Backcountry Access Tracker DTS Beacon Review

Check out the review and comparisons for the Backcountry Access Tracker DTS Beacon and you decide if this equipment is good enough for your next outing.

Reliable and easy to use. Through years of development and field testing, Backcountry Access has made the Tracker DTS Beacon incredibly intuitive so it’s fast and easy to use when you’re under the stress of a real search. It’s no wonder that the Tracker DTS is one of the most popular beacons in the backcountry.

The digital display shows you both the distance and direction to your buried buddy, and in addition to standard single-search mode, the Tracker DTS includes a special mode which will give you the distance and direction to all signals in a narrowed search range. This may be the difference between saving one of your friends or both of them, so practice, practice, practice.

Backcountry Access Tracker DTS Beacon Review

The Tracker is the first beacon I ever used and it just seemed too simple. I bought one once I moved to Utah and took an Avy 1 course with Exum (so should YOU!). The Tracker never got more complicated throughout all our training and my own personal practice. It makes so much sense to me that I can’t imagine using another, or ever needing one…so much that I bought my girlfriend one so she could have the same simplified search interface when we’re out together. Hopefully we’ll never have to really use it.

P.S. BCA is one of the best companies in the industry because they sponsor classes and beacon practice parks for everyone to use. You dollar is your vote, so vote for a company that does something to address the risk associated with selling avalanche gear to the mountain-going masses. Buy BCA and take a class. It just makes sense.

It comes with 1:100k ratio map. With this map, you cannot do any routing. With the 1:24k maps which you have to buy from Garmin and only cover regions versus all of US, you can do routing with. Road maps can used if you decide to get those as well. You can load custom maps using Basecamp software. Overall a pretty versatile and flexible GPS.

The first beacon I’ve owned, and I love it, super simple to use, just so long as you practice with it, and you make sure the people you’re with know how to use their equipment and their heads. Never used it outside of practice scenarios, but I have the peace of mind to know I could help someone if the shit hits the fan.

Special multi-burial search mode gives your friends better odds if more than one of them ends up under the snow

Direction and distance indicators make searching quick and efficient—just turn until the center arrow lights up, follow the transmission curve until the number reaches zero, then fine-search, probe, and shovel

Beacon automatically switches back to transmit mode after 10 minutes of inactivity in case you get caught by hang fire

Comfortable, easily accessed chest harness for touring

200-hour batter life on transmit mode keeps you up and running most of the season

Wide body and large buttons make this beacon easy to manipulate with gloves on

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