Advice Basic mobile phone for emergencies?

[old.user4556]

Freddys,

After a very successful wild camp at the weekend, I've decided I need to add an emergency mobile phone to my bag. Requirements are:

- cheap
- small and lightweight
- very long battery life (at least several days of standby)
- voice calls / basic SMS required only
- unlocked handset
- ability to be charged from an external power source (such as an Anker battery pack)

Options?

 

[Raven]

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00NH4OJHG

Not sure on battery but should be up to the task in power save mode...not like you will have the wifi on when wild camping.

Edit, as for charging, I bought one of these...not tested it out and about yet though.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01K3WH4EY

 

[old.user4556]

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00NH4OJHG

Not sure on battery but should be up to the task in power save mode...not like you will have the wifi on when wild camping.

Edit, as for charging, I bought one of these...not tested it out and about yet though.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01K3WH4EY

Too expensive and too complex for what I need - just needs to be a basic voice-call handset - more like this?

 

[Raven]

Bit more...but

Fonerange Rugged 128 Tough SIM Free - Unlocked Mobile Phone at MobileFun

Edit, appears to be duel sim so I guess it could be a phone for 2 of you?

 

[old.user4556]

Bit more...but

Fonerange Rugged 128 Tough SIM Free - Unlocked Mobile Phone at MobileFun

Edit, appears to be duel sim so I guess it could be a phone for 2 of you?

That could be the ticket, more rugged than the Nokia.

 

[old.user4556]

Bit more...but

Fonerange Rugged 128 Tough SIM Free - Unlocked Mobile Phone at MobileFun

Edit, appears to be duel sim so I guess it could be a phone for 2 of you?

Apparently this is the same phone, but cheaper.

https://www.aldi.co.uk/p/69930/0

 

[Gwadien]

Hang on @Big G before you go for anything, I recall someone making a copy of the original phones in the naughties making it cheap and indestructible, possibly perfect?

Actually it's not as... armoured as that one.

 

[Scouse]

@Big G - get one of these. Screw signalless phones.

 

[Moriath]

Like that watch that they did on topgear. Set it off and they come find you anywhere in the world hehe.

 

[Raven]

Fairly useless for making phone calls though, one would imagine.

 

[old.user4556]

Thanks all - ordered the Nokia 105 for £20 delivered.

 

[Scouse]

Fairly useless for making phone calls though, one would imagine.

Middle of nowhere in Skirtland? Phones will be fairly useless too.

Emergency planning. Take both.

Not that I do

 

[old.user4556]

Middle of nowhere in Skirtland? Phones will be fairly useless too.

That's not entirely true, you'd be surprised, the hills and Munros are pretty well covered but it does totally depend on the network. Some examples:

Ben Nevis, Carn Mor Dearg and Aonach Mor (handful of the highest peaks in the UK) are well covered.



Ben Lawers via Beinn Ghlas - Lawers being 7th highest in the UK if memory serves....




Cul Mor is truly in the middle of fecking nowhere. These are all on Vodafone which does have the best voice coverage in the Highlands. Contrast Cul Mor with Three which is pretty fucking useless!

 

[Scouse]

Still. Better hope emergencies happen in coverage areas - not behind rocks n shit.

But yeah. We've managed to live long enough being sensible about risk. If I was long-distance-from-shore sea kayaking I'd grab one. But I rarely do.

 

[old.user4556]

Yeah I won't be relying on it - just saves me taking a big battery pack for the iPhone if I have a tiny "voice only" spare for cheap.

 

[Fweddy]

I went wild camping in the Cheviots on Friday night. Far enough away from civilisation that I couldn't get a radio signal in the car while driving there, but out on the hills I could get a decent phone signal and mobile internet. Was very handy for checking Aurora alerts.

So did anything happen to make you decide you needed an emergency phone G?

 

[Gwadien]

I just use native American smoke signals

 

[caLLous]

So did anything happen to make you decide you needed an emergency phone G?

He went camping and ran out of male grooming products.

 

[old.user4556]

So did anything happen to make you decide you needed an emergency phone G?

Not really. Main driver is a smartphone battery isn't really reliable enough for a couple of days, so in the event of an emergency I want a phone that can last many days, is lightweight and also inexpensive to replace if I smash it / drop it in water. Also can't be arsed faffing around with multiple SIM cards so want a separate handset.

I did take my Anker Powercore+ unit but that nearly weighs half a kilo that I could do without carting about to keep an iPhone 6+ topped up.

 

[Jupitus]

I did take my Anker Powercore+ unit but that nearly weighs half a kilo that I could do without carting about to keep an iPhone 6+ topped up for 30 minutes.

Fixed that for yer