Zoleo Satellite Communicator 2024 Review

This is a sponsored post brought to you by ZOLEO. Save $50 off the ZOLEO Satellite Communicator AND get a free six-month subscription to Gaia GPS Premium when you purchase a communicator now through September 13th. Additionally, for a limited time you can use the code backpackerradio for a free device activation (a $20 value).

It’s now been over three years since I first reviewed the ZOLEO Satellite Communicator for The Trek. At the time, the ZOLEO was new and was a relative newcomer to the satellite communicator market. Since then, I’ve backpacked over 9,000 miles with a ZOLEO on my pack. I’ve observed a massive rise in the device’s popularity during that time.

Three years is quite a span for any piece of technology these days. ZOLEO has rolled out new features, and I’ve had the chance to hike all over the country with it and see how it holds up over time. So it’s high time for an update on that original ZOLEO review, accounting for my experience with it over the last few years as well as all those updates.

My Experience Using the ZOLEO on the Calendar Year Triple Crown

The ZOLEO was my satellite communicator of choice in 2022 when I spent the year hiking an extended version of the Calendar Year Triple Crown (CYTC). I was out backpacking from January 1st in Key West to December 18th at the Mexican border on the PCT. The ZOLEO was with me every step of the way on that hike. 

I mostly stuck to its primary feature, using it to communicate when I was too deep in the backcountry for regular texting. Having the ZOLEO meant I was able to keep in touch with my family through the swamps of Florida. It made hotel reservation logistics possible from deep in the Sierra Nevada. I was even able to communicate with family coming through the home stretch of the most remote sections of the CDT.

Across the entire country, there was never anywhere I wasn’t able to get a message out. That’s the most important feature to me, and the ZOLEO proved true, time and time again, with easy, seamless messaging.

Zoleo Satellite Communicator At a Glance

• MSRP: $199 (discounted to $149 through September 13)
• Weight: 5.3 oz
• Battery: Rechargeable
• Battery life: 200+ hours
• 2-way communication? Yes

Zoleo Satellite Communicator Features

Here are some of the ZOLEO’s essential features, new and old.

Dedicated SMS Number

I consider the ability to easily message people to be a top-priority feature in a satellite communicator. The ZOLEO’s streamlined messaging is absolutely one of the components that attracted me to it.

When you set up your ZOLEO, it’ll have an assigned SMS (short message service) phone number that anybody in your phone can receive texts from. Texts have a 160-character limit, but they can be sent to anybody in your contact list, ZOLEO app user or not. (Users of the free app can send much longer messages as well; more on that later.)

This number doesn’t ever change, so the folks you text most regularly from it can save this phone number to text your ZOLEO any time. It also makes sending messages to new contacts easy. As a thru-hiker, you could scan social media comments for trail angel phone numbers at an upcoming road crossing and shoot an SMS text to set up a ride into town, cell service or not. On their end, it will come through the same as a regular text message.

Configurable Message Check Interval

This is another handy feature that lets you determine how frequently your ZOLEO checks for incoming messages. The ZOLEO can be set to check messages every 12, 24, or 60 minutes. It can also be left in “always on” mode to facilitate frequent communications, or if you just need to scan for new texts sporadically, you can manually trigger a message check on an as-needed basis.

These options (all of which can be adjusted on the fly) allow the user to constantly dial in their ZOLEO for maximum efficiency. I would usually keep mine set to “always on” while engaged in an active conversation with someone; the rest of the time when not in use, I would save battery by keeping the device fully powered off.

Long Messages of 900+ Characters

In addition to the SMS texts, ZOLEO users can send messages over 900 characters to anybody who has the ZOLEO app on their phone. The app is free: anyone can download it with no need to purchase anything or open an account. This feature makes seamless communication even easier. Even from the trail, you could use your 160-character ZOLEO SMS texts to tell a person to download the ZOLEO app on their phone; once they do you’ll immediately be able to send that person longer messages.

I had all my family download the app before setting out for the CYTC; for the rest of the year we were able to communicate via long messages within the app. 

