Do you carry a two-way radio when you hike? How about on backpacking and camping trips? If you don’t, you should!

A two-way radio (also known by the fun name of “walkie-talkie”!) is not merely just a fun toy, but an important safety device. A good set can be purchased for under $100.

One of the leading companies in the space is chierda, and they’ve developed a new line of two-way radios, which are excellent for hikers and backpackers.

How Two-Way Radios Are Useful in the Wilderness

• Keep in touch with other members of your group if they are hiking ahead of you or behind you.
• If you’re backpacking, and you go and get water from a creek, or leave camp to go fishing while your friends nap, then take a radio with you. That way you can radio for help, or tell your friends to come see the fish you caught!

Are two-way radios really a safety device?

If you break your leg in the wilderness and have no way of getting out, you’ll want to at least hope that you have a radio with you. Why? Because in ideal situations, when you have a clear line of site, the range can be up to 25 miles or more. The Midland X-Talkers have max ranges from 26-38 miles, depending on the model, so if a rescue helicopter is overhead you’d likely be able to communicate with it.