Anchorage Satellite Phones.Com

Renting a satellite phone is the sort of experience where both the product and the customer service matter.
Because in a sense, it’s your parachute. You want it to work when you need it most. And you want someone to take the time to explain how it works in a simple and ideally, friendly manner.
When I decided that my idea of fun would be trekking and driving solo around Alaska for a couple weeks, my parents made it clear in no uncertain terms that unless I wanted to be tailed by a private investigator (i.e. them), I needed to rent a sat phone. And so I ended up in a tiny strip mall across the street from heaven (aka REI).
The office is small and simple. You are greeted cheerily upon entry. The guy who worked with me was efficient and helpful, giving me frequent updates on the transaction status as he worked through the paperwork. After handling payments and signatures, he took me outside, gave me verbal instructions on how to operate the phone and then had me practice. Ten minutes after parking my car, I was walking back with a newfangled contraption under my arm. A newfangled contraption I could operate!
The phone got the job done in the backcountry. I’ll admit to an unexpected peace of mind. One day, I might be hardcore enough to drift through harsh terrain with only a bag of toothpicks and apples slung over my shoulder. But until then, sat phones are my new best friend in the wilderness.
Returning the phone confirmed that while the storefront may be small, these guys run a legit operation. I had stories to tell the staff, thanks to a fatal bear mauling which resulted in a mandatory helicopter evacuation from Denali. Avid outdoorsmen themselves, they gave me a ton of useful information for future trips as well as tips on gear.
The company has a sister location in San Diego, my hometown. When I gear up for my next adventure, I know where I’ll be going for my sat phone or personal locator beacon!

It makes sense to have a satellite phone along for emergencies when you are on an extended trip in the bush. Just because it makes sense does not mean I want to do it. But… because I was guiding some other guys who are all fathers of young children, and my wife and their wives thought that having a goal of just getting most of them back home alive was not ambitious enough, I gave in and rented a sat phone for our 100 mile float trip.
This bare-​bones shop in an anonymous strip mall did the job for me. Fifteen minutes and I was out the door with an Iridium sat phone, no hassles. And it is right across from REI for those last second purchases for your Alaskan trek, such as a spare gallon of mosquito repellent.