The compasses work best when outdoors with few obstructions. An ideal place to use them is a big, open field; indoors in a city, they’re not going to be as accurate and they won’t have as much range. Each compass has a peer-to-peer range of about 1,000 meters, or two-thirds of a mile. But if more Totem compasses are around, that range is extended. And these aren’t limited to just festival environments—parents use them to find their kids at events, and hikers like them on group excursions.
There’s even an SOS button that you can press discreetly. A blinking red light on the back shows you that SOS is activated. And on your friends’ side, they’ll see your corresponding color blinking, meaning they’ll know it’s time to track you down. This can be helpful if you’re ready to get picked up, if you’re in an altered state of mind and need a pal, or if the jaw-jacking attendee in front of you is giving you the ick.
Can You See Me?
With all that I like about Totem, there are a few drawbacks. The housing feels a little cheap, lightweight, and plasticky. I haven’t experienced scratches or scuffs, but I’m betting that I will eventually. It’s water-resistant, but not waterproof—when it rains heavily, I put it in my backpack to avoid it getting too wet. It’s labeled as dustproof, but the product guide says not to expose it to excessive dust, so I wouldn’t take it to Burning Man without protection like a waterproof bag or something similar. It also gets warm when it’s working hard, such as setting up a satellite connection, and it gets warm if the weather is hot. And I wish the battery lasted longer. On most festival days, I’m up and at ’em in the festival grounds by 1 pm, and I stay out until at least 1 am if not 5 or 6 in the morning. If I want to use Vibe Mode and have little dancing lights accompanying me, the battery won’t last through my schedule.
I do like that these are rechargeable, but that also means you’ll have to sacrifice some of your power bank’s battery life to keep them stable (if you’re at a camping festival with no power). Totem says battery life will be improved with future software updates. And finally, the device doesn’t feel super intuitive to set up. Sometimes it’s hard to figure out what’s going on, partially due to the fact that there’s no screen—just a series of lights and blinks.
Courtesy of Louryn Strampe
