Weight | 3.5 oz |
---|---|
Rating | 5.0 |
PROs | It is very good |
CONs | It is very bad. |
ACR Bivy Stick Satellite Communicator
$250.00
$250 | 107.3 g (3.8 oz)
On paper the ACR Bivy Stick looks good and checks all the boxes. It’s small, light, with a full feature set including tri-network communication for tracking. And it has a very attractive price! We love its compact form and the open hole at the top to attach to a ‘biner. It has a dedicated phone number which makes messaging so much easier and transparent — and it supports group messaging. Messages, tracking points and locations are sent tri-network, cellular, WiFi or satellite. The Bivy Stick uses the same Iridium network, antenna, modem, and transmission power as inReach. So in theory it should have the same level of connectivity and message reliability. And it has the basic functionality — messaging, sending locations, tracking, weather reports and of course sending out SOS messages. It has a nice 120 hr battery life and uses Bluetooth Low Energy – BLE to conserve power when connected to your phone. And it has a modern app, which is fairly easy to use. The Bivy Stick has no display and just a few buttons and leds for basic functions, so you’ll be doing most operations via your phone. The good news is that for it’s most used functions, the two multi-colored leds do give you some idea of what’s going on, and you can stop and initiate tracking and send check-in messages without a phone.
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Tantalizingly Close to a Top Pick
The ACR Bivy Stick is tantalizingly close to achieving its full potential and competing head to head with our top picks. As of now, its tracking is basic, a bit buggy and unpredictable. Some aspects of its operation are confusing. In particular, it is confusing what functions can be done only via the App vs only via the physical Bivy Stick — which of those functions are carried out via WiFi, Cellular, or Satellite only — and whether your phone GPS or the Bivy Stick GPS is being used for locations! This does matter, including significant battery drain if you chose the wrong option. Finally, as far as we can tell, the Bivy Website is under revision and has little functionality. If Bivy were to improve upon these, and we are hopeful they can, it would rightfully compete for a place in our top picks. That would make us very happy. Stay tuned as we continue to test updates, and refinements from Bivy.
PROS Only $200 (reduced from $350!). Small and light. Dedicated phone number. Group Messaging. Good battery life. On paper it has all the basic/necessary messaging and tracking functionality for backcountry as well as weather and SOS messaging. App design is decent, and not hard to use. Top tier service plan is a good deal for moderate to heavy users.
CONS Unit and App’s functionality and performance are still a little rough around the edges and can be confusing at times. Tracking is very basic. Currently it has high battery drain in iOS. With no display and just a few buttons the unit relies heavily on a connected phone for operation.
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