I have a lot of fond childhood memories that include some form of radio play – the yellow aviator headsets that my siblings and I used to speculate Christmas morning before my parents woke up, the science kit that allowed us to talk through an AM channel on the alarm clock, and practicing Morse Code on the indestructible Fisher Price Skytalkers. The Motorola Talkabout T600 H20 two way radios are sure to play a role in memorable adventures to come; plus they came in my favorite color, green.First, some specs on these adventure ready radios. The Walkabout T600 H2O radio’s IP67 waterproof standard means they can withstand constant submersion up to 1m for 30 minutes; even if you don’t plan on swimming with them you certainly won’t have to worry about using them in the rain, while kayaking, or standing under a waterfall. Plus, if you drop them in the water they’ll float, and turn on their water activated flashlight to help you locate them (or your friend who fell in while holding one).Other emergency features include an alert button (when activated, the radio transmits an alert siren followed by transmission of spoken or incidental sounds) a belt clip that doubles as an emergency whistle, and NOAA weather alerts.I really enjoy when a product comes included with everything you’ll needed to operate it – and Motorola filled that requirement by including rechargeable batteries and a dual plug USB charging plug to juice them up simultaneously. Once I realized how easily it was to remove the rear clip, opening the battery compartment and installing the batter packs was super easy. Note: These radios can operate with the included batteries or with three AA batteries each.

Aside from the list of cool emergency survival add ons, the radios work extremely well as radios! During testing I was able to get a clear signal through a neighborhood from about two miles away (as advertised) but am yet to test Motorola’s 35 mile mountain to valley claim.As I continue working on my 52 Hike Challenge, the Talkabout T600 H20 radios have become part of my solo-day-hike-safety-plan. Whenever I get to a trailhead; I text my GPS location to my wife, put one radio in the glove box of my Jeep, and put the other radio in my backpack. Should I ever go missing my wife will be able to find my Jeep (or direct rescue personnel) and hopefully reach me via the radio if I’m in trouble and don’t have cell service – it’ll also give me a way to try and reach other hikers in the area since the radios work with any other FRS/GMRS unit from any manufacturer.

As we move into fall and winter hiking where weather can change quickly; having a good safety plan is essential – these radios are a great addition to your safety communication survival plan. Overall, the radios are super solid and I look forward to using them on many adventures to come.

Disclosure: The Talkabout T600 H20 Radios featured in this post were provided for free from Trailblazing Public Relations in consideration for review.