Steve,
I have my own guidelines for hiking solo. I go to places I know and I do not vary from my prescribe itinerary...even when a neat ridge is calling my name.
As for electronics...I take my phone when I remember to take it. It is put in Airplane mode. I turn it on from time to time...not for a bread crumb trail but to see is there is a signal...most times there is not one.
I take a dedicated GPS on all hikes. It is usually turned off. Not to save battery life but most times I don't see the point of having it on, I've been there and done that. I carry it primarily for others. If I see someone in distress I want to be able to correspond with SAR in a languages they understand...LONG/LAT and UTM. I have been involved in an incident involving SAR. I know how long it takes to get air and ground assets to those in need.
I've researched SPOT and I do not have not found a good reason to have one. Based on what I have seen in social media, they are mostly used as toys. If I can come up with a good reason to buy one, I will. I am more inclined to buy a PLB than a SPOT-like device.
