Why I Bought an iPhone 14

(and what it has to do with hiking)

I rocked a flip phone until the end of 2012, long after all my friends had gotten smart phones. Even after converting to a smart phone, I always remained a bit of a luddite when it came to new phone technology. I would limp along with an outdated, screen-cracked, barely-could-hold-a-charge phone for years longer than it was intended to be used. My innate frugality always prevented me from even considering the latest and greatest new device. Only when the planned obsolescence of the phone would absolutely force me to, would I replace it with a discounted refurbished (already outdated) device.

It was a surprise even to me when a few months ago I decided to purchase the brand spanking new iPhone 14. Taking a mini-retirement means I need to be on a much stricter budget than usual, but I determined that the phone would be a good investment for my upcoming adventures, despite the $800+ price tag. The iPhone 14 is a great choice for adventurists, especially AT thru-hikers.

The main feature of the iPhone 14 that attracted me was the emergency SOS via satellite. This feature allows you to request emergency services, even when you don’t have cell service. You can send texts via satellite to both communicate with emergency responders and automatically share a map with your location, a potentially life-saving service. This is the first time that an iPhone (or to my knowledge, any other smartphone) has offered such a service. Though I haven’t heard a lot of buzz about this feature, I think it’s a huge deal for outdoor enthusiasts who are frequently out of cellular range. 

Though the capability is new to regular phones, there are other devices that offer a similar service. The Garmin InReach for example, is one I frequently have seen on long distance backpacking trails. At around $400, a new InReach is cheaper than a new iPhone, but with the iPhone you may not even need the InReach at all. You can basically get 2 devices for the price of 1. The InReach also requires a monthly subscription fee, whereas the iPhone emergency SOS service is free for 2 years after purchase of the phone. 

Not only is it cheaper to buy 1 device instead of 2, it also saves you pack weight. A Garmin InReach mini weighs 3.5 oz.  3.5 oz doesn’t sound like much for a device that could save your life, but if it’s redundant to carry the device, you might as well enjoy a lighter pack. My new phone with the case on weighs a hefty 7.4 oz, but is still lighter than carrying both a Garmin InReach and my previous 1st gen iPhone SE (5.2 oz).

There are some limitations of carrying the phone alone however. You can only send emergency messages, whereas with a device like the InReach you can also send non-emergency texts to anyone. This is useful to send updates to family and friends, arrange a pick up time and location, etc., when cell service is not available. 

Compared to other remote outdoor adventures, cell service is surprisingly available on the AT. Rarely do I go more than a day or two without any service. Therefore I don’t miss the ability to send non-emergency satellite texts. For more off-the-grid remote adventures, I might recommend getting an InReach or similar device, but for the AT I think the iPhone is perfectly sufficient. If I’m out of cell range, the iPhone will cover me in an emergency, but for routine communications, I can simply wait until I have service again. 

A new phone brings other advantages for hiking. The iPhone 14 boasts a huge improvement to battery life, and so far I can attest to that. While on the trail I use the phone sparingly and mostly on airplane mode, and I can generally get up to a whole week out of one battery charge. I carry one 10,000 mAh power bank (6.4 oz) which is sufficient to keep all my devices (phone, kindle, and headlamp) charged between resupplies. With an inferior phone battery, I would need to carry a bigger or additional power bank, so having a good battery is a weight saver too. The camera is impressive too – another boon for hikers. I’m not up on all the camera technical jargon, but I know that the phone takes great photos, which is important to me on a thru-hike.

I’m excited to see where phone satellite messaging goes in the future. I assume other phone manufacturers will soon follow suit and offer emergency SOS. The advancement of this technology could be a game changer in the outdoor recreation world, bringing peace of mind to many adventurists. 

Though in many ways modern technology has had a negative effect on our mental and physical health, sometimes I am reminded how amazing it is too. It’s miraculous that in just one device I have a telephone, communication tool, GPS, maps, books, music and other entertainment, camera, and much more. Backpackers love multipurpose items, and this one takes the cake.