When in town, you can seamlessly carry on communications in the app over wifi or cell signal even without having the ZOLEO device powered on. So, instead of switching back and forth between conversations in different apps, once I’d get to a town, I could just keep the conversation going over wifi in the ZOLEO app, all without burning battery on my device so I could keep it turned off and charging. 

Progressive SOS

This feature allows ZOLEO users to stay “on the line” with emergency services once the SOS has been triggered. It will send status updates throughout the process to make emergency response as smooth as possible. ZOLEO is even now offering to schedule SOS testing so that users can understand what that process looks like and confirm, for their own peace of mind, that the button will indeed work when it needs to. 

Durable Design

The ZOLEO is bomb-proof. It’s water-, shock-, and dust-resistant, and after three years of hard use, I can attest that I’ve never had issues with any of those things.

I also love that there aren’t many buttons on the device itself, making it simple to operate and virtually eliminating the risk of pressing something accidentally.

The SOS button is covered by a protective bit of plastic, so it’s virtually impossible to accidentally trigger it. This leaves only two accessible buttons, both of which are difficult to accidentally press. These are the power and check-in buttons. So basically, at the very worst, you could accidentally power on your device and send a check-in “I’m OK” message. And for the record, in all my thousands of miles of carrying my ZOLEO, I have never once accidentally pressed a button while hiking.

The flip side is that even if something were to happen to my phone, the ZOLEO can still communicate independently — which I’m also a huge fan of. You wouldn’t be able to explain that you can’t text, but you could still send check-ins and activate SOS, so even if your phone goes down you still have your lifeline. 

Affordable Device and Plans

The ZOLEO itself is the least expensive device of its kind on the market right now. Three years after my original review, the price hasn’t been raised; it’s still just $199 (and actually only $149 during their current fall promo), which is an incredible value.

The ZOLEO’s corresponding satellite messaging plans are also competitive, starting at just $20 per month for the basic plan and topping out at a still very reasonable $50 per month for unlimited messaging. All plans include unlimited free check-in and SOS messages.

Easy Device Sharing

ZOLEO makes it easy for multiple users to share the same single device. The current user disconnects their device and the next user downloads the free app and connects their own device over bluetooth. That’s it — it’s seriously that simple.

So for instance, one person could take the device out for a weekend and then pass it on to their buddy to use the following weekend. Or, let’s say two people are thru-hiking together and one of them is carrying a ZOLEO. The ZOLEO carrier then gets hurt or goes home for a weekend for a wedding or any of the thousand reasons hikers leave trail for a short or long period. The ZOLEO user could easily transfer the device to the other person in their absence.

It really is perfectly designed for a smooth transition from user to user.

Medical Assist

This has got to be one of the coolest new features in a satellite communicator I’ve ever seen. ZOLEO now offers “Medical Assist,” a 24/7 non-emergency assistance service. It allows users to chat with a medical professional to get non-life threatening medical advice; locate clinics, hospitals, pharmacies, and dentists; and receive help in replacing prescription or medical supplies.

This is a massive benefit for all users and is especially helpful for folks with conditions that mean they need to access medical services regularly.

Final Thoughts

The ZOLEO is an extremely efficient and easy-to-use satellite communicator. Mine has performed flawlessly over 9,000-plus miles and counting. Fortunately, I’ve never needed emergency help in my adventures, but the communication features have been so smooth and easy, facilitating countless conversations and giving me and my loved ones great peace of mind.

My friends and family have rested much easier knowing that I’ve had a trusty communicator handy throughout all my hiking over the last few years. And from what I’ve seen from the company, they’re only on the rise, staying at the top of the competitive field with new innovative features and continuing to perform when it matters most.

And right now is a great time to join the ZOLEO team, as they are running a fall promotion of $50 (25 percent!) off a new device, as well as a free six-month Gaia GPS Premium subscription. This is a fantastic time to try out one of the best satellite communicators on the market.

Reminder: use code “backpackerradio” when activating your device to get a FREE activation.

Check Out the ZOLEO Satellite Communicator

The Zoleo Satellite Communicator was donated for purpose of review.