even makes sense, and then go from there, which has led me to buy a lot of recovery gear.
Speaker 1:You know, rather than being like, ooh, I outpunted my coverage, I'm stuck, I can't get out, I mean I could recover my truck out of a mud hole and it's still not run. You know, essentially, at least I can get it off the trail. I mean, it's not always a perfect scenario, you know you could. I mean you can poke a hole in an oil pan, or I mean this skid and I can get into skids. I mean, I talked about what it costs to build a rig yesterday, like yeah, anyways, just the subject is you know, when it comes to safety, and, and you know, when it comes to safety, I had thought the iPhone was a solution and it just isn't.
Speaker 1:It just isn't, it is. It is. If I was my last case scenario, I could use it. If I if I wasn't physically injured and it was is capable of using it because it does require some movement. I wasn't physically injured and it was is capable of using it because it does require some movement.
Speaker 1:Um, but my Zolio sits in the truck, mounted in the truck near the windshield here, and works there, and I don't even have to be like right on top of it and so and I mean, and your Zolio could be on your person and it still does work. Also, it comes with like a lanyard thing and you connect it to a zipper or whatever. It's a little bigger than I'd want on a zipper, but you can put it in a pocket or something. So Just something I wanted to touch on, because I've heard a whole lot of Heard, a whole lot of oh, the phone works. I think those people are camping in their backyard. I don't think they're really doing anything, because I did do it and it did not. It was not as advertised. I could tell you that 10 out of 10, don't recommend. So anyways, that's what I got for you guys on a Tuesday. I will catch you guys later and have a good Tuesday.
