Anyone that spends much time in the outdoors can find themselves in the middle of nowhere with no chance of having a cell signal. Generally speaking, that's a good thing, but sometimes you would like the security of connectivity if you get lost or need help. A device called 'goTenna' was designed to offer an option for communicating with your group when phone service isn't an option. goTenna allows you to send and receive text messages and share GPS coordinates with your friends that have the device as well. The range can be expansive; 1-50 miles, depending upon the surrounding terrain. Settings like a ski resort for example, would most likely give you better range than a downtown area that has lots of tall buildings. I just returned from a large music festival where having the goTenna system would have been a much better way to communicate because the cellular networks were almost useless because of the volume of traffic. To learn more about this device, visit goTenna.com for the details.